Amazon was the first company to pioneer the subsidization of the hardware in-order to display advertisements within the reader. Due to backlash from customers not knowing the difference, the company instituted a new method to remove the advertisements by paying a extra $30.
Hardware and software wise there is no major distinction between the Kobo Touch and the Kobo Touch with Special Offers, other than one displays ads and one does not. I foresee the new cheaper model to be a great stocking stuffer for someone getting into e-readers for the first time. The advantage Kobo has against its competition is the fact it is heavily invested in social media with “Reading Life” and “Kobo Pulse.” You can earn awards and achievements for reading books and monitor your reading habits. Kobo Pulse will be introduced to both models of the Touch within a month.
Michael Kozlowski is the editor-in-chief at Good e-Reader and has written about audiobooks and e-readers for the past fifteen years. Newspapers and websites such as the CBC, CNET, Engadget, Huffington Post and the New York Times have picked up his articles. He Lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
