Kobo is having their annual Mother’s Day Sale. The company is providing substantial savings for customers residing in Canada, the United States and other countries. You can buy them directly on the Kobo website or through a number of their retail distribution partners. Right now, the latest generation Kobo Libra 2 is on sale, in addition to the Nia.
The Kobo Libra 2 comes in black and white, it also is one of the few e-readers on the market that is waterproof and has manual page turn buttons. In Canada, the regular price is $219.99, but the sale price is $199. The entry level Kobo Nia, is similar to the Kindle Basic. It does not have a high resolution display, nor the greatest specs, but it a good gift for mom, for her first digital reader. Obviously, if your mom likes to read on her tablet, an e-reader makes utter and complete sense, whereas if she just reads print books, it might be a harder habit to break. The everyday price of the Nia is $129.99, but it is on sale for $109.99. Chapters Indigo, is the largest bookstore in Canada and they are matching the $20 discounts. However, they are also offering a hefty savings on the Kobo Elipsa Bundle, which is a 10.3 inch e-note, that can also read books and listen to audiobooks. The savings is $50, and you can buy the device, case and stylus for $449.99.
The Kobo website in the United States is also offering discounts on the Libra 2 and Nia. You can save $20 off both units, so the sale price of the Libra 2 is $159.99 and the Nia is $79.99. Walmart is their official distribution partner in the US, but the Libra 2 and Nia are not on sale yet. You can get savings on the Elipsa bundle pack though, the regular price is $399, but is now available for $349.99.
What item should you buy? If you are buying a gift for mom, the Nia makes the most sense. It is Kobo’s most affordable e-readers, so mom would likely use it a couple of times, unless she got totally enamored with it. If you are buying it for yourself, or upgrading from an older model, I would recommend the Libra 2. It has excellent specs and responsiveness. It scored highly in our hands on review.
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.