- Kobo recently pushed out a fully redesigned reading app for iPhones
- Several new features have been added, including a listening bar for audiobook control, vertical scrolling and guest mode
- Instapaper integration is coming soon to replace Pocket support on Kobo ereaders
I've been a massive Kobo fan since I first started using the Kobo Glo way back when. I've always preferred the Rakuten-owned company's UI over Kindle, although I will admit I wasn't particularly keen on its phone app – whether iOS or Android.
I might be inclined to give the reading app a try now, given that the iOS version has been fully redesigned – its first major overhaul since it was released back in 2010.
Several new features have been added, key among them being vertical scrolling. Behaving more like infinite scroll on web pages, you can now read an entire book by just scrolling down and the pages will just keep loading. This, in my opinion, is a more seamless reading method on a phone, although I think I might still prefer the tap-to-turn on an iPad (not that I use one, I read on the Kobo Elipsa 2E).
Other features include a new Listening Bar for audiobooks that ‘freezes' the controls in place for easy access, even if you veer away from the listening pane to browse the rest of the application.
A new guest mode will let you “browse books, save previews and discover your next read” according to the Japanese-Canadian ereader maker, without you needing to sign into your Kobo account. This, in fact, is an ingenious way to pull new customers into the Kobo ecosystem.
Kobo also says that you will no longer need to manually sync your notes, highlights and bookmarks – it should get done automatically. There's still one major missing feature in the app: there's no way to find your handwritten notes on the app.
And, finally, to replace Pocket integration – which was a fantastic read-it-later service for long-form web articles – the brand is partnering with Instapaper and support will be rolled out to all Kobo ereaders later this year. A confirmed date has not yet been announced.
Take note, Kobo – we need a new Elipsa
As much as I appreciate the newly redesigned Kobo app for iPhones, I'm wondering if the ereader maker will release any new hardware this year.
Around the merry month of May is typically when Kobo has announced new ereaders, with the Libra Colour, Clara Colour and Clara BW arriving on schedule in 2024. This year, there's been radio silence, although it could be possible that the company is waiting for the Instapaper integration to be completed before releasing new devices.
That would be marvelous because it's time the Kobo Elipsa 2E got an overhaul. In fact, I wouldn't mind a new version of the Kobo Sage as well, but I'm partial to the larger epaper writing tablet.
Compared to newer models from the competition, like the several Boox options and the Kindle Scribe (2024), the Elipsa 2E – which launched in April 2023 – feels very dated now. They have better performance thanks to newer processors and the screens also feel fresher – sharper and better optimized.
I'd love to see the Elipsa adopt the E Ink Carta 1300 screen (the current 2E model uses the Carta 1200) that also features an ambient light sensor, much like the 2024 Kindle Scribe does, and has a 300ppi resolution (it's currently 227ppi). I'd also prefer a softer nib than the Kobo Stylus 2 currently uses as it can detract from a smooth writing experience, but that's a minor quibble.
While I wouldn't want to change very much in the UI, and I'm still a fan of Kobo's Advanced Notebooks, the only request I have is to allow subfolders within the library's Collections to organize ebooks better.
Pretty please, Kobo, I'm asking nicely so I can fall back in love with the Elipsa again.
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