Kobo H2O

Commenting to provide a confirming data point. I bought a Kobo Libra H2O a few years ago. Unboxed it, modified the config, and immediately started using it with Calibre. It has never participated in any manufacturer's "ecosystem" and has functioned well in a totally "offline" capacity. I was sad to hear newer Kobo devices are shipping with Secure Boot. I've never reflashed my Libra H2O (it's my daughter's and I'd never be able to get it away from her long enough to replace it) but I liked knowing that I owned the device. I'm sad to hear the new ones are owner-hostile.

I moved to Kobo because I bought my partner the Kindle Oasis and just after a year the battery couldn't hold a charge. I contacted Amazon and they would only give me 10% off a new device. I only found one person on the internet who was courageous enough to open one up. The screen was epoxied to the body with no way of opening the device without destroying the screen. So I got her a Kobo Libra H2O. Just as waterproof, significantly cheaper, and you can actually repair it. I ended up getting a Libra Colour for myself and love it.

Can anyone share their experiences with the new Kobo colour devices with pen support (like the Libra Colour)? Been itching to upgrade my beloved Libra H20. Thanks in advance.

I use it on my Kobo Libra H2O, it's great. I love the Calibre integration that allows me to sync up with my library on my desktop in just a couple clicks and taps.

Oh hey, good call – I got a Kobo Libre H2O recently, and I'm loving it too. It's just... great for reading! I have some quibbles on the firmware front, but on the whole it's a great Thing That Does Its Job Well

I use my iPad as a mousepad 95% of the time. It is the most opulent thing I can imagine but most of the time I am either at my computer, which for me is the optimal way to do any real computing, or I'm out and about and I'm not going to carry a full-size tablet, so I use my phone. However when I'm backpacking I will bring the iPad and use it for a map (Much nicer to have the screen real estate compared to the phone and I'm loathe to pull out the paper backup unless I have to). Similarly at night I can use it to watch videos I've downloaded. I very occasionally use it for reference material if I need to look a manual for some piece of equipment since it is nicer to have the bigger screen for that as well, but for normal books I prefer an e-reader (Kobo Libra H20 for me).

First of all, sorry for the late reply! My research before purchasing left me with the distinct impression that both major vendors (Amazon Kindle & Rakuten Kobo) make very good hardware that will serve one's needs. I did not want to purchase an Android tablet (e.g. Boox, even ignoring their GPL issues) as I found that concept to be too distracting/straying from the purpose. I chose to purchase a Rakuten Kobo Libra H2O, which is pretty good for my uses. I imagine the equivalent (but higher priced) Kindle Oasis to be as good or better. I went with the Kobo with the idea that I'd rather competition in this space not shrink further (though I doubt my actions matter much).