Reading By the Water.
Wandering through life one often finds oneself near or in some sort of water body – be it bath, babbling brook, creek, stream, river, pond, lake, sea, ocean or even a dam. Water is one of the most soothing things on earth. And reading by it sends the reader into another consciousness.
Often when strolling I don’t want to carry much. A bottle of water will do me. But carrying books can not only be awkward but the books can get damaged. I hate mistreating books. So a walk on the water side, a leisurely rest on the way and a great book on your very portable Kobo eReader is a fantastic way to relax the day away.
Kobo has now upgraded its Aura H2O to Aura H2O Edition 2. Overall they are very similar but the Edition 2 has the great new features of the Aura One.
The Kobo H2O Personality
| Product | Kobo Aura H2O Edition 2 |
| Cost | $285 Australian (includes sleep cover). Check Kobo for current price. |
| Availability | Available |
| Pros | Refer Pros below |
| Cons | Refer Cons below |
| Rank: | 9.5 out of 10 |
| Guarantee | Limited one year warranty (Country consumer conditions apply) |
| Specifications | Check out product specifications |
Pros
- The price is the same as the original H2O.
- The screen is larger and therefore holds more words and reduces page turns.
- The eReader is slightly smaller than the Aura H2O (original) and therefore lighter.
- The eReader features the new ComfortLight Pro first featured in the Kobo Aura One. This not only allows manual light determination but also automatic setting depending on the ambient light. The system counteracts blue light so your night reading has minimum blue light therefore less impact on eyes. The screen also minimises glare during sunlight.
- The design and waterproofing level has been increased to remove the need for a cover over the micro USB connector.
- The memory has been doubled so a micro SD card is no longer needed. Doubled memory means double the amount of books you can carry around!
- The type of water proofing means that the book can be be submerged for the longer period of 60 minutes and to a depth of 2 metres. Better get a good snorkel!
- Borrowing or buying books from some non-Kobo shops can now be done as long as these are partners of Kobo. When you have your Kobo eReader and account, contact the partner and they will provide you with an email and the instructions to transfer all your books into your kobo account. Please note that it is still unclear if all Kobo eReaders can accommodate this action. I am pursuing this information.
- Borrowing books from a library. Indications are that this can still be done however you might need to install a program called overdrive on your computer. I haven’t yet found a complete answer to this but am going to!The public library needs to have the option for eBooks. You only need the subscription from the public library you want to borrow books from.
Cons
- I expect someone has one or two cons but I have none.
How to Relax Near the Beach and Anywhere Else
The Kobo eReaders are of a very robust construction and are further protected by the eReaders Sleep Cover.
The sleep cover is really a must because it not only provides this extra protection but also allows you to set an idling time limit before the eReader puts itself into sleep mode. And this does help lessen the power usage. Not an urgent requirement for light readers but very important to we total book worms.
Back to the ease of taking along my eReader. The H2O Ed 2, as do the other 2 current Kobo models (Kobo Aura One and Aura Edition 2), fits in my pockets (I did check this and if you have little pockets get some bigger ones – just in case). And basically standard books don’t fit.
Just remember where you put it and don’t sit on it! Although I have and it was fine. It’s only your bum that may get bruised!
Reading for Pleasure or to Learn
Maybe you are reading for both. One post reader asked about writing notes. With a book he always carried a pencil. Yes the Kobo eReaders allow notes and bookmarks.
The bookmark is the same as the old ‘dog eared’ corner of a page. You do it by tapping the top right hand corner. My problem with this is I always turn my paper book pages on the top right. So I get many Kobo dog ears unintentionally. However that is easy to clear too.
I have put two images here to illustrate how you can add notes via your PC and how to add on the eReader.
Add notes on your eReader
To write a note select the item/s you wish to place a note about. Do that by pressing these until they are underlined. (Note the circle at each end of the underline. You can drag these to cover more text if you wish.)
This opens both a dictionary and a menu box with a pencil icon (to add a note or to highlight), a search icon (to search in the book or, if you are connected to the net, eg in Wikipedia or Google) and two lines forming a triangle icon with three dots (connects to FaceBook). I don’t usually use these so I had to experiment just now.
Then you can click on Add Note and a clean page and keyboard (not shown but underneath the menu) open. So you can type away to your heart’s content.
Then of course click on Save.
Add Notes via Your PC
This method looks slightly different. The top red stretched circle is the highlighted word. The second one is highlight on the drop down menu.
There we have the blue stretched circle that is Add Notes on the menu. The second is where you type in your notes.
The purple words are the other features mentioned mentioned in the notes to eReader section.
And again of course click on Save!
Both bookmarks and notes are accessed via the annotation button on the lower menu.
A great feature of this is you don’t keep losing pens or pencils!
Aside
I have been seeing information that eReaders are becoming less popular as books make a come back. I don’t know how true this is but here is something to know.
Many books, including very good ones, have gone out of print. Who knows for what reason but one can assume that people are no longer interested. Now that is pretty assuming as lots of people have never had the opportunity to see these books so don’t know what they are missing. Another reason may be the overwhelming number of books.
There is a group out there called SF Gateway that is resurrecting these books; more and more as time goes by. As these are in electronic format storage is no longer a problem.
So remember this very wonderful feature of eReaders, including Kobo.
Wrap Up
I was discussing the eReader with an acquaintance who is even more into reading than me and this is saying a great deal. His words of ‘boy I like this eReader’ were:
‘The H20 2nd edition is a cracker having comfort light pro (derived from the flagship Aura One) to help all of us who would otherwise read away into the small hours. Also with twice as much on board memory than the original H2O you can store twice as many books, it can go twice as deep under water (for errrr… underwater readers!) and is slightly smaller and lighter despite same size screen… and will be at the same price point which is great news.
And he couldn’t have said it better.
So what are you waiting for. Go and get this wonderful, versatile eReader, go find a picturesque water scene and relax into reading.
Oh and by the way once you get to Kobo via this link make sure you check out the Kobo Aura H2O Edition 2 Sleep Cover. Your path to extra protection and power savings.
Hi Helen. This is a great product.
I think this is everybody’s dream to have a product like this. It’ll be so convenient for reading by the pool or anywhere outdoors because we don’t have to worry so much about the rain or water splashed on the device.
Thanks for this review. Really appreciate it.
Izuddin.
Izuddin, it’s not only outdoors. Some people can find water anywhere. I had a friend who had a cordless phone that we gave her as a present. Somehow she dropped it in the toilet. A second friend, years later, dropped her iPhone in the toilet (and an iPhone is much bigger)!
I have now stopped giving these two electronic presents.
With the Kobo Aura H2O, unless the toilet was flushed and the devices manage to go down, a quick drying with the supplied cloth would have solved the problem.
Thanks for the visit and comment.
Ciao
Helen
What a wonderful product for people to enjoy a good book without worrying about ruining it! I can picture myself sitting in a hot tub reading a good Tom Clancy novel.
It says it can be submerged underwater up to 2 meters, but there’s no specified time for how long it can be underwater? Is it only okay if you drop it and grab it quickly? Or could you theoretically read underwater while you held your breath? Not that you’d want to do that… But I’m always intrigued when tech products claim to be “water submersible”.
Isaya, thanks for commenting and yes, the time it can be submerged has disappeared. It is now back in along with some other little changes. Submersion time is 60 minutes. The sharks may be trying to read over your shoulder in that amount of time!
The nice thing about this eReader is that it is fully waterproofed and not just encased. If water gets in all components are protected. Great hey. Even if it gets a bit damp in the rain everything will be ok.
Have a nice drink handy along with Tom Clancy.
Lovely to hear from you.
Ciao
Helen
Great review here thank you. And although I’m not in the habit of taking my notebooks underwater, the water proofing of the one you mention would come in handy when my children drop it accidentally as they are sometimes prone to do. I’m always nervous around water with electronics but like to do work when I’m on holiday too……I know, workaholic, but that’s just me!
Living in Sydney for so many years I loved taking my studies to the beach, having an occasional swim and then finding some shade and reading and jotting down notes. Not a good idea on a windy day though as eReaders hadn’t been invented way back then!
With the eReader, as long as you can get the relevent eBook, notes can be made and water, wind nor sand won’t bother the eReader.
And get you kids their own device to drop!
Thanks for your visit and look forward to the next one.
Ciao
Helen
Wow! This would be great to have by the pool! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had to throw my phone in rice or got my tablet trashed, because of kids splashing. Probably be handy on vacation too.
Do they come in different colors? I would probably get this as a gift for someone too.
Sorry Jason, the fad for coloured eReaders seems to have gone astray! You can colour this version with a blue sleep cover. Generally the covers too are black.
I managed to send my old phone through the washer. My partner rescued it, took the batteries out and dried it with my hair dryer. It immediately started working again. I don’t think they make too many things that tough these days!
Yes, not only does it take the worry out of water surrounds, it handles dust and sand and is so easy to stick in the hand luggage. I wouldn’t carry it in pockets for two reasons. With a jacket, if the pocket doesn’t fasten closed the eReader might fall out, and in trouser pockets you could sit on it. I often find myself sleeping on mine but I am not sure of the impact of sitting on one!
Thanks for commenting and I look forward to your next visit.
Ciao
Helen
Hi there! Thanks for this great review! I recently cracked my iPad mini screen and have been on the hunt for an ereader to replace it! This is the second review I’ve seen on the Aura H2O Edition 2 and it sounds just fabulous! I’m definitely going to go with this one as it’ll be perfect for my poolside reads! Thanks again!
Jasmine, thanks for your comment. There is nothing like cracking a screen. I cracked my old phone screen. I couldn’t even see the crack but the phone wouldn’t work out. I got incoming calls though but what was the point.
I have a friend who bought the Kobo and she much prefers it to the iPads as you don’t get all the junk; it’s just pure reading. I suggest you hold off on purchasing an eReader as just now, prior to Christmas 2017, the supply is short and can’t be guaranteed. I don’t understand some businesses. You would think they would have a lot more in stock especially at this time.
Or you could substitute the Kobo Aura One. It is the top of the line model and has everything including being totally water proof. It does however cost more. But that might not be a concern for you.
Whatever, again thanks for visiting and I would love to hear from you again sometime.
Ciao
Helen
Rachael, thanks for visiting me. I do have a kobo but an earlier Aura. It just keeps giving me wonderful reading. When I do upgrade this will be the one. There is another higher end kobo being the Aura One but it is a bit pricey for me. This kobo Aura H2O Ed 2 has just about all the same features and is more economical. And that is important to persons like me who are now on the pension!
I know you will love the H2O Ed 2. My partner has the first edition and can hardly put it down.
Come back and visit as I would love to hear from you again.
Ciao
Helen
Hi Helen, this is a really informative review, and like your other commenters, I too didn’t realise there was a product like this available, until I saw it pop up on your blog. This is going to be great for me to use in the bath. I hardly ever do it currently, as I’m too scared to take a book or my iPad in there! I had a couple of questions for you, but you’ve already answered them in previous comments! Thanks for such a thorough review. Erica
Erica, thanks for reading my article and commenting on it. I was just reviewing my responses and mine to you had disappeared. So here I am again and I hope if you read my first response it is similar to this!
Yes it is great in the bath. I have a habit of nodding off a bit when submerged in hot, bubbly water. So far I have caught myself before slipping under but one never knows when the final immersion will occur. Or the cat knocks it into the water! I don’t have an iPad. I hate all the interruptions. But not on this little beauty. Mind you there are a couple of games to play if you get a bit tired of reading and need a break.
Again thanks for your visit and comment.
Ciao
Helen
Asweome! It’s definitely on my list now – it has games! Thanks!
Unfortunately, I have since found out that Kobo has cut the games. I am very disappointed by this as I loved to do a sudoku when I woke in the middle of the night. It always put me to sleep.
However everything else about it is fantastic.
Ciao
Helen
Hi Helen. What a well written and clearly constructed review this is. I’ve actually been considering purchasing a Kobo e-reader myself because I just find that when I’m trying to use the apps on an iPad I’m constantly interrupted by notifications and they just don’t seem to have all of the awesome features that you’ve described in this article. I’ve bookmarked this page so that when I grab one I’ll be sure to use your affiliate link. I am a fellow Wealthy Affiliate so I know how much it means to us to get those conversions. Great work and thanks for the read. Cheers, Rachael
Rachael, thanks for visiting me. I do have a kobo but an earlier Aura. It just keeps giving me wonderful reading. When I do upgrade this will be the one. There is another higher end kobo being the Aura One but it is a bit pricey for me. This kobo Aura H2O Ed 2 has just about all the same features and is more economical. And that is important to persons like me who are now on the pension!
I know you will love the H2O Ed 2. My partner has the first edition and can hardly put it down.
Come back and visit as I would love to hear from you again.
Ciao
Helen
I love to read, especially by water or in the bath, so this ereader would be absolutely perfect for me. Before reading this post, I didn’t even know there were waterproof options for ereaders. I really enjoyed reading this review and I liked that you include a lot of personal experience so that I know this is your experience-based opinion of the product. Thanks for this awesome review!
Brooks, thanks for commenting. I am not 100% sure of this but I don’t think anyone else produces waterproof eReaders. They do have waterproof covers but hey, why not go the whole hog and prevent the need for covers. Mind you the covers do protect the eReader from other things.
I love reading in the spa. There is always a space for a glass of wine (or two) and the bubbles can’t hurt this little eReader beauty.
Again thanks and will hopefully see you here again sometime.
Ciao
Helen
Great review, Helen. This sounds like excellent e-reader technology, and I’m a dedicated e-reader user. I own an old Kindle HD, and it’s about at the end of the road… My question about the Kobo Aura H2O 2 is about charging and how long the charge lasts. I’ve noticed with my other devices that battery life depends a lot on whether wifi is turned on or off. Please explain your experience with battery life, charging time and how this differs depending on conditions.
Cheers,
Steve
Steve, I automatically plug my Kobo Aura into the computer every day while I am on it. So it’s a bit hard to estimate. On the rare days that I don’t do this I have a cable at my bedside table so I just plug it in to the GPO and keep reading.
I read a lot and my power does seem to last a reasonable time when I am away from home. One thing I have noticed is that charging through the computer is slower than from a GPO. This might be true where you are. So as for charging time, if you are in a hurry use the power socket!
Also I don’t use Wi-Fi at the moment. If I need to reconnect to Kobo due to some hiccup I go to my good friends next door and use their card!
The original H2O had a cover over the socket to prevent water egress. This new one is completely waterproof so the ‘hatch’ is no longer required. This makes things really easy as I always found the hatch closing a bit tricky.
Thanks for your comment and hopefully I will see you around.
Ciao
Helen
First of all, I like science fiction. You already have my attention. Really deep articles. I am ready to buy. I wish you would lead me there quickly on your website. It has a lot of information for people who like to read. Very interesting articles. I like your pictures.
Thanks Latricia, for your comment. I think you would love this eReader, especially if you have a busy life. It is so handy. I used to take paperbacks with me all the time. I still love them but now I find them cumbersome for travelling. The best thing about Sci Fi is that so many stories are so different. It makes reading interesting.
i didn’t even know they had this kinda product. i’ve got hundreds of books in boxes that i’ve read, i read anything from romance to sci fi even thrillers and how to manuals i think i’m addicted to reading it takes my mind somewhere else. also its a great way of helping cope with stress and depression the only thing was carrying around several books when i went on trips. thanks your site problem solved. this is so amazing i can’t wait to see how it works and i am going to read more about it before buying though cuz i’m not to wise when it comes to technology but boy does the idea sound amazing. thanks so much for the information and i’m glad i found your site.
Nathan, yes addicted to reading; you’ve got it right there! We have close to 2,000 books in boxes and three book cases full. The problem with books in boxes is that they tend to have a distinctive odour when you get them out. I am not looking forward to unloading them.
The technology of eReaders won’t affect you. There is a good manual that sets out the way for you to use the technology. You don’t have to learn techno speak. I am pretty good at technology though. However one other fellow that commented asked if the eReader would allow notes to be made. Well I looked that up and got a return comment to him in ten minutes.
Don’t ever think you can’t learn about how it works.
Ciao
Helen
I love to read ebooks on my IPad, but this Kobo Kobo Aura H20 waterproof sounds great.
I didn’t want to read any e-book but on a trip I only had with me my IPad and I read a few e-books and since then I see the good points it has.
As I read here on your article, the kobo kobo aura has good points, thanks for sharing
Hey there Alejandra, yes lots of my friend use Ipads or other devices but they are usually bigger so harder to carry. And I am one of those people who doesn’t need to spend 24 hours connected to technology and people. I see so many people working Ipads or Iphones etc and ignoring the people surrounding them that I never want to get like that.
And now people are using them when driving or walking in cities. Accidents waiting to happen.
I am so happy to get your comment so thanks very much.
ciao
Helen
Hi, Helen ! I love myself a great book, as well, however, you nailed the nail on the head, reading at the beach usually becomes an issue with a book. These e-readers have become a godsend and yours certainly seems to do the trick. Thanks for the clear review and all the best !
You’re welcome Rico. I don’t tend to like beaches anyway. I hate the sand we have here in Australia. It is fine and sticks to you. Once you leave the beach you are forever removing sand form your clothes, footwear and self.
However lakes and rivers are another story. Only problem is they are so relaxing I keep falling asleep!
Thanks for your comment.
Ciao
Helen
I have always been a more “bookish” kind of reader. For some reason I just had to have a book in my hand to really engage with and think about a text. That was until I discovered e readers. This page does a great job going through the pros of using a digital reader. I was wondering though if these readers have a feature where you can write a note or a comment on a certain section of the text. When I read standard books, I usually have a pen with me so that I can write down my thoughts as I read. Do e readers have this kind of feature?
Michael, yes you can do notes. You can also bookmark. The bookmark is the same as the old ‘dog eared’ corner of a page. You do it by tapping the top right hand corner. My problem with this is I always turn my paper book pages on the top right. So I get many Kobo dog ears unintentionally. However that is easy to clear too.
To write a note select the item/s you wish to place a note about. Do that by pressing these until they are underlined. This opens both a dictionary an a menu box with a pencil icon (to add a note or to highlight), a search icon (to search in the book or. if you are connected to the net, in Wikipedia or Google) search symbol and two lines forming a triangle icon with three dots (connects to FaceBook). I don’t usually use these so I had to experiment just now.
Then you can click on Add Note and a clean page and keyboard open. So you can type away to your heart’s content.
Then of course click on Save.
Both bookmarks and notes are accessed via the annotation button on the lower menu.
A great feature of this is you don’t keep losing pens or pencils!
Ciao
Helen
PS In fact Michael no one has ever asked this and as I believe it is an important feature I have just revised the post to include these word.
Great article.I also love reading by the water. I do not do it as much as I once did. I use to live by the ocean so it was every day that I could.
It’s amazing how deep you went with your research, and I know that a lot of people are going to appreciate it.
I really enjoy your website and the articles. After reading this article I looked around. This site is a great read and I am going to bookmark it for sure. Thanks again for all your work putting this site and article together.
Wow Jerry, nice comment. I just mentioned I don’t like the beach because of the sand. I go there to swim and then I leave. However, taking the ocean as a whole I love finding a big, sun-warmed boulder (with nicely bottom shaped bottom sculpture) so I can comfortably sit and read. Most of my water reading is in the tub and I have a glass of wine handy.
Thanks for visiting my website.
Ciao
Helen
My life definitely got better when I discovered e-readers. Like you I’m a complete bookworm and when I have any down time at all I want to spend it inside a book! Besides the whole space-saving aspect being able to take dozens of books with me wherever I go without any added weight has been a huge plus. That said I have very light sensitive eyes and have been struggling to find an e-reader that’s good for outside use. I’ve tried several and either a lack of contrast or screen glare have always done me in. How does this reader handle that?
Hi Trace nice to meet you. Yep, downtime = more reading. Unfortunately often to the detriment of tasks I should be doing. Oh well they can wait a while longer.
As for dozens of books with this eReader you can take up to 8,000 with you and no SD card needed. Well that would keep even my reading happy. Based on 2 books per week I could read for 79 years without searching out any more!
Now for the light. As for the anti glare this is not mentioned BUT based on the characteristics of the original H2O and the new Aura One it does have an anti glare Carta E Ink. I can attest to the fact that my Aura can be easily read in full sunlight with no glare.
And an additional benefit is that the night light setting cuts right down on ‘blue’ light. (If you go to the link in this post you can go and read all about the ‘blue’ light that can affect night time reading.)
Thanks for your comment and come and visit me anytime.
Ciao
Helen
I love love love that it is waterproof!! This seriously takes away the stress of reading at the beach and pretty much anywhere there is water. Total stress relief! How does it compare to the kindle or other eReaders? Does it have a glare proof screen? I have the very first that came out years ago and it still works great, but doesn’t have that much memory and its about time I upgraded. About how many books can the new H20 hold? Just curious. Thanks for the review!
Kyle, I must say I love the idea of the great waterproofing system the second edition of the Kobo H2O has. I am still back on the original Kobo Aura and that is still working perfectly so I guess I will have to remain careful around water. Since all current eReaders are now waterproof my next one will certainly be safe. My partner has the original H2O and loves it.
There is no avenue to use an SD card on this eReader but with the memory extended to 8GB this is not an issue as the eReader will hold 8,000 books (obviously averaged, based on normal book sizes). As for the anti glare this is not mentioned BUT based on the original H2O characteristics it does have an anti glare Carta E Ink. I can attest to the fact that my Aura can be easily read in full sunlight with no glare.
Thanks for your comment.
Ciao
Helen
This is so awesome! My husband is a bookworm but he is so hard on books. He especially loves to read in the tub and his books are always dog-eared and warped. This looks like the perfect gift for him even though he says he hates the electronic readers and prefers just a regular old book.
My biggest question is that our eyes aren’t what they used to be. It sounds like the screen may be kind of small. For someone who is used to reading paper backs all the time, do you think this would be as easy for him to read as that?
Sherry, I do agree with your husband re books but I find many advantages with the Kobo eReaders. Especially with night reading. The light system dampens the blue light, a product of daylight and one that tends to wake you up. So when I wake up at night and can’t get back to sleep the light is gentle (actually I set mine at 1% of day light) but, since your eyes are darkness oriented at that time, you can see perfectly well.
The screen is about 3/4 the size of a normal paperback however since the system is electronic, pages are really irrelevant. The number of pages depends on the font size you choose. So the larger the font the more pages but the much greater ease in reading. I always set mine slightly larger at night. Not because I can’t read my day time font size but because I end up reading at odd angles when I am in bed.
So your husband would easily be able to set the font to his favourite reading size.
And the best thing of all, especially if the weather gets cold like it does down here in Tasmania (we are not too far north of the Great Southern Ocean), you don’t have to get up and switch any lights on or off.
And the very best thing is your partner can read with the night time setting and not irritate you with a bright light.
Thanks for your comment.
Ciao
Helen