The holiday season is a time for many things, but time is one, and if you’re buying for someone who likes to read, there are some gadgets this year.
Reading is one of those things many people love, and they might love it so much they want a gadget specifically made for it. If you know someone like that, this Xmas gift guide list is for them.
We’ve brought together some of the better reading gadgets to one place to help folks buying for someone who loves to read.
Kindle
Price: $179
The basic Kindle might well be the perfect starting point for any reader, especially because it’s one of the most economical models around. It allows a reader to get their feet wet in the world of digital books without necessarily spending an arm or a leg.
There’s a sharp touchscreen that’s easy to use and a compact design, plus support for the Type C USB port that has become standard on the iPhone this year, and there’s more storage, too. It really is a great starter eReader.
About the only thing you won’t find is water resistance, but if you’re not reading by the pool or in the bath, it doesn’t really matter.
Kobo Libra 2E
Price: $319
A little higher priced, Rakuten’s competitor to the basic Kindle gives you a little more.
The Libra 2 offers support for the ePUB format, which means you can download books from nearly any eReading platform and aren’t forced onto the Amazon Kindle store like you are with a Kindle, plus you also get Bluetooth support for listening to audiobooks.
Kobo also offers support for local libraries, allowing you to “borrow” digital books without constantly physically making your way to the library, and it’s even water-resistant, making bath-time reading a thing.
Kindle Scribe
Price: $549
Priced higher again, if you know someone who not only wants to read, but also wants to write and scribble and take notes, effectively carrying a digital notepad with them, you may want to check out the Kindle Scribe.
While it wasn’t there at launch when we reviewed the Scribe initially, Amazon has added support to let you convert your chicken scratch and scrawlings into real text, handy for those who take notes and want to read books from the Kindle store.
There’s no water resistance in this Kindle, mind you, and no audiobook support, but it’s a cute little note-taker that happens to be slightly bigger than your regular eReader.
Kobo Elipsa 2E
Price: $630
Also a cute notetaker that’s a little bigger, the Kobo Elipsa 2E is our favourite digital eReader with a pen, not just because it came with the automatic note conversion tech, but because you can do a little more than the Kindle could.
For instance, you can write on pretty much any book, and you’re not limited to books found on the Kindle store. That means you can grab ePUBs from around the web including comics, and the pen the Elipsa 2E is bundle with comes with a digital eraser on the back. Plus, there’s support for Bluetooth audio and a great design, too.
Like the Kindle Scribe, you’ll miss out on water resistance, but even without it, the Kobo Elipsa 2E is one of the better eReaders around. It’s our goto model right now.
Apple iPad Mini
Price: $829
About the most compact coloured reading experience you can have, an iPad Mini is one of the better ways to read books, magazines, newspapers, websites, and still consume everything else that makes the internet great. Cat videos. Endless, freakin’ cat videos.
A compact iPad in the best possible ways, you’ll miss out on water resistance like the compact Kindle, but gain the ability to read more than just books in one of the nicest small tablet experiences around.
Dyson Solarcycle Morph desk light
Price: $899
If digital reading isn’t your vibe, but you’re buying something premium for someone who likes a physical read — you know the sort! — consider a pricey light made for someone who wants a premium lighting experience.
The vacuum brand elevating the cleaning experience that is Dyson has a 4-in-1 lighting gadget in the Solarcycle Morph, a special light that uses motion and brightness sensors to manage its lighting, and has a lighting source measured in decades rather than single years.
It isn’t cheap, sure, but if you know someone who likes to sit back in a comfy chair, maybe even an Eames, a great light is a great idea.
Amber Smart Light
Price: $16
Alternatively, there’s something on the cheaper end of the reader gift guide spectrum, with a portable digital light made with eyes in mind.
Reading at night doesn’t typically do wonders for eyes, but the Amber Smart Light isn’t so much “smart” that it’s made with an app. Rather, it’s smart because it reduces blue light and supports over 30 hours of light from AAA batteries.
Also, it’s relatively cheap, so if you bundle it with a book, you’re basically giving the experience of reading, not just the gadget itself.
