Summer reading is a treasured pastime, and the last thing you want to do is ruin your vacation after dropping your ebook reader in the pool. You don't have to worry about that with the Kobo Aura H2O ($179.99). In addition to a thinner, lighter design than its predecessor, the new H2O features improved waterproofing so you can read without worry no matter where you are. Plus it adds all the customizability and adaptive backlighting of the excellent (and similarly waterproof) big-screen Aura One for $50 less. While the Amazon Kindle Paperwhite remains a better value for those more comfortable on dry land, the H2O is a fantastic e-reader to take to the beach. What's New? The Aura H2O looks an awful lot like the Aura One, albeit a bit smaller and lighter. It measures 6.8 by 5.1 by 0.3 inches (HWD) and weighs 7.4 ounces. The Aura One is a bit harder to get a handle on at 7.7 by 5.5 by 0.3 inches. The Paperwhite is the easiest to wrap your hand around, at 6.7 by 4.6 by 0.4 inches. ...

Whether it's the sandy shores of Cancun or your bathtub, if you like to read near water, the Kobo Aura H2O is a waterproof ebook reader worthy of your attention.

Thinner and lighter than previous model; Improved waterproofing; Adaptive lighting; Detailed reading stats

Still a bit large for smaller hands; No memory card slot; Relatively expensive

This is the second Kobo we have bought. The first died after four and a half years of daily use, (approximately 1.5 hours a day). The screen went down. I thought we had had our moneys worth out of it. It is good on the eyes with the yellowish background when reading in a dark room.

The Kobo Aura H2O is the first premium waterproof and dustproof eReader on the market that can be submerged in 1 metre of water for up to 30 minutes.

I'm quite happy with the purchase, good quality and usability, nothing fancy but satisfied my needs. I would recommend it, especially if you plan to use it on the beach.

I've got a struggle y'all. I've been using the new Kobo Aura H2O off and on for the last few weeks, switching between reading on it with reading on my overpriced but super damn slick Amazon Kindle Oasis . The two aren't entirely comparable: The Oasis costs $290 and the Kobo goes for $180.

It's waterproof and inexpensive

At this point there's really no reason to own anything but a Kindle

Like tablets, e-readers have seen minimal innovation in the past few years. Amazon seems to have settled on its Kindle lineup and there isn't much in the way of competition. Aside from Kobo, that is, which has been churning out some rather decent e-readers of late.

Big; sharp screen; Water resistant; Pocket integration and EPUB support

Sluggish performance; Battery life not as good as the competition; Expensive for what you get

Amazing! Far exceeds expectations. If I cannot read a real print book, this is my second choice. The only failing is that it isn't capable of colour, for cover viewing, comics, anime, Ganga, etc.

It’s a waterproof wonder; Undercuts the Kindle competition; Brilliant backlight won’t keep you up at night;

Kobo’s book catalogue still lags behind Amazon;

It’s not a giant leap forward for e-readers, and doesn’t deviate very much from Kobo’s previous efforts either, but a few tweaks and changes make this second generation Aura H2O a serious contender. Kobo’s admittedly excellent Aura One is still the better e-reader if you don’t plan on taking it with you on the move - that larger screen almost perfectly matches the dimensions of a real paperback book. Amazon does have a bigger library of books, and if you previously owned a Kindle you’ll have to leave all your old ebooks behind when making the switch to Kobo’s book store. The Kindle Oasis remains the epitome of luxury, too. For tech-savvy travellers, though, this is easily the better buy. If you’re after some summer salvation, make sure to snap one of these up before school finishes in July, and your kids try to turn holidays into hell. Buy the Kobo Aura H20 (20170 here from Kobo

It’s a waterproof wonder; Undercuts the Kindle competition; Brilliant backlight won't keep you up at night;

Kobo’s book catalogue still lags behind Amazon;

If you do a lot of your reading poolside, on a boat, in the bath, or in the desert, the Kobo Aura H2O's IP67 rating for water and dust resistance...

Water and dust resistant (rated IP67; Well built; Capable of reading a wide array of file formats; Expandable storage

Backlight can make text look murky; Heavy for its size; Port cover seems fragile; Expensive for what it delivers