Like Kindle, Kobo offers its own online bookstore.

Tap on the right, and you’ll see the same list you’d see in Libby-all the books you’ve held, along with an estimated wait time (below right). Tap on the left option, and you’ll get a browsable catalog of books that are available from your library (below left). Right down at the bottom of the Kobo Home screen are links to the Overdrive catalog and your personal list of holds: It’s pretty good.īut here’s where Kobo beats the competition: all of Overdrive is available, right on device. You can even return a book to the library right from the Kindle, which was not previously possible. Not bad, right? Certainly this is more streamlined when Amazon began supporting library books a few years back. The book will automatically download on your Kindle device the next time it syncs. You select where you want the book sent, tap Get Library Book, and a new page opens telling you that you’ve succeeded (right). The Libby app then opens a webview at (center). You open Libby, select your book, and tap Read With Kindle (left, above). Here’s how you check out a book if you’re a Kindle user. (This is unsurprising, since the owners of Kobo also owned Overdrive for several years.) I’m saying that it’s not nearly as good as an experience as it is on a Kobo. I can’t recommend them both enough.)īut let me be clear: When I say Kobo e-readers are better at Overdrive than Kindles, I’m not saying Kindles don’t work. Libby is the excellent iOS app that works as a front-end to Overdrive. (For those who don’t know, Overdrive is the service used by most public libraries in the U.S. My Kindle works great with Overdrive/Libby! Kobos are much better citizens when it comes to borrowing e-books from your local public library. When I reviewed three recently-released e-readers last month, I received several complaints about this line in the story:

Libby and kindle