Valentine’s Day – Literati Wireless eReader by The Sharper Image Review + Giveaway

I have always had a love for reading. I will read pretty much anything and since I read pretty quickly, I often storm garage sales to find books that are super cheap. The only problem with buying 10-20 books at a time is that I have to find space to store them. I was thrilled when I was sent the Literati Wireless eReader by The Sharper Image.

A combination of style and innovation, the Literati™ wireless electronic reader has been thoughtfully designed to provide a simple and elegant reading experience. Connect wirelessly to the bookstore, read from a vibrant 7-inch color LCD screen(480 x 800 resolution)., and download books in under a minute. At just a ½” thick, the Literati is ultra-portable and ideal for everyday use.

Features:

7 Color Display
Unlock new reading possibilities in color, including cookbooks, children’s books, magazines and newspapers.

Built-In Wireless Bookstore
Turn it on, buy a book, and enjoy. With one-touch purchase, you’re reading in seconds.

Powered by KoboTM
The Kobo bookstore offers access to over 2 million titles, including new releases and New York Times™ bestsellers. Browse the store and buy with confidence knowing that Kobo’s bookstore includes partners such as Borders®.

150 Free Books
The Literati comes preloaded with 25 treasured classics and provides easy access to another 125 of our favorite free classics. Re-live these famous works of literature again for free!

Stylish Case Included
The included free case keeps your Literati protected — a $30 value!

My Thoughts:

Having never owned an eReader before, I really have nothing to compare the Literati to. I have been testing it for a few weeks now and have read several books. It comes preloaded with 25 classics and provides easy access to another 125 free classics, which are easily located in the bookstore under Free eBooks. I’m glad that the classics were on there because there were many that I have never read before.

It takes about a minute or so for the screen to come up after you turn it on. The first time I used the eReader, I had to connect to my wireless connection. It took a few minutes and I had to wait through several software updates. After the initial updates were finished, I was all set to browse through their bookstore. With over 2 million titles, the Kobo bookstore is one of the world’s largest online catalogs.

The eReader comes with a free case to protect it.

I usually take it out of the case while reading for a few reasons. First, the strap on the top is covering the on/off button. While you’re looking at this picture, notice the SD card slot that allows users to add storage (up to 8GB).

Second, when using the keyboard at the bottom, my fingers often hit the hard sides of the cover and since it is rough, it isn’t comfortable. I also wish this keyboard was lit up. I can’t see it at all when I use the eReader at night.

Even though I know it isn’t a touch screen, I’m always trying to touch the screen to push buttons and flip through options. I had to laugh because my husband did the exact same thing when he was helping me connect to our wireless connect at the beginning. I’ve been using it for a while now, but I still find myself touching the screen. Flipping through the pages doesn’t require pushing any buttons, simply touch the arrows on the sides.

To view the menu, you need to be reading a book. A screen will pop up to the side giving you your different options.

You can choose between the different font sizes and if you want it in default, night, or sepia mode. I don’t see much of a difference between default and sepia, but the night mode hurts my eyes and I never use it.

I’ve never used it, but it does have a dictionary where you can choose the word you want to look up while reading.

I was using the Literati while on a road trip 2 weeks ago and was a little disappointed by the battery life. After about 1 1/2-2 hours, it needed to be plugged in again. I think it should come with a car charger, but we have an inverter so I was able to plug it in using that. You can read while it is charging without any problems. You can also see that USB slot that is used to load PDFs.

Overall, I have been very pleased with the Literati. I don’t have to lug around heavy books and I don’t have to keep finding room to store all of them. I have as many books as I want at my fingertips while on trips without taking up a ton of space. It fits easily in my diaper bag for appointments or while waiting for Evan to be done at preschool. Any issues that I discussed above aren’t a big enough deal for me not to still love this eReader. It has many fantastic features that keeps me going back for more.

Be sure to visit the Literati Wireless eReader website to learn more and to checkout the Kobo Bookstore.