[chattylibrarian]

Caveat: I'm a die hard Apple Fangirl. Up until this point, the only non-Apple mobile device I had was the 2nd Gen Kobo Touch.

I'm a librarian who works in our library's digital services department. As ereaders have really taken off with library customers over the last couple of years, I thought it would be a good idea to buy my own reader so that I would become intimately acquainted with the device and be better equipped to support our customers. I bought a Kobo Touch last year, and a few weeks ago, I was on the fence between the Nexus 7 and the Kobo Arc.

We bought a couple of Nexus 7s for our department and while I liked them, nothing about them "wowed" me. I'm used to Apple's fit and finish, so I found most of the Android interface a little less polished than what I was used to. But despite the interface quirks, the Nexus just didn't feel like anything special.

A colleague had purchased an Arc but was thinking of returning it because it didn't have 3G. I have WiFi access pretty much everywhere I go, so that wasn't an issue. She brought it to work so I could compare it to the Nexus 7, and from the moment I held it I knew it was the tablet for me.

First of all, the Kobo Arc just feels so great in the hand. It doesn't feel as fragile as the Nexus, and because the glass doesn't go edge to edge, I don't have to worry if my cat should knock if off the bed or couch (it's happened with the Touch). The one thing I don't like is the quilted back on my Arc seems loose. When I hold it, I can hear it clicking and feel it shifting.

I'm not crazy about the Discovery feature, but I'm withholding judgment until the Arc can learn more about my tastes.

I'm a heavy user of my library's ebook collection, and the biggest disappointment for me is Kobo's Reading Life. I wish Reading Life worked with all EPUB books, regardless of source. I think it's a social aspect our patrons would really enjoy as well, especially those who want to share with others, but who can't or don't want to participate in traditional book clubs.

In all, as librarian/tech professional, I have to say I'm really pleased with the Arc. I am hoping that the release of Jellybean will improve the interface even more, but even if it doesn't, I would have no problem recommending it to library customers who asked me which reader they should buy.