Setting up the wireless was tedious on the on-screen keyboard, but manageable. When I connected the first time, the Wireless eReader automatically prompted me to download a firmware update, and warned me that I would need to reboot. The whole process took a matter of minutes, and was friendly and integrated. If you plug the reader into your computer, it pops up the option to charge while you continue to read, or to manage your library--a good usability enhancement. "Manage your library" simply means that the reader, and its 1GB of integrated storage (plus any card you may have in the SDHC Card slot), will appear as standard files and folders on the desktop. (The card slot, located on the top of the unit, accommodates cards up to 32GB, eight times the potential maximum capacity of the non-connected Kobo eReader.)
As on the previous model, the menu interface on the new Wireless eReader is visually pleasing; so too is the Kobo desktop app (once I got it to install), which remains somewhat rough beneath its glossy surface. The interface is far better than most, and it provides a better shopping arrangement than you get from lesser-known competitors such as Aluratek, Cool-er, and Cybook; for one thing, the bookstore integration via Wi-Fi means that you can buy a book while, say, sitting in an airport and waiting for your flight.
The store is a mixed bag, though. I appreciate the fact that it's available, and that I can buy something new while I'm on the go. But it's extremely sluggish, and the screen refreshes slowly. It offers sections for categories, recommended titles, free titles, and search. Searching is difficult, however, because you have to tap out words letter by letter on the on-screen keyboard. The idea of perusing 94 pages of Fiction Bestsellers on this device is also offputting, to put it mildly. If you want to hop into the store for a quick acquisition, and you know what you want, that's one thing. But don't expect to explore the reading world from the Kobo Wireless.
As with the first Kobo model, though, this e-reader's 1GB of on-board memory is not fully accessible to users. Instead, the memory includes a hidden partition that's accessible only via the app. And for now, you can't touch the 100 or so preloaded public-domain classics, because they live on that partition. So if you really don't want popping up in your library every day, you don't have the option to delete it. Kobo claimed with its first device that this arrangement may change, but given that the second-generation model still has this problem, I wouldn't count on it.
Beyond the new display (which is still 800-by-600-pixel resolution but is now 16-grayscale, putting it in line with the competition) the specs remain largely familiar. The unit can read DRM ePub, Adobe Digital Editions, and PDFs (though the PDF handling remains weak, relying on pan-and-zoom to get around). You can put content on the reader via the SD Card, through USB transfer (a mini-USB port is on the bottom of the device), by shopping on the Website, or by shopping on the device itself. The inclusion of Wi-Fi puts a damper on the battery life, though: This model is rated for only 10 days of battery life, versus two weeks for the original Kobo and the Sony Reader, and one month for the Amazon Kindle.