Kobo looks lots better, but I have never used one.
The Kindle is okay. I've not got the current generation but the one before it. It's strengths are the battery life and clarity of the text. It's easy to read and the battery life is fantastic. You can go on a two week holiday and not even pack the charger it's that good.
On the down side it's very limited graphically, the other features like the internet browser and music player are appalling due to the screen. It's also not backlit, so you can't read it in the dark which massively annoys the Mrs. The version I have also flashes the screen on and off whenever you turn a page, which can be very annoying until you get used to it happening. The whole screen turns black, flashes white and then redraws the text, instead of an animated page flick screen refresh that others can do.
