Ray McCarthy
Sentient Marmite: The Truth may make you fret.
Kobo Aura first Impressions: Part I
A dedicated eInk Reader.
I got a Kobo Aura H20 as a present yesterday. It's a 6.8" 1080 x 1403 eInk Carta screen and allegedly waterproof to 1m for 30 minutes.
Note an App on a Tablet or Phone, or an Amazon Fire (previously called Kindle Fire) is NOT a eReader it will be much more tiring, suppress melanin levels and no use outdoors as these are AMOLED or LCD. All dedicated eReaders use eInk (or one of the not quite as good equivalents which are like early eInk).
What to Compare with?
I've played with very first Sony PRC and two of my sons have early non-touch Kindles with no keyboard (you used nav pad buttons). I got first version of Kindle PaperWhite (there is now a higher resolution 3rd version PaperWhite) that came out shortly after first version of Touch. Then I got a Kindle DXG (3rd version of large 9.7" eReader) for PDFs as the PaperWhite was too small / too low resolution. Then one son got a PaperWhite which turned out to be a 2nd version of it. Finally I got my daughter a Kindle Touch (probably 3rd version of it). This proved to be same resolution as Kobo Aura HD 6" and though only 6" could display PDF without zoom, but VERY small! The Original Touch isn't as bright and is lower resolution.
Even at same size text, having more resolution (better formed letters) improves readability & contrast thus reduces reading fatigue.
See here
https://www.sffchronicles.com/threads/552342/page-5#post-1938488
First Impressions Only
Setting Up
Like the Kindle, you need an Internet connection and to register an account (Kobo or some worse solutions) before it can be used.
First you need a WiFi point. (though there is a USB method if your PC/Laptop has Internet). Conveniently the password can be displayed as entered as it ought to be very long.
MAKE SURE to [_] untick the "Share my personal information" box before putting in password.
FIRST in your diary / Passwords Address book (never kept with computer) write down:
KOBO. Do NOT use other account options.
<the email address> One that works to your PC/Laptop.
<A new password> Eight or more characters, a mix of UPPER lower and numbers. This is NOT your current email password, but new Kobo account.
Unfortunately this password isn't displayed.
The screen is capacitive touch, so won't work with old style stylus, if you have big fingers the keyboard is awkward.
Now it will sync and update the firmware. After a pause it will sync again (or manually select) and then it updates 6 dictionaries. Turn off the WiFi now. You won't ever need it and it dramatically eats the charge. (better to buy any Kobo books via PC so you have a copy.).
Now go to settings and turn off all reporting to Kobo. Really you'd be mad to join the "reward scheme"
The built in Help is actually identical to the PDF for User Manual for Kobo Aura H20 you can download from Kobo.
Unlike Amazon, if you want to use ePub with DRM (Kobo's or anyone else's) you need to ALSO register online via laptop etc with Adobe and get an Adobe Digital Editions ID. ePub may be open spec, but there is noting open about the DRM which is always Adobe and reports every page on you phone/tablet/PC/Laptop Reader app. I presume it will do this silently with any DRM titles on the Kobo if you EVER turn on the WiFi with ability for a connection!
Using
I tried my own books first. All the body was in Bold Italics! Hmmm. I used Calibre to convert to ePub and it worked. Later I realised that though a .prc file is the output of Mobi Creator, it's not a .mobi file! My .prc converted to .mobi worked as did all the previously downloaded .mobi (for Mobi and then later re-labelled Kindle) from Gutenberg. Oddly the .mobi from Gutenberg in some cases are better from ePub. If you are using Windows XP you need Calibre 1.48, not most recent, I'll try Calibre on Linux later.
Images work as do PDFs very well.
There is almost no explanation of the user interface, but it's hardly different from Kindle Touch or Kindle PaperWhite. This means like Kindle it's rubbish for organising your books! You can't create Collections from Directory/Folder structure and you can't have sub collections in collections. There is one worse aspect to User Interface to Kindle and a couple of better ones.
You don't need the front lamp unless you are in the dark. The "Carta" screen is much brighter white than the older "Pearl" in Kindle DXG, PaperWhite V1 and Touch which in normal lighting don't need a front light. Only the pre-Pearl eInk are very grey.
Storage
Unlike the current Kindles (4G Byte inc DXG, older PaperWhite are 2G ) there is a little under 1G storage. There is a micro SD slot for up to 32G. I put an old 2G one from a scrapped Nokia phone for my PDFs.
Do NOT add files in any existing folder on internal or SD card, make new folders and put files in them. Only insert / remove SD card while the Kobo is powered off (hold button for more than 5 seconds). On powering on it will scan SD card. Best to leave card in and only copy via USB (you get then two drive letters in Windows).
More in Part II
A dedicated eInk Reader.
I got a Kobo Aura H20 as a present yesterday. It's a 6.8" 1080 x 1403 eInk Carta screen and allegedly waterproof to 1m for 30 minutes.
Note an App on a Tablet or Phone, or an Amazon Fire (previously called Kindle Fire) is NOT a eReader it will be much more tiring, suppress melanin levels and no use outdoors as these are AMOLED or LCD. All dedicated eReaders use eInk (or one of the not quite as good equivalents which are like early eInk).
What to Compare with?
I've played with very first Sony PRC and two of my sons have early non-touch Kindles with no keyboard (you used nav pad buttons). I got first version of Kindle PaperWhite (there is now a higher resolution 3rd version PaperWhite) that came out shortly after first version of Touch. Then I got a Kindle DXG (3rd version of large 9.7" eReader) for PDFs as the PaperWhite was too small / too low resolution. Then one son got a PaperWhite which turned out to be a 2nd version of it. Finally I got my daughter a Kindle Touch (probably 3rd version of it). This proved to be same resolution as Kobo Aura HD 6" and though only 6" could display PDF without zoom, but VERY small! The Original Touch isn't as bright and is lower resolution.
Even at same size text, having more resolution (better formed letters) improves readability & contrast thus reduces reading fatigue.
See here
https://www.sffchronicles.com/threads/552342/page-5#post-1938488
First Impressions Only
Setting Up
Like the Kindle, you need an Internet connection and to register an account (Kobo or some worse solutions) before it can be used.
First you need a WiFi point. (though there is a USB method if your PC/Laptop has Internet). Conveniently the password can be displayed as entered as it ought to be very long.
MAKE SURE to [_] untick the "Share my personal information" box before putting in password.
FIRST in your diary / Passwords Address book (never kept with computer) write down:
KOBO. Do NOT use other account options.
<the email address> One that works to your PC/Laptop.
<A new password> Eight or more characters, a mix of UPPER lower and numbers. This is NOT your current email password, but new Kobo account.
Unfortunately this password isn't displayed.
The screen is capacitive touch, so won't work with old style stylus, if you have big fingers the keyboard is awkward.
Now it will sync and update the firmware. After a pause it will sync again (or manually select) and then it updates 6 dictionaries. Turn off the WiFi now. You won't ever need it and it dramatically eats the charge. (better to buy any Kobo books via PC so you have a copy.).
Now go to settings and turn off all reporting to Kobo. Really you'd be mad to join the "reward scheme"
The built in Help is actually identical to the PDF for User Manual for Kobo Aura H20 you can download from Kobo.
Unlike Amazon, if you want to use ePub with DRM (Kobo's or anyone else's) you need to ALSO register online via laptop etc with Adobe and get an Adobe Digital Editions ID. ePub may be open spec, but there is noting open about the DRM which is always Adobe and reports every page on you phone/tablet/PC/Laptop Reader app. I presume it will do this silently with any DRM titles on the Kobo if you EVER turn on the WiFi with ability for a connection!
Using
I tried my own books first. All the body was in Bold Italics! Hmmm. I used Calibre to convert to ePub and it worked. Later I realised that though a .prc file is the output of Mobi Creator, it's not a .mobi file! My .prc converted to .mobi worked as did all the previously downloaded .mobi (for Mobi and then later re-labelled Kindle) from Gutenberg. Oddly the .mobi from Gutenberg in some cases are better from ePub. If you are using Windows XP you need Calibre 1.48, not most recent, I'll try Calibre on Linux later.
Images work as do PDFs very well.
There is almost no explanation of the user interface, but it's hardly different from Kindle Touch or Kindle PaperWhite. This means like Kindle it's rubbish for organising your books! You can't create Collections from Directory/Folder structure and you can't have sub collections in collections. There is one worse aspect to User Interface to Kindle and a couple of better ones.
You don't need the front lamp unless you are in the dark. The "Carta" screen is much brighter white than the older "Pearl" in Kindle DXG, PaperWhite V1 and Touch which in normal lighting don't need a front light. Only the pre-Pearl eInk are very grey.
Storage
Unlike the current Kindles (4G Byte inc DXG, older PaperWhite are 2G ) there is a little under 1G storage. There is a micro SD slot for up to 32G. I put an old 2G one from a scrapped Nokia phone for my PDFs.
Do NOT add files in any existing folder on internal or SD card, make new folders and put files in them. Only insert / remove SD card while the Kobo is powered off (hold button for more than 5 seconds). On powering on it will scan SD card. Best to leave card in and only copy via USB (you get then two drive letters in Windows).
More in Part II
