Register Guidelines E-Books Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read

Go Back   MobileRead Forums > E-Book Readers > Kobo Reader

Notices

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Old 10-29-2010, 11:10 AM   #31
michael_h
Member
michael_h began at the beginning.
 
Posts: 20
Karma: 26
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Canada
Device: Kobo ebook reader
Quote:
Originally Posted by HamsterRage View Post
On the other hand, you'd have to have had you head buried in the sand up to your waist for the past 30 years to not understand that early adopters ALWAYS take it on the chin in this respect. You pay too much, and the gizmo's obsolete before you know what happened. So suck it up - and I say that as one of them. I bought mine on the 2nd day they were on sale.
I don't accept this perspective. True, it would be unreasonable to expect a new device to have all the bells and whistles of 2nd generation devices. I don't expect my Gen1 Kobo to magically become wireless, or faster, or have more levels of grey scale, with a firmware update. I do expect it to be able to show newspapers that I download into my Kobostore account - because that was indicated as a future addition to the product.

More important to Kobo (and I haven't given up on them), is how they support the gen1 koboreader says a lot to the potential buyers of gen2 koboreaders. Do you want to buy a device that the manufacturer abandons as soon as the next generation comes out? Would you rather find a company that continues to provide support into the future?

So no. I don't expect to "suck it up". I'm happy to give Kobo the opportunity to show that it is continuing to support the gen1 owners. If they fall short of that expectation, then I will switch to a company that will show that level of support.
michael_h is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-29-2010, 11:22 AM   #32
zoran
himself
zoran can tame squirrels without the assistance of a chair or a whip.zoran can tame squirrels without the assistance of a chair or a whip.zoran can tame squirrels without the assistance of a chair or a whip.zoran can tame squirrels without the assistance of a chair or a whip.zoran can tame squirrels without the assistance of a chair or a whip.zoran can tame squirrels without the assistance of a chair or a whip.zoran can tame squirrels without the assistance of a chair or a whip.zoran can tame squirrels without the assistance of a chair or a whip.zoran can tame squirrels without the assistance of a chair or a whip.zoran can tame squirrels without the assistance of a chair or a whip.zoran can tame squirrels without the assistance of a chair or a whip.
 
Posts: 576
Karma: 11226
Join Date: May 2010
Device: Kobo
I was aware that hype would last short. So, I did everything to get
bugs updates and new firmware to my taste. Even bigger players
do the same. Nokia abandoned 770 to n800 and so further. It is
nothing surprising under the sun, since they earn on new product.
What matters to me is the reader with my books. To be frank, k3
has all you want. But, it does not support epub. Great minus to me.
I might be wrong, but there will be no go-to on 1.7. The way it
holds on db prevents it, as far as I understand the topic.
If firmware update stops at the point that lets it be read without
a glitch, fine with me.
zoran is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-29-2010, 11:58 AM   #33
p_a_smith
Me, Myself, but not I
p_a_smith ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.p_a_smith ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.p_a_smith ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.p_a_smith ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.p_a_smith ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.p_a_smith ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.p_a_smith ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.p_a_smith ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.p_a_smith ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.p_a_smith ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.p_a_smith ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
Posts: 161
Karma: 228652
Join Date: Aug 2010
Device: Kobo Original, Acer 200, Asus FHD, Kobo Touch
On the whole I think 1.4 does a half decent job for us first gen kobo users and if there is another upgrade to let us take care of some lingering problems (sd card slots are useless on both my kobos since they make the unit so unstable) and add some new features then I would be content. I don't expect them pour money into changes if the unit is stable and functioning.

I do expect them to remember that I bought a first gen kobo which made it possible for them to get to the second gen. And that I still buy ebooks (which I assume is why they bother with ereaders since the profit comes from the books). Anything that makes it difficult for me to read those books (i.e. an upgrade which crashes my database) pushes me towards another ereader and bookseller.

Nothing has led me yet to believe that we have been forgotten (we are not a top priority anymore since the second gens are here) and I hope that continues.
p_a_smith is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-29-2010, 12:05 PM   #34
HamsterRage
Evangelist
HamsterRage can name that song in three notesHamsterRage can name that song in three notesHamsterRage can name that song in three notesHamsterRage can name that song in three notesHamsterRage can name that song in three notesHamsterRage can name that song in three notesHamsterRage can name that song in three notesHamsterRage can name that song in three notesHamsterRage can name that song in three notesHamsterRage can name that song in three notesHamsterRage can name that song in three notes
 
HamsterRage's Avatar
 
Posts: 435
Karma: 24326
Join Date: Jun 2010
Device: Kobo
Alright. "Suck it up", might be a bit harsh.

My perspective on this is that I had a choice. Buy the 1st generation Kobo or spend twice as much on a Kindle or Sony reader. I chose the Kobo, and I was completely aware that it was a brand new device, would undoubtedly have bugs and issues and at least some of the anticipated features were still vapourware.

And that was the trade-off. I saved a ton of money, and in turn I took on some risk. Anyone here could have avoided that risk by paying way more and purchasing a Kindle, which was a proven device with giant company behind it.

Simply in terms of that risk, hindsight shows it to have been a bad move, because Kindle and Sony slashed their prices within a couple of months. Which meant that I could have had the proven product at virtually the same price as I spent on the Kobo. And the Kobo price plummeted within a few months of that.

Personally, I'm not particularly upset. Yes, I would have liked to have seen the next version of the firmware about 3 months ago. Yes, it does feel like we're going to be the "forgotten generation". But I've still got that $150 I didn't spend on a Kindle in my wallet.
HamsterRage is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-29-2010, 12:33 PM   #35
dmacmart
Fanatic
dmacmart ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.dmacmart ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.dmacmart ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.dmacmart ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.dmacmart ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.dmacmart ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.dmacmart ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.dmacmart ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.dmacmart ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.dmacmart ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.dmacmart ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
dmacmart's Avatar
 
Posts: 531
Karma: 696908
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Ottawa Canada
Device: Kobo Mini, Glo, Arc, H2O, iPhone, iPad 2, (husband)Touch
The website indicates that the newspapers ARE available on the Kobo 1 - if that's not working now, maybe that is with the next firmware update (yes I know if I had a nickel for every time that was said ...) From their website:

How do I get new issues?

If you have the Kobo Wireless eReader your issues will be delivered to you automatically. Your eReader checks daily for new issues. If it can't connect to a wireless network at the normal time, you can use the eReader to start a Wi Fi connection and update your library yourself.

If you don't have a Kobo Wireless eReader or if there are no wireless networks in your area, you can use the Kobo Desktop to get new issues. Simply connect your Kobo eReader to your computer, launch the application, and click Sync.

You will find your new issues in the News & Mags area of your eReader.
dmacmart is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-29-2010, 02:39 PM   #36
michael_h
Member
michael_h began at the beginning.
 
Posts: 20
Karma: 26
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Canada
Device: Kobo ebook reader
Quote:
Originally Posted by dmacmart View Post
The website indicates that the newspapers ARE available on the Kobo 1 - if that's not working now, maybe that is with the next firmware update (yes I know if I had a nickel for every time that was said ...) From their website:

How do I get new issues?

If you have the Kobo Wireless eReader your issues will be delivered to you automatically. Your eReader checks daily for new issues. If it can't connect to a wireless network at the normal time, you can use the eReader to start a Wi Fi connection and update your library yourself.

If you don't have a Kobo Wireless eReader or if there are no wireless networks in your area, you can use the Kobo Desktop to get new issues. Simply connect your Kobo eReader to your computer, launch the application, and click Sync.

You will find your new issues in the News & Mags area of your eReader.
As of today, it still isn't working for me. I now have the new desktop app working, and have downloaded newspapers to my account. They just won't sync to my reader.

I'm hoping that the "to be released" firmware fix will also address that problem. I don't believe that Kobo has abandoned its first gen users at this point in time.
michael_h is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-29-2010, 03:49 PM   #37
kiwipippa
Fanatic
kiwipippa ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.kiwipippa ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.kiwipippa ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.kiwipippa ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.kiwipippa ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.kiwipippa ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.kiwipippa ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.kiwipippa ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.kiwipippa ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.kiwipippa ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.kiwipippa ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
kiwipippa's Avatar
 
Posts: 578
Karma: 613022
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: New Zealand
Device: kobo glo, kobo touch (dead), kindle touch, android phone
This is from kobo's facebook page yesterday - and indicates that newspapers and magazines are NOT available on the original:

"Hey Everybody, I wanted to reiterate where we are with this launch:

Tthe Kobo development team is currently working on bringing the ability to read newspapers and magazines to the first generation of Kobo eReaders. As this is being developed now, please check back on Facebook, for ongoing status updates, as to where we are in terms of progress. Also, if you have not done so already, please opt-in to the Kobo newsletter, as this is a great way to receive updates as well as get great offers and promotions from Kobo! Joshua, I believe our Customer care team is handling your issue personally offline. Any other questions about the tech can be directed to: http://help.kobobooks.com/forums
"

So we have to wait.......
kiwipippa is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-29-2010, 08:23 PM   #38
pleochroic
Member
pleochroic began at the beginning.
 
Posts: 21
Karma: 22
Join Date: Jun 2009
Device: kobo, OLPC XO
Quote:
Originally Posted by HamsterRage View Post
But the speed that this marketplace is moving has probably thrown 9/10 of Kobo's business plan from last winter into the dumpster. Who would have dreamed that Kindle would not only meet, but undercut Kobo's $149 price with a device that still has wireless connectivity? That's gotta put some serious pressure on the R&D guys.
*nod*nod*. as soon as i saw that, i knew i was screwed as an early kobo adaptor. the pressure on the company to keep up is just too large, and if i were in a decision-making position i would probably have done the same thing and pushed the gen2 out as fast as possible, because company survival is more important. gen1 works well enough, so we got shoved to the back burner. i didn't expect the gen2 so quickly, i admit. i expected that there would be oodles of problems with a gen1 ereader, and that we'd have steady firmware upgrades. but the first firmware upgrade solved almost all of the worst problems, and my only serious complaint now is the forced power-down. so while i feel a bit screwed, i mainly just had to ratchet down my expectations for faster firmware upgrades.

so yeah, it sucks a bit. but at least they're still planning another upgrade, so we have not been entirely forgotten. and i've had 6 months in which to enjoy my kobo -- that's a lot of pages read on the upside of early adoption.

as an aside, i wonder how much money amazon is losing with the kindle; that price drop must have hurt -- it's obviously a preventative measure to keep down all the upstart ankle biters snapping at amazon's heel. that makes me ever so much more determined NOT to buy a kindle. monopolies are bad.
pleochroic is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-30-2010, 12:46 AM   #39
zoran
himself
zoran can tame squirrels without the assistance of a chair or a whip.zoran can tame squirrels without the assistance of a chair or a whip.zoran can tame squirrels without the assistance of a chair or a whip.zoran can tame squirrels without the assistance of a chair or a whip.zoran can tame squirrels without the assistance of a chair or a whip.zoran can tame squirrels without the assistance of a chair or a whip.zoran can tame squirrels without the assistance of a chair or a whip.zoran can tame squirrels without the assistance of a chair or a whip.zoran can tame squirrels without the assistance of a chair or a whip.zoran can tame squirrels without the assistance of a chair or a whip.zoran can tame squirrels without the assistance of a chair or a whip.
 
Posts: 576
Karma: 11226
Join Date: May 2010
Device: Kobo
Quote:
Originally Posted by HamsterRage View Post
Simply in terms of that risk, hindsight shows it to have been a bad move, because Kindle and Sony slashed their prices within a couple of months. Which meant that I could have had the proven product at virtually the same price as I spent on the Kobo. And the Kobo price plummeted within a few months of that.
It was the only way to choose something not "silo". Regarding
hardware quality, people mostly take kindle. I'm not sure if it's
so superior, but in stores, with similar price tag, hands go for
<guess_what>. Strategy for small company would be to have
personal contact with customers, run forums and irc channels,
debug device to user's taste.
I'm positive I'll read books via ereader for the rest of my life. It
is something that cannot be set back. What ereader? The one
that has good screen and that follows the way I use device. No
frills in that wish. I did not make decision for the next reader
yet and will do at the point when time comes. I have done my
part, I saved money to get it.
zoran is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-30-2010, 01:16 PM   #40
The Cod Father
Enthusiast
The Cod Father is not intimidated by interfenestral monkeys.The Cod Father is not intimidated by interfenestral monkeys.The Cod Father is not intimidated by interfenestral monkeys.The Cod Father is not intimidated by interfenestral monkeys.The Cod Father is not intimidated by interfenestral monkeys.The Cod Father is not intimidated by interfenestral monkeys.The Cod Father is not intimidated by interfenestral monkeys.The Cod Father is not intimidated by interfenestral monkeys.The Cod Father is not intimidated by interfenestral monkeys.The Cod Father is not intimidated by interfenestral monkeys.The Cod Father is not intimidated by interfenestral monkeys.
 
Posts: 49
Karma: 26206
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Newfoundland Canada
Device: KOBO. Kobo Aura
I'm sooo confused. Imagine , I actually bought a eReader to just read books . How foolish of me . I even was niave enough to think that if I was getting close to the end of the book I was reading I would download a (brace yourselves for this idea) second book to start when I finished the current one. If I wanted to read newspapers or magazines instantly I would spent a little more and get a netbook or just use the computer I currently have at home or the office and then download from that ( again with the bizarre ideas) . On top of everything I bought the Kobo judging it as the machine I was buying and not what it should be or will be in 6 months or a year . If I wanted something with all the bells and whistle s of a computer I'll just use a computer . Technology changes at an exponential rate and is something that a consumer has to accept . I think there's a point in there soewhere.

TCF
The Cod Father is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-30-2010, 01:18 PM   #41
PeterT
Grand Sorcerer
PeterT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.PeterT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.PeterT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.PeterT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.PeterT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.PeterT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.PeterT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.PeterT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.PeterT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.PeterT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.PeterT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
PeterT's Avatar
 
Posts: 12,103
Karma: 73447988
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Toronto
Device: Nexus 7, Clara, Touch, Tolino EPOS
Quote:
Originally Posted by The Cod Father View Post
If I wanted something with all the bells and whistle s of a computer I'll just use a computer . Technology changes at an exponential rate and is something that a consumer has to accept . I think there's a point in there soewhere.

TCF

Well said!
PeterT is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-30-2010, 02:06 PM   #42
shall1028
Nameless Being
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by The Cod Father View Post
I actually bought a eReader to just read books.
One of my main reasons, too, for purchasing an e-book reader was to read e-books.

That the Kobo could view PDFs was a bonus although I reasoned ahead of time that unless the PDF file was specifically created for the size of screen on the reader and was merely a scaled down version of a print PDF I would find the experience less than satisfying.

I don't recall seeing anything about viewing newspapers in the literature I reviewed. Even had I consciously perceived it I would have thought it a bonus and not a "deal breaker".

My other main reason for purchasing the original Kobo was that it was the first "serious" reader to break the $150 mark that I had established as being the point at which the common man would spend for an e-book reader.

WiFi? Battery suck. With 1 gig on board and a 2 gig SD card available when would I ever run out of books to read such that I need to purchase one out in the field? OK, WiFi can also be used to sync up so that I can read on another device but I don't own a pseudo-smart phone (how much per month for a data plan?!) nor an iPad (although that may change soon).

Last edited by shall1028; 10-30-2010 at 02:08 PM.
  Reply With Quote
Old 10-30-2010, 02:43 PM   #43
KoboNo
Connoisseur
KoboNo is a glorious beacon of lightKoboNo is a glorious beacon of lightKoboNo is a glorious beacon of lightKoboNo is a glorious beacon of lightKoboNo is a glorious beacon of lightKoboNo is a glorious beacon of lightKoboNo is a glorious beacon of lightKoboNo is a glorious beacon of lightKoboNo is a glorious beacon of lightKoboNo is a glorious beacon of lightKoboNo is a glorious beacon of light
 
Posts: 51
Karma: 12098
Join Date: Oct 2010
Device: Kobo
Thumbs down

I have been reading these forums since I bought the original Kobo device when it came out. I have seen too many comments from ‘Kobo fan boys’ if you will. Sure the device is what it is, a simple e-book reader. However, and a big HOWEVER here, are we wrong to want something that Kobo marketed so strongly with the original device?! Prior to and during Kobo’s launch we have seen on their Web site and in stores an advertisement for a feature to not only read books but also to read newspapers and magazines. If there are users on these forums that don’t care for their money and don’t care if they are given the features that they buy, then by all means go out and buy yourself another device-of-the-month. However, I and many others EXPECT to have the features that were not only promised to us, but heavily marketed by the very company that makes the device.

And for those Kobo fans that have a short memory, let me remind you that the newspapers feature was said to be coming in weeks when the original Kobo launched. This was promised to me by employees at Chapters as well as by Kobo’s own reps. Then magically this ‘coming in weeks’ turned into ‘coming this summer’. And then, yet again, the ‘coming this summer’ turned into ‘coming this fall’. Here we are with October passing by and November coming without the very feature that was ‘coming soon’ to the device that we invested in.

You can look at this at any angle you wish, but it is very simple for me. I purchased a device from Kobo (to support a new Canadian company) and they failed to deliver countless number of times. Their software and firmware testing has been poor, their promised deadlines have been poor, and their customer service has been poor. I have even recently seen on these very forms their own employees asking users to personally message them to test their own software. Absolute silliness.

I do enjoy the device, however as a company they FAIL on all accounts for their original users. If they would like to release a feature on a brand new Kobo that has yet to be released on the original Kobo (but was promised) then that is their choice, but shows absolute disregard to the very users that made them successful. In return, dear Kobo, I will not buy a single book from your store, and will certainly not buy a single device from you. Hi Amazon. Hello Barnes & Noble. Good day Sony.

Lastly, as a professor of software engineering I will be putting together a very interesting case on Kobo as an example to my students. Think anyone would disagree with me how they failed their original user base? Didn't think so, and I hope all of you think deeply before purchasing your next device.

KoboNo
KoboNo is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-30-2010, 03:30 PM   #44
shall1028
Nameless Being
 
Fan boy? Me? Bwaahaaahaahaa! ROTFL! ROTOFL (rolling on the other floor laughing).

Here's what's wrong with the Kobo:
  1. PDF rendering sucks. Maneuvering around oversized PDFs sucks. Ha! Double-ha! But then again, I knew it would unless the PDF was tailored to the device.
  2. No newspaper support until now after "coming soon" messages. Bad Marketing group; no doughnut. But then again I knew that the iPad would be better at newspaper rendering (bigger screen, fan boys galore to make good apps, etc.) Sum it up to they bit off way more than they could chew.
  3. Desktop software still doesn't sync properly re: bookmarks. I don't read in the desktop app so it only affects me if and when I purchase e-books with it (which has been two or three times now in 4 or 5 months). There's just so much free stuff out there that I haven't read yet. I can't believe I waited 40 years to read Frankenstein, Dracula, Sherlock Holmes, etc.
  4. possibly other things that I can't quite recall but they are there.

At the risk of sounding like a fan boy I must say the only time I had a problem with the beast was when I used a certain third party format converter/e-book library management tool that is still sub version 1 and that seems to have a new update every time I use it. Since I jettisoned that software I have had no problems with corruption etc. and hence no need to talk to customer support. Having provided customer support for software I know how difficult a job that can be. Of course, that was 15 to 20 years ago when people didn't expect all problems to be solved in 30 minutes or less (thank you Dominos Pizza marketing men).

In short I bought the beast knowing its limitations and was willing to gamble 150 bucks (I don't drink, smoke, do recreational pharmaceuticals nor gamble so I am allowed to throw money away every now and then). I have it and now I have to live with it. It allows me to read e-pubs reasonably well and the drawbacks and failings, while they exist, don't affect me--yet.

Could the company improve? Hell yeah. Will I buy the WiFi version? No. Will I buy any other version that they put out three years from now after my battery dies and the beast truly becomes a brick? Maybe but only if the unit then is stellar.

All I can do for now is help those people who have bought the unit and are having problems cope with the Kobo reader's problems and inadequacies.
  Reply With Quote
Old 10-31-2010, 12:50 AM   #45
kiwipippa
Fanatic
kiwipippa ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.kiwipippa ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.kiwipippa ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.kiwipippa ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.kiwipippa ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.kiwipippa ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.kiwipippa ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.kiwipippa ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.kiwipippa ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.kiwipippa ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.kiwipippa ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
kiwipippa's Avatar
 
Posts: 578
Karma: 613022
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: New Zealand
Device: kobo glo, kobo touch (dead), kindle touch, android phone
And this today on Facebook from Kobo - the firware upgrade to the original seems to be moving further and further out.....

"Thanks for your feedback. Our firmware upgrade for 1st generation Kobo eReaders is on it's way in the coming weeks. As the firmware is closer to release, we will be updating our facebook page.

Thanks for your feedback, and your patience."


Should we start a sweepstake to guess the date?
kiwipippa is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Forum Jump

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Original kobo 99 dollars timlegge Kobo Reader 12 10-25-2010 11:26 PM
Free book (nook, Kobo, Kindle, Sony) - Forgotten Realms: Homeland [Fantasy] ATDrake Deals and Resources (No Self-Promotion or Affiliate Links) 8 10-24-2010 03:22 AM
dxi, forgotten? Ramblurr Kindle Developer's Corner 0 10-23-2010 11:38 AM
Kobo users in Victoria, Australia ~ please help mamasue Kobo Reader 13 10-05-2010 09:28 PM
Library for Kobo (and other ereader) users in Australia SageTracey Kobo Reader 17 09-07-2010 05:29 AM


All times are GMT -4. The time now is 12:22 AM.


MobileRead.com is a privately owned, operated and funded community.