Touch Nook STR: Issues, Bugs, Annoyances, and Petty Quibbles

[John F]

Duplicate post

[John F]

Originally Posted by SCION

First thing I noticed is it's much more easier/comfortable to hold than the NOOK. Nice balanced substantial feel without using a cover.

Home screen looks better in person. When looking at the videos I kept thinking it was too plain (compared to NOOK). At first glance one may prefer the NOOK's home screen, but after using the NOOK many don't care for it, and avoid it.

While I was typing this, it went into sleep mode. A book cover is displayed with the percentage read underneath. The image doesn't take up the full screen. I saw a post in the Kobo forum requesting a bigger image. Maybe we'll see this change.

The Kobo wins hands down for rendering text in the most eye pleasing manner. The latest update propels them to the forefront. it's unbelievable how you have granular control over margins, line spacing, and font size. The Kobo has spacing between paragraphs, which I thought would be a negative. You don't sacrifice word count because you can fine tune line spacing and margins to a greater degree than the NOOK.

I've attached pictures comparing the same book with same font style (Amasis). The margins on both are set to the smallest setting. This book on the Kobo is much more visually appealing to me.

What is the granularity on those sliders (font size, ...)?

I wish the Nook had more choices!

[HarryT]

How do the nook and the Kobo compare when it comes to dictionary lookup and text annotation capabilities?

[ncguy68]

Originally Posted by SCION

I like my margins a little wider too, just not on a 6" screen. One of the reasons I prefer a 7" eink device.

Yes, I prefer the 7" screen on my Nook Color. Once you've seen a 7" screen it is hard to go back. I know many will argue this point, but I think text 'looks' sharper on the LCD screen. It's always a personal thing and like you said earlier...it's great we have so many choices.

[cfrock]

Originally Posted by SCION

Yeah, it's the camera on my phone. It's not blurry at all. I took the shots one after the other. Don't know what happened. Must be the autofocus thing.

Maybe these are better. The first one is just a bad angle.

You really need to see for yourself or view pics from a really good camera.

So in the end, after side by side comparison which one will you keep?

[SCION]

Originally Posted by John F

What is the granularity on those sliders (font size, ...)?

I wish the Nook had more choices!

I'm not sure what you're asking. Help me out.

[HarryT]

John's asking how many "positions" the sliders have; ie, how many actual choices of font size, etc, are there?

[SCION]

Originally Posted by HarryT

How do the nook and the Kobo compare when it comes to dictionary lookup and text annotation capabilities?

Both use Merriam-Webster. The NOOK identifies its dictionary as the Collegiate one (word origin, etc.). There's no such distinction with the Kobo. As you can see, The Kobo's definition spans one page, whereas the NOOK's uses three. Many prefer the Oxford American/English Dictionary, including myself.

The Kobo only allows highlights, no notes, or multiple bookmarks. The NOOK can do highlights, notes, and bookmarks. To get the effect of multiple bookmarks (in a book) on the Kobo, you could use the highlighting of the first word on a page to accomplish the same thing. When you pull up a one word highlight, you know it's really a bookmark. The Kobo apps allow for highlights and notes. There's a possibility the Kobo will see an update that will provide what's missing now. They have a good track record for quickly responding to reasonable requests for features. Of course, no notes may be a deal breaker for some.

Let me add that syncing of last page read with the Kobo and Android app is practically instantaneous. When the Kobo goes to sleep it says it's updating bookmark with the server (when connected to WiFi).

[SCION]

Originally Posted by HarryT

John's asking how many "positions" the sliders have; ie, how many actual choices of font size, etc, are there?

Font Size = 24 positions (24th giving you 7 words on the screen)

Line Spacing = 9

Margins = 5

[SCION]

Originally Posted by cfrock

So in the end, after side by side comparison which one will you keep?

I'm keeping both. The Kobo will be for daily use. The NOOK only used when I plan to be at a Barnes and Noble and want to take advantage of "Read in Store". I've finished reading one book using that feature and that was a $15.99 book. It's not unreasonable to read several more which would offset the cost of the device.

The Kobo sorts the library by Recent Reads (thank goodness) and allows for deletion of books ()

[SCION]

Originally Posted by SCION

I'm keeping both. The Kobo will be for daily use. The NOOK only used when I plan to be at a Barnes and Noble and want to take advantage of "Read in Store". I've finished reading one book using that feature and that was a $15.99 book. It's not unreasonable to read several more which would offset the cost of the device.

The Kobo sorts the library by Recent Reads (thank goodness) and allows for deletion of books ()

Also, it's nice to have control over the page refresh rate. Currently set for refresh every three pages. There's a big difference between every page and every six pages.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by SCION

Both use Merriam-Webster. The NOOK identifies its dictionary as the Collegiate one (word origin, etc.). There's no such distinction with the Kobo. As you can see, The Kobo's definition spans one page, whereas the NOOK's uses three. Many prefer the Oxford American/English Dictionary, including myself.

The Kobo only allows highlights, no notes, or multiple bookmarks. The NOOK can do highlights, notes, and bookmarks. To get the effect of multiple bookmarks (in a book) on the Kobo, you could use the highlighting of the first word on a page to accomplish the same thing. When you pull up a one word highlight, you know it's really a bookmark. The Kobo apps allow for highlights and notes. There's a possibility the Kobo will see an update that will provide what's missing now. They have a good track record for quickly responding to reasonable requests for features. Of course, no notes may be a deal breaker for some.

Let me add that syncing of last page read with the Kobo and Android app is practically instantaneous. When the Kobo goes to sleep it says it's updating bookmark with the server (when connected to WiFi).

Thanks for the information! It sounds, as always, as though each has its pros and cons. Isn't it a pity that there's no single device which combines all the best features?

[silverraven]

There's a big difference between every page and every six pages.

Is there a big difference in the speed of page turning between single page refresh vs. say 3 page refresh vs. 6 page refresh?
Of course my Best Buy probably won't be getting in the Kobo touch for display. Why can't these places understand we want to touch/feel before buying?
S

[Nahgem]

So, I think after having played with a Touch for ten days, my biggest complaint is that they didn't give us the ability to unlock the screen with a passcode rather than just the slider bar (or it's there, and I just can't find it, in which case, I'm complaining about my incompetence :P). On both my first edition and my Color, I've enabled a passcode to wake the device and a password for purchasing. Since my credit card is connected to these devices, having two passwords makes me feel a lot safer.

[SCION]

Originally Posted by silverraven

Is there a big difference in the speed of page turning between single page refresh vs. say 3 page refresh vs. 6 page refresh?
Of course my Best Buy probably won't be getting in the Kobo touch for display. Why can't these places understand we want to touch/feel before buying?
S

There's no noticeable difference in speed, just clarity. On the Kobo, the page transitions are more noticeable when compared to the NOOK. That can be just as annoying to some as the traditional eInk flash. I have mine set to three simply because I don't want to see the flash every page or two. Also, on the Kobo I don't believe there's a way to quickly scroll through pages like the NOOK can.