Kobo Glo annoying coating pattern (?) in bright light

Iefmathias · 01-28-2013, 02:34 PM

Hi all.

I have noticed something rather annoying about my recently purchased Kobo Glo and I was wondering if other people have this 'issue' too...

In bright light, and under certain angles, the top part of my Glo displays a very annoying 'sparkling' pattern that catches the eye very easy and sparkles with the slightest bit of movement. Boy, this really gets you 'out of the book'... especially because the rest of the screen is silky smooth. Sent a mail to the helpdesk, but anyway... anyone else noticing this?

I tried to simulate (harsher) light by adding a small light to the top of the screen so you can see what I mean, but it is very noticeable in sunlight, too. Sparkles like crazy. Bummer!

goesta · 01-28-2013, 05:43 PM

Ick! I haven't noticed anything like it on mine so far. Could be two things I guess: faulty screen, or else refraction at certain angles from the microgrid (whatever it's called) that spreads the sidelight across the surface. Having said that, I tried to replicate your problem and couldn't, so if I were you I would definitely contact customer support. That doesn't look right.

TechniSol · 01-28-2013, 07:45 PM

Nothing like that on my Glo.

No offense intended, but you have, of course, tried cleaning the screen with a bit of moisture, or perhaps huffing on it, and wiping with a microfiber cloth?

piratepanda · 01-28-2013, 08:36 PM

Same here, cleaning doesn't help

moffattm · 01-28-2013, 10:57 PM

I haven't noticed anything like that on my Glo, I'd say that it isn't normal.

piratepanda · 01-28-2013, 11:46 PM

Yeah, it's hard to notice and if I don't look hard I don't see it so I would'nt rule it out that every glo has this to some degree.

meeera · 01-29-2013, 12:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by piratepanda

Yeah, it's hard to notice and if I don't look hard I don't see it so I would'nt rule it out that every glo has this to some degree.

I think it's fair to say that middle-of-the-day sun on a sunny midsummer day in Perth is just about as bright as sunlight gets, but I can't for the life of me find any evidence of this defect on my Glo, at any lighting level or any reasonable reading angle. I'd be returning the device.

oSoleil · 01-31-2013, 05:09 PM

Hi, My beloved Kobo Touch stopped working last week and I bought a Kobo Glo...

Unfortunately, I encountered these sparkling fine diagonal lines in the top part of the screen of my Kobo Glo. Depending on the room lighting intensity and the angle of the lighting, they can get very annoying and distracting. In my Kobo, they are also only in the top part of the screen, the rest of the screen being matt and smooth. I had never noticed anything like that on the Touch screen.

I returned my Glo to the store yesterday and got a refund (it was their last one). I am now wondering if I should buy a new Glo (was it defective or is it the way they are built) or buy another Touch... (but I loved the comfort light...)

Mrs_Often · 02-01-2013, 03:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by oSoleil

I am now wondering if I should buy a new Glo (was it defective or is it the way they are built)

It was definitely defective. If it had been the way they are built, we'd heard people complain about this a lot sooner, and a lot more often. It would not be an ok "thing" for an ereader, especially not one that claims to be readable in the sun. If you liked the Glo and want another one without the "scratchiness," I'd say go for it and buy another one.

johnsnow · 03-19-2013, 08:37 PM

I had this same problem on my Kobo glo. I emailed Kobo and convinced them to send me a replacement which had the same problem only worse. They probably sent me a refurbished one someone else had returned. I keep thinking how can the people at Kobo not know about this defect. It is impossible to see until you are in the exact lighting situation though. It only shows up under two different lights in my house so I just do not read in those places anymore. I would not buy another one even though I love my Kobo unless they acknowledge there was an issue and it is now corrected.

TechniSol · 03-19-2013, 09:58 PM

Quote:

I keep thinking how can the people at Kobo not know about this defect. It is impossible to see until you are in the exact lighting situation though.

Please tell me you realize how contrary those two statements sound... Do you imagine them subjecting the reader to every type of lighting situation known to mankind and evaluating it from all possible angles? Chances are they looked at them under incandescent and fluorescent lighting from the angles most people would, as well as outdoors, and called it a day. After all they don't produce the e-ink display.

Under exactly what lighting conditions does the problem manifest? What type of bulb(s) or tubes at what angles, etc?

johnsnow · 03-20-2013, 07:27 PM

All I meant to say is that I understand it is a defect that is not evident on cursory examination, but as a consumer I would expect that if enough people complained to Kobo about it they would eventually see for themselves.
At the time I returned my Kobo I really could not figure out the rhyme or reason to when it would show up so I could not explain it to them either. There was nothing on the web about the defect last November so I just had my wife who also could see it to assure me I was not crazy. I just settled for the replacement with the same problem because I do like the device and I did not know what else to do about it.

Anyway the reflective crosshatching which is what I call it now definitely appears under halogen lights.
The other light in my house that seemed to cause it no matter what type of bulb I put in there was a floor lamp. Looking at it now I realize it may be because the shade has a silver backing. Halogen lights also have a silver backing in the bulb. I think this silver is definately the cause somehow.
The angle or intensity of the light is not really important. I have a dimmer on the halogen light and it does not help.
I do not notice it outside at all in my experience but it is winter and I was just holding it up to the window.

meeera · 03-21-2013, 01:13 AM

I tried this under my halogens, with the light off, on, and cranked all the way up, at all angles, and couldn't get my Kobo to sparkle at all.

Just to double check (the photo is pretty unclear) - this isn't just the light bouncing off the textured screen surface, is it? Because that's visible at certain angles, though not any angle I'd read at. The screen on the Glo is a lot more textured than the Touch screen.

TechniSol · 03-21-2013, 03:29 AM

I didn't mean to be difficult, but really did wonder under what lighting conditions it appeared. The only photo I've seen of the phenomenon was photographed at a very unusual angle for reading and apparently with an LED Kandle reading light being used to illuminate a reader with internal lighting... If it only appears on the top half of a screen as some have said, one might imagine it was some sort of film or accidental chemical or cleaning spray that might have been transferred during assembly of the display.

Lily7 · 03-21-2013, 06:44 AM

Perhaps your Glo is a vampire Glo.

01-28-2013, 02:34 PM	#1
Iefmathias Member Posts: 16 Karma: 5000 Join Date: Jan 2013 Device: Kobo Glo	Kobo Glo annoying coating pattern (?) in bright light Hi all. I have noticed something rather annoying about my recently purchased Kobo Glo and I was wondering if other people have this 'issue' too... In bright light, and under certain angles, the top part of my Glo displays a very annoying 'sparkling' pattern that catches the eye very easy and sparkles with the slightest bit of movement. Boy, this really gets you 'out of the book'... especially because the rest of the screen is silky smooth. Sent a mail to the helpdesk, but anyway... anyone else noticing this? I tried to simulate (harsher) light by adding a small light to the top of the screen so you can see what I mean, but it is very noticeable in sunlight, too. Sparkles like crazy. Bummer! Attached Thumbnails

03-19-2013, 08:37 PM	#10
johnsnow Fanboy Posts: 17 Karma: 5410 Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: Toronto, Ontario Device: kobo Glo, Mini, Aura	Kobo glo defect I had this same problem on my Kobo glo. I emailed Kobo and convinced them to send me a replacement which had the same problem only worse. They probably sent me a refurbished one someone else had returned. I keep thinking how can the people at Kobo not know about this defect. It is impossible to see until you are in the exact lighting situation though. It only shows up under two different lights in my house so I just do not read in those places anymore. I would not buy another one even though I love my Kobo unless they acknowledge there was an issue and it is now corrected.

03-20-2013, 07:27 PM	#12
johnsnow Fanboy Posts: 17 Karma: 5410 Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: Toronto, Ontario Device: kobo Glo, Mini, Aura	Halogen bulbs All I meant to say is that I understand it is a defect that is not evident on cursory examination, but as a consumer I would expect that if enough people complained to Kobo about it they would eventually see for themselves. At the time I returned my Kobo I really could not figure out the rhyme or reason to when it would show up so I could not explain it to them either. There was nothing on the web about the defect last November so I just had my wife who also could see it to assure me I was not crazy. I just settled for the replacement with the same problem because I do like the device and I did not know what else to do about it. Anyway the reflective crosshatching which is what I call it now definitely appears under halogen lights. The other light in my house that seemed to cause it no matter what type of bulb I put in there was a floor lamp. Looking at it now I realize it may be because the shade has a silver backing. Halogen lights also have a silver backing in the bulb. I think this silver is definately the cause somehow. The angle or intensity of the light is not really important. I have a dimmer on the halogen light and it does not help. I do not notice it outside at all in my experience but it is winter and I was just holding it up to the window.

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01-28-2013, 05:43 PM	#2
goesta Member Posts: 18 Karma: 5396 Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Berlin Device: Kobo Glo	Ick! I haven't noticed anything like it on mine so far. Could be two things I guess: faulty screen, or else refraction at certain angles from the microgrid (whatever it's called) that spreads the sidelight across the surface. Having said that, I tried to replicate your problem and couldn't, so if I were you I would definitely contact customer support. That doesn't look right.

01-28-2013, 07:45 PM	#3
TechniSol GranPohbah-Fezzes r cool! Posts: 1,056 Karma: 3151024 Join Date: Jul 2010 Device: Nook STRs, Kobo Touch, Kobo Glo	Nothing like that on my Glo. No offense intended, but you have, of course, tried cleaning the screen with a bit of moisture, or perhaps huffing on it, and wiping with a microfiber cloth?

01-28-2013, 08:36 PM	#4
piratepanda Connoisseur Posts: 58 Karma: 4158 Join Date: Nov 2012 Device: Kobo Glo, Kobo Aura H2O, Kobo Aura One	Same here, cleaning doesn't help

01-28-2013, 10:57 PM	#5
moffattm Addict Posts: 333 Karma: 1440670 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Auckland, New Zealand Device: Kobo Original, Kobo Glo	I haven't noticed anything like that on my Glo, I'd say that it isn't normal.

01-28-2013, 11:46 PM	#6
piratepanda Connoisseur Posts: 58 Karma: 4158 Join Date: Nov 2012 Device: Kobo Glo, Kobo Aura H2O, Kobo Aura One	Yeah, it's hard to notice and if I don't look hard I don't see it so I would'nt rule it out that every glo has this to some degree.

01-31-2013, 05:09 PM	#8
oSoleil Junior Member Posts: 1 Karma: 5410 Join Date: Jan 2013 Device: Kobo Touch (RIP)	Hi, My beloved Kobo Touch stopped working last week and I bought a Kobo Glo... Unfortunately, I encountered these sparkling fine diagonal lines in the top part of the screen of my Kobo Glo. Depending on the room lighting intensity and the angle of the lighting, they can get very annoying and distracting. In my Kobo, they are also only in the top part of the screen, the rest of the screen being matt and smooth. I had never noticed anything like that on the Touch screen. I returned my Glo to the store yesterday and got a refund (it was their last one). I am now wondering if I should buy a new Glo (was it defective or is it the way they are built) or buy another Touch... (but I loved the comfort light...)

03-21-2013, 01:13 AM	#13
meeera Grand Sorcerer Posts: 5,658 Karma: 66417824 Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Australia Device: Kobo Libra 2, iPadMini4, iPad4, MBP; support other Kobo/Kindles	I tried this under my halogens, with the light off, on, and cranked all the way up, at all angles, and couldn't get my Kobo to sparkle at all. Just to double check (the photo is pretty unclear) - this isn't just the light bouncing off the textured screen surface, is it? Because that's visible at certain angles, though not any angle I'd read at. The screen on the Glo is a lot more textured than the Touch screen.

03-21-2013, 03:29 AM	#14
TechniSol GranPohbah-Fezzes r cool! Posts: 1,056 Karma: 3151024 Join Date: Jul 2010 Device: Nook STRs, Kobo Touch, Kobo Glo	I didn't mean to be difficult, but really did wonder under what lighting conditions it appeared. The only photo I've seen of the phenomenon was photographed at a very unusual angle for reading and apparently with an LED Kandle reading light being used to illuminate a reader with internal lighting... If it only appears on the top half of a screen as some have said, one might imagine it was some sort of film or accidental chemical or cleaning spray that might have been transferred during assembly of the display.

03-21-2013, 06:44 AM	#15
Lily7 Zealot Posts: 115 Karma: 21932 Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: Norman, OK Device: Kindle Voyage, Paperwhite 5th gen, Kobo Libra 2	Perhaps your Glo is a vampire Glo.