Aura HD Kobo Aura HD Impressions Thread

[Dr. Drib]

Originally Posted by HardwareLust

I haven't read all 20 pages of responses, but I'm pretty disappointed in mine. I'm about ready to ask for a refund and send it back to Kobo. It's laggy, the screen is unresponsive, and the screen contrast with the light off isn't all that great. I'm switching back to my Nook Tablet or my Sony PRS-950. I'm kinda sorry I fell for the hype now. Guess I'll wait and see what the 2nd gen Kindle Paper White looks like or the new Sony.

EDIT: On further thought, I have requested a refund for my Aura HD and I will be returning it.

This doesn't appear to be par with the majority of responses. Is is possible your unit is somehow defective?

I, too, would return one if I had a unit as you describe. (I don't yet own one.)

Some individuals here posted some photos, in various Aura threads, and I'm wondering if yours is different than those photos?

Thanks.



Don

[Haesslich]

Originally Posted by HardwareLust

I haven't read all 20 pages of responses, but I'm pretty disappointed in mine. I'm about ready to ask for a refund and send it back to Kobo. It's laggy, the screen is unresponsive, and the screen contrast with the light off isn't all that great. I'm switching back to my Nook Tablet or my Sony PRS-950. I'm kinda sorry I fell for the hype now. Guess I'll wait and see what the 2nd gen Kindle Paper White looks like or the new Sony.

EDIT: On further thought, I have requested a refund for my Aura HD and I will be returning it.

What have you been reading? I've compared my Aura with a Kobo Glo on 2.5.1, a Kindle Touch, and my iPad while reading ePub files (side loaded ones from Baen and Tor), kePubs, CBR/CBZ, and PDF files. I only get lag with complex PDF files with lots of graphic elements (files which slow my iPad, much less an eInk reader). It's heads and shoulders above the old Sony PRS-600 I used to use (that turned pages slower than my Kindle), and the Kindle PW at its lowest setting only gets improved contrast by keeping the light on. Outside, I don't need the light; inside, 20% is enough to make the screen nice and white.

I think you either had unrealistic expectations which can't be met by any reader currently out there, or else you were using it wrong. I've had 2mb ePub files with 100+ chapters load without issue, page turn without problems, or jumping between chapters without fail. The only other think I can think of that'd cause issues like yours is a bad FW update which didn't successfully complete.

[beckybug3]

Just got my Aura (waited until I saw it was in stock). It is black and I got the black sleep cover. Here are my thoughts after 48 hrs:

I had a white wifi & white Touch previously. The black cover doesn't show dirt, wear, & tear like they did. Between kids, grandkids, dogs, etc. I was constantly fighting greasy dirty spots on them.

I love the shape of the aura. And I like how the cover conforms to it. I do wish I could open the cover backwards (a little easier to hold- I'm extremely left handed).

The new home page is a little cluttered but not too bad. Wish I could 'set up' the home page though. I'd permanently remove the 'related to' boxes, the finished books, and would install an open book list. I know I can remove these things individually, but would like them to never show up in the first place. And as a person who is reading 5 - 8 books at a time, I wish another open book would appear when I finish the last one.

I REALLY miss the little scroll thingie I had on my Touch when I accessed the library. If I'm looking for a Book that starts with the letter 'M' I hate having to swipe my finger 60 odd times across the bottom and hope that I do not accidentally open a different book. (I have 800+ books- yes I can archive, but I don't want to).

My one issue has been when I turn on the reading light (25 - 35% is best for me). It sometimes will turn the light off before I get done with a page. Normally I read fast, but distractions happen- and the light is only staying on for less than 60 seconds. Does anyone have a solution for this?

My only other complaint is that I wish the cover had a pocket to hold the charging cable. I am constantly on the go and need to charge in multiple situations and locations.

Overall. I LOVE the Aura, and as I get used to all of the quirks I'll only love it more.

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by beckybug3

I REALLY miss the little scroll thingie I had on my Touch when I accessed the library. If I'm looking for a Book that starts with the letter 'M' I hate having to swipe my finger 60 odd times across the bottom and hope that I do not accidentally open a different book. (I have 800+ books- yes I can archive, but I don't want to).

My one issue has been when I turn on the reading light (25 - 35% is best for me). It sometimes will turn the light off before I get done with a page. Normally I read fast, but distractions happen- and the light is only staying on for less than 60 seconds. Does anyone have a solution for this?

Overall. I LOVE the Aura, and as I get used to all of the quirks I'll only love it more.

You can tap on the page xx of xxx at the top of the page and enter the number of the page you want to go to. Bit faster than 60 swipes though I find myself using the library search more to find a book.

As for the reading light, it should stay on for the time set in the Settings => Light, Sleep and Power. Mine stays for the full 10 minutes and then turns off. I've got sleep set to 15 minutes.

There is a known issue around the sleep cover where after you open the sleep cover, the ereader will go back to sleep in 45-65 seconds unless you tap the screen. I find myself getting into a habit of double tapping the center of the screen when I open the sleep cover.

Regards,
David

[treadlightly]

Originally Posted by DNSB

There is a known issue around the sleep cover where after you open the sleep cover, the ereader will go back to sleep in 45-65 seconds unless you tap the screen. I find myself getting into a habit of double tapping the center of the screen when I open the sleep cover.

And if you have the light timeout set to less time than the sleep timeout, the light will turn off first when opening the sleep cover. I timed it once: 30 min timeout in Settings led to a 1 min 6 sec "quick sleep", and a 45 min timeout led to a 2 min 14 sec "quick sleep". Or light turn off, whichever comes first.

[domani7]

I also was very excited and fell for the hype but I am also very disappointed with the Aura I got, I posted about it in the main Aura HD thread. Maybe my screen is in fact defective, but (with the light off) it's ever so slightly darker than the screen on my Nook Simple Touch and significantly darker than the screen on my sister's Kindle. My sister confirmed and although her first impression was "it looks great!" when I asked her to compare it to her kindle's screen she was surprised to see that the Aura's screen is visibly worse.

I have contacted Kobo and I want to return it for a refund as well. If I don't hear from them soon, I'll dispute the charge with my credit card.

I'm not interested in an exchange because even if the screen was ok I didn't realize how frustrated I'd be by the lack of buttons. I did try reading on it but hated it and couldn't stop myself from going back to my Nook Touch.

Originally Posted by Dr. Drib

This doesn't appear to be par with the majority of responses. Is is possible your unit is somehow defective?

I, too, would return one if I had a unit as you describe. (I don't yet own one.)

Some individuals here posted some photos, in various Aura threads, and I'm wondering if yours is different than those photos?

Thanks.



Don

[FJames]

Originally Posted by domani7

Maybe my screen is in fact defective, but (with the light off) it's ever so slightly darker than the screen on my Nook Simple Touch and significantly darker than the screen on my sister's Kindle.

It's not though. They are all eInk screens from the same supplier. What color is your Aura? There's a very powerful optical illusion that that the screen is darker when the case is a lighter color. Put a while unit next to a black one with the identical screen, and you would still swear that the white unit has a darker screen background even when you know they are the same. It's like this checkerboard illusion: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Checker_shadow_illusion

If you haven't seen the checkerboard illusion before, you should definitely check out the link. Most people can't believe that it's an illusion even when told that their eyes are deceiving them. I think the e-reader screen contrast illusion is in the same category.

[soulfuldog]

Originally Posted by FJames

It's not though. They are all eInk screens from the same supplier.

However, what they do with the screens is different. The lighted readers have an additional layer on the screen for the light guide, so if you compare the Aura with the Nook ST, Kobo Touch, Kindle Touch, Sony PRS-T1/T2 or any non-lighted reader, the screen may well look a little darker. But it ignores the fact that the light can be adjusted to make the screen look superior in just about any lighting conditions.

I have found myself comparing for example the Kobo Glo with the light off and the Kobo Touch. But it's wrong to do so, because really the Glo isn't meant to be used with the light off. I guess if you stand outside in bright sunshine and compare the two then it might be fair enough, but I think some peoples expectations are maybe just a little bit high?

There is a trade off with having the light, it shouldn't be a huge difference though so domani7 may well be right and his/her Aura could be defective.

[FJames]

In theory the addition of the extra glow light layer could make the screen look a little darker, but in practice there's no significant difference. At worst it reduces the contrast very slightly in certain lighting conditions due to light scattering. But I've compared the models with and without glow light layers under identical good lighting conditions, and I don't see a noticeable difference.

[gouni]

I confirm for a long time the disparity of the screen at Kobo.

At our club, the first kobo ( bought in November 2012 ) had a background of very clear, clearer than the paperwhite and as clear as the kindle 4 black screen.

Then the version of kobo Glo have wallpapers darker than the touch kobo and much darker than the kindle 4 black.

This me recalls the first pocketbook test which had a dark screen, the last kobo glo purchased have a very dark screen.

But they have an advantage, in light they are friendlier than the first.

[domani7]

Originally Posted by FJames

It's not though. They are all eInk screens from the same supplier. What color is your Aura? There's a very powerful optical illusion that that the screen is darker when the case is a lighter color. Put a while unit next to a black one with the identical screen, and you would still swear that the white unit has a darker screen background even when you know they are the same. It's like this illusion: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Checker_shadow_illusion

That's what I thought at first too (and why I initially thought an exchange would make the Aura worthwhile) but then when I held the kindle partially on top of the aura so that it's blocking the ivory bezel the kindle's screen still looks brighter than the Aura's. Same thing when I held the Aura on top of the kindle so that I'm comparing both screens to the ivory bezel.

[guitarizt]

The screen looks the same to me as the T1 as far as background. I'm not the best person at judging visuals, and I think the Aura blacks have better contrast due probably to the higher resolution. I doubt I could distinguish between T1 and Aura in a blind test 7/10 time with random fonts.

That being said the Aura is a million times better to read with because of the even frontlight vs harsh external led light I was using on the T1. I slept 8 hours straight and woke up today refreshed for the first time in a month which I think was largely from me being stressed out from straining my eyes on the T1 before and just never realizing it was having that effect on me. Reading 3 hours with the Aura was like reading 30 minutes with the T1.

[domani7]

I think you're right- I think screens with glow are not as nice as those without glow *when the glow is off*. Reading a glow screen just isn't that appealing to me... I know theoretically that it's not supposed to be as eye straining as a tablet screen but it just doesn't feel like looking at paper to me, it feels like looking at a tablet. I thought that glow would only be an option that I would use very rarely when necessary I don't want to have to use it all the time just because the screen is too dark otherwise.

Originally Posted by l_macd

However, what they do with the screens is different. The lighted readers have an additional layer on the screen for the light guide, so if you compare the Aura with the Nook ST, Kobo Touch, Kindle Touch, Sony PRS-T1/T2 or any non-lighted reader, the screen may well look a little darker. But it ignores the fact that the light can be adjusted to make the screen look superior in just about any lighting conditions.

I have found myself comparing for example the Kobo Glo with the light off and the Kobo Touch. But it's wrong to do so, because really the Glo isn't meant to be used with the light off. I guess if you stand outside in bright sunshine and compare the two then it might be fair enough, but I think some peoples expectations are maybe just a little bit high?

There is a trade off with having the light, it shouldn't be a huge difference though so domani7 may well be right and his/her Aura could be defective.

[FJames]

Originally Posted by domani7

That's what I thought at first too (and why I initially thought an exchange would make the Aura worthwhile) but then when I held the kindle partially on top of the aura so that it's blocking the ivory bezel the kindle's screen still looks brighter than the Aura's. Same thing when I held the Aura on top of the kindle so that I'm comparing both screens to the ivory bezel.

Funny, I tried doing the same thing (i.e., holding one over the other to block the bezel). It doesn't work. The illusion persists. I was comparing two units that were identical except for case color, one on top of the other, and I would still have sworn that the screen background was darker on the white unit.

[AnemicOak]

Screens can vary even among the same model of device. They sometimes vary from batch to batch when manufactured.