On A scale of 1 to 10 how happy are you with the Way Firmware is being released

[PeterT]

Just be thankful you did not use the original Kobo with the original f/w. There content was stored in the database....

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by BWinmill

Then buy that bug free device that does not waste screen space from Kobo's competition, because there is nothing compelling you to buy the Aura.

The hardware is currently (IMHO) the best out there. That's what's compelling. The firmware is what's the issue. Do you really think the firmware is good enough? Did you read the thread on 2.5.2 where most of the complaints are because of the wasted screen space? It is not just me that feels the firmware problems are a big deal.

[Ripplinger]

I have to agree with JSWolf. The hardware itself I think is the best out there over the Kindle Paperwhite and the Nook Glow.

But the firmware is awful. Not just the wasted space. The way it leaves quote on one line separated from the following word; the way it sometimes leaves 3 lines or a single paragraph on a page and continues the same chapter on a new page; the lack of any special characters in the majority of included fonts, I find myself having to use Georgia whenever I run into special characters, even Caecilia doesn't have many (or at least they don't show on the Kobo Glo); the spacing between lines not adjustable low enough; Kobo's IR system is very inconsistent, takes me up to 4 swipes to turn a page (touches work better, but you can't use a touch when holding the reader in your left hand, and I just prefer swipes). I'm sure there's more, but all I can think of immediately.

The Kobo hardware is super... firmware, not so much.

[Ken Maltby]

Originally Posted by BWinmill

Then buy that bug free device that does not waste screen space from Kobo's competition, because there is nothing compelling you to buy the Aura.

There are things that are "compelling" about the AuraHD, or we would not
have purchased it in the first place. (In my case having purchased two.)

While you may be tired of hearing some complaints, it is always a good
thing for a company to hear what issues are of greatest concern to the
very people who are buying their product. If you think it would be better
if there were an illusion of perfection, where no criticism can be tolerated,
then you are actually doing the product a disservice. Just because you
are correct, we are free to abandon the AuraHD at anytime there is an
ereader that more closely matches our requirements.

For me, as long as the AruaHD's FW is as flaky and lacking in capabilities
that matter to me, I would gladly move on to the first ereader that can
match or beat the Aura's resolution. And there would remain a negative
impression of Kobo and its products.

As it is, I will continue to try and make the best use of the AuraHD I can
and find workarounds to overcome the current shortcomings. I will also
use every opportunity to point out what I feel should be corrected.

Luck;
Ken

[speakingtohe]

Originally Posted by Ken Maltby

And that is the major source of their problems. The database as an improved
settings table, has some added value, but it is an annoying overreach to try
and manage the reading of files through the database. Every non-Kobo file
is made without consideration of the data placement and construction needs
of your database.

Henry Ford: "Any customer can have a car painted any colour that he wants
so long as it is black." It seems that policy may have changed, could
customer comments/requests have had some impact?

I see no reason to "accept" things as they are, if that means I should not
ask for and suggest what I feel would be improvements. I fully expect that
Kobo will not be overly moved by my comments. I do think that hackers
could be looking at an opportunity of a lifetime.

Personally, I thing Kobo will find their approach counterproductive in the
long run, much of it seems based on an "interconnected" social environment
fad. It is an unnecessary risk when they could easily have both.

Luck;
Ken

I think Kobo is using an approach opposite to Amazon's. Their goal seems to be to sell ereaders by making their books more attractive to the paper book holdouts by trying to make kepubs appear like paper books to those who prefer paper. Amazon wants to sell ebooks, while Kobo seems to want to sell ereaders.

I think this is a lost cause from a profit making standpoint, but good luck with that there

Then faced with the sometimes virulent feedback of those of us who don't like page headers they put firmware headers on epubs as well, assuming, I guess, that we will learn to like page headers if they are forced upon us.

I think that this is counterproductive because it gives those who prefer kepub headers the option of shopping around for better prices without losing that feature, while those of us who dislike kepubs because of the headers and chapter numbers may choose not to shop at the kobo store.
Making an epub look like a kepub, will probably not affect the social networking crowd market, so why do it?

My Kobo mini and Aura are quite nice, but I will probably be replacing them in the fall with a different brand of reader, because of the lack of robust firmware, and my strong dislike of kepubs. ( I did read 10 kepubs just to see if they grew on me). The mini I got for its pocket size, while the Aura I bought on a whim.

Casual readers, (those who read less than a book a week?) probably don’t care, but I feel that resentment is growing among the 2-7+ books a week crowd. Some of us won’t buy a kobo book through our readers for fear of accidentally updating firmware, and some of us wouldn’t even buy a free book from Kobo because of the seeming love it or shove it attitude, and lack of attention to basic reading and shelf functions.

[speakingtohe]

DUPLICATE POST

[mbovenka]

Originally Posted by speakingtohe

Then faced with the sometimes virulent feedback of those of us who don't like page headers they put firmware headers on epubs as well, assuming, I guess, that we will learn to like page headers if they are forced upon us.

My Kobo mini and Aura are quite nice, but I will probably be replacing them in the fall with a different brand of reader, because of the lack of robust firmware, and my strong dislike of kepubs.

I agree 100% on the page headers; a gorgeous hi-res screen and they waste so much of it...

What don't you like about kepubs? I don't like the 'pages per chapter' footer all that much, but the ACCESS kepub reader handles foot/endnotes far better than ADE does, and as I read a lot of non-fiction that makes extensive use of them, that's very important to me.

[speakingtohe]

Originally Posted by mbovenka

I agree 100% on the page headers; a gorgeous hi-res screen and they waste so much of it...

What don't you like about kepubs? I don't like the 'pages per chapter' footer all that much, but the ACCESS kepub reader handles foot/endnotes far better than ADE does, and as I read a lot of non-fiction that makes extensive use of them, that's very important to me.

I really don't like the lack of page numbers. I must glance at them frequently as I am slightly irritated all through the book. Percentage would be okay if it showed percentage of x pages. Why not show both or give a choice. The header doesn't bother me, although I think it unnecessary. If I really can't remember what I am reading then I can go to the home page or turn of reader to look at cover.

I find no added value to kepubs to make up for the constant minor irritation of not knowing what page I am on. In my world books should have page numbers

The reading stats were interesting enough except that with the slow shelf opening and poor sorting it is easy open an already read book twice and this can skew them a bit, making them inaccurate.

Not a big deal as I just won't read kepubs or update the firmware. Buggy or not the Aura is good enough to read when the power goes out, which is the main reason I got it.

Helen

[guma]

Originally Posted by PeterT

Sigh.. when will people accept that ALL the Kobo supplied reading software on ANY Kobo eReader is tightly tied into the database and NOT into the file structure of the device.

Why should people (= customers) have to accept KOBO's decision on how to technically manage the firmware on their device? Why should customers even care about this?


P.S.
Using a database as a backend for the firmware does not prevent the implementation of library management functionality that - to the user - would appear to be file based. Mirroring file structures in a database is rather trivial from a programming point of view. Even KOBO's firmware programmers should be able to implement something like this ...

[jackastor]

I wonder what first impressions will be of the Roll out of 2.6.1

Anyone care to weigh in?

[Ripplinger]

The release of 2.6.1 completely reconfirmed that my original vote of "Frustrated beyond belief. It needs improvment" was the correct choice.

At this rate I'll never update from 2.5.1.

[jackastor]

Originally Posted by Ripplinger

The release of 2.6.1 completely reconfirmed that my original vote of "Frustrated beyond belief. It needs improvment" was the correct choice.

At this rate I'll never update from 2.5.1.

I definatly found 2.5.2 lacking, but I am still pessimistic about 2.6.1 I like the look and feel of it on the glo, and am very disappointed they chose to ignore the touch for this makeover look. I realize that the screen on the touch is smaller but they could have visualized a similar look for the touch just by reducing the number of tiles.

At any rate I wonder when 2.6.2 will be rolled out to us..or whatever passes as the next firmware version.

I wonder what would happen if Kobo offered up a contest to help design the user interface and the resulting results would be?

regards

Jack

[Danger]

I myself am much happier with 2.6.1 than I have been with previous firmware releases. Still some things that need working on of course but it does appear that Kobo is listening at least somewhat to us finally. Now if they would just make things more optional rather than take it or leave it.

[meeera]

I'm medium-happy with 2.6.1. Glad the title bar's gone, but although I don't like it I would prefer that it was an option instead of an imposed decision.

Is there any way of getting a commonly-used shelf onto a homepage box? I've dismissed other tiles and gone into the shelf a few times, hoping it would appear, but no dice.

I keep finding myself covering the bottom 5 mm with my hand, because the headlamp-ripple is a little distracting. I liked the black bar - it blended with the black bezel, and concealed the rippling. This isn't a major drama, just a minor annoyance (and I suppose I could always blue-tack on a bit of card or something).

The "SLEEPING" box is hideous, but doesn't affect everyday reading, so it scores a "meh" from me. It just looks amateurish and tacked-on.

[PeterT]

On the Glo at least, this seems to work. Go to Library | Shelves, then click on the 3 bars besides a shelf and select Manage and then Save.