Glo Kobo Software Update 2.5.2

[davidfor]

I was thinking it did change the displayed version number. Maybe it needs a restart to read it.

[Ripplinger]

I did shut it down and then restarted it, thinking that might be needed, but it still shows 2.5.1.

[INCSlayer]

yes because the device still has firmware 2.5.1 you have only changed the file that it checks against when looking for updates not the firmware itself

[Anak]

Originally Posted by Nightyume

Quick question, isn't the header also present on the Glo and Touch (or are you referring to the fact that you can just avoid the upgrade if you wish on your current device, but then if the header wasn't always on the Aura maybe you could install an earlier firmware if it wasn't too buggy).
…
No one is preventing people from using their device how they wanted if you think about it. When you buy a device you should buy it for what it can do RIGHT THEN, not what it will do in the future. If the device is too buggy at launch for you then wait and buy it when it has firmware that you like and can live with when it comes to existing bugs. Then when updates come out you can choose whether or not it is worth it to you to install them. This is fine as far as functionality goes. It is not like with some blu-ray players (as well as many programs/devices) that refuse to work if you do not install the update or are not connected to the internet. That is something I dislike and abhorr as then what happens if the company goes under and the device/program can't verify its license or if the update actualy removes some functionality that was a deciding factor in my purchase (an excellent example, though it is not a personal one, is the PlayStation 2 and how you could originally install Linux on it and then the functionality was removeed in future firmwaree updates, updates which needed to be installed in order to play certain games).

Yes, the header was present in kepub files (Kobos epub format with proprietary drm) but not in normal epub files as they use a different rendering engine.
Upgrading to an Aura HD seemed a good idea to me:

• higher resolution. Clearer, smoother rendering which allows me to read at a slightly smaller font size without compromizing reading comfort. Smaller font size also means a few extra lines on one page. That is very welcome to me, but may seem irrelevant to others. For me this was basically the justification to buy a new reader an willing to a premium price for it.
• top header. Now Kobo has introduced the header in regular epubs some of the benefits (extra text lines on a page) I mentioned are virtually non existent (or at least to some part).

For now, I've decided to postpone the buying of the new Aura HD and just wait to see if

• Kobo takes the valid and motivated complaints made in this thread serious.
• Kobo takes serious steps to solve existing firmware bugs [I don't expect them to solve them all (or at once)].
• competing hardware manufacturers release a similair product (technical specs)

I'm positive about the build quality of Kobos hardware products. If buying a product was solely based on hardware quality I would buy Kobo and recommend it to friends.

[davidfor]

Originally Posted by Ripplinger

I did shut it down and then restarted it, thinking that might be needed, but it still shows 2.5.1.

Well, I could have sworn that the version number from the version file was displayed. But, it doesn't matter anyway. It appears the file is rewritten when you restart the device. That has definitely changed.

[Kloos]

The only problem I have is with the bookcovers. Self generated covers will not fill up the space on the cover of the Kobo Glo. For the rest I'm really very happy with the firmware updates. Still my best ereader ever. Still having 2.5.1 and no update up to now.

[Uschiekid]

Originally Posted by meeera

This isn't actually the case. The only way you can choose to not install firmware updates on the Kobo is to never ever turn the wireless on. This means you can't sync your Kobo books & bookmarks, you can't update Reading Life, you can't buy Kobo books from the device, you can't grab Project Gutenberg books from the device, you can't add books with the Calibre content server, you can't use the browser, and so on. (Well, not unless after connecting you do a factory reset and re-install your chosen firmware version and re-load your books every single time - which is not a practical scenario). That's a fair bit of functionality gone.

Uhm...new firmware doesn't download unless you sync....you can use wi-fi without syncing...I do it all the time for many of the things you list. Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I've only ever had firmware download when I consciously choose to sync. Not just by using the browser, etc.

[MikeB1972]

I like the title (although I agree it could do with something in the settings to enable / disable it).

As we already have the space being used at the top what I would really like to see is the power meter to the right - I've been caught a few times by only knowing how much power is left when I change book (and, yes, I know I can just tap for the menu, I just never seem to bother when I am reading )

Shame the cover image as a screensaver now looks rubbish but I assume they will fix that as they seem to be trying all the options for thumbnails on an SD card until they annoy the least amount of people

[meeera]

Originally Posted by Uschiekid

Uhm...new firmware doesn't download unless you sync....you can use wi-fi without syncing...I do it all the time for many of the things you list. Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I've only ever had firmware download when I consciously choose to sync. Not just by using the browser, etc.

Do please excuse me if I'm wrong - I'm pretty sure updates have sprung themselves on me in the past (I'm not much one for syncing deliberately, since I sideload all my books). I remember all the complaints back in the 1.9.Xs...

Either way, though, there is still loss of core advertised functionality if you never sync.

[Uschiekid]

Originally Posted by meeera

Do please excuse me if I'm wrong - I'm pretty sure updates have sprung themselves on me in the past (I'm not much one for syncing deliberately, since I sideload all my books). I remember all the complaints back in the 1.9.Xs...

Either way, though, there is still loss of core advertised functionality if you never sync.

Possibly this has changed. I usually go into the browser before syncing since this is a more reliable way of getting my wi-fi to connect (when I tick the wi-fi box and immediately try to sync, it often fails to connect). I've never seen any sync-like action/downloading to be appararent while doing anything other than consciously syncing.

But even if it were to happen to me when I didn't want the new software, I believe I could still choose "install later", connect to my computer, delete the new install folder and not have to do a factory reset. As long as I didn't turn off my device in the interval (sleeping is okay), I could still prevent the software from being installed, if I so desired. I know a lot of people do this by always using kobo software to sync, not wi-fi...but I think you still have the possibility with wifi.

Oh and I agree you lose a lot of functionality if you can't sync just to avoid a new firmware. As mentioned by a few people, you can just edit manually your firmware version and trick it to not update, but that is probably beyond many users comfort zone. And I'm sure lots of people would appreciate being given the decision to install or not install and that would be the end of it.

I mainly just wanted to point out it wasn't quite as black as you'd painted it. I've used computer programmes where they literally stopped working until you agreed to update. Many times. For me, Kobo's update method might be a bit forceful, but definitely not on par with complete loss of functionality as with some programmes.

[Skydog]

Originally Posted by davidfor

Well, I could have sworn that the version number from the version file was displayed. But, it doesn't matter anyway. It appears the file is rewritten when you restart the device. That has definitely changed.

Unless I misunderstand, the device firmware version changes only as the result of an actual firmware upgrade. The editing of the version file will stick -- which is the file that is checked against looking for updates.

[FJames]

Originally Posted by Anak

Kobo takes serious steps to solve existing firmware bugs [I don't expect them to solve them all (or at once).

I've had all the Kobo e-readers since the beginning, and been through more firmware versions than I can easily count. I don't think the proportion of bugs has changed significantly - each new release generally introduces as many new bugs and issues as old ones resolved. Unless Kobo radically changes their process, that's likely to continue. Most of us just stick with the firmware version that bugs us the least until we're tempted by a genuine new feature in a subsequent release.

Fortunately Kobo does let you save old firmware versions and go back to a previous version by means of a factory reset and re-load. I'm not sure if it's possible to go back to a version earlier than the factory release (and I'm not sure you'd want to since it wouldn't have support for your hardware).

[ShellShock]

I have gone back from 2.5.2 to 2.5.1 without doing a factory reset (on an Aura).

[speakingtohe]

Originally Posted by ottdmk

I haven't actually gotten 2.5.2 yet. For whatever reason, it hasn't been deployed to my Touch yet. But I have a few thoughts on the titlebar issue.

The first thing to remember is that by and large any forum does not represent the majority of users. People who go online to discuss issues such as this one tend to be more heavily involved then the average user of a consumer device. We are a fringe element of the larger market.

Now, on to the titlebar issue. One thing we have to remember is that consistency of user experience is highly valuable to a corporation. The more consistent the experience is on a device or range of devices the less hassle (and hence less expense) it is to offer support to customers for that device (or devices.)

As a sidenote, this is one reason why Kobo forces firmware updates. Maintaining multiple versions of software raises complexity and hence costs.

Getting back to consistency of experience: Kobo went with two rendering engines for epubs. Access to handle their user metric enhancements to EPUB, enable their syncing mechanism & to implement several aspects of EPUB3. IE, kepubs. The second they licensed from Adobe to allow for sideloaded content, whether from other stores or from libraries, etc.

I'm very happy they did this. It gives me a lot of choice. I can buy from several e-retailers and the books will work on my Touch. I have library support, which I value highly.

However, two rendering engines = a differing experience between kepub and epub. And this is a problem. I can guarantee you that Kobo gets customer support calls from this. Sideloading is a more advanced activity then just buying from Kobo and syncing. For the average consumer, this is something they will do after buying from Kobo. And I guarantee Kobo has gotten calls saying "Why do my library books look different from the novel I bought from you last week?"

Now, obviously they can't make the epub experience identical to the kepub experience. Certain kepub features are partially meant as drivers towards purchase of books from Kobo (I'm thinking specifically of the advanced font options.) But I firmly believe that Kobo has been wanting to make the experience more consistent.

So, you have to ask yourselves, which engine demonstrates Kobo's vision of how epubs should be displayed? The answer, I think, is obvious: Access. And so when it comes time to make a change to make things more consistent, which way would the company go? Make the Adobe renderer more like Access, or vice versa? Again, I would say the answer is obvious.

So I believe this change was simply a matter of time.

Now, I can understand why people are upset. There is a belief that Kobo has taken away screen real estate with this change. I doubt that Kobo would see it that way. They committed the use of that real estate to a particular purpose a long, long time ago. This is simply getting Adobe to do things they way they think it should always have been done.

I don't think it is to Kobo's long term advantage to force epubs to look like kepubs wheter the customer likes thi or not.

Some of those that don't like the title bar or lack of total book page numbers will associate this with Kobo readers and Kobo books and stop buying Kobo.

Of course those that like them will buy more Kobo.

But making it optional will please both factions.

As to the forced updates, I am against the use of force. It may make it easier on support staff and their programmer, but I am not convinced that this is true. It hardly seems fair to force poor quality updates on the unsuspecting public. It would be fairer if they allowed easy rollbacks for the non technical user when a new bug is introduced, which seems to be the case in most updates.

At present their ereaders are nice enough hardware wise I use them (along with my other readers) despite the increasing aggravation at the inability to give what is basic functionality in oter readers.

But for me the only advantage Kobo has is the unique sizing of the mini andthe Aura. Pretty soon one or more of their competitors will have similiar or better sizing, along with better functioality and I will be dropping Kobo like a hot potato, despite what I have spent.

And frankly Kobo's vision of how an ebook should be displayed is all well and good for KObo, but I much prefer Sony's and I have read a lot of booss on both.

Perhaps Sony is being inundated by calls saying please put headers on all your ebooks, and make the colletions take over a minute to open and remove the back button, because we like having to open the Kobo shelves again and again and again.
Helen

[Quexos]

Kindly explain how for this could be useful info

Originally Posted by ShellShock

I have gone back from 2.5.2 to 2.5.1 without doing a factory reset (on an Aura).