My Impressions, Unboxing and Review - Video - Page 2

jswinden · 10-30-2011, 01:01 PM

A couple of observations from reading the various Vox posts:

Android, unlike iOS, is not intuitive at all. It is a rather complex OS with settings scattered about in non-intuitive menu locations. It is certainly more like learning Windows OS than learning the iOS. Now it is true that that is what makes Android so much more powerful than iOS, but it also makes it exponentially more difficult and tedious to learn to use. So if Kobo did in fact go more for the "I just want a color eReader" crowd, then they really screwed up on the documentation. You can't give a hugely complex device to a novice and expect them to quickly learn how to use it. How many posts have we read of Vox owners not even knowing they should first charge it a few hours before playing with it? That is not a slap at the Vox owners. It is a slap at Kobo for not having the common sense to include a simple to follow "Getting Started" fold out to show owners how to get started. Duh!!!!

So my point here is: If Kobo was aiming for the "I just want a color eReader" crowd, they should have known that audience is mostly lacking in Android skills and would need their hands held throughout the first few days of ownership. So Kobo should have made setup much more intuitive and provided easy to follow documentation.

Having owned a Kobo Touch briefly, I know that Kobo thought it was brilliant to have two rendering engines rather than one. For Kobo ePubs, known as kePubs, they included a rendering engine with more bells and whistles. For non-Kobo ePubs, known as simply ePubs, they included a rendering engine that was horribly lacking in features. From reading these posts I'm inclined to think this might also be the case for the Vox. I've read how sideloaded books are rendered without features like hyperlink selection. I don't know if Kobo kePubs have that feature, but I wouldn't be surprised if they do. Using two rendering engines on the Kobo Touch was incredibly short sighted and a mistake. If they did the same on the Vox then that was incredibly stupid. True, Kobo does try to improve their shortcomings with FW updates, but they never really got it ironed out with the KT so why should we think they will eventually get it right with the Vox?

On the plus side I'm happy to hear that the Vox can install and run other reader apps. That is great because it sounds like that will be required for decent ePub reading.

kaikara · 10-30-2011, 02:40 PM

While I agree that Android is not as intuitive as iOS or Windows Phone 7.5 I think that they gave as much info as possible. There is a getting started fold out with the Vox that explains the basics. The only thing it doesn't show in the fold out is how to unlock the lock screen. The lock screen shows an lock with an arrow plus a dot on the other side. Even if you couldn't figure this out right away you could have done a quick search online and seen a video on it. Once in you have the Kobo Vox manual right on the main screen that has a bunch of info. Really though once it is up and running you could use it pretty quickly as a pure e-reader without much if any configuration. It is when you want to start doing all the other fun stuff that a tablet does that the issues are going to occur.

I did say it before the Vox was released though that I thought that this isn't the device to get for the non technically inclined. The touch is a much better device for those people.

moolyn · 10-30-2011, 04:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SCION

So it's gonna be like the Kobo Touch? Features that should've been there from day one may show up eventually? Give it a year and the feature set should be robust.

People are always asking about shelves/collections/tags on the Kobo Touch. Why isn't that in the Vox stock reader app? We're talking basic stuff here. Again, the NOOKcolor has been around awhile. Use that as a guide. No need to reinvent the wheel.

Oh no! Are you saying that I can't organize my books on the Vox? I've been using Kindle and Kobo's app on my iPod Touch and foolishly assumed that the Kobo app would be even better on an actual Kobo!

Can anybody please tell me what the Karma numbers indicate?

borisb · 10-30-2011, 05:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by moolyn

Oh no! Are you saying that I can't organize my books on the Vox?

I think Kobo was hoping a "Search" feature would be sufficient to find any book you're looking for. Unfortunately, this ignores that often we browse rather than search...

SCION · 10-30-2011, 05:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by borisb

I think Kobo was hoping a "Search" feature would be sufficient to find any book you're looking for. Unfortunately, this ignores that often we browse rather than search...

I don't get the reasoning. The iPad app allows for organization of content. Owners of the Kobo Touch have continually expressed interest in this feature.

borisb · 10-30-2011, 08:18 PM

The reasoning is a lame excuse for not putting in the development effort

moolyn · 10-30-2011, 08:23 PM

This reasoning is why I'm now considering returning my soon-to-be-delivered Kobo Vox unopened and waiting for a Kindle Touch.

pokee · 10-30-2011, 08:42 PM

I am not too fussed about this...I have a rather small book collection and tend to borrow most of my books and then delete the expired book afterwards.

What I am more miffed about is that the Vox is not recognized as a device by ADE, so I cannot sideload my library books. I need to download them directly and use the Overdrive app. to read. That's all fine and dandy, but that means that I can't use reading life and pulse on my Vox for my library books (which is over half or more of what I read). I really hope this gets resolved in time.

DebbyS · 10-30-2011, 08:58 PM

Thank you for posting the YouTube video. You're quite a good presenter! I was wondering what the Vox is like, so I began to watch and two things hit me immediately: the need for wireless, which I don't have -- though I have broadband -- but wireless is available at my apartment complex's leasing office. I don' t think they'd want me sitting in there for a long, long time... And, two, that synching books with the cloud thing or whatever, and I don't want that. Those two things kind of remind me of an outsider marrying into a very close-knit clan and she'd better conform or be kicked out and dear spouse (the device) can't do a thing about it. Devices like the Vox, IPad, Kindle, etc., make me happy for my ~3-year-old netbook with windows XP, on which I can do just about everything -- and don't have to get permission from anybody to do it. Again, thank you for the educational youtube video!

RoxyJ · 10-30-2011, 09:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DebbyS

Thank you for posting the YouTube video. You're quite a good presenter! I was wondering what the Vox is like, so I began to watch and two things hit me immediately: the need for wireless, which I don't have -- though I have broadband -- but wireless is available at my apartment complex's leasing office. I don' t think they'd want me sitting in there for a long, long time... And, two, that synching books with the cloud thing or whatever, and I don't want that. Those two things kind of remind me of an outsider marrying into a very close-knit clan and she'd better conform or be kicked out and dear spouse (the device) can't do a thing about it. Devices like the Vox, IPad, Kindle, etc., make me happy for my ~3-year-old netbook with windows XP, on which I can do just about everything -- and don't have to get permission from anybody to do it. Again, thank you for the educational youtube video!

Thanks for the kind comments! From what I could tell, you could still use the vox without wifi ( after the initial setup), and side-load all of your books (although, i'm not sure how that would effect drm?) and apps, but you wouldn't be able to use many of the special features like Pulse.

estelle58 · 10-31-2011, 10:42 AM

Thank you, i loved your little presentation. At the end of it you say that there is a part 2, can you post the link to it please?

RoxyJ · 10-31-2011, 11:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by estelle58

Thank you, i loved your little presentation. At the end of it you say that there is a part 2, can you post the link to it please?

Sure, the link is http://youtu.be/w7DZJvf7g-Q
Thanks!

10-30-2011, 01:01 PM	#16
jswinden Nameless Being	A couple of observations from reading the various Vox posts: Android, unlike iOS, is not intuitive at all. It is a rather complex OS with settings scattered about in non-intuitive menu locations. It is certainly more like learning Windows OS than learning the iOS. Now it is true that that is what makes Android so much more powerful than iOS, but it also makes it exponentially more difficult and tedious to learn to use. So if Kobo did in fact go more for the "I just want a color eReader" crowd, then they really screwed up on the documentation. You can't give a hugely complex device to a novice and expect them to quickly learn how to use it. How many posts have we read of Vox owners not even knowing they should first charge it a few hours before playing with it? That is not a slap at the Vox owners. It is a slap at Kobo for not having the common sense to include a simple to follow "Getting Started" fold out to show owners how to get started. Duh!!!! So my point here is: If Kobo was aiming for the "I just want a color eReader" crowd, they should have known that audience is mostly lacking in Android skills and would need their hands held throughout the first few days of ownership. So Kobo should have made setup much more intuitive and provided easy to follow documentation. Having owned a Kobo Touch briefly, I know that Kobo thought it was brilliant to have two rendering engines rather than one. For Kobo ePubs, known as kePubs, they included a rendering engine with more bells and whistles. For non-Kobo ePubs, known as simply ePubs, they included a rendering engine that was horribly lacking in features. From reading these posts I'm inclined to think this might also be the case for the Vox. I've read how sideloaded books are rendered without features like hyperlink selection. I don't know if Kobo kePubs have that feature, but I wouldn't be surprised if they do. Using two rendering engines on the Kobo Touch was incredibly short sighted and a mistake. If they did the same on the Vox then that was incredibly stupid. True, Kobo does try to improve their shortcomings with FW updates, but they never really got it ironed out with the KT so why should we think they will eventually get it right with the Vox? On the plus side I'm happy to hear that the Vox can install and run other reader apps. That is great because it sounds like that will be required for decent ePub reading. Last edited by jswinden; 10-30-2011 at 01:07 PM.

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10-30-2011, 02:40 PM	#17
kaikara Zealot Posts: 110 Karma: 347050 Join Date: Jun 2011 Device: Kobo Glo, Kobo Touch, Kobo Vox	While I agree that Android is not as intuitive as iOS or Windows Phone 7.5 I think that they gave as much info as possible. There is a getting started fold out with the Vox that explains the basics. The only thing it doesn't show in the fold out is how to unlock the lock screen. The lock screen shows an lock with an arrow plus a dot on the other side. Even if you couldn't figure this out right away you could have done a quick search online and seen a video on it. Once in you have the Kobo Vox manual right on the main screen that has a bunch of info. Really though once it is up and running you could use it pretty quickly as a pure e-reader without much if any configuration. It is when you want to start doing all the other fun stuff that a tablet does that the issues are going to occur. I did say it before the Vox was released though that I thought that this isn't the device to get for the non technically inclined. The touch is a much better device for those people.

10-30-2011, 08:18 PM	#21
borisb Addict Posts: 212 Karma: 2156 Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Ontario, Canada Device: enTourage eDGe, Pocket eDGe, Kobo Vox, Kobo Touch, Asus Eee Note	The reasoning is a lame excuse for not putting in the development effort

10-30-2011, 08:23 PM	#22
moolyn Rookie eBookie Posts: 78 Karma: 1720 Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Toronto Device: iPod Touch, Kobo Touch, iPad3	This reasoning is why I'm now considering returning my soon-to-be-delivered Kobo Vox unopened and waiting for a Kindle Touch.

10-30-2011, 08:42 PM	#23
pokee Fanatic Posts: 569 Karma: 199759 Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Vancouver, BC Device: Kobo WiFi, Kobo Glo, Kobo Vox, Samsung Galaxy S4, Samsung Tab2	I am not too fussed about this...I have a rather small book collection and tend to borrow most of my books and then delete the expired book afterwards. What I am more miffed about is that the Vox is not recognized as a device by ADE, so I cannot sideload my library books. I need to download them directly and use the Overdrive app. to read. That's all fine and dandy, but that means that I can't use reading life and pulse on my Vox for my library books (which is over half or more of what I read). I really hope this gets resolved in time.

10-30-2011, 08:58 PM	#24
DebbyS Zealot Posts: 115 Karma: 1472692 Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Albuquerque, NM Device: Jetbook Lite; Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 (7.0)	Thank you for posting the YouTube video. You're quite a good presenter! I was wondering what the Vox is like, so I began to watch and two things hit me immediately: the need for wireless, which I don't have -- though I have broadband -- but wireless is available at my apartment complex's leasing office. I don' t think they'd want me sitting in there for a long, long time... And, two, that synching books with the cloud thing or whatever, and I don't want that. Those two things kind of remind me of an outsider marrying into a very close-knit clan and she'd better conform or be kicked out and dear spouse (the device) can't do a thing about it. Devices like the Vox, IPad, Kindle, etc., make me happy for my ~3-year-old netbook with windows XP, on which I can do just about everything -- and don't have to get permission from anybody to do it. Again, thank you for the educational youtube video!

10-31-2011, 10:42 AM	#26
estelle58 Cat lover Posts: 487 Karma: 1149782 Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Montreal, Canada Device: iPhone, Kobo Vox, Kobo Glo, iPad mini, Kindle Paperwhite, Kobo Aura	Thank you, i loved your little presentation. At the end of it you say that there is a part 2, can you post the link to it please?