Any hack/jailbreak advice for new H2O Edition 2 owner? (before first use)

[madagascaradam]

Hi,

So, I've had a Kindle Paperwhite 1 for over 5 years and now the battery is dying super fast. In another thread I was convinced to buy a Kobo Aura H2O Edition 2, so I just ordered it and it should arrive in a week or so. I'm excited about it.

In the past I had my PW1 hacked/jailbroken, and the main uses I did were screensaver hack, nested collections, preventing the PW from updating (since later firmware updates broke the collections) and a few basic things like that. I never really bothered with custom fonts or anything because I was satisfied with what was provided by default. I also basically gave up on PDFs on the ereader and I decided it wasn't worth it to read comics on such a small screen. So I'm not sure what other hacks I'd really even *look for* on an ereader these days.

I've heard that the Kobo OS is actually really good as is (rivals or even better than PW, which I was very satisfied with the general OS). I've also heard that the Kobo can default to the screensaver being the cover of the book I'm reading (is that true?).

So, are there any good hacks or any thing related to jailbreaking that any of you would recommend to a first-time Kobo user?

I'm asking before the Kobo arrives because I know with the PW you had to sometimes act quickly so it wouldn't update to an un-jailbreakable firmware on you. Is there a similar concern with Kobo that I should jailbreak or hack it as soon as I get it because an automatic update might mess up my ability to do things to it later?

And overall: please just advise on what you believe are the best extra features added by various Kobo hacks/jailbreaking that you personally use and that you think improves over the default functionality of the Kobo.

Thanks for any help you can give! Especially if it's a bit timely, in case it's something I'd need to do immediately upon receiving the device.

I wouldn't bother trying to 'jailbreak' your new Kobo. The built-in software is pretty good.

One thing you might consider if you like to experiment, install one of the open source readers that are being developed for Kobo. Two of them are KOReader, and Plato. You can find info about both in the KOReader forum. I've used KOReader and like it, gives you some additional features vs the built-in Kobo software.

Here's the thread that tells you how to install, it's simple and fast:
https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=314220

[madagascaradam]

Originally Posted by maximus83

I wouldn't bother trying to 'jailbreak' your new Kobo. The built-in software is pretty good.

One thing you might consider if you like to experiment, install one of the open source readers that are being developed for Kobo. Two of them are KOReader, and Plato. You can find info about both in the KOReader forum. I've used KOReader and like it, gives you some additional features vs the built-in Kobo software.

Here's the thread that tells you how to install, it's simple and fast:
https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=314220

So on the Kobo do you not have to jailbreak it to install extra programs like that? From the description it also sounds like the different launcher only launches when you click on it (and I'd assume a simple restart of the device relaunches the default OS/launcher - right?). Is uninstall as simple as deleting the corresponding files?

If so, it does sound like experimenting with different OS/launchers would be a simple and easy process so I could really choose what I like without having to jailbreak and put a lot of work into configuring and restoring backups, etc.

[jackie_w]

@madagascaradam,

First of all you can relax! There is nothing that needs to be done immediately with your new Kobo.

There isn't any jailbreaking because Kobo firmware is not locked.

Using current book cover as screensaver is as simple as checking boxes in the Kobo settings. There are a few different options.

There are lots of book organisation customisations you can do via calibre and also many hacks (too many to list here) you can do via the kobopatch system. If you decide to use the latter make sure you use the one which corresponds to the version of Kobo firmware on your device.

Assuming you're going to at least try the Kobo's native reading apps (there are 2 different ones for epub/kepub) rather than KOreader the first thing you might want to decide, before embarking on a mega book loading, is whether you're going to want to read your books as standard epub or as kepub. Both have pros and cons. I'd suggest you try at least one of each before making your mind up. If you find you prefer kepub format then you either need a calibre plugin (if you're a calibre user) or the Kepubify standalone utility if you're not a calibre user.

Also, as you've come from a Kindle, you may have read that the Kobo can read mobi format files. Whilst this is true, I wouldn't recommend it. I don't think it's a particularly rewarding experience.

Lots more detailed info available as you need it just by asking in the MR Kobo forums.

Originally Posted by madagascaradam

So on the Kobo do you not have to jailbreak it to install extra programs like that? From the description it also sounds like the different launcher only launches when you click on it (and I'd assume a simple restart of the device relaunches the default OS/launcher - right?). Is uninstall as simple as deleting the corresponding files?

If so, it does sound like experimenting with different OS/launchers would be a simple and easy process so I could really choose what I like without having to jailbreak and put a lot of work into configuring and restoring backups, etc.

Yes, after install you just launch it by clicking the KOReader icon, just as if it was a book in your collection. If you want to uninstall, you simply connect to your PC and delete the folder containing the installation. Really easy, and no harm no foul.

Per Jackie's comments, if using the Kobo native software, I'd strongly recommend taking the time to understand the .kepub format (Kobo's slightly customized version of .epub). The native Kobo software definitely is optimized for it, you get noticeably faster page turns, better image handling, better note handling, and a few other things. It's not a big deal if you use Calibre. You just install the KoboTouchExtended plugin, and then when you sync the existing .epub files in your Calibre library to your Kobo, they are auto-magically converted to the .kepub format so that you can take advantage of that. I found it definitely is worth doing that, and it's so easy with the plugin, there's no reason not to.

ETA: If interested, here's a recent thread I started as a new Kobo user, trying to understand the .kepub format. There's a ton of great information in there from the regulars on this forum, it's worth skimming that whole thread.

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=314989