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Old 04-18-2013, 05:54 PM   #226
evanft
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Thank you for the reply.

Quote:
Originally Posted by jackie_w View Post
I believe it is not good. I don't
read mobis myself. Hopefully someone who's tried it can elaborate for you. It's probably safe to say that only an Amazon device is guaranteed to read all mobi/kf8 books 'properly', i.e. without losing internal styling.
Is it only a problem for amazon books? Most of my mobi books are only in that format because they were converted from epub.
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Old 04-18-2013, 06:06 PM   #227
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Originally Posted by evanft View Post
Is it only a problem for amazon books? Most of my mobi books are only in that format because they were converted from epub.
If you mean 'Is a calibre-converted mobi more likely to be OK than a pure Amazon mobi?' then I don't know the answer. I expect that some mobis will be better/worse than others. However, all the Kobo bells & whistles adjustments are only available to epub, as far as I know. If you've kept your original epubs then I'd always advise to use the epub version on a Kobo.

As far as I know, the internals of Amazon mobi/KF8 are completely undocumented and a lot of reverse engineering has needed to be done over the years to allow Calibre (and any other non-Amazon software) to handle these formats at all.
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Old 04-18-2013, 06:17 PM   #228
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I'm about to pull the trigger on this, but I need to confirm something.

In the GoodEReader review, they say you can't change margins and line spacing on side-loaded content. Is this true for Kobo readers, or is it only for content with certain kinds of DRM?
I have very, very, rarely had this problem with any book I have purchased or downloaded using Overdrive and sideloaded. I have seen this on books that are drm free and have a calibre stylesheet which has specified margins etc. It has always worked for me to use calibre's Look and Feel to make adjustments (like checking to ignore fonts and margins). The Kobo driver (Thanks davidfor) lets you specify a favourite font, margins, etc.

As for mobi--it's pretty hit or miss. I would do a bulk convert to ePub using calibre in pretty big batches and be done with it.
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Old 04-18-2013, 06:17 PM   #229
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jackie_w View Post
No one will know for sure about the Aura until someone actually has one, but I have a Kobo Glo and all my epubs allow changing of font, margins, line-height etc. However, some of them need to have their internal css tweaked to work correctly (which also means you need to remove any DRM first). If you need it you should be able to get help with css tweaking from these forums. Every epub is different so there isn't really a one-size-fits-all method.
For the Kindle, it's enough to remove all custom fonts using the "Modify EPUB" plugin in Calibre, and then remove all occurences of "font-family" in the CSS file to unlock font selection. This will probably work for the Kobo too.

It gets (more) difficult if a book has a very bad markup, adding "style=font-family: ...." to every paragraph; then you'll need to modify that with search&replace or regular expressions.
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Old 04-18-2013, 06:41 PM   #230
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Katsunami View Post
For the Kindle, it's enough to remove all custom fonts using the "Modify EPUB" plugin in Calibre, and then remove all occurences of "font-family" in the CSS file to unlock font selection. This will probably work for the Kobo too.

It gets (more) difficult if a book has a very bad markup, adding "style=font-family: ...." to every paragraph; then you'll need to modify that with search&replace or regular expressions.
Oh yes, I know enough about css to surgically fix any epub (or mobi/kf8-->epub) I've encountered, but I find some of the oft-proposed 'simple generic solutions' to be too draconian for my nit-picky tastes I mean it's easy to do a Calibre conversion which 'removes all margins' and/or 'removes all font settings', but this often removes styling you wanted left alone ... the result may be worse than the original problem (a bit like suggesting decapitation to cure a hangover). But I do understand that everyone's definition of an 'acceptable epub' is different.
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Old 04-18-2013, 07:25 PM   #231
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I was considering this device but I only manage my ebooks using folders and manually copying/pasting files. Can you elaborate on your statement above? I must admit that if I can't manage my ebook files using a file explorer I have zero interest in the device.
Depends exactly what you want to do. You can have folders and manually copy/paste the epub files on the device. So yes, in a narrow sense you can manage it using a file explorer. HOWEVER, in UI library the folders do not show up (all books will be lumped together).
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Old 04-19-2013, 12:27 AM   #232
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The Aura looks gorgeous, but one issue is still preventing me from snatching one.

My biggest concern is the restrictiveness of the official firmware, which only matters because of the absence of third-party firmware and the impracticality of rooting.

I've been watching XDA and MR's Kobo dev forums ever since the Glo was first released and have yet to read good news.

I've never been thrilled with the stock version of the Kindle (or the nightmarish banality of its screensavers). However, jail-breaking and custom work by third parties -- particularly certain Mobile Read members -- have made it a far more versatile e-reader in the long term.

Kartu's phenomenal work on PRS+ made previous generations of Sony reader incredibly versatile before Sony switched to Android. Because of Kartu's firmware and the solid but convenient hardware, the PRS-350 has been my favorite pocket reader for a number of years.

* * * *

Here's what people forget when they tout less mainstream devices than the Kindle or the Nook: The more popular a device promises to be, the greater the chances that third parties have found workarounds for its limitations. This means that using a Kindle can be either a mainstream or enhanced (i.e., indie) experience, and that the benefits might be far more pronounced than on a Kobo running stock -- but only because talented users and not company developers created it.

Even though the Aura looks more versatile than any existing Kindle, Sony or Nook e-ink reader "on paper" (we need a more modern expression for in theory), it seems far less so when I consider the lack of custom options.

That's my strongest reservation about Kobo readers generally and the Aura in particular, which has otherwise been calling me by name for the past few days ("Oreginald . . . Oh, Oreginald . . .").

Last edited by Prestidigitweeze; 04-19-2013 at 04:29 AM.
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Old 04-19-2013, 05:14 AM   #233
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Maybe I'm easily satisfied, but the only things an ereader needs to have to satisfy me are:

- A decent home screen
- Font, margin, and spacing options
- Some nice, handy features such as time to read, progress in percentage...
- Other things that are nice to have for reading text-only novels.

Basically, I don't need my reader to be a black and white tablet.
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Old 04-19-2013, 06:15 AM   #234
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Yeah I think some people can be hard to please. All I ask is that the ebooks display. I've never thought "I wish I could change the line-spacing" or anything like that. And I've never needed folders. As long as I can change the size of occasionally too small text font then I'm happy.
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Old 04-19-2013, 07:15 AM   #235
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My kid is really not helping, here! He keeps saying "Mum, I think you would really like that beautiful Kobo Aura." "Mum, reading on the big Kobo Aura would be great, wouldn't it?" "Mum, the light and colours look really nice on the Kobo Aura."

He's after my Glo, you see...
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Old 04-19-2013, 07:25 AM   #236
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If the Glo makes him read more, and you can spare the money, I'd do it.

Also, I'd make him do some work for it. Mwuhahaha
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Old 04-19-2013, 07:39 AM   #237
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If the Glo makes him read more, and you can spare the money, I'd do it.

Also, I'd make him do some work for it. Mwuhahaha
Oh, he's a great kid - does plenty of chores already. And there's no problem getting him reading, which is terrific.
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Old 04-19-2013, 07:46 AM   #238
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I'd order an Aura, but wouldn't tell him.

After you got it, drop some hints that you are "considering" the Aura, but only if you can find a good home for the Glo. "Maybe I can sell it, or give it to someone who's done me some favors lately". Make him do some more chores, but not as an order. Just drop some hints that you didn't get around to something.

You seem to want that Aura. He seems to want the Glo. Play the game He's bound to do some (extra) nice stuff somewhere down the road, and then you can surprise him with the Glo as a reward.

It's a second-hand reader, but maybe he doesn't have one now; or if he does, that it's a nice upgrade to his current one. If he sells his current one (if he wants to), it nets him some extra money too.

All assuming that you can spare the money.

It's quite an ideal situation. If a new reader comes out that you'd want, then you can offload your old reader to him. It keeps his reader fairly current without it you costing extra money. That his reader will always be one, maybe two versions behind yours isn't a problem. It's a good way to learn that you don't always get to have (or need to have) the latest and greatest, especially if you're not paying for it yourself.

At least, this is the way I'd do it.

Last edited by Katsunami; 04-19-2013 at 07:55 AM.
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Old 04-19-2013, 08:33 AM   #239
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Canuck_in_Japan View Post
Yeah I think some people can be hard to please. All I ask is that the ebooks display. I've never thought "I wish I could change the line-spacing" or anything like that.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Katsunami
Basically, I don't need my reader to be a black and white tablet.

Maybe I'm easily satisfied, but the only things an ereader needs to have to satisfy me are:

- A decent home screen
- Font, margin, and spacing options
- Some nice, handy features such as time to read, progress in percentage...
- Other things that are nice to have for reading text-only novels.
Folders and line spacing are only two of the possible benefits of jailbreaking and custom FW -- even for an e-reader that will never "be used as a tablet."

Care to display a custom text message with your name and phone number on the standby screen along with a custom image? Feel inclined to use a different kind of font than the included ones? Lamenting the absence of a font size between two of the gradations you're given stock? Fancy a home screen that can display only the books you've read or uploaded last? Hunger to rearrange books on your shelf according to twenty different criteria? Crave using your own dictionaries and disincluded languages? Motivated to change the way your reader shows read and unread books or the order in which it lists them? Do you daydream listlessly about disabling ads on a reader that wasn't marketed as including them? Do you grin lasciviously at the idea of changing text from ragged to justified and back? Will you bang your forehead against the nearest wall rhythmically to light meringue until your e-reader offers you more precise margin options?

These are all desires that might be addressed with user-created options.

Why limit yourself to thinking in boolean terms? People's reasons for rooting or using CFW are not reducible to buying an e-ink reader and "wanting it to be a tablet."

Here's the other boolean choice that doesn't need to be made:

Seeing this thread either in terms of advocating the Aura or berating it. Someone who makes a point about the virtues of custom firmware and rooting is not necessarily belittling the device you're coveting. Pointing out a potential drawback isn't discouragement. It can help to make buying decisions more precise.

Anyone who's ever jailbroken a Kindle, rooted a Nook or used PRS+ on a Sony Reader knows exactly what I'm talking about.

Last edited by Prestidigitweeze; 04-19-2013 at 01:47 PM.
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Old 04-19-2013, 08:50 AM   #240
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If the stock firmware does not include a no-refresh mode, then I will wait for a rooted reader with this new high-resolution screen that offers this very pleasant way of reading. Real paper books do not flash when you turn a page.
For now I shall stick with my rooted Sony.
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