Arc Ask Me Anything: Developer on Kobo Arc

[JD Gumby]

Originally Posted by Dangze

Is this something that can be made in a custom Rom after rooting the device (if it can be rooted !...) ?...

No idea. No one's been able to root the device yet (it's not popular enough for people, like the fine folks at the XDA forums, to bother trying) and I've never had a reason to looking into putting custom ROMs on Android devices before...

[helsbels81]

=Dangze;2469065]I already complained about this (see former posts here and in the "Jelly Bean has landed" thread), and received bad answer from Kobo guy. So don't expect any change in the next future. As far as factory reset is concerned, unfortunately it won't return to the old Android version, so don't waste your time with this.

Anyways, I found a way to display the upper bar when needed, installing this app :
https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...statusbar.free
which is working well...

Regards.[/QUOTE]

thanks for the advice Dangze! Just downloaded the app so hopefully it will be better! And thanks for letting me know a factory reset wouldn't work. Would have been even more annoyed had I done that!

[JD Gumby]

Originally Posted by Dangze

Anyways, I found a way to display the upper bar when needed, installing this app :
https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...statusbar.free
which is working well...

Just tried this. Not ideal, but better than what we're stuck with.

[LoveSweetLove]

I just got my Arc and for the most part I love it. I do have a few complaints though.

My number 1 complaint is that I cannot seem to find a (preferably free) way to transfer books to my Arc wirelessly. I'm talking about books that I already own and are currently stored on my computer, not ones previously purchased from Kobo. On all of my other devices (iDevices and a B&N Nook), I have been able to email the epub files to myself and open them in an app of my choosing. When I click on the file in my email, I get an error message saying "No app can open this attachment for viewing".

I have tried downloading files directly from my Google Drive and gotten an error message saying "cannot open file".

I have also tried using Dropbox to transfer files and get an error message saying "Please download an app that can open this file". I have downloaded other reading apps and I still get this message.

I called customer service and was told that the only way to transfer files is with the cable. I have no problems whatsoever transferring the files via USB, but surely there must be a way to do so wirelessly?

That brings up another beef. I can't believe that the device does not come with a USB cable/charger like most other devices out there. If I need to be able to attach it to my computer in order to transfer any files to it that were not directly purchased from Kobo, then maybe it should come with such a cable? I was a little choked to have spent over $200 on the device, get home, and have to go right back out to purchase a cable before I could use it.

Other than that, I am really enjoying it so far. I am still learning my way around it, but I really like how the Tapestries work.

My other requests are:

- More font and margin options in the reading app.

- I read mostly at night and like the night reading mode, but I wish I could turn down the brightness of the font even further. I find it is still so crisp and bright that it is hard on my eyes and blurs when I am in complete darkness. Using other reading apps on my iPad, I have found that turning down the brightness of the font has really helped. Maybe if the brightness cannot be turned down more, being able to choose a different colour font would help? I'm sure a grey or sepia font on the black background would be easier on the eyes.

I realize I could download a different reading app, but the whole reason I bought a Kobo is because I wanted the Kobo experience. I really like the "reading life" experience and I would not get that by using a different reading app.

Hopefully someone can help me out with file transfer aspect.

[ThunderBird2678]

Well, I usually use Dropbox and Skydrive to transfer all my info (including my ebooks), and I can download them perfectly fine on the Arc. Maybe Google Drive has some odd issue.

I'm also hoping, alongside many, that there will be a method of rooting for the Arc. I've posted on XDA asking about it, and have tried numerous ways on my own, but haven't found anything. The terrible thing is that ADB won't work with the Arc (Either that or mine has problems), and there's no legitimate USB driver for it, so I have to use the Android USB drivers. Basically, I'm stuck until someone on XDA gives me a reply.

[LoveSweetLove]

Originally Posted by ThunderBird2678

Well, I usually use Dropbox and Skydrive to transfer all my info (including my ebooks), and I can download them perfectly fine on the Arc. Maybe Google Drive has some odd issue.

So how do you do it? Maybe I am doing something wrong? It does seem kind of weird that no one else has complained about this issue. Maybe it is just me or my Arc?

[nmss]

Originally Posted by LoveSweetLove

I just got my Arc and for the most part I love it. I do have a few complaints though.

My number 1 complaint is that I cannot seem to find a (preferably free) way to transfer books to my Arc wirelessly. I'm talking about books that I already own and are currently stored on my computer, not ones previously purchased from Kobo. On all of my other devices (iDevices and a B&N Nook), I have been able to email the epub files to myself and open them in an app of my choosing. When I click on the file in my email, I get an error message saying "No app can open this attachment for viewing".

I have tried downloading files directly from my Google Drive and gotten an error message saying "cannot open file".

I have also tried using Dropbox to transfer files and get an error message saying "Please download an app that can open this file". I have downloaded other reading apps and I still get this message.

I called customer service and was told that the only way to transfer files is with the cable. I have no problems whatsoever transferring the files via USB, but surely there must be a way to do so wirelessly?

That brings up another beef. I can't believe that the device does not come with a USB cable/charger like most other devices out there. If I need to be able to attach it to my computer in order to transfer any files to it that were not directly purchased from Kobo, then maybe it should come with such a cable? I was a little choked to have spent over $200 on the device, get home, and have to go right back out to purchase a cable before I could use it.

Other than that, I am really enjoying it so far. I am still learning my way around it, but I really like how the Tapestries work.

My other requests are:

- More font and margin options in the reading app.

- I read mostly at night and like the night reading mode, but I wish I could turn down the brightness of the font even further. I find it is still so crisp and bright that it is hard on my eyes and blurs when I am in complete darkness. Using other reading apps on my iPad, I have found that turning down the brightness of the font has really helped. Maybe if the brightness cannot be turned down more, being able to choose a different colour font would help? I'm sure a grey or sepia font on the black background would be easier on the eyes.

I realize I could download a different reading app, but the whole reason I bought a Kobo is because I wanted the Kobo experience. I really like the "reading life" experience and I would not get that by using a different reading app.

Hopefully someone can help me out with file transfer aspect.

Try installing es file explorer to transfer files from your PC to Arc wirelessly. You can copy files from your home PC to a specific folder on your Arc.

Es also has a feature where it will try to recognize which app can read the file, making it easy to go from the file browser to the app.

[LoveSweetLove]

I installed ES file explorer and I can see the files but I still get the error message that I need an app to open the file. Why doesn't the Kobo App open the file?

I installed Moonreader+ and it will open the books in my email. I actually really like the app too. Is there a way to change the default reading app on the Arc? So that I can click on a book in my Tapestries and have it open with Moonreader instead of Kobo?

[JD Gumby]

Originally Posted by LoveSweetLove

I installed ES file explorer and I can see the files but I still get the error message that I need an app to open the file. Why doesn't the Kobo App open the file?

You'd need to go into the Kobo app and import (from the 3 vertical dots menu) the book to your library.

[LoveSweetLove]

Yes, after clicking on the book in my email, it will open in Moonreader and once I have opened it in Moonreader, I can import it into my Kobo library. How lame is that though? Why will the Kobo app just not open it or import it from my email?

[JD Gumby]

Yay, thread necromancy! :P

Originally Posted by JD Gumby

Apparently it's beyond their ability to change one variable's value from "false" to "true" in one source file (as shown in the Jelly Bean thread) before running it through the compiler.

Oh, and it's likely that they could also just change "ro.sf.lcd_density" to 170 in /system/build.prop to give us a proper tablet UI like we had in ICS (instructions are for the Nexus 7, but if our JB really is stock under Tapestries, then it should still apply).

Users could very, very easily do it themselves, of course, but Kobo refuse to give us the root access we should by all rights have, for no reason that they're willing to explain.

[Carpman]

Originally Posted by helsbels81

=Dangze;2469065]I already complained about this (see former posts here and in the "Jelly Bean has landed" thread), and received bad answer from Kobo guy. So don't expect any change in the next future. As far as factory reset is concerned, unfortunately it won't return to the old Android version, so don't waste your time with this.

Anyways, I found a way to display the upper bar when needed, installing this app :
https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...statusbar.free
which is working well...

Regards.

thanks for the advice Dangze! Just downloaded the app so hopefully it will be better! And thanks for letting me know a factory reset wouldn't work. Would have been even more annoyed had I done that! [/QUOTE]

Hi

I tried this app as indicated. However I am left with a major problem, my books now have "foreign" text within them so are unreadable!!!!

I have deleted this app, problem remained, deleted my Kobo software and rebooted my Arc.
I then went to the Play store and downloaded the Kobo software and repopulated my Arc with my books, some of which I transferred over using FTP as some pf my books did not come from Kobo. Rebooted my Arc once again.

Now for the help request, my books still have "foreign" objects/text within them making them impossible to read. I might add this includes the books I FTP'd over from Calibre (I manage my books via Calibre).

So I'm now stuck, any advice would be welcome!

Thanks

[Carpman]

Regarding my last post, in a somewhat calmer frame of mind I have looked at this in more problem in more detail.

The issue of "foreign" text is only showing with books that I have FTP'd across to my Arc, the book that so far I have re-downloaded from Kobo look to be okay.

I'm still stumped by this though. One of the books that I have FTP'd to my Arc I was already reading and it was originally free of "foreign" text, they look to be these symbols in general:

an a with ^ above, the Euro currency sign, and the Euro currency sign with tm next to it, copywrite sign c with a circle around it and so on.

They seem to be placed fairly randomly thereby making it near impossible to read the book. I wonder if these symbols are something to do with the books meta data, if so how do I rid myself of these. I have put one of the offending books on screen (computer) using Calibre and the text is perfectly normal.

Something is happening when the book leaves my computer and arrives at the Arc for display, a software issue I think. I have once again dumped the Kobo software and switched my Arc off and then on, reinstalled the Kobo software from the Play store, the problem has not gone away.

I have also deleted the offending book from my Arc and gone through the off/on procedure and then reinstalled the book, don't want to play.......

Ideas anyone as I'm fresh out of them.

Thanks

[JD Gumby]

Originally Posted by Carpman

The issue of "foreign" text is only showing with books that I have FTP'd across to my Arc

If these were text files and not epubs, I'd say that was the problem (FTPing in binary mode rather than text mode) - but if it were, the epubs would be completely garbled and unloadable.

Have you tried loading them in a different reader (Aldiko, Moon+, Cool Reader, etc.)? Might just be the Kobo app (which, frankly, is VERY limited - even the firmware on the first generation physical Kobo ereader is more flexible) not liking them.

[Carpman]

JD

I have always used the Kobo software without issue until last night when I installed "statusbar.free", the problem came to light then. I quickly junked this software.

The books that are now showing "foreign" text (as indicated above) were originally transferred over from Calibre and were okay until the I added the "statusbar" yesterday. The books started as epubs and went over as such, like many, my books come from Kobo and other vendors.

Strangely it would seem that only the books I have FTP'd over are now showing this problem, before as I say, they were perfect in fact one of the books I was 74% of the way through, I am now stuck. I will need to go through my collection to see how widespread the problem is.

No I have not tried another reader as the Kobo software for all is obvious faults has been okay for me.
I am loath to load yet more software, but realise that I may have too, though I would do so "under protest'.

I will hold fire for 24 hours to see if someone else has seen this problem and has a fix.

Thanks and keep watching