Touch Kobo Touch Review

[Nigol]

I do agree that some people have been very critical about some very minor points (in my opinion) and that could lead people who want to buy the new one, change their idea because of small issues.

Saying for example, the dictionary does not work on side loaded file, so I will not buy it. In my case being french speaking and reading a lot of big fantasy english books, I did not one time in my lifetime, had to go look at a dictionary to understand a word. I could see the utility but I do not think that this is a deal breaker.

Or the refresh every 6 page. I did the notice the ghosting that people where talking about, and you really have to be looking for it to see it. And kobo has stated that they will change it in the next update.

Saying the screen is not responsive is true, but compared to an iPhone sure, but just get used to it and in a day or 2 you will not have any problems with it.

Coming from an original Kobo, I can say that the upgrade was definitely worth it, just for the speed. And seeing that there is not a lot of alternative (at least for Canadian). The kindle for me is out of the question, just for that ugly keyboard that I do not need to read a book, or the fact that it does not support epub books, meaning that you cannot buy anywhere but from amazon, this for me is a real deal breaker, not some small problem that will be fixed eventually and even if they are not, I do not mind at all.

I do highly recommend it to anyone wanting to buy one.

[Dedale]

Originally Posted by taming

Well, time lines have a way of biting you in the a$$. Shtuff happens, plans change, things take longer than planned on--all the while the proposed time lines seem like promises to folks. Kobo's delay in delivering newspapers and magazines are an example of that sort of thing. They did deliver, but not within the specified time line. People were pretty upset.

True, it's painful when you announce something and don't respect it. You need to take into consideration many things but in fine, it shows a good image for the company and strong user support. Nowadays, it can be the difference for a potential buyer (surfing mobileread) to buy a Kobo or a Kindle...

Let's face it, many people are intrigued by the e-reader phenomenon and some of these people will arrive in MR with interrogations and the first thing they might see is a problem related thread. They represent a market share (even a small one).

I think it can be a good move for Kobo to play the game and push some tips or status in our boards maybe in a dedicated thread.

Of course, you need a good Project Manager who knows his resources and reliable communication to publish a roadmap but the final user (me ?!) would feel very comfy with the thought that Kobo is a company who cares, have a plan and don't do things on its side only.

I don't need a read access to their ms project, just a few insights
I don't really want to go to B&N or Sony or Amazon and want to support Kobo... just my 2 cents

[distorteddisco]

Just got one over the weekend, really love it. I don't like the Kindle. Lack of ePub support and a ridiculous keyboard (seriously, have you tried navigating a PDF on that thing?) make it totally unsuitable for my needs. Sure, the Kobo firmware is a little immature but I don't mind - it's fairly open-source, will definitely get better with time and some of the developers even post here. I love to support indie software, even if the Goliaths have something more polished.

The little Sudoku easter egg was a nice touch. That Kindle-loving dude did have a point though - a clock in the top bar would be really, REALLY nice.

[witeowl]

Originally Posted by Nigol

I do agree that some people have been very critical about some very minor points (in my opinion).... Saying for example, the dictionary does not work on side loaded file, so I will not buy it... I could see the utility but I do not think that this is a deal breaker.

It may not be to you, but it is to me. I have a list of pros and cons. Things that I would have gained by switching to the Kobo Touch (from a Sony PRS-350) and things that I would have lost by switching. The dictionary (and the partial refreshes) simply tipped the scales. It's really not a deal-breaker in and of itself, but it happened to be one of two straws that closed my wallet.

It's actually sort of funny: I never thought I'd care about the dictionary, but now that I have it, I don't want an ereader without it. I actually have an excellent vocabulary, but I relish the opportunity to easily learn new words or, as in most cases, learn new uses for old words.

The lack of a clock is one of those things which would have driven me mad, as well, though this is the first I heard of it. I've been spoiled by the easily available clock on my reader. These are the little touches that can help build brand loyalty.

Really, that's what the free market is all about. You can buy what meets your needs and I can buy what meets my needs. I'm actually very happy that this forum has helped me keep from spending my money on something that I would have been exceedingly disappointed in. Trust me: I'm much more critical after I have spent money on a (personally) disappointing product than before. I'm glad you like the Kobo, but I'm equally glad that I stayed away.

[witeowl]

Originally Posted by taming

The screen is not capacitive, of course, but those old Palm styli don't work on the Touch screen.

Why would that be? Isn't it the same system as the Sony uses? If so, then anything which interrupts the IR beam should work. Heck, I've had a pillow feather go astray and decide that I'm not reading quickly enough.

[taming]

i only tried it briefly, but although it can be used for changing pages, the capacitive ones with their big-ballish tips are what you need for things like typing (or so it seems to me).

[rahulm]

Originally Posted by witeowl

Why would that be? Isn't it the same system as the Sony uses? If so, then anything which interrupts the IR beam should work. Heck, I've had a pillow feather go astray and decide that I'm not reading quickly enough.

Sony has a layer under the screen that responds to the stylus.

It's similar to the old palm devices or a Bebook Neo.

[witeowl]

Originally Posted by rahulm

Sony has a layer under the screen that responds to the stylus. It's similar to the old palm devices or a Bebook Neo.

That's the old system. The newer/current touch Sonys use IR beams, and that's what the Kobo Touch is using. Were you implying that my feather incident was my imagination... or that my pillows are filled with styli?

Sony was the first to use infrared screen technology with the PRS 350, PRS 650 and PRS 950 ebook readers September 2010. About 9 months later both Barnes and Noble and Kobo have followed suite and are using exactly the same component on their latest e-readers: Neonode’s zForce infrared technology.

eBookReaderGuide

[Doogman]

Originally Posted by rahulm

Sony has a layer under the screen that responds to the stylus.

It's similar to the old palm devices or a Bebook Neo.

That's not true for any of the newer x50 Sony models.

[Donnageddon]

Originally Posted by rahulm

Sony has a layer under the screen that responds to the stylus.

It's similar to the old palm devices or a Bebook Neo.

Not actually. The latest generation Sonys (x50) use the same IR technology for their touch interface as the kobo touch and nook touch.

Sony was the first to use it.

[Doogman]

LOL. Take that, rahulm. Triple-team.

[rahulm]

Except you're all wrong.

It has the infrared touchscreen for your fingers. It's got a layer underneath the screen for the stylus (it's why the stylus does not work on other readers with the same infrared sensors).

LOL. Take that, Doogman. Facts.

Maybe if you people actually took two seconds to properly read someone's post instead of aggressively asserting your superior know-how, you might not have misunderstood me. I specifically mentioned "responds to the stylus" for a reason.

[witeowl]

Originally Posted by rahulm

Except you're all wrong.

It has the infrared touchscreen for your fingers. It's got a layer underneath the screen for the stylus (it's why the stylus does not work on other readers with the same infrared sensors).

LOL. Take that, Doogman. Facts.

Maybe if you people actually took two seconds to properly read someone's post instead of aggressively asserting your superior know-how, you might not have misunderstood me. I specifically mentioned "responds to the stylus" for a reason.

Source, please? My Sony responds to a wooden knitting needle just as well as its stylus. There's nothing special about the stylus. It's just a pen-like object that interrupts the beams, as far as I (and my knitting needle) can tell, so a stylus from a different device should work just as well as my knitting needle.

One of the benefits of the IR system is that there is no need for a layer underneath the screen (which was a downfall of the earlier Sony touchscreen ereader, because the additional layer makes the text fuzzy).

[rahulm]

Sony's earlier readers had a layer ABOVE the screen, which was their downfall.

Readers that have the touch layer UNDER the screen (such as the Bebook Neo) do not suffer from readability issues.

I don't have a source my earlier comment. Perhaps it isn't a layer underneath the screen which detects a stylus or stylus-like object, but Sony's definitely done something different than other readers using the IR sensors.

[witeowl]

The Bebook Neo uses WACOM. Nothing I have found suggests that the Sony device uses WACOM, and the stylus which came with my Sony definitely is not a WACOM stylus.

But, whatever. I stand by my original point: If my knitting needle works on an IR eReader, a stylus from any other device should work just as well.