Touch Kobo Touch future firmware feature request thread

[portablejim]

Originally Posted by stef70

I cannot check right now but I believe that the application is called Kobo (with an uppercase K).

Yes it is called 'Kobo'.

[Byron4120]

For really big table of content books (e.g. Bible) we sure could use a quicker way to navigate -- We do have the slider for pages showing page & chapter but that is rather a beast when looking at more than a few thousand pages. How about a slider on the table of contents or a >> & << which would advance 10 pages in the TOC and > & < which would do so by 5 (TOC has 126 pages) and I guess a >| and |< which would go to beginning & end. And always the request for search -- only in TOC unique. We'll always accept search in body as well!

When I open this in ADE I see they have nested TOC -- Top Level has the Books & Next level has the chapters (Top level has a + to touch). So I suspect TOC in epub is similarly organized (Very fast in ADE to bring up).

[Toastedpine]

Originally Posted by defyboy

I do have a suggestion however, Most PDF's have whitespace around the outside, I find them that much more readable when I can zoom in a small amount, however when doing this, I loose the ability to change pages easily, I need to zoom out, change the page, zoom in then reseat the view.

It would be fantastic if I could change pages by tapping, whilst zoomed, and for the next/previous page to retain the zoom and position settings.

This is already partially possible. If you take the PDFs and convert the pages into png or jpg, and repack into cbz or cbr, the viewing options change to comic mode. This allows you to change pages with a single tap while zoomed in. It does realign to the top right of your page though, so it's not exactly what you want, but I think it's good enough in a bind.

I use mine to look through diagrams that I've made. You know... it just occurred to me that where's waldo would be pretty fun on the Kobo touch.

[SCION]

Originally Posted by Toastedpine

It is possible to put the wake function onto the home button when the Kobo is asleep? I have the official cover, and the sliding switch is so tedious to pick at.

[wes101]

Originally Posted by SCION

also reading epubs in landscape mode, it has to be possible

[IamARobot]

Landscape mode for CBR would be nice.

As well, Having sideloaded books appear at the top of the recently read list is annoying.

[FJames]

I want to raise another issue about endnotes. It's nice that the links work, and that you can go back to the page you were reading, although I would prefer that it was only one tap instead of two to go back. But in the book I'm reading, the links to endnotes in the text are teeny tiny little asterisks that are virtually impossible to select by finger on a touch screen. If I do manage to select the endnote link correctly, it works - but I can manage it about one time in 10. The rest of the time my tap either turns the page or calls up the page bottom menu.

I would guess that this problem is partly due to publishers not having had a chance to consider the implications of touch-screen e-readers compared to cursoring through the page directly from one endnote marker to another by button presses. They could make the endnote links bigger. But until then, is there something that could be done in the firmware to make this more practical?

[SCION]

Thanks for posting. I share the same sentiment with one book I'm currently reading. It's to the point where I only want to read it on my NOOK The book displays the same on the Kobo and the NOOK, yet I don't have a problem with the NOOK recognizing my finger on the link. It picks it up on the first try.

Originally Posted by FJames

I want to raise another issue about endnotes. It's nice that the links work, and that you can go back to the page you were reading, although I would prefer that it was only one tap instead of two to go back. But in the book I'm reading, the links to endnotes in the text are teeny tiny little asterisks that are virtually impossible to select by finger on a touch screen. If I do manage to select the endnote link correctly, it works - but I can manage it about one time in 10. The rest of the time my tap either turns the page or calls up the page bottom menu.

I would guess that this problem is partly due to publishers not having had a chance to consider the implications of touch-screen e-readers compared to cursoring through the page directly from one endnote marker to another by button presses. They could make the endnote links bigger. But until then, is there something that could be done in the firmware to make this more practical?

[John F]

I like to read while holding the reader in my left hand (and I don't like to swipe). I would like some sort of configuration for this (tapping anywhere on the screen pages forward, or tapping on the left side page forwards).

More formatting options. For each formatting option, whether to use it or use the ebook settings.

Equal treatment of side-loaded content.

[Kolenka]

Originally Posted by John F

Equal treatment of side-loaded content.

+1 on this. The biggest beef I can have with any reader is preferential treatment of their content over side-loaded epubs.

Stuff I'd like to see (some likely mentioned), in my own personal priority order from most important to least important:

• Italics/Bold/Hyperlink bugs with rendering/interaction of side-loaded content.
• No more page markings in the margins for side-loaded content.
• Highlighting should work for both Kobo and side-loaded content.
• Dictionary lookup should work for both Kobo and side-loaded content.
• Shelf/Collection Support. Preferably in a way friendly to side-loaded content such that I may not have to create all the collections myself (tags in the eBook to auto-add them to shelves, perhaps?).
• Notes attached to a highlight (this is very useful for reminding me why I highlighted a section of text).
• I like the title/chapter title display for Kobo content, I'd like to see this on both side-loaded and Kobo content, but I'd prefer to see a page count for the whole book. The page count within the chapter should be configurable, as some of us care more about book progress and less about chapter progress.
• It'd be nice to support the cover meta tag to grab the cover image. The nook uses this for sideloaded content to bypass having to render the cover page and hope it looks right, and just grab the raw image directly. Seems to make processing of new content a lot faster as well. Maybe revert to existing behavior if it isn't present.
• EDIT: Bigger screensaver with the book cover. The percentage read and "Sleep Mode" text are a bit invasive and don't really add much to the experience. I'd be happy with the cover taking up most/all of the screen with an overlay (a la Nook) telling you how to wake your device.

I haven't even probed the limits of search or format support yet. This is just the stuff that bugged me to varying degrees. The first 5 are ones that I'd return the device over, and the first 4 fall under the umbrella of "Side-loaded content is a second-class citizen on the device".

[jackastor]

Originally Posted by IamARobot

Landscape mode for CBR would be nice.

As well, Having sideloaded books appear at the top of the recently read list is annoying.

I agree having our books that were pushed to the Touch via Calibre or Sideloaded via drag and drop does seem kind of stupid to appear right away. Would be nice to see a display for shortlists, new additions, what I am reading, etc. set by the user to display what option they want.


regards

jack

[DizzC]

Originally Posted by Kolenka

+1 on this. The biggest beef I can have with any reader is preferential treatment of their content over side-loaded epubs.

Stuff I'd like to see (some likely mentioned), in my own personal priority order from most important to least important:

• Italics/Bold/Hyperlink bugs with rendering/interaction of side-loaded content.
• No more page markings in the margins for side-loaded content.
• Highlighting should work for both Kobo and side-loaded content.
• Dictionary lookup should work for both Kobo and side-loaded content.
• Shelf/Collection Support. Preferably in a way friendly to side-loaded content such that I may not have to create all the collections myself (tags in the eBook to auto-add them to shelves, perhaps?).
• Notes attached to a highlight (this is very useful for reminding me why I highlighted a section of text).
• I like the title/chapter title display for Kobo content, I'd like to see this on both side-loaded and Kobo content, but I'd prefer to see a page count for the whole book. The page count within the chapter should be configurable, as some of us care more about book progress and less about chapter progress.
• It'd be nice to support the cover meta tag to grab the cover image. The nook uses this for sideloaded content to bypass having to render the cover page and hope it looks right, and just grab the raw image directly. Seems to make processing of new content a lot faster as well. Maybe revert to existing behavior if it isn't present.
• EDIT: Bigger screensaver with the book cover. The percentage read and "Sleep Mode" text are a bit invasive and don't really add much to the experience. I'd be happy with the cover taking up most/all of the screen with an overlay (a la Nook) telling you how to wake your device.

I haven't even probed the limits of search or format support yet. This is just the stuff that bugged me to varying degrees. The first 5 are ones that I'd return the device over, and the first 4 fall under the umbrella of "Side-loaded content is a second-class citizen on the device".

Agree totally with all the points you brought up except for the Sleep mode page. I have seen several people remark that a full screen picture should be displayed instead but I personally enjoy the look as is. Am I alone in this?

[ArmorDog]

Originally Posted by DizzC

Agree totally with all the points you brought up except for the Sleep mode page. I have seen several people remark that a full screen picture should be displayed instead but I personally enjoy the look as is. Am I alone in this?

Yes, you are alone in this.

[cutterjohn42]

Originally Posted by John F

I like to read while holding the reader in my left hand (and I don't like to swipe). I would like some sort of configuration for this (tapping anywhere on the screen pages forward, or tapping on the left side page forwards).

More formatting options. For each formatting option, whether to use it or use the ebook settings.

Equal treatment of side-loaded content.

ditto. Maybe split the screen in the reader app into 9 rectangle touch zones and allow us to pick what function, e.g. page fwd/back, menu, etc. when short tapping in that "zone".

I'd also like the ability in the library to sort books by date added fwd/rvs. I GREATLY miss this feature from the Sony.

[jswinden]

Originally Posted by SCION

Thanks for posting. I share the same sentiment with one book I'm currently reading. It's to the point where I only want to read it on my NOOK The book displays the same on the Kobo and the NOOK, yet I don't have a problem with the NOOK recognizing my finger on the link. It picks it up on the first try.

I'm thinking this must be a screen sensitivity setting by Kobo. My Sony 350 has the same touchscreen technology but it is way too sensitive, so much so that a very small crumb from a snack can cause the 350 to rapidly turn pages. However, the 350 came with a built-in stylus which requires a high amount of sensitivity. I tried the 350 stylus with the KT and it does not work on the KT because I assume the sensitivity level is turned way down. So using a stylus for selecting one-character endnote hyperlinks is not a current option on the KT.

Actually I just now compared my Sony 350 to my KT and the 350 screen is inset about twice as deep into the case as is the KT. So perhaps the 350 touchscreen has some other sensors around the perimeter? I like the inset depth of the KT better as the 350 is inset way to deep into the case, so deep it casts a long shadow onto the screen when the lighting source is too far to one side.