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Originally Posted by windward
Is the Kobo Touch usable "out of the box" without registering or downloading the Desktop Software?
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In theory yes, but I would highly recommend downloading the desktop once and setting it up with the latest firmware since it brings some nice features to the table. Unfortunately with the latest firmware they seem to have changed it so that you have to register once to get it fully working. You don't need to provide a credit card and you can turn off the wifi and delete the desktop after you get it set up then drag and drop or use Calibre to but whatever you want onto it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by windward
Also is the Kobo Touch as glitchy as it sounds on these Forums?
If it works as expected it would be a good buy methinks but all these posts about corrupted databases, missing sideloads, sdcard and double page flipping worries me a little.
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Corrupted databases is an old issue you shouldn't see anymore. SD card usage is being worked on and they thought they had it fixed but it is still a little hit and miss. Some cards seem to work perfectly while others don't. Double page flip seems to be (IMHO) a combination of user and device. I run into it rarely (and I pretty much know when it's going to do it based on how I touched), but some people have more consistent issues. I think the majority don't find it a common issue.
Quote:
Originally Posted by windward
Also ... Batteries. How long does it take to charge both the Kobo Touch and Kindle 4? And how long to they take to drain? I know they both say "up to" a month in a strangely ambiguous way but how does that translate into real use by real people?
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It takes 2-3 hours roughly to charge a completely dead Kobo (assuming you're using a wall charger -- likely longer, but can't say since I've never tried it, if you're using a usb port). Battery life is hard to pin down. I charge mine about once a week, but I download a newspaper every day (Wifi eats a lot more battery than reading) and I always just put it to sleep rather than turn it fully off when I'm not using it. Sleep mode will always use a little bit of battery life where fully off will use virtually none (the benefit of sleep is that you get instant on to the page you were reading whereas if you turn it off it takes some time to get back to your page). Most of the battery life claims by the companies seem to be based on 1/2 hour per day usage and no wifi and turning the device completely off when not in use (totally unrealistic for most people).
Currently the only potential negative to the Kobo in my books is customer service (which can suck) but they have just publicly apologized and committed to improving. We'll see how that goes.
I've owned all three of their e-ink products and I would recommend the Kobo Touch.