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davidfor · 06-10-2015, 07:51 PM

Kobo has released firmware version 3.16.0. It is being released for the Touch and Glo HD. It should start appearing on some devices today, but Kobo will be doing their usual staged release, so it might be days or weeks before everyone receives it.

The release notes are:

Design Updates: Your Kobo Touch now features the new look and feel of the Kobo eReader software.
Search Improvements: You can now search current reads, annotations, and dictionaries more easily
Quick Wi Fi Settings: Tap the Wi Fi icon in the status bar to access the new Wi Fi menu.

The first point will only be shown on the Touch. The Touch changes are to bring its interface in to line with the other devices. For anyone who installed 3.15.0 on the Touch, the Beta Features (except Chess) are back.

Note: This is the first time for a while that the update package for the N905 and N905B Touch include the u-boot and uImage files. If you sideload this firmware onto one of these, make sure you include the complete package.

The search changes are the biggest. As well as the existing "Bookstore" and "Library" searches, you can also select to search from the five most recent books, all annotations and the dictionaries. The results list display the details of the match and can be view by tapping the item. The search also maintains a list of recent search strings that can be selected. Note: Due to license issues, some dictionaries can't be search.

The WiFi changes are the icon in the header can be tapped to display a list of available networks. If connected to one, a tick will indicate this. The WiFi can be turned on and off by tapping the indicator at the top of the popup and there is a link to the main WiFi settings at the bottom. The main system dropdown also shows the name of the connected network.

Some smaller changes that were included and mentioned in the betas were:

Improved 'Related reading' tab on Book details screens
Renamed 'Document Default' font to 'Publisher Default'
Improved EPUB performance - I can't comment as I didn't see the performance degradation that some others saw with 3.15.0.
Improved hyphenation handling - kepub and epub and should improve all languages.
New checkout flow arrives for Kobo Touch
Fixed some timing issues in which the device could stay in a black-and-white-only mode instead of greyscale
Re-enabled image/PDF zoom on non-Aura devices
Pocket: End-of-article dialog text cut off

I didn't notice any of my personal bugs being fixed. Well, one search annoyance disappeared because it was part of the search changes. And, if any of the other "popular" bugs have been fixed, I didn't notice them.

The biggest question everyone will have is about performance. I have been running the various beta version on five devices. I didn't see a single performance problem. But, then I never saw a problem with 3.15.0 either. Kobo did explicitly ask about this, and apart from pointing the the reports on MR, I couldn't help. The same goes for the highlighting issues.

Calibre has already been updated to support this release. The update was in version 2.30.

Note: All this is based on my note taken during the beta process. It is in no way an official release statement from Kobo or anyone else. And is almost definitely incomplete.

06-10-2015, 07:51 PM	#1
davidfor Grand Sorcerer Posts: 24,905 Karma: 47303824 Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Sydney, Australia Device: Kobo:Touch,Glo, AuraH2O, GloHD,AuraONE, ClaraHD, Libra H2O; tolinoepos	Firmware 3.16.0 Discussion Kobo has released firmware version 3.16.0. It is being released for the Touch and Glo HD. It should start appearing on some devices today, but Kobo will be doing their usual staged release, so it might be days or weeks before everyone receives it. The release notes are: Design Updates: Your Kobo Touch now features the new look and feel of the Kobo eReader software. Search Improvements: You can now search current reads, annotations, and dictionaries more easily Quick Wi Fi Settings: Tap the Wi Fi icon in the status bar to access the new Wi Fi menu. The first point will only be shown on the Touch. The Touch changes are to bring its interface in to line with the other devices. For anyone who installed 3.15.0 on the Touch, the Beta Features (except Chess) are back. Note: This is the first time for a while that the update package for the N905 and N905B Touch include the u-boot and uImage files. If you sideload this firmware onto one of these, make sure you include the complete package. The search changes are the biggest. As well as the existing "Bookstore" and "Library" searches, you can also select to search from the five most recent books, all annotations and the dictionaries. The results list display the details of the match and can be view by tapping the item. The search also maintains a list of recent search strings that can be selected. Note: Due to license issues, some dictionaries can't be search. The WiFi changes are the icon in the header can be tapped to display a list of available networks. If connected to one, a tick will indicate this. The WiFi can be turned on and off by tapping the indicator at the top of the popup and there is a link to the main WiFi settings at the bottom. The main system dropdown also shows the name of the connected network. Some smaller changes that were included and mentioned in the betas were: Improved 'Related reading' tab on Book details screens Renamed 'Document Default' font to 'Publisher Default' Improved EPUB performance - I can't comment as I didn't see the performance degradation that some others saw with 3.15.0. Improved hyphenation handling - kepub and epub and should improve all languages. New checkout flow arrives for Kobo Touch Fixed some timing issues in which the device could stay in a black-and-white-only mode instead of greyscale Re-enabled image/PDF zoom on non-Aura devices Pocket: End-of-article dialog text cut off I didn't notice any of my personal bugs being fixed. Well, one search annoyance disappeared because it was part of the search changes. And, if any of the other "popular" bugs have been fixed, I didn't notice them. The biggest question everyone will have is about performance. I have been running the various beta version on five devices. I didn't see a single performance problem. But, then I never saw a problem with 3.15.0 either. Kobo did explicitly ask about this, and apart from pointing the the reports on MR, I couldn't help. The same goes for the highlighting issues. Calibre has already been updated to support this release. The update was in version 2.30. Note: All this is based on my note taken during the beta process. It is in no way an official release statement from Kobo or anyone else. And is almost definitely incomplete.