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TheSmitty · 05-20-2023, 04:36 PM

I wanted to share my experience and opinions since getting this device almost two week ago.

I am a long time Kindle owner/user and have always enjoyed them. I have an Oasis 3 and another Kindle Paperwhite that was gifted to me. For me, having page turn buttons is a big deal because I hate the smudges that I leave on the screen so I used the Oasis 3 mostly.

Years ago I tried the Libra H2O, it was nice and I was able to learn a few things about it from the folks here. However, it never fully clicked with me and I ended up gifting it to someone.

Flash forward to the present and I decided to give the Libra 2 a go. I got it with the sleep cover this time. I also did more homework this time as to what I could and would do with it in regards to Calibre integration and patching the OS.

I must say, I really am liking it. I have only had it a couple of weeks but have been using it exclusively since then which is longer than the few days I messed with the H2O. I guess the Libra 2 is basically a minor upgrade from the H20 but this time it just is working out better for me.

So the pluses...

I love the Calibre integration. I have my entire Kindle collection of books that i have bought over the years (1000+) loaded into Calibre. A transferred a couple of books from calibre onto the Libra 2 to see how it would handle the tags and how to get the tags to be used for Collections (with the help from the forums here). Once I understood it all, I tagged all my books in Calibre the way I wanted them then loaded them all on the Libra 2. PURE MAGIC I SAY! I also learned how Calibre keeps those tags up to date to the collections every time I attach the Libra 2 to Calibre. Very nice!

I love the battery life. My Oasis 3 battery pales in comparison. Oasis never has been known as having a great battery. This is most notable when you do not use it for a day or a few days or so and the battery drains some. Other Kindles do better in this regard but still will drain down over time. Libra 2 is much better in this regard. I think the fact that you can configure to go from sleep to full power off really will help the shelf life of the battery. Kindles only ever sleep and never turn off unless the battery dies.

I love the ability to customize the OS. NickelMenu, love it. I tried it before with the H20 but never spent the time to properly figure it out. This time around I have (again with help from the info here) and I have it installed and find it actually useful. I still have much to learn concerning what I can do with NickelMenu and why but I can see the benefit now. Cannot do anything like this with Kindle.

I love the screen. To me, the display on the Libra 2 is certainly better than the Oasis 3 and still marginally better, contrast wise, than the latest Kindle Paperwhite. I know some disagree about this which I ultimately think it does depend on the individual.

The negatives...

The biggest thing I miss is the ability to have the software sync between ereader and audiobooks. I commute about 2 hours a day (driving) and the ability to buy and ebook and the audiobook and switch between the two seamlessly is huge. Unfortunately, Kobo cannot do this. I know they sell audiobooks but they just do not have this feature. I wish they did.

While reading a book on Kindle there is a option to get a graphical representation of where you are in the book. It displays 9 thumbnails of the pages before and after the page you are currently on. I used this sometimes to see how much further I have to go to finish a chapter or a section break within a chapter. It is a nice feature to me. I recently told her how Kobo has a progress bar on the bottom of the display plus the page number you are at in the chapter with total pages in the chapter displayed on top. It works and gets me mostly what I want and need.

Those are really the only two negatives (missing features) for me for the Kobo.

Just a note, I actually bought all my ebooks. I know piracy is a big concern and the discussion about DRM can be toxic. But I remove the DRM from everything I buy for various reasons (being able to move from Kindle to Kobo being one). I just wanted to say that, I do believe in supporting authors.

So to conclude... I love my Libra 2 and have been using it exclusively for almost two weeks. Managing the switch between Audiobook and the ebook on my Kobo is a challenge so not sure how long I will be able to continue to do that. I got the Libra 2 while in the middle of a books so I am making do while I can. If Kobo every added this ability it would be huge to me. Anyway, just wanted to post my thoughts and experience thus far.

05-20-2023, 04:36 PM	#1
TheSmitty Addict Posts: 324 Karma: 1181422 Join Date: Dec 2017 Location: DFW, TX area Device: Kindle Colorsoft, Libra Colour, Voyage, iPad Pro 11, iPad Mini 7	Libra 2 Experience I wanted to share my experience and opinions since getting this device almost two week ago. I am a long time Kindle owner/user and have always enjoyed them. I have an Oasis 3 and another Kindle Paperwhite that was gifted to me. For me, having page turn buttons is a big deal because I hate the smudges that I leave on the screen so I used the Oasis 3 mostly. Years ago I tried the Libra H2O, it was nice and I was able to learn a few things about it from the folks here. However, it never fully clicked with me and I ended up gifting it to someone. Flash forward to the present and I decided to give the Libra 2 a go. I got it with the sleep cover this time. I also did more homework this time as to what I could and would do with it in regards to Calibre integration and patching the OS. I must say, I really am liking it. I have only had it a couple of weeks but have been using it exclusively since then which is longer than the few days I messed with the H2O. I guess the Libra 2 is basically a minor upgrade from the H20 but this time it just is working out better for me. So the pluses... I love the Calibre integration. I have my entire Kindle collection of books that i have bought over the years (1000+) loaded into Calibre. A transferred a couple of books from calibre onto the Libra 2 to see how it would handle the tags and how to get the tags to be used for Collections (with the help from the forums here). Once I understood it all, I tagged all my books in Calibre the way I wanted them then loaded them all on the Libra 2. PURE MAGIC I SAY! I also learned how Calibre keeps those tags up to date to the collections every time I attach the Libra 2 to Calibre. Very nice! I love the battery life. My Oasis 3 battery pales in comparison. Oasis never has been known as having a great battery. This is most notable when you do not use it for a day or a few days or so and the battery drains some. Other Kindles do better in this regard but still will drain down over time. Libra 2 is much better in this regard. I think the fact that you can configure to go from sleep to full power off really will help the shelf life of the battery. Kindles only ever sleep and never turn off unless the battery dies. I love the ability to customize the OS. NickelMenu, love it. I tried it before with the H20 but never spent the time to properly figure it out. This time around I have (again with help from the info here) and I have it installed and find it actually useful. I still have much to learn concerning what I can do with NickelMenu and why but I can see the benefit now. Cannot do anything like this with Kindle. I love the screen. To me, the display on the Libra 2 is certainly better than the Oasis 3 and still marginally better, contrast wise, than the latest Kindle Paperwhite. I know some disagree about this which I ultimately think it does depend on the individual. The negatives... The biggest thing I miss is the ability to have the software sync between ereader and audiobooks. I commute about 2 hours a day (driving) and the ability to buy and ebook and the audiobook and switch between the two seamlessly is huge. Unfortunately, Kobo cannot do this. I know they sell audiobooks but they just do not have this feature. I wish they did. While reading a book on Kindle there is a option to get a graphical representation of where you are in the book. It displays 9 thumbnails of the pages before and after the page you are currently on. I used this sometimes to see how much further I have to go to finish a chapter or a section break within a chapter. It is a nice feature to me. I recently told her how Kobo has a progress bar on the bottom of the display plus the page number you are at in the chapter with total pages in the chapter displayed on top. It works and gets me mostly what I want and need. Those are really the only two negatives (missing features) for me for the Kobo. Just a note, I actually bought all my ebooks. I know piracy is a big concern and the discussion about DRM can be toxic. But I remove the DRM from everything I buy for various reasons (being able to move from Kindle to Kobo being one). I just wanted to say that, I do believe in supporting authors. So to conclude... I love my Libra 2 and have been using it exclusively for almost two weeks. Managing the switch between Audiobook and the ebook on my Kobo is a challenge so not sure how long I will be able to continue to do that. I got the Libra 2 while in the middle of a books so I am making do while I can. If Kobo every added this ability it would be huge to me. Anyway, just wanted to post my thoughts and experience thus far.