Touch A few comfort questions from a non-Kobo user.

Hi there. I'm exploring my options with regards to potentially getting a new reader in the (fairly distant - ~6mo) future. I'm actually really, really liking the sound of the Kobo Touch - especially that whole Reading Life thing. Achievements? It's like a video game for books! My two most favourite things! 8D Anyway, I have a few specific questions that I'd rather hear about from users than websites like CNET etc.

- Are the page swipes fairly responsive? I have the Kindle 3 at the moment, and that isn't a touch device. Even my iPod isn't a touch device. In fact, the only touch device that I own is my HTC HD7, and I often have issues with that not being responsive to anything but a firm whack, rather than a gentle tap.

- Is it true that there are no shelving / collection options within the Kobo Touch? Are there any hacks or apps that can be added to the KT to allow for shelving? I have a few hundred books, and no shelving would really kill my drive to read from a device. Failing that, have Kobo announced any plans to introduce this in a future firmware update, and if so, have they given a time estimate?

- What does that back actually feel like? It looks very ... spongey, which doesn't seem like it would be a very satisfying surface to hold. In fact, one of the reasons that I got a decal for my Kindle 3 was that I wanted it to feel a bit more like a glossy paperback cover.

- At an estimate of two hours of reading a day, how long does the battery actually last? Websites never seem to say how long one is reading for, and I'm a fairly heavy reader. On a lazy day I'll do about six hours of reading, if not more, but I average two hours a day. (Commutes! Argh!)

Thanks guys!

[WS64]

Page swipes are absolutely not fairly repsonsive. I have to fight with the Kobo every time I read a book, my Kindle 3 is WAY better when it comes to turning pages. Add to this that you have to decide which hand you want to hold the device in, it's not like K3 where you will find the same buttons on both sides. You can change from lefthanded to righthanded, but it takes 6(!) touch inputs to change it and be back to a reading position.

No collections, that's correct. There is a hack available though.

The back feels very good. UNfortunately I use covers for my readers, so no advantage for the Kobo here neither.

The battery, I don't see any differences to the Kindle 3, but I havn't done any actual tests.

[owly]

You can make a separate collection by marking a book as a "Favorite". The cover is fairly hard (the Nook feels softer) and feels kind of bumpy. I think the responsiveness is okay on mine but you it also depends on what you're used to.

[taming]

I think there is some variability amongst devices with responsiveness. Mine is extremely responsive. There are three in my family and all of them are terrific. A friend had one that was not (right out of the box). I suggested that she return it, and her next one was great, just like mine. It seems that a single "bad" book can cause a lack of responsiveness, btw. Be careful where you source your reading material from!

A bigger issue, to me, would be the possibility that Kobo may be getting ready to release a new device. It's that time of year, and the reduction in prices for the Touch and WiFi versions may be a sign of new things to come.

[ottdmk]

I'm really quite fond of my Kobo Touch. I find page turning quite responsive most of the time. Occasionally, it seems to "freeze"... in those cases, I usually find switching from a "tap" to a "swipe" (yes, you can swipe to imitate flipping a page over or back) clears it up and I can go back to tapping at the sides.

The lack of collections can be bothersome. I can't speak to any hacks to fix it... I believe they exist, but I haven't explored them. I'll note that you can search your books, and I find that searching for the author works decently well.

taming has a good point that Kobo may be gearing up for a new device. Still though, I think the price point right now is awesome. $99 CDN for the Touch is good value for money, imho.

[PeterT]

I suppose one option for collections could be via calibre. Add a custom field to calibre "collection" and then use the metadata plugboard to rename ePubs as you download them.

Use the collection field first, and then the usual series / series_index / book title info.

This way when you sort by book title, you would see all the entries with a given collection name first, followed by the series, and finally the book's name.

[taming]

It's interesting how differently we use our devices. I have collections organized in Calibre, but I seldom have more than a couple of dozen books on my Touch, so I have no need of collections there.

[PeterT]

I have this bad habit of once a book gets onto the device it stays there (unless it was a loaned library book).

[taming]

I think I got in the habit of keeping a lean device when being part of the beta group involved frequent resetting to factory defaults. These days, it's just a matter of routine. I read a book and delete it from the device. Now, I have Calibre server running in my Google Drive folder so I have lots of access to the old books on various devices and machines. I also have all of my books on an old Kobo WiFi, just in case we have a sustained power outage .

[Keslynn]

I have a Kindle Touch and a Kobo Touch and I like my Kobo better.

To answer your questions:
* My Kobo has been fairly responsive to touch though there would occasionally be a dead tap. When tapped again, there would be a double page turn. Most people have reported this fixed with the latest firmware update and it has been fixed for me as well. I have found the KT to respond well to both page forward and page back taps and swipes. My Kindle Touch occasionally muddles page forward vs page back which can be really annoying.

* I don't use collections so the Kobo Touch not having them isn't really a problem for me. I have found that the book cover being displayed in the main Library listing does help me find books more easily and sparks my memory more than having it in a collection/folder does. It may be the same for you?

* The back is hard and smooth and I find it very nice to hold. I think it is also slightly lighter than the Kindle Touch.

* I can't comment on how long the battery lasts because I always neglect to keep track. I have noticed that the battery lasts longer when the device is set to power off between uses instead of just sleeping.

Personally, I like the UI on the Kobo Touch much better than the Kindle Touch. It's more intuitive for me. I also like being able to see the book covers right in the main listing.

Thanks for all the responses, guys. From the sounds of it, the Kobo is definitely something that I'll be putting more serious consideration into. I'll probably give it a wait until the new Kobo comes out, though - who knows what might be improved? Knowing that there's a hack to create collections on the Kobo makes it sounds a lot more appealing, too.

[tea2]

I find the Touch fairly responsive.

I have my Touch set to sleep after 5 mins and power off after 10 mins. My last battery charge was May 4. I read about 1-2 hours a day. There have been
a couple of 15 min or so charges when I've put new books on my Kobo using my computer. It's probably about 2/3 of the way down.

Hmm - actually, I have a question. Why does the KT conserve battery better when it's turned off completely? My understanding of eInk (albeit based on Kindle usage) was that putting it to sleep uses no extra battery, as power is only used in eInk when changing screens... What gives? Is the wireless constantly roaming in the KT or does Reading Life stay on or something when it's asleep?

[BensonBear]

Originally Posted by kleinste

Hmm - actually, I have a question. Why does the KT conserve battery better when it's turned off completely? My understanding of eInk (albeit based on Kindle usage) was that putting it to sleep uses no extra battery, as power is only used in eInk when changing screens... What gives? Is the wireless constantly roaming in the KT or does Reading Life stay on or something when it's asleep?

Most of the energy in sleep mode is probably used by the RAM. RAM has to be constantly refreshed to keep its state, but this makes the instant on possible. If wireless were left on, it would chew up energy really fast.

Incidentally, why can't sleep mode optionally display the page you were reading when it went to sleep instead of the cover of the book? Then you can read a really difficult page while using less energy! Say it was some portion of a complex mathematical proof, or a poem you were trying to memorize?

[morantis]

I know that you can get at least six hours out of one with just reading.