Touch Kobo Touch Firmware 2.0

[MDK]

Kobo Touch Firmware 2.0 and desktop 3.0 have been released.

Kobo Touch:

• Revamped home screen makes finding books easier
• Pin books to a Wishlist so you can buy them later
• Create custom book shelves
• Get personalized book recommendations
• "Find books similar to the ones in your library
• French dictionary
• Improved font clarity
• Make text sharper with custom Font Tuning
• Change accounts on your eReader

Desktop:
• Revamped home screen makes finding books easier
• Find books similar to the ones in your library
• Get personalized book recommendations
• Fixed issues with navigating to search results
• Pin books to a Wishlist so you can buy them later

As usual, special thanks to the beta testers for their feedback!

[Blue2u]

Sounds great! How do I get this onto my Mom's KoboTouch for her without Kobo desktop or wifi? Is there somewhere/somehow I can sideload it directly onto the Touch via computer?

[taming]

Blue2u-- At some point Kobo staff might decide to release the files in another way, but I sure had to giggle to read this as the first comment.

I can't speak for the other beta testers, but it sure has been exciting working on this beta. I was especially impressed with the lengths Kobo went to in order to simplify the home screen and isolate the buying experience from the reading experience. No carousels to hide or nothin'.

Just wait until you play with the font tuning! And the bookshelves!

[Blue2u]

Originally Posted by taming

Blue2u-- At some point Kobo staff might decide to release the files in another way, but I sure had to giggle to read this as the first comment.

I can't speak for the other beta testers, but it sure has been exciting working on this beta. I was especially impressed with the lengths Kobo went to in order to simplify the home screen and isolate the buying experience from the reading experience. No carousels to hide or nothin'.

Just wait until you play with the font tuning! And the bookshelves!

Giggle good or bad? I was being sincere, the update sounds very exciting for all the Kobo users! And I'm sure as a beta tester it's a very gratifying experience to see all the hard work come to fruition, so congratulations to you.

[MDK]

We are gradually rolling the update out to everyone in the next few hours. You should be able to get the update by just syncing the device.

[taming]

Originally Posted by Blue2u

Giggle good or bad? And I'm sure as a beta tester it's a very gratifying experience to see all the hard work come to fruition, so congratulations to you.

It is, Blue2u. One of the things I have learned over time (and I was part of the first beta group with Kobo-o) is that there really is a development plan. We only get a glimpse of it here or there, even as beta testers, but I applaud Kobo for releasing builds like the ones with the carousel rather than making us buy a new device every time they have a big leap forward planned for the future.

[DaMastah]

This update is a step forward.

Still, we miss some important stuff that was requested ages ago :
* Instapaper sync (like the iPhone version)
* ePub 3 compatibility (like the japanese Kobo)
* A way to turn pages without using the touchscreen (can't use my kobo in a ziploc bag while in a tub)

Will we be getting these soon ? (not 4 months like this update )
Will we be getting the japanese firmware or is the japanese kobo hardware different ?

[taming]

I asked about ePUB 3 in the beta group. What I was told is that the Adobe Mobile SDK with ePUB3 is not available yet. The ADE supporting Epub3 is still in preview mode, rather than general release, for that matter. The Kepub backend (not sure if I am using the right language) apparently works with ePUB3.

Don't hold your breath for a way to change pages without Touch--though that is my opinion, not anything the developers have said anything about, as far as i know. And Instapaper---really. That's first on your list? Really?

Making a request is just that--a request that is in line with your particular desires and needs. And making the request does not obligate the developers to meet it.

[robko]

Originally Posted by DaMastah

* A way to turn pages without using the touchscreen (can't use my kobo in a ziploc bag while in a tub)

My guess is you're never going to see this from a purely hardware perspective. The home button won't be engineered to withstand repeated and continuous presses involved in page turns and I'm guessing Kobo doesn't want a flood of warranty claims on it. You might just use it occasionally just in the tub, but there will be others that would use it all the time and complain in a months time when the button didn't work any more.

[scoobertron]

Is there a fix for the disappearing top margin issue (which has been mentioned in the forums). I mainly read sideloaded epubs and this kept me from upgrading to 1.9.17.

Also, any chance of making a zip file available for the impatient among us?

[robko]

Originally Posted by scoobertron

Is there a fix for the disappearing top margin issue (which has been mentioned in the forums).

Yes, the top margin is back in 2.0.0

[taming]

No problem with the top margins on my device now, scoobertron.

[scoobertron]

Out of interest, can one sign up to be a beta tester? Google pointed me here:

http://blog.kobobooks.com/beta/

But the form doesn't seem to work.

[taming]

PM, MDK and ask. From time to time one of the developers ask for new testers here on the board, as well. It's a lot of fun, but take some commitment, and a willingness to have something pretty broken on your device from time to time. It is also not a place for people who lack patience or the ability to be polite. I am somewhat marginal on that front, from time to time.

[Suzanna]

I have to say, I really love the new layout. However, creating shelves doesn't seem to be working for me. If it helps, my software version is the following:

2.0.0 (r41097, 7/9/12)