Aura HD Maybe Someone Here Can Help?

Bittybye · 06-21-2013, 04:09 PM

I've been having so many problems with my Kobo Aura that I want to return the flipping thing. I contacted Kobo support and although they tried to help they ultimately couldn't.

The touch responds very, very sluggishly in books, in the library, in the games, and in the settings, basically everything. Sometimes I have to tap 2 or 3 times before it will respond.

Some of the covers aren't showing up in the library, some are cut in half and others the image is so tiny it's a black dot in the corner. And yes I side load with Calibre and have told it to add covers.

I did a factory reset twice and it doesn't solve the problem.

Kobo says it's because I have too many books, 2000+ (please keep in mind that a lot of these are very short stories, some as short as 7 pages.) My argument is that if it can't handle that many books, don't have the expandable memory.

So please, please, help. Any ideas?

patrik · 06-21-2013, 04:14 PM

How about start over but with only a very few books and see if the amount really is the problem? Just add a couple and see if it is ok now. If it is, then you know what to ask for, if it is not, return for a new one, mine is fairly fast for an ereader.

Bittybye · 06-21-2013, 04:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by patrik

How about start over but with only a very few books and see if the amount really is the problem? Just add a couple and see if it is ok now. If it is, then you know what to ask for, if it is not, return for a new one, mine is fairly fast for an ereader.

I already know that works. It only started to get bad at about 500 books. The thing is I want my library on a reader.

patrik · 06-21-2013, 04:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bittybye

I already know that works. It only started to get bad at about 500 books. The thing is I want my library on a reader.

Ok, then you should complain to Kobo.

This is the reason why having a file manager and not using a smart database for the books is a smart way to go with a tiny little electronic device which focuses on battery life (and thus not on performance). I have over 25000 books on my Pocketbook-reader with exactly the same performance as with 1.

That said, I love reading on the Aura. The price I pay is having my books on the computer and only transferring a few at a time. This shouldn't really be necessary....

I would love a truly open source e-reader with good hardware....

Ken Maltby · 06-21-2013, 04:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by patrik

Ok, then you should complain to Kobo.

This is the reason why having a file manager and not using a smart database for the books is a smart way to go with a tiny little electronic device which focuses on battery life (and thus not on performance). I have over 25000 books on my Pocketbook-reader with exactly the same performance as with 1.

That said, I love reading on the Aura. The price I pay is having my books on the computer and only transferring a few at a time. This shouldn't really be necessary....

I would love a truly open source e-reader with good hardware....

You two are not alone, I always counted the ability to take my library with me as a fundamental feature of a dedicated ereading device. Some here have implied that we should have known that the Kobo readers did not make use of a file reader, and had issues with large numbers of files. When going through the AuraHD's description on the Kobo site, I don't see where I, or anyone else would have gotten the information to "know better".

I still have hope that an open source firmware will appear that provides this natural ereader device feature to the Aura.

Luck;
Ken

Bittybye · 06-21-2013, 05:15 PM

Any good reader out there that I could het my 2000+ books on?

PeterT · 06-21-2013, 05:29 PM

What firmware level? Where are books (SD card or memory)?

Ken Maltby · 06-21-2013, 05:37 PM

My favorite, but no longer made, I think:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16858723010

You might prefer the regular jetBook with a builtin battery:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...9SIA1CU0D00861

It is the same hardware as the Aluratek Libre Pro.

Both have completed their software development and are very stable. As I mentioned I prefer the Lite with replaceable AA batteries and no audio.

The screen is not white like the Aura but has a high contrast that makes it very readable.

Luck;
Ken

Bittybye · 06-21-2013, 06:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PeterT

What firmware level? Where are books (SD card or memory)?

The latest and on the SD card a 16GB

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ken Maltby

My favorite, but no longer made, I think:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16858723010

You might prefer the regular jetBook with a builtin battery:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...9SIA1CU0D00861

It is the same hardware as the Aluratek Libre Pro.

Both have completed their software development and are very stable. As I mentioned I prefer the Lite with replaceable AA batteries and no audio.

The screen is not white like the Aura but has a high contrast that makes it very readable.

Luck;
Ken

I'm afraid I'm in love with the touch screen and don't think I could go back.

Ken Maltby · 06-21-2013, 06:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bittybye

The latest and on the SD card a 16GB

I'm afraid I'm in love with the touch screen and don't think I could go back.

Well there are always new devices coming to market, hang around MR and
keep a check on the News Forum, to stay abreast of what's coming. You could also Google "Touchscreen ereader".

Luck;
Ken

alexep · 06-21-2013, 07:09 PM

That thing with the covers (they appear tiny with a black background) has happened to me before. I solved it by deleting the book from my device, converting it from .epub to .epub on Calibre and then transferring it again. This only happened with books whose cover I had changed manually in Calibre before.

About the lag, I have about 400 books and it works as flawlessly as when I first bought it, but if it can't hold 2000+ books while claiming it can it's certainly a serious problem which should really be addressed asap
Curious to know if anyone else with that many books has the same issues, because I also read a lot of short stories and like to keep them on the device.

Bittybye · 06-21-2013, 07:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ken Maltby

Well there are always new devices coming to market, hang around MR and
keep a check on the News Forum, to stay abreast of what's coming. You could also Google "Touchscreen ereader".

Luck;
Ken

May I ask how I could figure out which ereader would be able to hold a large about of books?

DNSB · 06-21-2013, 09:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alexep

That thing with the covers (they appear tiny with a black background) has happened to me before. I solved it by deleting the book from my device, converting it from .epub to .epub on Calibre and then transferring it again. This only happened with books whose cover I had changed manually in Calibre before.

About the lag, I have about 400 books and it works as flawlessly as when I first bought it, but if it can't hold 2000+ books while claiming it can it's certainly a serious problem which should really be addressed asap
Curious to know if anyone else with that many books has the same issues, because I also read a lot of short stories and like to keep them on the device.

Currently, I have about 1700 mostly full length books on my Aura. No issues with speed. The only times I have issues is when I am mucking with the ereader copying files, manually editing the database, etc. At times, I am simply in a "let's try this and see what happens" mode so I have had to factory reset on a fairly regular basis.

A simple factory reset, connect to WiFi and let the firmware update and the few Kobo bookstore books synchronize. After that's done, connect to the computer, sideload firmware if needed and let Calibre copy the rest of my library over, disconnect, processing (about 20 minutes there), reconnect and push the series data, disconnect and it's ready to go.

Virtually all my sideloads are run through Sigil/Flightcrew (cleanup epub style and error checking) and then run through epubcheck. The problems some have reported with ebooks hanging their Kobo have not bothered me. Covers are in quite a few ebooks have been replaced with a decent sized image -- who in possession of a moiety of their senses would use a 90x131 image for a cover? -- stylesheets are edited to give me a consistent font size, maps and other images are set to use as much screen as possible, etc.

For me, the time it takes is worthwhile. Others may have different opinions.

Regards,
David

speakingtohe · 06-21-2013, 10:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bittybye

I already know that works. It only started to get bad at about 500 books. The thing is I want my library on a reader.

I have had 2609 books on my Aura and the only problem was the shelves are slow to open. I have 1800+ now and no real problems except with the home screen and that just started after 2.6.1

With 2.5.1 2609 books was okay. I don't think the size of the books has anything to do with it unless they are unusually large.

All of my books are sideloaded epubs on SD card although I had them on main memory too, again with no problems..

And you are right, Kobo advertises up to 30,000 books (although it is kind of hidden away now) so 2,000 should be trivial. Plus I have 1000 books on my mini and it works fine, even the shelves are not too slow.

Demand a replacement is my advice, and if that fails get a new one and send the old one back. Not something I have ever done, but I would in your position.

Helen

Helen

Ken Maltby · 06-21-2013, 11:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bittybye

May I ask how I could figure out which ereader would be able to hold a large about of books?

That is a good question. Certainly the device maker or retailer will not be likely to present things in those terms, and will consider a few hundred files as equal to an ability to carry "your whole library" with their device.

You might check out the device at online sites like Newegg where there are reviews written by those who purchased the device from Newegg, they often include the "cons" as well as the "Pros". Then there are review sites that you can find by a search. Some of them go into much detail both technical and experiential.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compari...e-book_readers

But Wiki is often out of date. (The above is not too bad, in that regard.) A yes in the "Folders" column would be a good sign. (The Aura has "shelves" written in that column.)

Luck;
Ken

06-21-2013, 04:09 PM	#1
Bittybye Addict Posts: 262 Karma: 505124 Join Date: Dec 2009 Device: PRS-T2	Maybe Someone Here Can Help? I've been having so many problems with my Kobo Aura that I want to return the flipping thing. I contacted Kobo support and although they tried to help they ultimately couldn't. The touch responds very, very sluggishly in books, in the library, in the games, and in the settings, basically everything. Sometimes I have to tap 2 or 3 times before it will respond. Some of the covers aren't showing up in the library, some are cut in half and others the image is so tiny it's a black dot in the corner. And yes I side load with Calibre and have told it to add covers. I did a factory reset twice and it doesn't solve the problem. Kobo says it's because I have too many books, 2000+ (please keep in mind that a lot of these are very short stories, some as short as 7 pages.) My argument is that if it can't handle that many books, don't have the expandable memory. So please, please, help. Any ideas?

06-21-2013, 04:14 PM	#2
patrik Guru Posts: 682 Karma: 4568205 Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Sweden Device: Kobo Forma	How about start over but with only a very few books and see if the amount really is the problem? Just add a couple and see if it is ok now. If it is, then you know what to ask for, if it is not, return for a new one, mine is fairly fast for an ereader.

06-21-2013, 05:15 PM	#6
Bittybye Addict Posts: 262 Karma: 505124 Join Date: Dec 2009 Device: PRS-T2	Any good reader out there that I could het my 2000+ books on?

06-21-2013, 05:29 PM	#7
PeterT Grand Sorcerer Posts: 13,399 Karma: 78880114 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Toronto Device: Libra H2O, Libra Colour	What firmware level? Where are books (SD card or memory)?

06-21-2013, 05:37 PM	#8
Ken Maltby Wizard Posts: 4,466 Karma: 6900052 Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: The Heart of Texas Device: Boox Note2, AuraHD, PDA,	My favorite, but no longer made, I think: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16858723010 You might prefer the regular jetBook with a builtin battery: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...9SIA1CU0D00861 It is the same hardware as the Aluratek Libre Pro. Both have completed their software development and are very stable. As I mentioned I prefer the Lite with replaceable AA batteries and no audio. The screen is not white like the Aura but has a high contrast that makes it very readable. Luck; Ken

06-21-2013, 07:09 PM	#11
alexep Junior Member Posts: 4 Karma: 2576 Join Date: Jun 2013 Device: Kobo Aura HD	That thing with the covers (they appear tiny with a black background) has happened to me before. I solved it by deleting the book from my device, converting it from .epub to .epub on Calibre and then transferring it again. This only happened with books whose cover I had changed manually in Calibre before. About the lag, I have about 400 books and it works as flawlessly as when I first bought it, but if it can't hold 2000+ books while claiming it can it's certainly a serious problem which should really be addressed asap Curious to know if anyone else with that many books has the same issues, because I also read a lot of short stories and like to keep them on the device.

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