Aura H2O Impressions after 24 hours of Kobo...

[AnneT]

Over the past few weeks, I had to recharge my Boox T68 about every day, so I finally decided to buy a new ereader.
I really liked the screensize and the customizability (is that correct English?) of that Android device.
I didn't want a smaller device (nor a larger one), so it was the Boox T68+ (to be ordered in China), or the Kobo Aura H2O (to be purchased in several online or brick and mortar shops in Belgium). The reason that my Boox has had its issues (hardware problems), made me decide for Kobo in the end...

I had already added the Kobo Utilities plugin to my Calibre, and set up my 'shelves', so when the ereader was delivered yesterday afternoon (indeed, on Sunday), I could immediately side-load a couple of books.
I miss Calibre Companion that I had installed on my Boox, for it offered me the possibility to have nested shelves, but I can do with a system like:
non-fiction.biology.flora
non-fiction.biology.ecology
fantasy.epic
fantasy.urban
etc.

(But with Calibre Companion, my 'series' and my 'genre' collections didn't get mixed up... Calibre Companion is definitely superior in this respect. Another advantage of CC was the ability to access my Calibre Library wireless.)

The homepage of the Kobo definitely looks better than that of my Boox. The fact that I'm reminded that I still have something to read in my 'Pocket' is an added bonus, and I also like the fact that Kobo shows the book I'm currently reading when the device is switched off.

When starting to read, the complete screenrefresh after every six pageturns was rather annoying, but thanks to the installation of the patches, this was easily fixed, together with the large margins and the better controle over line height.

I kind of miss Moon+ Reader, with its granular control of almost every aspect of the reading experience. I tried installing Koreader (following these instructions), but I guess that somehow I did something wrong.
When starting up Koreader (via the not-so-visual-appealing KSM), my book was shown in a big and bold ugly font, and whatever I tried, I couldn't find how to call a menu to change that. (I could go to next/previous page, could call for a library search, but could not access another menu).
To make matters worse, I couldn't figure out how to exit my book, or shut off my device. Somehow I succeeded in rebooting the reader, and instantly uninstalled KSM.
(One advantage of Koreader over the default reader is said to be the inbuild file-manager, but I prefer the collections approach, as this enables me to have a book in different collections.) I don't know how customizable Koreader is in respect to Kobo's default reader (or in respect to Moon+ reader)... I tried Koreader on my Boox, but several menu items - like changing fontsize - were absent there. The Koreader for Android is said to need some polishing...)

So, my conclusion after 24 hours?
In terms of customization, Boox T68 easily wins...
However I like the visual aspect of the home screen and the closed ereader of the Kobo (but of course, you only look at them for a very short time.)
If I had to make the choice again between ordering a Boox T68+ from China, or buying the Kobo from that local suplier who has an excellent after sales, I would definitely buy the Kobo again.
There really are a bunch of things that I liked better on my Boox, but they are only minor...

Next things to do, apart from reading? Searching for a font that I like better than the preinstalled ones...!

[Ken Maltby]

If you couldn't find the menus in KOReader, I can see why you would have problems. The thread that contained the installation instructions also has a number of posts that might have made it easier, tips and hints as well as links to KOReader's Github Wiki pages. Poking the top of the screen will bring up the menus. When you bring up the menus while reading, you will have menus at both the top and bottom of the screen. The font size menu is among the bottom menus. The menu to select from the fonts, including any you add to the fonts folder, is among those in the top menus. The menus are grouped under tabs/icons and are somewhat context sensitive, in that what is presented depends on which reading program is used for that type of book/document and whether you are in the File Manager.

Koreader is totally customizable. It is coded in a human readable scripting language and can be easily modified just using Notepad++ , a free editor.

If you prefer the database oriented book management, with "collections", over file management, then KOReader and Coolreader might not be for you.

Luck;
Ken