Kobo Glod HD queries before buying

[Glas]

I'm new here! I'm looking to replace my Sony PRS-T1 which keeps crashing when opening the dictionary.

I have a few questions on Kobo Glo HD which I haven't found answers to in the several reviews I've read:

• What dictionary does Glo HD use? Does it have more esoteric words, like H.P. Lovecraft likes to use (e.g. eldritch, charnel)?
• What is the tint of the color of the backlight? Does it have a blue tint? Asking this as blue light messes with circadian rhythms, and I like reading before bed. Obviously I can use a normal reading light, but would be nice to know if comfortlight is suitable for bedside reading.
• How reliable is the Glo HD, and Kobos in general? Obviously asking this as I need to replace the expensive Sony after only a few years of use because it's essentially useless due to hangs and crashes.
• Is it really usable for reading multi-column .pdf files? I've seen The eBook Reader PDF demo on youtube, and it seems like it might be rather fiddly. Not a deal breaker, but would be for a friend who's also looking at Glo HD.

[davidfor]

Originally Posted by Glas

I'm new here! I'm looking to replace my Sony PRS-T1 which keeps crashing when opening the dictionary.

I have a few questions on Kobo Glo HD which I haven't found answers to in the several reviews I've read:

• What dictionary does Glo HD use? Does it have more esoteric words, like H.P. Lovecraft likes to use (e.g. eldritch, charnel)?
  

• The English dictionary is from Merriam-Webster. From things said here, it's probably the smallest electronic dictionary they offer. Both "eldritch" and "charnel" are in it, but I don't think those are particularly esoteric.
  

  What is the tint of the color of the backlight? Does it have a blue tint? Asking this as blue light messes with circadian rhythms, and I like reading before bed. Obviously I can use a normal reading light, but would be nice to know if comfortlight is suitable for bedside reading.

  I can't really answer this. It doesn't look blue to me. I read in bed most nights, and I don't think it affects my sleep.
  

  How reliable is the Glo HD, and Kobos in general? Obviously asking this as I need to replace the expensive Sony after only a few years of use because it's essentially useless due to hangs and crashes.

  I don't have any issues with the reliability of the Kobo devices. I do have two with broke screens in the house, but both of these where due to mistreatment. For software reliability, they do have bugs, but I rarely see a crash .
  

  Is it really usable for reading multi-column .pdf files? I've seen The eBook Reader PDF demo on youtube, and it seems like it might be rather fiddly. Not a deal breaker, but would be for a friend who's also looking at Glo HD.

NO. Kobo's don't do PDF reflow. A two column page would mean lots of zooming and panning to read. Unless the PDF is formatted for a small page size, I don't find reading any PDF easy on the Glo HD.

[filmo]

Your T1 has pdf text reflow that is much better than how Kobo handles pdf format books. Fiddly is good description.

Kobo readers use Linux OS and unlike Sony does nothing to prevent you from installing other reader software that might be better for reading pdf books.

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=247
https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=226456

[meeera]

Originally Posted by Glas

[*]What is the tint of the color of the backlight? Does it have a blue tint? Asking this as blue light messes with circadian rhythms, and I like reading before bed. Obviously I can use a normal reading light, but would be nice to know if comfortlight is suitable for bedside reading.

The tint varies a little from device to device, but overall is pretty neutral. The current Kobos can be dimmed way, way down, and overall put out far less light than a tablet like an iPad. In the research, they had to have people read from an iPad at full brightness (!!) for two hours before bed to find measurable differences in melatonin & sleep. This is a vastly different situation from reading a frontlit e-ink reader at a reasonable brightness setting.

And I fall asleep reading my Kobo all the time, FWIW.

Originally Posted by Glas

[*]How reliable is the Glo HD, and Kobos in general? Obviously asking this as I need to replace the expensive Sony after only a few years of use because it's essentially useless due to hangs and crashes.

You'll get variable stories, as you will with all brands. I have Kobos from the original release of the Touch, through a Glo, Aura and now an H2O, and all are still in use and working well, two of them in the hands of preteen children. One relative managed to destroy the USB connector on their Aura HD, but that was with abuse.

You'll find threads here complaining about broken screens (shattered glass substrates) on all devices, including Kobos. That is completely avoidable with a good case plus reasonably careful handling at all times. (And there are some that would dispute that statement, and their glass screen spontaneously shattered itself sitting on a shelf untouched... believe what you will.)

Originally Posted by Glas

[*]Is it really usable for reading multi-column .pdf files? I've seen The eBook Reader PDF demo on youtube, and it seems like it might be rather fiddly. Not a deal breaker, but would be for a friend who's also looking at Glo HD.[/LIST]

Not with the native firmware, but it is straightforward to install alternate reader software that does reflow. No jailbreak required.

I'll always recommend a tablet if you want an optimal experience with complicated PDFs, though.

ETA: None of these questions really relate to what differentiates the Kobo from other devices like Kindle. Do you have any other features you'd like to ask about? Formatting, ecosystem, library borrowing, collections management, etc etc? What country are you in?

[wakkaday]

if i just want another reader for pdfs only how do i do that on the glo hd?
i have installed koreader/nickel reader but i don't like the basic layout, its confusing.. unless i installed it wrong

[Glas]

Thank you for the thorough replies! Overall it sonds like the Glo HD is a good upgrade. Really looking forward to the crispness of the 300ppi screen!

I'll probably need to install an alternate reading software for multi column PDFs. They're mostly roleplaying (pen and paper) adventures and the like, so not complicated and will work fine with an ereader, as long as I don't have to skip around.

Any recommendations for a super-slim cover?

Originally Posted by meeera

ETA: None of these questions really relate to what differentiates the Kobo from other devices like Kindle. Do you have any other features you'd like to ask about? Formatting, ecosystem, library borrowing, collections management, etc etc? What country are you in?

From what I've seen the feature set of Glo HD looks pretty much complete for me. One thing I haven't found is there a way to manage , such as group books, e.g., non-fiction, RPGs, history? Not by predefined genres, which are often wrong or not suitable for my needs.

Based in the Netherlands. Don't have Nooks here, and I'm not even considering the Kindles as I don't like a closed ecosystem and the spying they do on some of their devices. And even if I jailbreak it I would be supporting said ecosystem with the purchase of the device. They seem like great hardware, it's just the software that is broken.

[davidfor]

Originally Posted by Glas

From what I've seen the feature set of Glo HD looks pretty much complete for me. One thing I haven't found is there a way to manage , such as group books, e.g., non-fiction, RPGs, history? Not by predefined genres, which are often wrong or not suitable for my needs.

The Collections are completely user creatable and manageable. But, if you are a calibre user, it is easier to do from there. This is still up to you as you simple specify one or more columns to create collections from. These can be predefined like the tags, author or series columns, or custom columns with whatever values you want to use.

[meeera]

Originally Posted by Glas

Any recommendations for a super-slim cover?

I like the Gecko slimfit. And, what davidfor said about using Calibre for ebook and collections management.

[pickyaxe]

The Glo HD has a 6" screen. You really can't read PDFs in portrait with it in the stock firmware. If you want to read PDFs on a Kobo device without reflowing (which I haven't had a great time with), there's one thing that works for me: you install KOReader, and read it in landscape, zoom to fit, paginated mode. That's very readable on a 6.8" device (H2O/Aura HD), not sure about a 6".
That said, the issue then becomes that those devices aren't very ergonomic for landscape reading, because they were designed for portrait.

[catsknit]

I'm looking into the Kobo Glow as well. I have an old Sony PRS650 which has been sitting on a shelf the last 2 years while I read on a tablet, but I want to go back to e-ink for most of my reading. will continue to use tablet for pdfs so that's not an issue. One question I have is, can the backlight be completely turned off or is it a constant on, even turned down low? I liked my Sony with no light, except of course at night. But I don't want a light on all the time either. Or should I look at the Kobo Touch instead?

[davidfor]

The light on all the backlit Kobo devices can be completely turned off. The older devices have a button. The Aura H2O and Glo HD do not have a button, but they both allow you to set the light level to zero, which means the light is off.

[Ripplinger]

Originally Posted by catsknit

I'm looking into the Kobo Glow as well.

I have both the Glo and Glo HD readers and the Glo HD is an absolutely beautiful reader and I'd recommend it over the regular Glo. The text is clearer and sharper than the Glo because of the better screen, the lighting is very even over the entire screen, the typical slightly darker cones that you usually see at the bottom of front lit readers isn't even noticeable on my 3 Glo HDs. The Glo HDs tend to have a more neutral beige screen while the Glos can be more bluish (that's from comparing my readers, I have 3 Glos and 3 Glo HDs, screens can vary). I don't even use my regular Glo anymore.

They function exactly the same with the same firmware. The only real difference is that the Glo has an SD slot, the Glo HD does not. Right now I've got 816 books on the reader and still have 1925KB free remaining out of 3232KB. I've never seen the need to carry my entire library around with me on the reader, I prefer to keep it all in one place on my PC. That might not be your preference though.

Edit: The Glo has a button for the light that davidfor mentioned above. The Glo HD does not, it only has the brightness slider, which I prefer over the switch.

[meeera]

Originally Posted by Ripplinger

The Glo HDs tend to have a more neutral beige screen while the Glos can be more bluish (that's from comparing my readers, I have 3 Glos and 3 Glo HDs, screens can vary). I don't even use my regular Glo anymore.

The main issue I had with the Glo frontlighting was that the dimmest setting was nowhere near dim enough at night unless I had other lights on in the room (and even then it was a touch bright for me). The Aura, H2O, (and I assume the Glo HD?) go much lower.

[catsknit]

I went ahead and got the Glo HD and so far it's really nice. Still getting used to the tiny size! I did want something small but after using a 10 inch tablet the last couple years it seems strange. The light does indeed go all the way down to nothing; I compared it to my Sony's screen last night with just a bedside lamp on.

[Glas]

I went and bought it, and have had it for a few weeks now. Really happy with the purchase, great screen and backlight works well. A bit disappointed by the creakiness of the shell, though. Also didn't realize I'd miss physical page turn buttons so much, but I do.

Haven't tried installing the alternate pdf reader. Already ran into a word which is not in the dictionary, so might need to install a better one.

I got a really nice case from Werktat via Etsy. Made of thick red felt, with leather front.

Thanks again to everyone for the help in making my decision!