Kobo Glo HD - worth getting at $90?

[ilovejedd]

I used to purchase my manga from Nook, then switched to Amazon and now have gone to Kobo. The switch was pretty much based on what platform is easiest to remove DRM from while providing the highest available image quality.

I typically just convert to cbz and read on my iPad (ComicGlass) but have recently started reading manga on the Kindle PW 3. Caveat - it's a hassle to convert from kepub to mobi/azw3. Calibre's output doesn't display the image fullscreen while KCC can be overly aggressive at cropping margins. I'm starting to look into getting a dedicated Kobo reader for reading Kobo purchased manga.

The Kobo Aura is a non-starter given its low resolution/pixel density. The 32GB Kobo Aura ONE Limited is a bit pricier and bigger than I'd like, not too mention I actually do like raised bezels. Kobo Aura H2O (1st ed with microSD slot) is under consideration but it's just a wee bit on the heavy side for my taste (RSI).

I saw Kobo Glo HD manufacturer refurbs for $90 on ebay and came across a post with instructions on upgrading the internal SD card (already have 32-64GB Samsung microSD cards on hand). Do you guys think it's a good option at that price for my target usage? Also, what's the max storage it will accept? I'm considering springing for a 128GB microSD.

[GERGE]

Absolutely. It is still one of the best.

[jlynton]

It is great, but may be worth waiting to see the price of the clara hd:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ViYmrN_zBBU

[JohhnyMix]

i think a bigger screen is a must for manga's unless you like to pinch and zoon.

[evirtue]

There has not been better improvements after glo hd for these years. You wont regret.

[ilovejedd]

Originally Posted by jlynton

It is great, but may be worth waiting to see the price of the clara hd:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ViYmrN_zBBU

Yep. Saw that last night after I had already posted this thread. It's under consideration but the 8GB storage a bit small for my taste. We'll see.

Originally Posted by JohhnyMix

i think a bigger screen is a must for manga's unless you like to pinch and zoon.

I can read manga just fine on a Paperwhite 3. Even before that, I normally read manga on 7.9" and 9.7" retina iPads in 2-page landscape mode. The size isn't a big issue for me as long as there's sufficient resolution. Granted, 6" is likely the minimum acceptable for me even if the display is more than 400 ppi.

Originally Posted by GERGE

Absolutely. It is still one of the best.

Originally Posted by evirtue

There has not been better improvements after glo hd for these years. You wont regret.

Thanks! Do you guys have any idea about the max SD card size it will accept? Or is it pretty much whatever the max size is for the data partition fs (FAT32)? The YouTube video tutorials I saw just used 16-32GB, 64GB max. Granted, videos were old so that might be due to cost and not technical restrictions.

[davidfor]

Originally Posted by ilovejedd

Thanks! Do you guys have any idea about the max SD card size it will accept? Or is it pretty much whatever the max size is for the data partition fs (FAT32)? The YouTube video tutorials I saw just used 16-32GB, 64GB max. Granted, videos were old so that might be due to cost and not technical restrictions.

A quick search here found a couple of reports of successfully using 128GB cards. But, if it is like the older devices, it might depend on the card being used. I know the Glo had problems with some 32GB cards.

I have no idea whether the use of FAT32 will affect the size. I just haven't needed to pay attention to those issues for a long time. But, there is a hack to use ext3 or ext4 for it. Doing that will cause issue with using the device with Windows, but if you are a Linux user, it will work.

[ilovejedd]

Originally Posted by davidfor

A quick search here found a couple of reports of successfully using 128GB cards. But, if it is like the older devices, it might depend on the card being used. I know the Glo had problems with some 32GB cards.

I have no idea whether the use of FAT32 will affect the size. I just haven't needed to pay attention to those issues for a long time. But, there is a hack to use ext3 or ext4 for it. Doing that will cause issue with using the device with Windows, but if you are a Linux user, it will work.

Thanks! I'll probably grab a 128GB SD card then. My Kobo manga seem to be averaging around 150MB per volume so that's space for around 800 after factoring in OS size and binary-decimal discrepancy. 32-64GB would've been okay but 128GB just gives more breathing room and would allow me to keep more of my favorite series permanently on the Kobo.

I've played around with rooting/jailbreaking other systems. From experience, I'm guessing the issue with incompatible SD cards is abysmal random small block read/write. HDDs are usually ~1-4MB/s, good SD cards ~1-2MB/s, average SD cards <0.1MB/s and I've seen some bad ones that are 0.002MB/s. Samsung and SanDisk (at least their older ones) generally make good cards. After buying some duds from other manufacturers, I've stuck with Samsung and SanDisk.

For file system, I'll just stick to FAT32. While I do have a couple of Linux builds, we're a mostly Windows household and FAT32 is just easier for compatibility.

[Ripplinger]

I agree with Gerge, definitely get it. The Glo HD is a great reader, I love mine, and that is a great price for it. Even if by some miracle the Clara outshines the Glo HD, for that price it would make a great backup reader or even a gift.

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by ilovejedd

Thanks! I'll probably grab a 128GB SD card then. My Kobo manga seem to be averaging around 150MB per volume so that's space for around 800 after factoring in OS size and binary-decimal discrepancy. 32-64GB would've been okay but 128GB just gives more breathing room and would allow me to keep more of my favorite series permanently on the Kobo.

One caution is that when I tested a 64GB SDXC uSD card, it looked good until I went over 32GB of files and it started overwriting the first 32GB. This was with the original Aura.

[ilovejedd]

Originally Posted by DNSB

One caution is that when I tested a 64GB SDXC uSD card, it looked good until I went over 32GB of files and it started overwriting the first 32GB. This was with the original Aura.

Thanks for the tip. I think I'll test that on one of my 64GB cards before I open the 128GB card I just ordered from Amazon. Might need to return it.

In any case, I have plenty of 32GB cards, too.

[bgalbrecht]

I have two Glo HDs, both with 64GB cards. I have over 32 GB stored on them, and as far as I can tell, they haven't had any problems, except for being a bit slow. I suspect that's because I have over 10k ebooks.

[djazz]

I have a 64 GB card in my Kobo Glo HD and it's working fine.

[PurpleStar]

I for one love my Kobo Glo HD. Awesome e-reader!!! Don't like the Kobo Aura edition 2 as much. The thing is so slow.

[JeanOlivier]

I just bought one of these refurbished Glo HD to replace my recently broken one and I'm very satisfied. Can't really have a better bang for your bucks.