Touch Some specific questions for Touch owners

Hoods7070 · 03-31-2012, 05:33 AM

Hi

I am on the verge of buying a Kobo Touch - living in the middle of nowhere means I can't lay hands on any devices prior to buying, and I have to rely on other means to assess them, so I'd greatly appreciate some answers I haven't found to these questions:

1) Is it true you can't use the Kobo Touch with mains power?
2) Is it true there are recommendations always on screen? If so, is this only the case if you are using Wi-Fi and Kobo stores? Can you pay more and/or get rid of the recommendations in some other way, as you can with Kindle advertising?
3) Can you hold the Kobo comfortably and still avoid "bumping" the screen, thus regulary turning pages accidentally? I've read this as a negative in some reviews, but prefer to get this opinion from users.

Many thanks!

clsdclsd · 03-31-2012, 06:00 AM

1. A few hours of charging gives you weeks for reading, so it's not too hard to avoid the need of using the reader during battery charging. Besides, it depends on the USB mains charger: i have two different models, one of them is recognized as a "computer" by the reader, thus no reading while connected, the other one works as it should. (There is no charger boxed with the Kobo)
2. There is a five book icon list on the bottom of the home screen which can be set to "recommendations" or to a "shortlist" of user-selected books, so it is possible to get rid of the recommendations. (at least with the full-priced Kobo Touch, the "with offers" version is a bit different)
3. In my opinion the frame of the reader is wide enough to hold the reader comfortably without accidental "bumps".

Hoods7070 · 03-31-2012, 06:26 AM

Thanks for the comprehensive reply, which pretty much made my mind up for me, and I'm off to the shop!

Re the first, I have a mains USB charger for my Creative MP3 player which I use the watch movies on gadget No.5641, so was curious as to whether that'd work with the Kobo. Nice to know it doesn't have to.

I have no objection to icons on the Home screen, but it was implied somewhere that these obtruded on your page/reading screens and I thought, intelligently, "Ugh!" There is only one Kobo Touch on sale here in Australia as far as I can see, and they don't say whether it comes with or without offers. I guess I will find out.

One more question I forgot to ask - do you use a cover? And if so, does this interfere with the comfort of holding the reader?

portablejim · 03-31-2012, 06:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hoods7070

One more question I forgot to ask - do you use a cover? And if so, does this interfere with the comfort of holding the reader?

I use a cover. I bought it for protection*, however I personally prefer reading with the cover on (but folded back of course).

* I bought a kobo touch before it was available in Australian brick and mortar stores and so a small number of people cracking their screens freaked me into getting one, because I would have to return it to America.

Hoods7070 · 03-31-2012, 06:50 AM

Cheers - those answers all did the job admirably. I got a decent price on everything (freight free) from Borders and look forward to getting the device early next week.

meeera · 03-31-2012, 08:43 AM

I see you have your answers

but just in case you wanted more: I read mine without a cover, I don't fat-finger the screen, I'm very happy to be able to choose a Shortlist from my own library from the home screen, and while reading all you can see on the screen is the words and a little page count down the bottom. I have never seen an "Offers" Kobo Touch in Australia yet.

Hoods7070 · 03-31-2012, 09:10 AM

Ta #meeera. All good to know.

It will be interesting to compare the Kobo with my JXD Chinese ereader (which cost about the same) and see which I end up using most. The ONLY shortcoming to the JXD is its apparent inability to read CSS, and from what I've read it has several capabilities the Kobo does not. However it turns out, I have a slew of grandchildren already hovering in the wings to snaffle the loser of the contest, if there is one that loses hands down!

The Terminator · 03-31-2012, 12:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hoods7070

I have no objection to icons on the Home screen, but it was implied somewhere that these obtruded on your page/reading screens and I thought, intelligently, "Ugh!" There is only one Kobo Touch on sale here in Australia as far as I can see, and they don't say whether it comes with or without offers. I guess I will find out.

Some people were making a much bigger deal about this than was needed. It doesn't effect you when you're reading at all and you can just set it "Short List" if you don't like their recommendations. Sometimes "Reading Life Awards" will pop up when you achieve one (Kind of fun) like "Congratulations you just read for 2 hours straight" or "Night Rider you just read five times in-between the times of 12 and 1 a.m"

filmo · 03-31-2012, 05:06 PM

The other e-reader to look at is Sony PRST1 as it has about same features as Kobo Touch and most of the wanted features KT doesn't have yet. No book shelfs but sorts books into collections by meta data that is part of epub books. You can edit this meta data for each book with Calibre to customise the categories. It is much faster adding books to it's data base than KT. As with any e-reader it has it's own problems and quirks fewer in my opinion so compare reviews and look at it's forum. Sony PRST
https://www.mobileread.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=100

keepsake · 03-31-2012, 09:24 PM

You can in fact use the Kobo while it is charging. Power the device on, and connect the USB cable. It'll ask you to connect to the computer to manage the device. Select "Cancel" and it'll go back to the main menu and allow you to charge and use it at the same time.

You can get rid of the advertisements in two ways. One way is to replace it with your shortlist, the other is to install Kobo tweaks (Google for it), although Kobo tweaks need to be re-installed whenever you restart the device (just open up the Library). This is still tedious though; you can always revert to an earlier firmware version if you'd like.

PeterT · 03-31-2012, 11:16 PM

Keepsake; the Ads being referred to here are not the same as the Suggestions from Kobo; this is for a slightly different version of the Kobo that has a lower price in return for advertisements being displayed.

keepsake · 03-31-2012, 11:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PeterT

Keepsake; the Ads being referred to here are not the same as the Suggestions from Kobo; this is for a slightly different version of the Kobo that has a lower price in return for advertisements being displayed.

Oh right, I forgot about the Special Offers edition; thanks for the heads-up.

JedV · 04-01-2012, 02:08 PM

I don't know if the Creative MP3 charger will work, I have one and it's miniUSB, not microUSB...

keepsake · 04-01-2012, 08:35 PM

You can use any microUSB cable to charge, and any USB -> AC (or DC in those countries) converter to charge, since USB outputs up to 5V and converters will bring them down to 5V.

Hoods7070 · 04-06-2012, 02:59 AM

Hi all - I received my Kobo Touch a couple of days ago. It took me a little while to get used to the touch, and to get Adobe Digital Editions up and running. For some reason I had a lot of trouble downloading/installing it on the day, probably a server glitch at Adobe's end because it all worked fine on day two.

Anyway, here are my first impressions. I really like the Kobo. Here are a few very minor negatives:

The touch seems a little temperamental and has taken some getting used to. (My Chinese e-reader's touch is brilliant, so perhaps I am making comparisons others might not.) Sometimes I have to give the screen quite a hefty thump, at others my finger is barely hovering over it when 2-3 pages fly by. When the screen is in a "thump me" frame of mind it's somewhat annoying to have such an obtrusive delay between page turns. (Pity there's no calibration. I have calibration on all my other resistive touch devices, enabling me to set touch to a very light tap.) Every device has its own feel, and they all take getting used to.

Another very minor whinge is that the refresh is quite noticeable and can be a little off-putting, but I have it set to 1 (started at 6) and somehow that seems better as it happens every page and is a given; when it happens periodically I sort of go "Ooh! What was that?". I will experiment with different settings.

All of the above will fade as I use the device more and get used to its foibles.

As others pointed out, the battery life is excellent - I've read my first 500 page book without the icon changing at all. The connection time to the computer probably takes care of little charge "top-ups". I do have a USB mains extension I can plug the Kobo into if I need to, to charge it in the bedroom or away from home. I will be using aeroplane mode (after an experimental "look" at the WiFi stuff) so I imagine charges will be relatively few.

I don't hate, but certainly don't like, the totally irrelevant recommendations - Danielle Steele??!!? - taking up one third of my Home screen. I resent having things like that thrust upon me on any device I've paid for. It IS advertising, however Kobo want to sell it, and it should be optional. I'd have liked the choice of paying a little more to have nothing but my own shortlisted books showing. However, it's a minor irritation ... I do hope Kobo pays mind to the user requests to get rid of it in the next flash upgrade.

I have settled for reading with the cover on, holding the thing like a real book which feels very natural and comfortable. Plus my paws stay out of it, if there ever was a danger of my fat-fingering! (Every now and then I find myself reaching for the top to turn a page!)

And that's about it - thanks all for helpful input!

03-31-2012, 05:33 AM	#1
Hoods7070 Groupie Posts: 159 Karma: 24430 Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Australia Device: Nexus 7"	Some specific questions for Touch owners Hi I am on the verge of buying a Kobo Touch - living in the middle of nowhere means I can't lay hands on any devices prior to buying, and I have to rely on other means to assess them, so I'd greatly appreciate some answers I haven't found to these questions: 1) Is it true you can't use the Kobo Touch with mains power? 2) Is it true there are recommendations always on screen? If so, is this only the case if you are using Wi-Fi and Kobo stores? Can you pay more and/or get rid of the recommendations in some other way, as you can with Kindle advertising? 3) Can you hold the Kobo comfortably and still avoid "bumping" the screen, thus regulary turning pages accidentally? I've read this as a negative in some reviews, but prefer to get this opinion from users. Many thanks!

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03-31-2012, 06:00 AM	#2
clsdclsd Zealot Posts: 105 Karma: 37668 Join Date: Feb 2012 Device: Kobo Touch	1. A few hours of charging gives you weeks for reading, so it's not too hard to avoid the need of using the reader during battery charging. Besides, it depends on the USB mains charger: i have two different models, one of them is recognized as a "computer" by the reader, thus no reading while connected, the other one works as it should. (There is no charger boxed with the Kobo) 2. There is a five book icon list on the bottom of the home screen which can be set to "recommendations" or to a "shortlist" of user-selected books, so it is possible to get rid of the recommendations. (at least with the full-priced Kobo Touch, the "with offers" version is a bit different) 3. In my opinion the frame of the reader is wide enough to hold the reader comfortably without accidental "bumps".

03-31-2012, 06:26 AM	#3
Hoods7070 Groupie Posts: 159 Karma: 24430 Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Australia Device: Nexus 7"	Thanks for the comprehensive reply, which pretty much made my mind up for me, and I'm off to the shop! Re the first, I have a mains USB charger for my Creative MP3 player which I use the watch movies on gadget No.5641, so was curious as to whether that'd work with the Kobo. Nice to know it doesn't have to. I have no objection to icons on the Home screen, but it was implied somewhere that these obtruded on your page/reading screens and I thought, intelligently, "Ugh!" There is only one Kobo Touch on sale here in Australia as far as I can see, and they don't say whether it comes with or without offers. I guess I will find out. One more question I forgot to ask - do you use a cover? And if so, does this interfere with the comfort of holding the reader?

03-31-2012, 06:50 AM	#5
Hoods7070 Groupie Posts: 159 Karma: 24430 Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Australia Device: Nexus 7"	Cheers - those answers all did the job admirably. I got a decent price on everything (freight free) from Borders and look forward to getting the device early next week.

03-31-2012, 08:43 AM	#6
meeera Grand Sorcerer Posts: 5,805 Karma: 68407974 Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Australia Device: Kobo Libra 2, iPadMini4, iPad4, MBP; support other Kobo/Kindles	I see you have your answers but just in case you wanted more: I read mine without a cover, I don't fat-finger the screen, I'm very happy to be able to choose a Shortlist from my own library from the home screen, and while reading all you can see on the screen is the words and a little page count down the bottom. I have never seen an "Offers" Kobo Touch in Australia yet.

03-31-2012, 09:10 AM	#7
Hoods7070 Groupie Posts: 159 Karma: 24430 Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Australia Device: Nexus 7"	Ta #meeera. All good to know. It will be interesting to compare the Kobo with my JXD Chinese ereader (which cost about the same) and see which I end up using most. The ONLY shortcoming to the JXD is its apparent inability to read CSS, and from what I've read it has several capabilities the Kobo does not. However it turns out, I have a slew of grandchildren already hovering in the wings to snaffle the loser of the contest, if there is one that loses hands down!

03-31-2012, 05:06 PM	#9
filmo Wizard Posts: 1,326 Karma: 1077205 Join Date: Jun 2011 Device: Kobo Touch, Sony T1, Kobo Mini	The other e-reader to look at is Sony PRST1 as it has about same features as Kobo Touch and most of the wanted features KT doesn't have yet. No book shelfs but sorts books into collections by meta data that is part of epub books. You can edit this meta data for each book with Calibre to customise the categories. It is much faster adding books to it's data base than KT. As with any e-reader it has it's own problems and quirks fewer in my opinion so compare reviews and look at it's forum. Sony PRST https://www.mobileread.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=100

03-31-2012, 09:24 PM	#10
keepsake Member Posts: 13 Karma: 12048 Join Date: Mar 2012 Device: Kobo Touch, Kobo Aura	You can in fact use the Kobo while it is charging. Power the device on, and connect the USB cable. It'll ask you to connect to the computer to manage the device. Select "Cancel" and it'll go back to the main menu and allow you to charge and use it at the same time. You can get rid of the advertisements in two ways. One way is to replace it with your shortlist, the other is to install Kobo tweaks (Google for it), although Kobo tweaks need to be re-installed whenever you restart the device (just open up the Library). This is still tedious though; you can always revert to an earlier firmware version if you'd like.

03-31-2012, 11:16 PM	#11
PeterT Grand Sorcerer Posts: 13,381 Karma: 78877538 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Toronto Device: Libra H2O, Libra Colour	Keepsake; the Ads being referred to here are not the same as the Suggestions from Kobo; this is for a slightly different version of the Kobo that has a lower price in return for advertisements being displayed.

04-01-2012, 02:08 PM	#13
JedV Kobo Toucher Posts: 62 Karma: 103942 Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Vancouver Device: Kobo Touch	I don't know if the Creative MP3 charger will work, I have one and it's miniUSB, not microUSB...

04-01-2012, 08:35 PM	#14
keepsake Member Posts: 13 Karma: 12048 Join Date: Mar 2012 Device: Kobo Touch, Kobo Aura	You can use any microUSB cable to charge, and any USB -> AC (or DC in those countries) converter to charge, since USB outputs up to 5V and converters will bring them down to 5V.

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04-06-2012, 02:59 AM	#15
Hoods7070 Groupie Posts: 159 Karma: 24430 Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Australia Device: Nexus 7"	Hi all - I received my Kobo Touch a couple of days ago. It took me a little while to get used to the touch, and to get Adobe Digital Editions up and running. For some reason I had a lot of trouble downloading/installing it on the day, probably a server glitch at Adobe's end because it all worked fine on day two. Anyway, here are my first impressions. I really like the Kobo. Here are a few very minor negatives: The touch seems a little temperamental and has taken some getting used to. (My Chinese e-reader's touch is brilliant, so perhaps I am making comparisons others might not.) Sometimes I have to give the screen quite a hefty thump, at others my finger is barely hovering over it when 2-3 pages fly by. When the screen is in a "thump me" frame of mind it's somewhat annoying to have such an obtrusive delay between page turns. (Pity there's no calibration. I have calibration on all my other resistive touch devices, enabling me to set touch to a very light tap.) Every device has its own feel, and they all take getting used to. Another very minor whinge is that the refresh is quite noticeable and can be a little off-putting, but I have it set to 1 (started at 6) and somehow that seems better as it happens every page and is a given; when it happens periodically I sort of go "Ooh! What was that?". I will experiment with different settings. All of the above will fade as I use the device more and get used to its foibles. As others pointed out, the battery life is excellent - I've read my first 500 page book without the icon changing at all. The connection time to the computer probably takes care of little charge "top-ups". I do have a USB mains extension I can plug the Kobo into if I need to, to charge it in the bedroom or away from home. I will be using aeroplane mode (after an experimental "look" at the WiFi stuff) so I imagine charges will be relatively few. I don't hate, but certainly don't like, the totally irrelevant recommendations - Danielle Steele??!!? - taking up one third of my Home screen. I resent having things like that thrust upon me on any device I've paid for. It IS advertising, however Kobo want to sell it, and it should be optional. I'd have liked the choice of paying a little more to have nothing but my own shortlisted books showing. However, it's a minor irritation ... I do hope Kobo pays mind to the user requests to get rid of it in the next flash upgrade. I have settled for reading with the cover on, holding the thing like a real book which feels very natural and comfortable. Plus my paws stay out of it, if there ever was a danger of my fat-fingering! (Every now and then I find myself reaching for the top to turn a page!) And that's about it - thanks all for helpful input!