Before I return my Kobo HD Glo...

GoodCompany · 05-28-2016, 05:37 PM

I purchased a Kobo Glo HD a few weeks ago (I'm in the U.S. so it was through the mail) and have been a bit disappointed in it. I have not used it much as I'm leaning toward returning it and wanted to keep it in pristine condition. I've been reading on a Sony PRS-350 for several years and love it. I didn't specifically want a smaller (5") screen when I got it, but I purchased it right before prices in e-readers dropped and at the time it was on sale and what I could afford. Like most Sony products, they do what they do great and they just keep on going. Also, I don’t have wi-fi in my home or use it in general, so side-loading suits me fine.

I finally decided to upgrade as I wanted to try a bigger screen, more font options, and lighting, plus I’d seen the Kindle Paperwhite in stores and thought the screens looked pretty awesome. I assumed the Kobo HD Glow screen would look the same or better.

The Kobo screen looks more flecked to me and where there is no print there often appear light black and white stripes that remind me of newsprint and ghosting from previous pages (especially noticeable if there was a photo or image). Is this normal for the new e-ink? Is there a setting I could use that would fix that?

More questions. Is there way to change the cover? It always comes up with the cover of a book I didn’t even purchase, just got a sample. Is there a way to take “Related Reading” off the homepage? I thought Kobo never had advertising and that to me is advertising. I’m happy to get e-mails like that, but with a reader, I want to feel like I’m isolated from the Internet, advertising, and the rest of the world I spend too much time on every day.

There are other things I’m finding non-intuitive, but I’m sure I could figure out. I just tried to continue syncing some books from my Kobo desktop (unsuccessfully) and couldn’t find the eject button I saw before when I went to disconnect my reader.

Well, as I’m typing all this, I think it seems clear this probably isn’t for me. But I’m curious how my experience matches others specifically about the screen quality versus other current readers and if the cover and homepage (removing Related Reading) are customizable.

Oh, as far as e-pub vs. mobi, I have books in both and convert. I actually got Kobo because I thought the screen would be the same or better than Kindle, there would be no advertising, and I was pleased by their new price matching policy. Moreover, I feel like I live on Amazon and I thought it would be nice to have one thing in my life from a different company, but maybe it’s time to give in. Thanks for any thoughts!

robko · 05-28-2016, 08:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GoodCompany

The Kobo screen looks more flecked to me and where there is no print there often appear light black and white stripes that remind me of newsprint and ghosting from previous pages (especially noticeable if there was a photo or image). Is this normal for the new e-ink? Is there a setting I could use that would fix that?

Under "Settings", "Reading settings" change the "Refresh the screen every:" to a lower number of pages. That should get rid of the ghosting.

Quote:

Originally Posted by GoodCompany

More questions. Is there way to change the cover? It always comes up with the cover of a book I didn’t even purchase, just got a sample. Is there a way to take “Related Reading” off the homepage?

When put to sleep or powered off the device should show the cover of the current book you are reading, or the last book you had open. Unless the sample was the last thing you were in (or second last thing and you finished a book in your last session), having the cover of a sample come up is not normal. That sounds like you maybe have a corrupted database. Do you properly eject your Kobo before you physically disconnect it from your computer (assuming you plug it into USB at all)? You can turn off showing ANY cover on the sleep/power off screen under the "Sleep and power" settings.
The related reads can be removed from the homepage by doing a long press and selecting "Dismiss tile". New ones will come back if you sync the device however.

Abby Nonamous · 05-28-2016, 08:19 PM

As far as ejecting your device goes, I personally use Calibre to eject my Kobo since I don't use the Kobo app at all anymore.

meeera · 05-28-2016, 09:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GoodCompany

Is there a way to take “Related Reading” off the homepage?

I believe all of your other issues have been addressed. To take any tile off the homepage (apart from Sync I think), simply long press and choose Dismiss. You can fine tune this a little more, if you like, with the Kobo Utilities plugin for Calibre.

I've never liked the Kobo Desktop app, and it's pretty much unnecessary anyway. Sync your Kobo books straight to the device via wifi, and use Calibre (or drag n drop) to sideload.

GoodCompany · 05-30-2016, 01:35 AM

Thank you robko, Abby, and meera -- all very helpful. Lowering the number of pages for refresh seemed to help, but not completely. I did discover when I turned the brightness down to zero when reading with external light made the screen more what I'm used to seeing. Yes, something may need to be reset or fixed regarding the database as I have not opened that "sample" that keeps appearing as my cover. Additionally when I went to search for a phrase in the book I was reading, it showed my "current book" as the Kobo manual apparently not recognizing the book I was actually reading. The related reads turns out not to bother me as I thought it would, so that's become a non-issue, but I'm glad to know how to dismiss it in the future. And, yes, I think once I get settled either with the Kobo or returning it and going with the Kindle, migrating everything to Calibre makes good sense. Right now, I have books spread amongst Calibre, Sony Reader Library, Adobe Digital Editions, and the Kobo and Kindle desktops. I'm going to call Kobo tomorrow and talk through my issues and take it from there.

meeera · 05-30-2016, 02:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GoodCompany

I'm going to call Kobo tomorrow and talk through my issues and take it from there.

TBH, you'll get better tech support here. And Kobo definitely aren't going to help you set up Calibre.

GoodCompany · 05-31-2016, 02:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by meeera

TBH, you'll get better tech support here. And Kobo definitely aren't going to help you set up Calibre.

LOL, you're right! And I certainly wasn't going to ask them about Calibre. The rep I spoke with today said to do a paperclip reset and if that didn't work, I had a defective unit. I did and apparently I do and I'm going to return but probably refund rather than exchange at this point. It's moot, but I am curious why so many seem to prefer Kobo readers as many obviously do (other than the epub format).

Blossom · 05-31-2016, 03:43 AM

It's the best ereader I've own when it comes to screen quality. 300ppi is such a huge difference compared to my old Kindles. It's just like reading from a real book. Creamy white background and deep black text.

Sent from my XT1528 using Tapatalk

soulfuldog · 05-31-2016, 06:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GoodCompany

It's moot, but I am curious why so many seem to prefer Kobo readers as many obviously do (other than the epub format).

I think more people prefer Kindle ereaders, there are certainly more peope posting in the Amazon forum here than elsewhere.

Kobo does have the attraction of something different, because they've went with slightly bigger screens in some of their models, plus they have far better customisation options. Plus outside of the US, if you want to borrow library books, you need something other than a Kindle.

I've always been tempted to try a Kobo ereader despite buying most of my books from Amazon, but as neither the increased customisation nor the bigger screen holds much attraction for me, I've mostly stuck with a Kindle as the solidity of the software (I can count on the fingers of one hand how many times my Kindle's have ever frozen or required a reset), and the ease of use can't be matched for me personally.

I recently did consider the Kobo Glo HD, but got the Kindle Voyage instead when it went on sale, and I love it. I like my Kobo Mini ok, but apart from the superior battery life on it, I actually prefer reading on my old Sony 350 to it.

booklover6 · 05-31-2016, 06:53 AM

I have both Kindle and Kobo products. I prefer the Kobo because:

I like how it interacts with Calibre - making collections, automatically managing them, and with the Kobo Utilities plugin, removing all unwanted tiles from the home screen.

I greatly prefer the Kobo home screen.

I like that I can see at a glance what chapter and page I am on, as well as what book I am reading.

There is far less ghosting on any of my Kobos than what I experience with my Kindle Voyage.

I like that I don't have special offers on a Kobo. Wake up device and start reading.

I like that I can add the fonts I want without having to crack the device's software.

I like that I can change the font to suit me, making it darker or bolder, and whatever size I want.

There are probably more things to note, but I just woke up.

Things I like about the Kindle Voyage (to be fair), the text may be slightly sharper. Also if I have a book with finicky formatting, I put it on the Kindle, and don't worry. Problematic formatting can cause a Kobo to not work correctly. The Kindle doesn't care.

GoodCompany · 06-04-2016, 02:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blossom

It's the best ereader I've own when it comes to screen quality. 300ppi is such a huge difference compared to my old Kindles. It's just like reading from a real book. Creamy white background and deep black text.

Sent from my XT1528 using Tapatalk

Nice to hear a happy reader!

GoodCompany · 06-04-2016, 02:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by soulfuldog

I've mostly stuck with a Kindle as the solidity of the software (I can count on the fingers of one hand how many times my Kindle's have ever frozen or required a reset), and the ease of use can't be matched for me personally.

I recently did consider the Kobo Glo HD, but got the Kindle Voyage instead when it went on sale, and I love it. I like my Kobo Mini ok, but apart from the superior battery life on it, I actually prefer reading on my old Sony 350 to it.

The 350 is my first and till now only and it is a terrific reader. When you mention the solidity of the Kindle's software, is it your impression that other brands have more issues with software or just that in your experience the Kindle has consistently performed well?

GoodCompany · 06-04-2016, 02:35 AM

[QUOTE=booklover6;3327173]I have both Kindle and Kobo products. I prefer the Kobo because:

I like how it interacts with Calibre - making collections, automatically managing them, and with the Kobo Utilities plugin, removing all unwanted tiles from the home screen.

I greatly prefer the Kobo home screen.

I like that I can see at a glance what chapter and page I am on, as well as what book I am reading.

There is far less ghosting on any of my Kobos than what I experience with my Kindle Voyage.

I like that I don't have special offers on a Kobo. Wake up device and start reading.

I like that I can add the fonts I want without having to crack the device's software.

I like that I can change the font to suit me, making it darker or bolder, and whatever size I want.

There are probably more things to note, but I just woke up.

Things I like about the Kindle Voyage (to be fair), the text may be slightly sharper. Also if I have a book with finicky formatting, I put it on the Kindle, and don't worry. Problematic formatting can cause a Kobo to not work correctly. The Kindle doesn't care.[/QUOTE

As someone who has current models from both Kobo and Kindle, I am especially interested to ask you a few questions.

I was recently in a store looking at a Paperwhite and noticed a few features that looked rather appealing. One was the kind of screen within a screen feature (don't know what it's called). I'm about to re-read a book with a glossary at the back and thought that might be a great feature to go back and forth with. Another was x-ray. Is this a feature that only works with newer books that are designed for it? Like the idea of jogging my memory about a character when I've been away from a book (especially a mystery) for a few days. Are there similar features on Kobo?

What do you not like about the Kindle homepage?

Less ghosting? That's interesting as that's one of the reasons I wasn't impressed with the Kobo, but turning down the page number for refresh helped and it's been determined that my unit is defective and I'm sure people receive Kindles that need to be returned as well.

I do like having the header and footer that makes it feel a little bit more like a traditional book.

What are the "special offers" like on the Kindle and how intrusive? Is it that different from "related titles" on Kobo (which has been explained can be removed)?

Thanks to you and all the others for taking the time to respond!

booklover6 · 06-04-2016, 07:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GoodCompany

I was recently in a store looking at a Paperwhite and noticed a few features that looked rather appealing. One was the kind of screen within a screen feature (don't know what it's called). I'm about to re-read a book with a glossary at the back and thought that might be a great feature to go back and forth with. Another was x-ray. Is this a feature that only works with newer books that are designed for it? Like the idea of jogging my memory about a character when I've been away from a book (especially a mystery) for a few days. Are there similar features on Kobo?

I only side load books to my Voyage, and X-ray does not work in that case. The other feature, where you can view a screen on top of a screen, does work. I just use the table of contents to go between sections.

Quote:

Originally Posted by GoodCompany

What do you not like about the Kindle homepage?

If you view pictures of it, here is a link to one, you will see it. One tile of the last three books you opened, and a row of recommendations, below that a special offers banner. On the right, a text list generated from your account at goodreads if you have one, not sure what shows up if you don't. You can use a text based home screen instead. Compare that to a Kobo home screen (link to a photo), which is very user-controllable. You can dismiss everything shown in that shot except the Sync tile (but there are ways to dismiss that, too). Nine or so of my own books neatly lined up on the home screen is much more attractive, to me.

Quote:

Originally Posted by GoodCompany

Less ghosting? That's interesting as that's one of the reasons I wasn't impressed with the Kobo, but turning down the page number for refresh helped and it's been determined that my unit is defective and I'm sure people receive Kindles that need to be returned as well.

Yes. I have the Kindle set to refresh every page, which helps, but I still get ghosting.

Quote:

Originally Posted by GoodCompany

I do like having the header and footer that makes it feel a little bit more like a traditional book.

I like it, because I read multiple books at a time, and sometimes I forget which one I am reading. Some people don't like the header, and there are ways to not have it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by GoodCompany

What are the "special offers" like on the Kindle and how intrusive? Is it that different from "related titles" on Kobo (which has been explained can be removed)?

If you have special offers, your entire screen when you wake up the device, is an ad, until you swipe or tap out of it. After that, it's just a banner on the bottom. In my opinion, the premium Kindles shouldn't have SOs. They are already so expensive. In past devices I have paid to turn them off, but not doing that with my Voyage. I just leave wifi off at all times, which means no ads. My sleep screen features a woman with a telescope, a crescent moon, and text that says "find your next favorite book." So it's just a minor annoyance. But annoyance, none-the-less.

melovesflying · 06-04-2016, 06:54 PM

I had to two Kobo devices, Aura and Glo HD, before I switched to the Kindle Paperwhite. I find the screen better on the Kindle because the text looks sharper (even with the more advanced font settings on the Kobo) and I prefer the slightly rough texture of it over the smooth and glossy one of the Glo HD. I also experienced more screen freezes and restarts on the Kobo.

I live outside the US but only Kobo has an official distributor here in my country. I thought with this, I can at least bring in my ereader for repairs locally if needed. Sadly, it isn't the case. My now unusable 4 month old Glo HD has to be shipped back to Canada for replacement and all shipping fees have to be paid by me. Shipping fees alone will cost me as much as a new device so no thank you. Best they can do is give me $10 rebate for my troubles.

I asked Amazon about this and I was surprised to know that they will shoulder the shipping fees should I encounter an issue with mine. And they also removed the ads on mine for free.

While I do have some things on Kobo that I wish the Kindle would also have, I have no regrets with switching to the Kindle all because of their after-sales services.

05-28-2016, 05:37 PM	#1
GoodCompany Connoisseur Posts: 53 Karma: 4702 Join Date: May 2011 Location: Los Angeles Device: Sony PRS-350, Kindle E-Reader (basic), Nook Glowlight Plus 3	Before I return my Kobo HD Glo... I purchased a Kobo Glo HD a few weeks ago (I'm in the U.S. so it was through the mail) and have been a bit disappointed in it. I have not used it much as I'm leaning toward returning it and wanted to keep it in pristine condition. I've been reading on a Sony PRS-350 for several years and love it. I didn't specifically want a smaller (5") screen when I got it, but I purchased it right before prices in e-readers dropped and at the time it was on sale and what I could afford. Like most Sony products, they do what they do great and they just keep on going. Also, I don’t have wi-fi in my home or use it in general, so side-loading suits me fine. I finally decided to upgrade as I wanted to try a bigger screen, more font options, and lighting, plus I’d seen the Kindle Paperwhite in stores and thought the screens looked pretty awesome. I assumed the Kobo HD Glow screen would look the same or better. The Kobo screen looks more flecked to me and where there is no print there often appear light black and white stripes that remind me of newsprint and ghosting from previous pages (especially noticeable if there was a photo or image). Is this normal for the new e-ink? Is there a setting I could use that would fix that? More questions. Is there way to change the cover? It always comes up with the cover of a book I didn’t even purchase, just got a sample. Is there a way to take “Related Reading” off the homepage? I thought Kobo never had advertising and that to me is advertising. I’m happy to get e-mails like that, but with a reader, I want to feel like I’m isolated from the Internet, advertising, and the rest of the world I spend too much time on every day. There are other things I’m finding non-intuitive, but I’m sure I could figure out. I just tried to continue syncing some books from my Kobo desktop (unsuccessfully) and couldn’t find the eject button I saw before when I went to disconnect my reader. Well, as I’m typing all this, I think it seems clear this probably isn’t for me. But I’m curious how my experience matches others specifically about the screen quality versus other current readers and if the cover and homepage (removing Related Reading) are customizable. Oh, as far as e-pub vs. mobi, I have books in both and convert. I actually got Kobo because I thought the screen would be the same or better than Kindle, there would be no advertising, and I was pleased by their new price matching policy. Moreover, I feel like I live on Amazon and I thought it would be nice to have one thing in my life from a different company, but maybe it’s time to give in. Thanks for any thoughts!

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05-28-2016, 08:19 PM	#3
Abby Nonamous Junior Member Posts: 6 Karma: 10 Join Date: Dec 2014 Device: Kindle PW2, Kindle Oasis, Kobo H2O, NT, Galaxy Note 8, Galaxy S4	As far as ejecting your device goes, I personally use Calibre to eject my Kobo since I don't use the Kobo app at all anymore.

05-30-2016, 01:35 AM	#5
GoodCompany Connoisseur Posts: 53 Karma: 4702 Join Date: May 2011 Location: Los Angeles Device: Sony PRS-350, Kindle E-Reader (basic), Nook Glowlight Plus 3	Thank you robko, Abby, and meera -- all very helpful. Lowering the number of pages for refresh seemed to help, but not completely. I did discover when I turned the brightness down to zero when reading with external light made the screen more what I'm used to seeing. Yes, something may need to be reset or fixed regarding the database as I have not opened that "sample" that keeps appearing as my cover. Additionally when I went to search for a phrase in the book I was reading, it showed my "current book" as the Kobo manual apparently not recognizing the book I was actually reading. The related reads turns out not to bother me as I thought it would, so that's become a non-issue, but I'm glad to know how to dismiss it in the future. And, yes, I think once I get settled either with the Kobo or returning it and going with the Kindle, migrating everything to Calibre makes good sense. Right now, I have books spread amongst Calibre, Sony Reader Library, Adobe Digital Editions, and the Kobo and Kindle desktops. I'm going to call Kobo tomorrow and talk through my issues and take it from there.

05-31-2016, 03:43 AM	#8
Blossom Treasure Seeker Posts: 18,708 Karma: 26026435 Join Date: Mar 2010 Device: Kobo HD Glo, Kindles, Kindle Fires, Andriod Devices	It's the best ereader I've own when it comes to screen quality. 300ppi is such a huge difference compared to my old Kindles. It's just like reading from a real book. Creamy white background and deep black text. Sent from my XT1528 using Tapatalk

05-31-2016, 06:53 AM	#10
booklover6 Grand Sorcerer Posts: 6,545 Karma: 14008730 Join Date: May 2008 Location: PA (USA) Device: Kobo Clara, 2E, Libre 1, PW4, PW5, 2022 Kindle, Kobo Libre Colour	I have both Kindle and Kobo products. I prefer the Kobo because: I like how it interacts with Calibre - making collections, automatically managing them, and with the Kobo Utilities plugin, removing all unwanted tiles from the home screen. I greatly prefer the Kobo home screen. I like that I can see at a glance what chapter and page I am on, as well as what book I am reading. There is far less ghosting on any of my Kobos than what I experience with my Kindle Voyage. I like that I don't have special offers on a Kobo. Wake up device and start reading. I like that I can add the fonts I want without having to crack the device's software. I like that I can change the font to suit me, making it darker or bolder, and whatever size I want. There are probably more things to note, but I just woke up. Things I like about the Kindle Voyage (to be fair), the text may be slightly sharper. Also if I have a book with finicky formatting, I put it on the Kindle, and don't worry. Problematic formatting can cause a Kobo to not work correctly. The Kindle doesn't care.

06-04-2016, 02:35 AM	#13
GoodCompany Connoisseur Posts: 53 Karma: 4702 Join Date: May 2011 Location: Los Angeles Device: Sony PRS-350, Kindle E-Reader (basic), Nook Glowlight Plus 3	[QUOTE=booklover6;3327173]I have both Kindle and Kobo products. I prefer the Kobo because: I like how it interacts with Calibre - making collections, automatically managing them, and with the Kobo Utilities plugin, removing all unwanted tiles from the home screen. I greatly prefer the Kobo home screen. I like that I can see at a glance what chapter and page I am on, as well as what book I am reading. There is far less ghosting on any of my Kobos than what I experience with my Kindle Voyage. I like that I don't have special offers on a Kobo. Wake up device and start reading. I like that I can add the fonts I want without having to crack the device's software. I like that I can change the font to suit me, making it darker or bolder, and whatever size I want. There are probably more things to note, but I just woke up. Things I like about the Kindle Voyage (to be fair), the text may be slightly sharper. Also if I have a book with finicky formatting, I put it on the Kindle, and don't worry. Problematic formatting can cause a Kobo to not work correctly. The Kindle doesn't care.[/QUOTE As someone who has current models from both Kobo and Kindle, I am especially interested to ask you a few questions. I was recently in a store looking at a Paperwhite and noticed a few features that looked rather appealing. One was the kind of screen within a screen feature (don't know what it's called). I'm about to re-read a book with a glossary at the back and thought that might be a great feature to go back and forth with. Another was x-ray. Is this a feature that only works with newer books that are designed for it? Like the idea of jogging my memory about a character when I've been away from a book (especially a mystery) for a few days. Are there similar features on Kobo? What do you not like about the Kindle homepage? Less ghosting? That's interesting as that's one of the reasons I wasn't impressed with the Kobo, but turning down the page number for refresh helped and it's been determined that my unit is defective and I'm sure people receive Kindles that need to be returned as well. I do like having the header and footer that makes it feel a little bit more like a traditional book. What are the "special offers" like on the Kindle and how intrusive? Is it that different from "related titles" on Kobo (which has been explained can be removed)? Thanks to you and all the others for taking the time to respond!

06-04-2016, 06:54 PM	#15
melovesflying Groupie Posts: 186 Karma: 13138 Join Date: Jun 2014 Device: Kindle Paperwhite 3, Kobo Aura, Kobo Glo HD	I had to two Kobo devices, Aura and Glo HD, before I switched to the Kindle Paperwhite. I find the screen better on the Kindle because the text looks sharper (even with the more advanced font settings on the Kobo) and I prefer the slightly rough texture of it over the smooth and glossy one of the Glo HD. I also experienced more screen freezes and restarts on the Kobo. I live outside the US but only Kobo has an official distributor here in my country. I thought with this, I can at least bring in my ereader for repairs locally if needed. Sadly, it isn't the case. My now unusable 4 month old Glo HD has to be shipped back to Canada for replacement and all shipping fees have to be paid by me. Shipping fees alone will cost me as much as a new device so no thank you. Best they can do is give me $10 rebate for my troubles. I asked Amazon about this and I was surprised to know that they will shoulder the shipping fees should I encounter an issue with mine. And they also removed the ads on mine for free. While I do have some things on Kobo that I wish the Kindle would also have, I have no regrets with switching to the Kindle all because of their after-sales services.

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