Forma New Kobo reader: The Forma/Shape

[Paperbackstash]

Originally Posted by ZodWallop

I still do have concerns about the shape of the device. At first blush, it looks more awkward than the Oasis. The Oasis is ugly because it was designed to be comfortable to hold. The Forma, with that wedge on the front putting the buttons on a decline away from your thumb doesn't seem right. And putting the power button where your palm rests? I don't know, Kobo...

I haven't compared them myself, but I did read a post today on the e-blog-reader that states this was designed to be more comfortable than the Oasis because the back is completely flat like most e-readers. A lot of people were turned off from the uneven back of the oasis. They curved it for the battery in front instead of the back to counteract this, which makes sense to me.

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by Calenorn

Zod, reactions to the Clara light bleed are very subjective. Personally, it doesn't bother me a bit.

The problem with the Clara light bleed is that it could be easily remedied with some quality control.

The Nook flashing was done to prevent ghosting. The Clara light bleed is lack of attention to detail.

[sawdin2]

Originally Posted by milady133

I wouldn't ditch the cover so soon, yes, plastic doesn't break as easily, but it gets scratches easier...

Correct.

Does anyone have experience with other tablets/e-readers that use plastic instead of glass in terms of ease of scratches and smudges? I have a Moto X2 Force which has a plastic screen instead of glass. When it debuted, it was marketed as being "shatterproof" and guaranteed not to crack. However, there are drawbacks:

1. As noted above, plastic screens, at least on the Z2, scratch easily.

2. Unlike glass, plastic screens tend not to be perfectly flat, thus attaching a rigid (e.g., glass) screen protector can be problematic.

3. The "liquid" screen protectors I've tried seem to be oleophilic, not oleophobic.

PS...FWIW, the Z2 Force, which started off at $700 is not available for $300 for the AT&T version. Great phone at that price.

[jackie_w]

Originally Posted by milady133

I wouldn't ditch the cover so soon, yes, plastic doesn't break as easily, but it gets scratches easier...

For me, it's not really a case (no pun intended) of ditching it completely, it's more a case of waiting until the cheap ones turn up without worrying too much. The 'official' cases are way too over-priced for me. I won't be using such a large screen on-the-go and the usual risk factors (pets, young children, bags, backpacks) won't be an issue. My usual old faithful temporary covers are not going to be big enough for this new square-ish design.

[lkmiller]

Originally Posted by Mrs_Often

The back of the Clara is hard smooth plastic (=no grip), with lots of little perforated circles / holes (less surface area = less friction = even less grip).

Hmm, that's disappointing. I like the rubbery back of the Kobo Aura One. Still seems like it would be better than the slick, cold metal of the Oasis.

[jackie_w]

Originally Posted by johnnyb

Gotta love how all the hardcore Kobos are suddenly all over the wedge design. Gotta admit it’s done better on the Forma than on the Oasis.

I think you may be misunderstanding us hardcore Kobo diehards

Speaking only for myself, all I'm seeing is 'new Kobo - want it'. The fact that is resembles an Oasis is of no relevance at all.

[Wearever]

Originally Posted by graycyn

Yeah, the shape is off-putting. I have the Oasis2 and it's not the least bit comfortable to hold plus has awkward button placement. I like the idea of a lighter, less fragile 8" Kobo, but not a fan of the squarish shape. It also looks like the buttons would be easy to accidentally press if you rarely use buttons.

I'll see what reviewers say. Maybe order from Walmart if reviews are positive, return if I hate it.

There's certainly no rush, I haven't damaged an ereader yet, and my Aura ONE is great. Wish they'd made it with a normal shape and Voyage style buttons that could be turned off.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Same, I would order from Walmart just for the ease of returns. I'm also waiting for reviews on the battery life.

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by Paperbackstash

I haven't compared them myself, but I did read a post today on the e-blog-reader that states this was designed to be more comfortable than the Oasis because the back is completely flat like most e-readers. A lot of people were turned off from the uneven back of the oasis. They curved it for the battery in front instead of the back to counteract this, which makes sense to me.

I'm on the other side of the Oasis debate.

The front should be flat as when you hold the device, your fingers curl around the back anyway. On the front, you're better off with a flat surface. You can look at other uneven devices like the Lenovo Yoga tablet and the Sony Z4 tablet. The front is flat and the back is curved.

Here are a couple of (appropriately sized) images:

[snoeki]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Given the picture, does this mean in some new firmware release we'll have landscape?

You think just like me

I am sure it will come in the future, perhaps near future. Just like overdrive, first on the Aura One's and now on every kobo...

[sawdin2]

Good E reader notes that it will have a Freescale IMX6 Solo Lite 1 GHZ processor with 512MB of RAM. That's the same as the KA1, isn't it? From reviews, isn't the KA1 a bit "slow" at times? Of course, that could be mainly due to software.

[jackie_w]

Originally Posted by Amon_Re

I couldn't find any mentioning of the DPI of that screen and is it really .2" bigger (the screen that is) than the A1? That's only half a centimeter....

As far as I know it's 300ppi. One spec I read says it's 1440x1920 pixels. The KA1 is 1404x1872 pixels.

I suppose the battery may have to work a bit harder to refresh those 5% extra pixels for every page turn.

[sawdin2]

Originally Posted by jackie_w

As far as I know it's 300dpi. One spec I read says it's 1440x1920 pixels. The KA1 is 1404x1872 pixels.

I suppose the battery may have to work a bit harder to refresh those 5% extra pixels for every page turn.

From the specs listed on the Kobo CA page:
8.0" 300 PPI E Ink Carta display, 1440 × 1920 resolution

[issybird]

Originally Posted by sawdin2

You are correct; closer to $30, not $40. Shipping to NH is an option for me, which saves $15 in tax. Can't wait to read the reviews.

I tend to overlook the sales tax factor, which is significant.

[Amon_Re]

Originally Posted by sawdin2

From the specs listed on the Kobo CA page:
8.0" 300 PPI E Ink Carta display, 1440 × 1920 resolution

Hmmm... Not really much of an upgrade over the A1 really

[John F]

Can we expect any differences in clarity with the plastic vs glass substrate?