Glo new Kobo with Internal SDHC 4GB

[StefDrums]

hi all,
I bought a KoboGlo few days ago, it seems to have 2GB for user files.
I want to change internal SD, so i opened it, but i found a 4 GB SDHC class 4 !!!!

I mounted it in my card reader and, using GPARTED I discover that the SD has 1,85 GB of free unpartitioned space after the FAT32 partition!

isn't a little bit strange??

I open this thread only to tell all KoboGlo owner that probably they have a 4GB SD inside their kobo.

bye!

[jlynton]

Originally Posted by StefDrums

hi all,
I bought a KoboGlo few days ago, it seems to have 2GB for user files.
I want to change internal SD, so i opened it, but i found a 4 GB SDHC class 4 !!!!

I mounted it in my card reader and, using GPARTED I discover that the SD has 1,85 GB of free unpartitioned space after the FAT32 partition!

isn't a little bit strange??

I open this thread only to tell all KoboGlo owner that probably they have a 4GB SD inside their kobo.

bye!

Lucky you, you can use gparted to expand the FAT32 partition to use all the unpartitioned space. My glo came with a 2GB internal uSD

[davidfor]

This has been reported before. And the reporter did what you did. I have opened my Glo and, like jlynton, it has a 2GB card.

[DomesticExtremis]

Maybe you just can't buy 2GB cards any more, or the 4GB ones are now cheaper.
I would guess they only format 2GB because they are using some fixed size disk image.

[murg]

Originally Posted by DomesticExtremis

Maybe you just can't buy 2GB cards any more, or the 4GB ones are now cheaper.
I would guess they only format 2GB because they are using some fixed size disk image.

It's also possible that these are defective cards, where there is a good 2gb chunk that they can map and use.

[TechniSol]

My guess is that since all their marketing and specs are set up for 2GB, as well as factory images, etc., it's just less trouble, less questions, less headaches. 2GB cards could be going the way of the dodo.

I do wonder if they're as fast at class 4 as the class 2 models were for small random writes. My first Chinese knockoff Android tablet(MID816) from a couple of years ago came with a class 2 SDHC internal card and a bunch of people from a forum I joined upgraded to class 10 larger SDHC cards with little overall improvement, if any...

[david8866]

Just for fun. Many Chinese mp3 players do best with class 4 (and under) cards. I don't why. I do know many had trouble when class 10 cards were used.

[luigizanotti]

Any idea why when I changed the internal 2Gb MicroSD with a class2 4Gb MicroSD the Kobo became sluggish? Slow book opening, slow page turning, slow 'exit to home'.

One I put in the original uSD everything went back to normal.

[Shai-Hulud]

Originally Posted by luigizanotti

Any idea why when I changed the internal 2Gb MicroSD with a class2 4Gb MicroSD the Kobo became sluggish?

Slow as it is, clearly the Kobo requires at least a class 4 for acceptable disk read/writes though, as Techisol has observed, there will be a threshold beyond which no noticeable benefits will be observed.

[luigizanotti]

Interestingly enough, I am led to think my original uSD is a class 2 too. I mean, it has nothing written (I am speaking about the numbers in a circle): that does mean it is the lowest possible class, am I wrong on this?

[GeoffR]

Originally Posted by luigizanotti

Any idea why when I changed the internal 2Gb MicroSD with a class2 4Gb MicroSD the Kobo became sluggish? Slow book opening, slow page turning, slow 'exit to home'.

One I put in the original uSD everything went back to normal.

There seems to be a huge range of speeds between cards of the same class. For example in this test http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/...e,3011-12.html some class 4 cards were 20 times faster than other class 4 cards at small random access operations. The class 2/4 sandisk cards (which the Kobos come with) seem to do fairly well in these tests, so your new card might just be slower.

I replaced my Glo's original 2GB card with a 8GB class 4 sandisk card and didn't notice any difference in speed afterwards.

[Shai-Hulud]

Originally Posted by luigizanotti

Interestingly enough, I am led to think my original uSD is a class 2 too. I mean, it has nothing written (I am speaking about the numbers in a circle): that does mean it is the lowest possible class, am I wrong on this?

Obviously if your card predates the introduction of the class rating circa mid 2008 then it won't carry the stamp. But some generic or unbranded cards don't carry this mark anyhow. So there's no real way of knowing short of benchmarking its actual capabilities with something like CrystalDiskMark.

[TechniSol]

Actually, what I was saying is that for short random writes class 2 cards can be 50-100 times faster than a class 4 or 10 card. Somewhat counter-intuitive, huh?

The newer cards with higher speed ratings were designed to transfer larger amounts of data in larger structures, blocks, sectors etc., consequently when trying to write smaller amounts of data at randomized locations rather than linear areas they are slower because they have to address and write to much larger blocks or areas than are actually being changed.

I think this, perhaps more than cost, was why the lower class cards are more popular in Android/Linux devices when used for internal storage/boot disk applications.

[Shai-Hulud]

Originally Posted by TechniSol

Actually, what I was saying is that for short random writes class 2 cards can be 50-100 times faster than a class 4 or 10 card.

There is too much variability to say either way. It's down to the individual card I'm afraid and testing is the only reliable deciding factor unless you happen to see the exact card already benchmarked on a trusted site e.g. Tom's Hardware. I was merely pointing out that for a slow device like the KT you bash into the law of diminishing returns much sooner.

Originally Posted by TechniSol

I think this, perhaps more than cost, was why the lower class cards are more popular in Android/Linux devices when used for internal storage/boot disk applications.

Not strictly true as inevitably a trade off between sequential and random read/writes is necessary depending on typical usage requirements e.g. Of the half dozen cards I tested on my Raspberry Pi, an Ultra class 10 Sandisk works best for all round performance. A slower device like the KT is going to be less demanding and will have a different typical usage profile such that a different card may be better suited (but not necessarily a lower class).

Notwithstanding, I would be willing to wager that the selection criteria was simply an acceptable performance profile for the lowest possible bulk price and these have a tendency to be the lower class cards anyhow.

[henriquemaia]

I've found by chance that mine has a 4GB card too.

I've resized the partition using gparted to claim those extra GB. It worked and no data was lost. But now whenever I reboot, all configurations are lost. Does anyone know what might be the problem?