COPS and Aura HD

[kgn]

Originally Posted by Jarulf

That does sound encouraging, however when you mention 'the new Aura' I'm not sure which you mean. I thought the HD was the newest.

No - the Aura (not Aura HD) is the later model

[kgn]

Originally Posted by Darth_Bane

If you're sideloading books, simply rename your books from *.epub to *.kepub.epub and the bottom margin is greatly reduced. You can go one step further and install Coolreader, which lets you customize practically anything, including setting the margins to zero.

Good idea. Will try the renaming thing.

[Jarulf]

Originally Posted by kgn

No - the Aura (not Aura HD) is the later model

Ah, thanks. Maybe I should look into that one as well then.

[kgn]

Originally Posted by Jarulf

I thought the Aura HD was very customizable? Several reviews seemed to indicate that.

My god no! I guess if all you are comparing it to is a Kindle, then for sure the Aura is better, but not much. I do not trust reviews that much - it is always better to get feedback from actual users.

There are a number of hacks around, and you can load other readers - I guess that gives you a bit more flexibility, but I am not that keen on doing too much of that.

These things are not like my android tablets/phones. I stuff around with them all the time - even rooted a few, replaced ROMs etc. But I actually USE my ereader every single day - it has to work just right, every time, and for years. It is why I am perhaps a bit fussy in getting a new one...

[davidfor]

Originally Posted by Darth_Bane

If you're sideloading books, simply rename your books from *.epub to *.kepub.epub and the bottom margin is greatly reduced.

That isn't the case here on any firmware version I can remember. The area for the bottom bar is the same for both types of books. If you open either type and bring up the bottom menu, the line across the bottom is the same position for both types.

What has changed recently is that the kepub renderer ignores any widows and orphans settings in the book and uses 1 for both. This means the text does fill the screen a bit more. For an epub without widows and orphans settings in the CSS, a value of 3 seems to be used. This means that a lot of space can be left at the end of screen the start or the last three lines of a paragraph are pushed to the next screen.

[Jarulf]

Originally Posted by kgn

My god no! I guess if all you are comparing it to is a Kindle, then for sure the Aura is better, but not much. I do not trust reviews that much - it is always better to get feedback from actual users.

:-) I've never seen a kindle in the wild and have only used my own iRiver so have little to compare with. I actually try to mix site/magazine reviews, user comments and, where possible youtube reviews as much as possible. I live in a small town and don't have many opportunities to actually test a device before buying. But hey, trawling the Internet for info before you buy is fun...

Originally Posted by kgn

There are a number of hacks around, and you can load other readers - I guess that gives you a bit more flexibility, but I am not that keen on doing too much of that.

I saw there was an android thread. Very, very tempted...

Originally Posted by kgn

It is why I am perhaps a bit fussy in getting a new one...

For me is the added concern of a fairly low income, so when I get a new device I need to be sure it's something I'll be comfortable using. I just can't spend that kind of money on a whim.

[kgn]

Originally Posted by Jarulf

For me is the added concern of a fairly low income, so when I get a new device I need to be sure it's something I'll be comfortable using. I just can't spend that kind of money on a whim.

I don't think you can go that wrong getting any sort of ereader. They are all pretty good. I bought kindles for most of my family, and they all love them. But then they all have iPhones as well. Different sort of market, I guess. I use an android phone, and have used an ereader for years. So I guess I like to do the bit of extra research and get the best I can.

My mate likes his Kindle, and now his Kobo Aura HD. But he mainly reads in bed - and swiping to change pages is ok. I do a lot of reading when I go camping - or I sit in the park on the weekends. So I read a lot sitting up in a chair one handed. So I need a reader that can handle that. And I don't think money is an object - this is an item that I will spend hundreds (thousands?) of hours using - a few extra dollars up front makes no real difference.

[Jarulf]

Since I buy my ebooks from a variety of sources, usually on my computer (running Linux) I want sideloading to be as easy as possible. That's why I set up my COPS server, it works great on the Nexus devices, but my iriver can only access one site (public libraries).

Weight is also a fairly important factor since I have some issues with pain in my hands and arms. My Nexus 7 is definitely too heavy when I have a bad spell while the iriver is usuallyok, around 200g seems to be fine.
Most of my reading is done lying on the couch on in bed.

[robko]

Originally Posted by Jarulf

I thought the Aura HD was very customizable? Several reviews seemed to indicate that.

Originally Posted by kgn

My god no! I guess if all you are comparing it to is a Kindle, then for sure the Aura is better, but not much. I do not trust reviews that much - it is always better to get feedback from actual users.

In fairness KGN, I think your definition of customizability and key customizable features isn't exactly the same as how most people here would view it. Most people talking about customizability here are referring to fonts/spacing/margins etc and Kobo is head and shoulders over most of the competition in that regard. So saying the Aura HD has poor customizability overall for most users is a stretch.

[Darth_Bane]

Originally Posted by davidfor

That isn't the case here on any firmware version I can remember. The area for the bottom bar is the same for both types of books. If you open either type and bring up the bottom menu, the line across the bottom is the same position for both types.

What has changed recently is that the kepub renderer ignores any widows and orphans settings in the book and uses 1 for both. This means the text does fill the screen a bit more. For an epub without widows and orphans settings in the CSS, a value of 3 seems to be used. This means that a lot of space can be left at the end of screen the start or the last three lines of a paragraph are pushed to the next screen.

Cool - thanks for the detailed explanation. I knew that the kepub renderer had less wasted space at the bottom of a page than the epub renderer; now I know why. Cheers!