Kobo Aura One Long-Term Review

[TheHazardsDuke]

That was a good review. Seems like it might be a bit of a flawed genius. Lots of good points and cool stuff but some flaws (weight/difficulty to hold one handed) too.

[gibletpie]

Personally, I don't find the Aura One to be noticeably heavier than my PW3, or particularly difficult to hold with one hand, even while reading over long periods. I switch hands no more often than I would with my PW3.

[TheHazardsDuke]

I suppose it's going to vary hugely as to whether its size/shape/weight are comfortable as we all have different sized hands and weight tolerances and what not.

[anacreon]

I have no difficulty reading for long periods left handed sitting, eg on a cafe chair(left) or standing, eg in the bus (right), and I have small arthritic hands.

[rashkae]

Actually, for Canadians, there's a *big* price difference between Kobo and Amazon. HST. Thanks to our politicians being slow updating the way taxable goods are taxed, and Kobo not pulling up stakes out of Canada, Amazon.ca can serve everything digital to Canadian market for 13% less.

[rashkae]

Originally Posted by howyoudoin

GoodeReader are infamously notable for engaging in this kobo crippling crime.

Hear hear.

If every review took the time to take Amazon to task for this glaring "Screw you, that's why," deficiency, maybe someone at Amazon would notice and be motivated to do something about it.

On the other hand, I'm glad Kobo has something they are so much better at. Even if I've chosen to stay with the Kindle readers for my own use, I hope the great sales of the A1 we have seen so far will move the needle and help break the lock Amazon has on indie / self-published titles. Amazon Exclusives are something I feel are hurting *everyone*, (except, of course, the writers collecting the nice cheques.)

[Barty]

Originally Posted by Sweetpea

Nice review, but there's one thing that bothers me: reading on your back with the reader above your head??? I think even holding nothing (just holding your arm up) will be uncomfortable after a few minutes!

.

Yeah I thought that part was odd too. Reviewer also mentioned several times the weight without pointing out you are getting 69% bigger screen. He seems to be coming from perspective of someone who doesn't want a bigger reader, which is fine, but most people considering this reader want it for the bigger size, knowing they must make a trade-off in weight. It's like reviewing an SUV from the pov of someone who just wants a sedan and saying "this thing takes up more room in my garage and uses more gas." Well, no kidding!

His criticism of s/w shortcomings is on point, though, (even if a lot of it is of the "why can't kobo be Amazon" variety). I wish more reviewers would push kobo on the occasional sluggishness and flakiness of their s/w, and more reviewers would push Amazon on their lack of customizability.

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by Barty

Yeah I thought that part was odd too. Reviewer also mentioned several times the weight without pointing out you are getting 69% bigger screen. He seems to be coming from perspective of someone who doesn't want a bigger reader, which is fine, but most people considering this reader want it for the bigger size, knowing they must make a trade-off in weight. It's like reviewing an SUV from the pov of someone who just wants a sedan and saying "this thing takes up more room in my garage and uses more gas." Well, no kidding!

His criticism of s/w shortcomings is on point, though, (even if a lot of it is of the "why can't kobo be Amazon" variety). I wish more reviewers would push kobo on the occasional sluggishness and flakiness of their s/w, and more reviewers would push Amazon on their lack of customizability.

No. I disagree. SUV vs Smart Car. Some sedans are fairly good size.

[MariusMasalar]

Originally Posted by Barty

Yeah I thought that part was odd too. Reviewer also mentioned several times the weight without pointing out you are getting 69% bigger screen. He seems to be coming from perspective of someone who doesn't want a bigger reader, which is fine, but most people considering this reader want it for the bigger size, knowing they must make a trade-off in weight.

I went into this review thinking a bigger screen is obviously better. That was the position I started from. Using it is what changed my mind, and in that sense I am coming at it from the perspective of not wanting a bigger screen, but as I explained to a previous commenter in this thread:

Since the fact that one is bigger than the other is obvious, my goal was to offer an opinion on whether or not that matters and in what way a larger size is better or worse. Sometimes people approach this decision without knowing what size is best for them.

Also, in my defence, I most certainly did point out that you're getting a bigger and better screen and that the weight is still impressive given the size of the screen. These are all direct quotes from the piece:

...The appeal of an e-reader with a larger screen is pretty obvious...

...At 7.8”, the Aura One’s screen is the largest on a modern e-reader, while retaining the 300dpi pixel density we’ve come to expect. It is without a doubt the most beautiful screen on any e-reader on the market. No contest...

...A larger screen requires a larger body, but the Aura One pulls off the illusion of being lighter despite its comparatively huge size. In fact, it is lighter than its direct predecessor, clocking in at 3 grams less than the H2O...

...Initially, I found the Aura One’s size luxurious. Fewer page turns needed! Lots of screen real estate! After about a month though, the novelty wore off...

...The Aura One’s size is a double-edged sword...

I'm not criticizing them for making it bigger (I'm very glad they did), I'm describing the ways in which the larger size did not end up being an appealing factor to me after the initial appeal wore off. Despite my expectation that it would be superior.

[Cinisajoy]

Did you check the DPI on the 9.7" onyx?

[MariusMasalar]

Originally Posted by Cinisajoy

Did you check the DPI on the 9.7" onyx?

Is that the M92/96? I have zero experience with those, I'm afraid. Both appear to have 1200 x 825 resolution though, which according to this calculator puts them in the ~150ppi range. Not sure if that's helpful?

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by MariusMasalar

Is that the M92/96? I have zero experience with those, I'm afraid. Both appear to have 1200 x 825 resolution though, which according to this calculator puts them in the ~150ppi range. Not sure if that's helpful?

I just wanted to make sure your statement about DPI'S was correct.

[Zaroff]

Nice and honest review, but man... sixty percent brightness? And I thought 20% was too much

[haydnfan]

The review described as the Voyage as being by far the most comfortable to hold.

Well that is a huge YMMV. That for me is the least comfortable to hold out of all of the ereaders that I've owned. It's just a thin slab with no attempt at an ergonomic design.

The gold standard was set long ago with the Nook STR. Out of the current generation I find the Kobo Glo HD to be the best due to the textured back, big enough bezel and thickness to grasp comfortably, and of course the overall lightness.

[MariusMasalar]

Originally Posted by haydnfan

The review described as the Voyage as being by far the most comfortable to hold.

Not quite—I find it most comfortable by far for reading in bed, specifically because I don't have to hold it at all.

I just lie down and it stays propped up perfectly in the Origami cover, regardless of which way around I have it.