played with new wifi kobo

[billthereader]

Originally Posted by digital_steve

We all want faster page turns, quiter dpad clicks would be great and i, personally, would adore a usable dictionary... is it worth the $149CAD (whatever that is going to translate into for Aussie buyers)? No way.
I bought my KOBO not so long ago for $199AUD, why should i have to fork that out again?

My view (personal one) is that they should've done more R&D for the next kobo unit whilst ironing out firmware and software issues on the original unit

Did you buy an orginal Kindle (or 2) as well? Same story there.

My guess for the new Kobo hitting the market now has more to do with the Christmas season coming up and the direct competition between the Kindle and "everyone else". Here in Canada, Kobo has suddenly put themselves in a very good position with this new model. Amazon Canada is perhaps one of the worst online stores I've virtually entered.

If you like your original Kobo and it works, then that's all that matters. No need to buy a new unit unless you have the disposible cash or a need for page speed.

[zoran]

Originally Posted by billthereader

If you like your original Kobo and it works, then that's all that matters.

Maybe for a new screen sharpness?

[taming]

My understanding is the Kobo has its own flavor of DRM for ePUB contained within the sqlite Db. In that way, it is like iBook or Nook, which also run versions of DRM ePUB unique unto themselves. The difference is that books purchased from Kobo, unlike Nook or iBook or Amazon, can be downloaded and used on other devices as ePUB with ADE, or, in some instances, ePUB with no DRM at all. They can be run that way on Kobo, or on other ePUB friendly devices.

I bought the original Kobo back in May for $149 because it was $100 cheaper than the competition in ePUB readers (still true with the newest reader vs Sony 6") and because it seemed like a good choice for reading fiction. It still meets all of my needs.

I'd like a dictionary. I'd like higher contrast. I might even like WiFi. That being said, none of those features go to the heart of why I bought my first Kobo. And if I decide to buy the new one, then I do so knowing that the discount on books I have bought and enjoyed in the time since my first purchase have more than paid for the cost of the device.

[tpw]

Originally Posted by Joyful

Just timed my new Kobo and it goes to sleep in 15 minutes - that's the same as the previous one, I think. It's been asleep for 2 and 1/2 hours and still hasn't powered off. I don't know how long the older Kobo takes from sleep to power off.

Joyful

Magic! I truly hope this is the intended behaviour. Sleep after 15 minutes (with quick resume), but don't power off unless the user actually holds the power button. Can anyone else confirm this behaviour?

[3d0g]

Originally Posted by digital_steve

WTF is kobo format?
Is this new or something? As far as i know, the KOBO is an epub reader...

Nope. The Kobo has always been a Shortcover format eReader that also supports EPUB. While both formats are XHTML spec, they are not the same.

Shortcover stores the book data in a sqlite database on the kobo with one page per database record. EPUB stores book data as one file per chapter. EPUB also supports considerably more XHTML tags than Shortcover (inline images, etc.)

[3d0g]

Originally Posted by taming

My understanding is the Kobo has its own flavor of DRM for ePUB contained within the sqlite Db.

The sqlite isn't in EPUB format but kobo's own Shortcover format. Both Shortcover and EPUB use AES128 encryption though the encryption keys are generated differently.

[taming]

Thanks 3dOg! I had no idea. Earlier you said that the Kobo format didn't support images--but there are now images in books on the new reader, so something has changed.

It seems so odd to me that Kobo format handles chapter changes so poorly given that they have one file per book rather than separate folders like ePUB--ePub files do not have those awkward transitions.

[robko]

Originally Posted by taming

Thanks 3dOg! I had no idea. Earlier you said that the Kobo format didn't support images--but there are now images in books on the new reader, so something has changed.

This one is really starting to piss me off!!! I can't believe how much I was missing in terms of graphics/formatting on the original KOBO when using KOBO native format books. I love my KOBO (which is why I bought the new one) but as someone said in an earlier thread the original just was NOT COMPLETE. I was in the "technology moves on - deal with it" camp, so I wasn't that bitter about spending again for something better (which this is), but now I feel like I paid for a defective product the first time around.

Robert

[taming]

It may be that the update to the old reader to see has the improved handling of things like images in the native format. I guess we will see .

For myself, as long as I could get good formatting in ePUBs the Kobo format didn't mean anything to me. I wanted the ePUBs because they are not tied to any one brand of reader.

People value different things.

[JCKobo]

Originally Posted by tpw

So, no option to change auto-poweroff then? That's basically a deal breaker for me.

The Kobo Wireless Reader doesn't power off - it auto-sleeps. You can turn the device off manually if you want, but it will just sleep after 15 minutes - it won't turn off 15 minutes later.

[JCKobo]

Originally Posted by taming

It may be that the update to the old reader to see has the improved handling of things like images in the native format. I guess we will see .

For myself, as long as I could get good formatting in ePUBs the Kobo format didn't mean anything to me. I wanted the ePUBs because they are not tied to any one brand of reader.

People value different things.

We are working to update the original reader to support the same format as the Wireless Reader, however since the original Kobo reader has less RAM and a weaker CPU, we need to do more optimization and testing to get it working there.

[Pookeysgirl]

Originally Posted by JCKobo

We are working to update the original reader to support the same format as the Wireless Reader, however since the original Kobo reader has less RAM and a weaker CPU, we need to do more optimization and testing to get it working there.

Any news on the next update for the original kobo?

[JCKobo]

All I can say is it's coming soon. I understand this is frustrating as we've been saying that for a while, but I don't want to give specific dates unless I'm 100% sure we'll release it on that date. As soon as it's firm, I'll come back and let you all know.

[Duiker]

Originally Posted by JCKobo

All I can say is it's coming soon. I understand this is frustrating as we've been saying that for a while, but I don't want to give specific dates unless I'm 100% sure we'll release it. As soon as it's firm, I'll come back and let you all know.

Well I for one feel like Kobo has left it's original supporters out to dry. I'm very put off that Kobo has the audacity to release the new unit with updated firmware but STILL can't update the original. All the time and resources that have been spent in building new firmware for the new reader for the new customers speaks to how little customer loyalty Kobo has. Remember us? We're the ones who all bought the original and kept you in business just so you could forget about us.

[taming]

I'd rather have it right than have it now...assuming we aren't waiting too much longer. BTW, too much longer isn't very long at all in my book. I'm patient, but I'm no saint.