Touch Kobo Touch Firmware 1.9.16

[taming]

Originally Posted by slowfax

No reset. No On/Off works. The PC doesn't recognize any device, when I connect the Kobo. It's DEAD. The Kobo is like a flat brick now.
Any idea anyone?

Try this way of doing a factory reset:

• Hold down the power button for 15 seconds.
• Hold down the home button and keep it pressed while turning the device on. This should trigger a hard factory reset.

If this does not work, open a ticket with Customer Care, either by calling them or writing to them. See: http://www.kobobooks.com/help

[Joe563]

Originally Posted by PeterT

JD; CALM DOWN...

Lets give Kobo staff a chance to investigate and explain.

I've tried ALL I can and I get NO sign of ANY Google-Analytics cookes on my Touch!

Have ANY of you tried the simple approach of editing that ****** file and removing the values?

I've checked the eReader.conf file on my Touch and it does contain a reference to google-analytics as well as my GMail address. Since I did use the Touch browser to log into my GMail account, my guess is that some of the entries in the file are related to the use of the Touch web browser.

[therealjoeblow]

Originally Posted by frankieGom

Maybe it is device specific, or linked to a specific combination of user settings? The fact that only two people are complaining about such an irritating issue so far seems to be pointing at some other thing than the touch screen driver proper...

François

At least 3 now, Nigol chimed in with the same problem.

The REAL Joe

[taming]

Originally Posted by Joe563

I've checked the eReader.conf file on my Touch and it does contain a reference to google-analytics as well as my GMail address. Since I did use the Touch browser to log into my GMail account, my guess is that some of the entries in the file are related to the use of the Touch web browser.

Sometime back, I misunderstood what a developer asked me to do, and I sent my .config file to the beta list, rather than privately to the developer. They quickly removed the post from the archives because the .config file, way back then, contained information the reader needed to remember, like my adobe login info and kobo login info. I suspect that with folks posting to facebook and visiting websites via the browser (the browser had just been introduced back then), that file has become pretty crowded.

[volpo]

My 2 cents:

The new "carousel" feature takes up the limited available space. It just seems hard to make out the thumbnails. The limited amount of real estate on the screen now seems cluttered. Why not have the buttons on the top line more evenly distributed? Do they have to be bunched up on the right hand side? The 'Update' button should be on its own. If I want to see the time should I have to worry about pressing the 'update' button? Most of our fingers are much bigger than the buttons. If the developers and their managers keep adding stuff to the 'home' page all we'll see is a mess of dark lines and a bit of the background.

I do not see any speed improvement and the fonts don't seem 'clearer'. Sorry but no significant change since the last update (which did slow things down for me).

The 'boot' time has been getting longer with each successive update but that's to be expected since the program has more features with every iteration.

I understand that the developers must do what they are told but at some point the device itself has to be taken into consideration. It is not a tablet don't try to make it seem to be one. Tiny buttons do not make for a good user experience. The screen is too small to keep adding things to. I know it's marketing but the carousel should be a toggle. Honestly tiny black and white images won't sell more books.

[frankieGom]

Originally Posted by therealjoeblow

At least 3 now, Nigol chimed in with the same problem.

The REAL Joe

I am not convinced this and Nigol's problem are the same.
The only double tap problem I heard of in the beta group, of which I am a member, did not explicitly state that the second tap would trigger another action than the expected one, but, unless I misunderstood what was written, that double taps were needed in a lot of place to trigger the expected actions. I have been wrong before, so let's see if he confirms.

But anyway, we have a number of users experiencing erratic behaviour from their device touchscreen, while a number of other do not see this at all. This to me would mean that the issue is not in the firmware proper, but in the HW. Usually, when an issue is widespread, as a firmware one would, the forums are flooded with angry messages from unhappy customers demanding a fix, while people without issues rarely post about their flawless experience.

I am not trying to talk down your issues, as I believe they are genuine, but I have a feeling a call to customer support, as has been already suggested, would be in order to see this through.

and most of all, Merry Christmas,
François

[Lunchtray]

Originally Posted by JD Gumby

Just checked my 1.9.14 and the google-analytics.com crap is still there. And, from the looks of the URLs used ( h-t-t-p-://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmwv=4.9.5&utms=1&utmn=1028046982&utmhn =devices.kobo.com&utmhid=287349228&utmr=-&utmp=% being one of the four), it is redirecting through g-a.com every time the device needs to connect to devices.kobo.com.

This not being a new thing just further guarantees that Kobo shall never get another penny (or any other amount) from me in the future.

Sorry, I don't understand your reasoning here to freak out at Kobo and promise never to spend another dime... You're aware that almost every piece of software on any type of mobile device has Google Analytics inserted into it right?

I work at a mobile games software company and every one of our games for Android, iOS, BlackBerry, etc use it.

It helps the developer to understand the usage behavior of customers/players using the software. Session length, which buttons are being pressed, where customers coming from, etc. There's so much information you need to gather to make educated decisions on how to update and improve your products.

Here's a reality check... Most every piece of technology you use tracks your statistical usage and behavior and sends it back to the company who made it. It's standard practice and you can't really avoid it. So unless you'd like to be a Luddite you'll just have to live with companies being interested in how their products are being used so they can continue with their business and produce more things you'll want in the future

On a separate note:

I'm having the double click issue. On some menu's the first press only highlights the option and then requires a second touch anywhere to continue the original presses action.

It's like the reader isn't sensing the immediate press/release to action a function.

Haven't really noticed quicker page turns but the Ghosting on text is FAR FAR less.

[The Terminator]

I would actually like the recommendations to read side-loaded content, I'm reading some classics that are really good, and I read a ton of books from the BC online Library (One of the biggest online Library's) I usually only buy a book when I can't get it from the Library in under 14 days (If it's a short wait I'll just read something in between)

[Dan_P]

....my joy with having the SD card sorted didnt last many hours.
As soon as the battery dropped to half, the card access/eject problem re-appeared.
charged teh battery and problem gone. I think

Cant get to upset about the gui changes. but do agree that more clicks
is a bad thing in general. Admit that i am nsure why the software update was not just a bug fix instead of software development/update.

[Geeky]

Does that update change anything on pdf rendering? I got a couple of pdf's that worked with a firmware prior to 1.9.14 (not sure if it was .11 or an earlier version), but didn't render the text (pages were blank) with .14.

[HarleyB]

Originally Posted by therealjoeblow

As imsoawesome noted, I have the same BUG with menu items not being properly recognized with one press.

Eg, from Home screen - tap Home, then Library - Library gets hilighted black, but then just sits there locked, until I press it again, Then it goes to the Library, but has the second press in the buffer, and executes that second press right after, and actually opens the book that was under where the press was made.

Does exactly the same thing from Library when I press the View button, and the select one of the 3 options - the option selected turns black, and the device sits there until the choice is pressed again, then it changes the view, and opens executes the second press on the book that is at the bottom right, opening it.

I trust others will report the same, and I hope that the Kobo Dev's will release 1.9.17 IMMEDIATELY with this fixed, as it is a major pain!

Thank you

OH, and while you're at it, please add another option to the menu for the new new bar at the bottom of the home screen called HIDE, so one can turn it off. I have no use for it as many others and would like it gone.

The REAL Joe

I'm very sad to say that I have exactly the same problem. It is driving me insane as I can only open one book in my library - the book that is behind where the blacked out library section is on my home screen. Sadly that's not the book I want to read right now.
When I touch to open the library it just goes black and stays black until I press again (or until the Kobo goes to sleep 15 minutes later.) The second press opens the library and that book which I then close and go back to the home screen and press library which just goes black and doesn't do anything until I press a second time which opens the same book again.

I have the same problem with the "show all" option from the Shortlist. One touch just makes it go black and then the second touch shows my full shortlist but also opens the action box which is in the same place on the next screen.

I can't believe this has happened to me on Christmas day just before I go away for holidays. I upgraded my daughter's Kobo at the same time but luckily she doesn't seem to have the same problem.

It seems my easiest option is to remove almost all of my books so that I only have 6 books on my Kobo at a time -the 5 that show up on the home screen plus the one book that hides behind the library button - as these are the only books I can open.

I'm only going away for a few days so 6 books should be enough but one of my main reasons for having an ereader is so that I can take ALL my books with me.

[Lunchtray]

Does anyone have a working link to the previous firmware? I'd like to try to revert and re-update to 1.9.16 to see if this double clicking menu issue will go away. I checked my step-father's Kobo who just updated and he doesn't seem to have the bug on his 1.9.16 build version.

[Koboyashi]

Please ignore...

[taming]

Originally Posted by Lunchtray

Does anyone have a working link to the previous firmware? I'd like to try to revert and re-update to 1.9.16 to see if this double clicking menu issue will go away. I checked my step-father's Kobo who just updated and he doesn't seem to have the bug on his 1.9.16 build version.

This really is a mysterious one. When something is widespread, it's clearly a firmware issue. These oddities though...

I really don't understand why something like this suddenly turns up though on a very small % of devices and not on others. I'd be tempted to see if I could return the Touch if a reset doesn't fix it and it drives you nuts.

[frankieGom]

Originally Posted by taming

This really is a mysterious one. When something is widespread, it's clearly a firmware issue. These oddities though...

I really don't understand why something like this suddenly turns up though on a very small % of devices and not on others. I'd be tempted to see if I could return the Touch if a reset doesn't fix it and it drives you nuts.

It would be interesting to know if any of the affected users have tried a factory reset prior to re-install and whether it made a difference...
There must be something different with those devices.

François