Glo Glo Battery Problems

[VelvetElvis]

Having ongoing issues with rapid battery depletion.

Returned a Glo purchased at Christmas due to this issue. Got a replacement, updated the firmware, and am again having problems. I might add that the sideloaded books on this device cause NO issues on my PRS-T1, nor my GF's Touch.

Here's a calendar of results:

- Fully charged reader on Jan 25 at 6:00 PM and put to sleep. Wireless is off.
- Jan 26 9:00 am 72%
- Jan 27 9:00 am 46%
- Jan 28 4:00 am – Please recharge...
- Jan 28 3:45 pm. Factory reset. Wireless off. Installed a free Kobo ebook (The -Jungle). Went to page 1 of the book and put the device to sleep.
- Jan 29 3:49 am – 96%
- Jan 30 3:54 am – 96%
No issues with this book from Kobo..

- Jan 30 3:00 pm – 96%. Recharged and sideloaded epub w/Calibre
- Jan 31 3:55 am - 100%. Loaded 3 more epubs w/Calibre
- Feb 1 4:00 am – 100%
- Feb 5 1:00 pm – Dead. Charged Touch and put same book on it as test. Changed to a different book then put to sleep
- Feb 6 4:00 am – 91%
- Feb 6 2:38 pm – Glo at 63%. Touch still at 100% after an hour of reading with same book.

It seems evident to me that this unit is having an issue with sideloaded epubs. Note that the same book on the Touch at the same time exhibited no issues. As well, there was NO reading done during this time with the Glo. It sat on a desk, and was only turned on to check battery life.

I'm at my wit's end. This is our 3rd Kobo, and we've had zero issues with the Kobo Wireless and Touch.

Battery issues seem to be a problem with some people, based on other threads. Any ideas as to what I should do? Maybe install an older firmware? Or just contact Kobo, again? Right now, it's a $130 paperweight.

UPDATE: April 20/13
It's been pretty solidly determined (by forum users and not Kobo) that any material touching the screen when the device is put to sleep, will cause screen sensors to remain active, and rapidly deplete the battery. This can be caused (as in my case) by something as innocuous as a pocket flap inside the cover sagging and brushing the screen when closed.

Firmware rev. 2.5 has been released, but in keeping with Kobo's policy of not publishing a changelog, at this point I have no idea whether or not the battery issue was addressed. One reader seems to thing perhaps it is, but we'll definitely need more evidence. Or better still, some input from Kobo.

So, until we hear conclusively whether this fixes the problem, when you
put your device to sleep, wait (a) until the cover graphic appears (according to some), or (b) by some others, including myself, wait about 30 seconds or so before letting anything touch the screen during sleep mode. A less optimal solution would be to power off completely.

[TechniSol]

Very interesting results. I'd suggest you forward them to Kobo. Perhaps someone from the Beta testing group can forward it to a direct representative of the software team.

At first I thought you had a "bad" ebook of some sort, that Kobo hasn't allowed for yet in their processing, and that was the end of it until they do, but testing and getting a differing result on the Touch makes it more interesting... I'm very curious if you're running the same firmware version on both readers? Of course, even if they were running the same firmware there could be different modules or tasks run based on which hardware the code determines it's running upon.

It would be interesting to see if the newer firmware on the Glo has a bug where a process keeps going and depletes the battery, or if the same firmware runs fine on the Touch, but not the Glo because of a hardware difference or something else. It would probably account for a lot of the battery drain posts with the Glo.

[VelvetElvis]

Originally Posted by TechniSol

Very interesting results. I'd suggest you forward them to Kobo. Perhaps someone from the Beta testing group can forward it to a direct representative of the software team.

At first I thought you had a "bad" ebook of some sort, that Kobo hasn't allowed for yet in their processing, and that was the end of it until they do, but testing and getting a differing result on the Touch makes it more interesting... I'm very curious if you're running the same firmware version on both readers? Of course, even if they were running the same firmware there could be different modules or tasks run based on which hardware the code determines it's running upon.

It would be interesting to see if the newer firmware on the Glo has a bug where a process keeps going and depletes the battery, or if the same firmware runs fine on the Touch, but not the Glo because of a hardware difference or something else. It would probably account for a lot of the battery drain posts with the Glo.

Yes, both the Glo and the Touch have 2.3.1 Just going to do some more testing and see if returning to Home before sleeping makes a difference.

[GeoffR]

Originally Posted by VelvetElvis

- Jan 28 3:45 pm. Factory reset. Wireless off. Installed a free Kobo ebook (The -Jungle). Went to page 1 of the book and put the device to sleep.
- Jan 29 3:49 am – 96%
- Jan 30 3:54 am – 96%
No issues with this book from Kobo..

To check whether the problem is with sideloaded books in general or something wrong with the specific books you have sideloaded, you could download the epub version of the free Kobo book that had no problems and see if there is any difference when it is sideloaded.

I had problems with a book I bought from Kobo where there was one giant html file for the whole book. I didn't read it long enough to see if it caused the battery to drain, but it was very slow to turn pages. Kobo offered me store credit, but I decided to keep the book because all the problems disappeared once I ran the epub version through Calibre to break up the html file into one file per chapter.

[TechniSol]

Is it also the same release or build version? Under Settings-Device Information-software version: I see 2.3.1 (r45611, 12/7/12) on both my Glo and my Touch.

The r, or I assume, release(build version) version has varied on other firmwares with the same #.#.# for the Touch previously, possibly due to geographic concerns...

Seems like Kobo would want to get on top of this all the way down to customer support to save wasting money on unnecessary swap-outs and customers getting psyched out & waiting for replacements that won't solve the problem if it's merely a firmware issue rather than battery issues as was previously thought.

No one is happy about firmware bugs, but they beat the heck out of hardware issues requiring returns, etc. Honestly, I think the hardware should be the last thing to suspect concerning Kobo issues. Both the Touch and Glo seem to be well designed and built. I think they just need a chance to debug and round up all the little beasties they're chasing. I hope most are their bugs rather than third parties over which they have less control, but ultimately they need to be dealt with no matter what their origins.

[davidfor]

Originally Posted by VelvetElvis

Yes, both the Glo and the Touch have 2.3.1 Just going to do some more testing and see if returning to Home before sleeping makes a difference.

That is a good idea. From my experience, it doesn't make a difference, but, the battery on my Glo doesn't consistently drain as fast as you are seeing. I have seen the batter drop more than expected at time, but generally I can relate those to when I was reading a lot.

Is the epub you are loading available anywhere? If it is a free book somewhere, then the rest of us can try.

Originally Posted by GeoffR

To check whether the problem is with sideloaded books in general or something wrong with the specific books you have sideloaded, you could download the epub version of the free Kobo book that had no problems and see if there is any difference when it is sideloaded.

That is also a good test. Plus if it doesn't cause problems, we should be able to open it and compare to the problem book.

Another interesting test would be to load a book that seems to be causing problems as a .kepub.epub. That would show if it was something ADE was doing on the device.

[davidfor]

Originally Posted by TechniSol

Is it also the same release or build version? Under Settings-Device Information-software version: I see 2.3.1 (r45611, 12/7/12) on both my Glo and my Touch.

The r, or I assume, release(build version) version has varied on other firmwares with the same #.#.# for the Touch previously, possibly due to geographic concerns...

Yes, the "r" number is a build number. The times I have seen same version number with different build number have been because of a quick fix. They release the firmware, found a showstopper of some sort and released a new build fairly quickly.

[VelvetElvis]

Originally Posted by GeoffR

To check whether the problem is with sideloaded books in general or something wrong with the specific books you have sideloaded, you could download the epub version of the free Kobo book that had no problems and see if there is any difference when it is sideloaded.

I had problems with a book I bought from Kobo where there was one giant html file for the whole book. I didn't read it long enough to see if it caused the battery to drain, but it was very slow to turn pages. Kobo offered me store credit, but I decided to keep the book because all the problems disappeared once I ran the epub version through Calibre to break up the html file into one file per chapter.

That is something I could try. However, 2 of the books that I tried with the Glo function perfectly well on other devices.

[VelvetElvis]

Originally Posted by TechniSol

Is it also the same release or build version? Under Settings-Device Information-software version: I see 2.3.1 (r45611, 12/7/12) on both my Glo and my Touch.

The r, or I assume, release(build version) version has varied on other firmwares with the same #.#.# for the Touch previously, possibly due to geographic concerns....

They're both 2.3.1 r45611, 12/7/12
I was hoping they weren't the same.

Seems like Kobo would want to get on top of this all the way down to customer support to save wasting money on unnecessary swap-outs and customers getting psyched out & waiting for replacements that won't solve the problem if it's merely a firmware issue rather than battery issues as was previously thought.

No one is happy about firmware bugs, but they beat the heck out of hardware issues requiring returns, etc. Honestly, I think the hardware should be the last thing to suspect concerning Kobo issues. Both the Touch and Glo seem to be well designed and built. I think they just need a chance to debug and round up all the little beasties they're chasing. I hope most are their bugs rather than third parties over which they have less control, but ultimately they need to be dealt with no matter what their origins.

While the Kobos are my girlfriends, I'm tasked with library and maintenance duties. The Glo is an impressive unit - I just hope we can get this sorted out.

[VelvetElvis]

Originally Posted by davidfor

That is a good idea. From my experience, it doesn't make a difference, but, the battery on my Glo doesn't consistently drain as fast as you are seeing. I have seen the batter drop more than expected at time, but generally I can relate those to when I was reading a lot.

Is the epub you are loading available anywhere? If it is a free book somewhere, then the rest of us can try.

Unfortunately, it's not. And it's more than one book.

That is also a good test. Plus if it doesn't cause problems, we should be able to open it and compare to the problem book.

Another interesting test would be to load a book that seems to be causing problems as a .kepub.epub. That would show if it was something ADE was doing on the device.

I'd thought of that, but each test takes at least several days to get usable results. To be honest, I'm at the point where, short of a firmware downgrade, I'm ready to hand the issue back over to Kobo.

[stethorn]

My glo seems to have a bigger drain at the moment, but its only on its 2nd charge and is nothing like yours. I loose about 2 - 3 % a day in sleep. I did notice one strange thing though, on its factory charge the battery percentage hardly moved, but now I am taking it to work its draining in sleep a lot faster. No books have been added. Its as if when I am travelling its having a bigger drain, I was wondering if when its in its slip in my bag slight pressure is on the screen making it think that its been used. Or if even though the wifi is off, could it still be seeing networks and when I am moving its constantly looking out for various access points.

My old Kindle keyboard has been in standby for over 2 weeks and the battery meter has not moved. I think kobo should remove the % from future firmware releases.

[davidfor]

Originally Posted by VelvetElvis

Unfortunately, it's not. And it's more than one book.

That's what I thought you would say. The two next thoughts are to open then with Sigil and see it is shows errors. This will also rewrite the files if you save the. Alternatively, doing and epub-to-epub conversion in calibre will make changes to the files. It can also make formatting changes, but these can be turned off. Of course, both of these require the no DRM in the books.

Are there any similarities between the epubs? Things like size, number of chapters, source, author or anything else. The last few could indicate similar construction of the books which could give clues.

I'd thought of that, but each test takes at least several days to get usable results. To be honest, I'm at the point where, short of a firmware downgrade, I'm ready to hand the issue back over to Kobo.

I can understand that. I don't have the patience to leave my Glo alone long enough to see this. But, I've been trying to think of a suitable book to load overnight. Then I just have to remember to check the battery level before reading on the train in the morning.

[Mrs_Often]

Originally Posted by VelvetElvis

Having ongoing issues with rapid battery depletion.

[...]

I'm at my wit's end. This is our 3rd Kobo, and we've had zero issues with the Kobo Wireless and Touch.

Battery issues seem to be a problem with some people, based on other threads. Any ideas as to what I should do? Maybe install an older firmware? Or just contact Kobo, again? Right now, it's a $130 paperweight.

I'm really sorry your replacement is also crappy. I can imagine the frustration this must cause. I would contact Kobo again as suggested above as well, with your test results. Try and get hold of one of the smarter customer support people. I would also try going back to 2.1.5... just in case.

---

I was having the same problems, Glo is now being exchanged and...

Originally Posted by TechniSol

[...] customers getting psyched out & waiting for replacements [...]

...yep that's me

I tested all sorts of things and compared it to my Touch as well, which showed perfect battery life. Currently my Touch estimate is 43 days of sleep with book in memory (I'm very interested to see if it actually gets to 43 days; now 22 days in at 51%), as apposed to 4-6 days of sleep for my Glo with the same book in memory on the same page.

Originally Posted by GeoffR

To check whether the problem is with sideloaded books in general or something wrong with the specific books you have sideloaded, you could download the epub version of the free Kobo book that had no problems and see if there is any difference when it is sideloaded.

I did try that, and both the kepub and epub of the same book gave horrible battery life on the Glo. In fact, the kepub version gave worse battery life (4 days instead of 5-6). I didn't get to try the kepub on the Touch, though.

Originally Posted by davidfor

Alternatively, doing and epub-to-epub conversion in calibre will make changes to the files.

I did this as well. And the nicely converted version of the book is the one I put on both my Glo and Touch and compared. Nice performance on Touch, but still bad battery on Glo.

Originally Posted by TechniSol

It would be interesting to see if the newer firmware on the Glo has a bug where a process keeps going and depletes the battery, or if the same firmware runs fine on the Touch, but not the Glo because of a hardware difference or something else. It would probably account for a lot of the battery drain posts with the Glo.

Is that possible? I was doubtful about why the battery should be so bad... but I too had the same firmware version for my Touch and Glo (2.3.2 for me) and it's exactly because I couldn't imagine such huge battery drain differences within one firmware (even on two separate devices) that I decided to exchange my Glo... But since VelvetElvis is on his second Glo with the same problems I'm beginning to believe what you suggest is indeed possible and in fact a real existing problem at the moment. I was planning to go back to 2.1.5 on my Glo after the last test I was doing, but my last test was cut short by me deciding to send my Glo back to Kobo when I got a response from them.

Originally Posted by VelvetElvis

Yes, both the Glo and the Touch have 2.3.1 Just going to do some more testing and see if returning to Home before sleeping makes a difference.

This was in fact the last test that I started. But unfortunately I only have one data point for that: sleep mode from home screen at 91%, no battery drop in 25.5 hours. Sounds good, but it's very difficult to compare as battery percent between 91 and 100 always seem either faster or slower in dropping than the rest of the 0-90% range. Also I don't have comparable data points for sleep with loaded book around that % charge.

Originally Posted by TechniSol

Seems like Kobo would want to get on top of this all the way down to customer support to save wasting money on unnecessary swap-outs and customers getting psyched out & waiting for replacements that won't solve the problem if it's merely a firmware issue rather than battery issues as was previously thought.

Yes indeed. If this is firmware, it's an extremely awful bug. But, if it is firmware, why are there relatively few people with the problem? I can't imagine most people sleep their devices only after going back to the home screen...

[John F]

Any chance the light is staying on? I had a problem where when my Glo entered sleep, the light would come on very, very dim. The problem lasted a couple of times going into/out of sleep mode, and then went away. It was very hard to tell the light was on (in sleep mode), I had to go into a completely dark area to see it was on.

Good luck.

[Mrs_Often]

Originally Posted by John F

Any chance the light is staying on? I had a problem where when my Glo entered sleep, the light would come on very, very dim. The problem lasted a couple of times going into/out of sleep mode, and then went away. It was very hard to tell the light was on (in sleep mode), I had to go into a completely dark area to see it was on.

Good luck.

Interesting point. And very weird.

But even if the light is on, the kind of battery life that VelvetElvis is having (charge ~2x a week) couldn't be due to very very dimly light LED lights could it?

As for me, I don't think my light stayed on. I did some testing as well where I always made sure to switch off the light before putting the Glo to sleep, just to be sure that the "memory" of the light needing to go back on wasn't the problem. But then again, you never know.