New Kobo Aura HD eInk eReader 1440x1080

[HarryT]

This looks like a very interesting device indeed.

[danskmacabre]

Originally Posted by davidfor

I have used that rationalisation in the past. Until one day my wife asked why she always got the second-hand device.

Historically my wife hated mobile phones, computers, internet, pretty much any devices.
When she met me, a total technophile, computer programmer, gadget nut etc,
Over the years she got used to it all.
What it still means tho is she's not comfortable with any new technology until I use it first and can then show her how to use it, which of course puts me in a great position as I love new stuff.

[davidfor]

Originally Posted by danskmacabre

Historically my wife hated mobile phones, computers, internet, pretty much any devices.
When she met me, a total technophile, computer programmer, gadget nut etc,
Over the years she got used to it all.
What it still means tho is she's not comfortable with any new technology until I use it first and can then show her how to use it, which of course puts me in a great position as I love new stuff.

My wife is the same. But, the difference between the Aura and the other Kobo devices wouldn't be enough to trigger the technophobia. She would just see it as a "the same but bigger".

[Rizla]

6.8" screen and 1440×1080 res...That's a bold move. I didn't even know e-ink made them. That must have cost.

On reflection it makes sense. Amazon is constantly pursuing the budget market and has neglected the high-end market.

[danskmacabre]

Originally Posted by davidfor

My wife is the same. But, the difference between the Aura and the other Kobo devices wouldn't be enough to trigger the technophobia. She would just see it as a "the same but bigger".

She'll only know that if you tell her there's not much difference.
Just spout technobabble at her until her eyes glaze over and she gets bored..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=naXLxNX4UZc

[davidfor]

Originally Posted by danskmacabre

She'll only know that if you tell her there's not much difference.
Just spout technobabble at her until her eyes glaze over and she gets bored..

That would work except that she has a finely tuned BS detector

[Aidan]

I remember before the paperwhite came out I described the device that I wished Amazon would make. It seems Kobo has made it instead;

I asked for a 7'' screen - Kobo makes 6.8''

I asked for a higher definition screen - Kobo makes highest on market

I asked for faster page turns - Kobo claims faster turns

I asked for more customisability - Kobo has more fonts, sizes and options than amazon devices

I asked for more visual interface - Kobo has this

It's spooky, Kobo has made the device I've wanted since I first bought a eink reader. They've also ignored the features I don't care about, colour and closer social network integration. At £140 its fairly priced and I get to play around with it at WH Smith before I buy. As long as it sticks to all its promises I'll be buying this very soon after its release.

[mbovenka]

Oh my. This might just tempt me away from my DXG. I always said I wouldn't go back to anything smaller, but at this resolution...

(I still want a reader with the 9.7" 2400x1600 300 ppi screen EInk makes, though)

[David Munch]

Originally Posted by JD Gumby

And, despite the video, expect the screen redraws to be slower than the Glo (same speed CPU, but larger screen area and resolution to compensate for).

By that you are assuming that they use the same CPU.

[latepaul]

Question for anyone else in the UK: am I reading the WHSmith website correctly? They only deliver to the credit card billing address on the standard delivery. So to get them to deliver to my work address I have to pay for 'courier delivery'.

[joblack]

I'm wondering if the sidelight can be completely disabled?

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by joblack

I'm wondering if the sidelight can be completely disabled?

The description says that there's an on-off button for the frontlight:

Buttons Power on/off, light on/off

[GeoffR]

Originally Posted by joblack

I'm wondering if the sidelight can be completely disabled?

Yes. The physical button on the top turns the light off or on, the brightness is controlled theough the touchscreen interface.

[JD Gumby]

Originally Posted by David Munch

By that you are assuming that they use the same CPU.

The various reports on the Aura's announcement are saying it's a Freescale and we know it's 1GHz - and the Glo's a 1GHz Freescale (the Touch is a Freescale, as well, though I can't remember if it's 600MHz or 800MHz). So, unless it's a newer generation of Freescale CPU that gets more work out of each clock cycle, it should perform a bit worse than the Glo due to the higher resolution and larger screen size.

[taming]

Originally Posted by JD Gumby

The various reports on the Aura's announcement are saying it's a Freescale and we know it's 1GHz - and the Glo's a 1GHz Freescale (the Touch is a Freescale, as well, though I can't remember if it's 600MHz or 800MHz). So, unless it's a newer generation of Freescale CPU that gets more work out of each clock cycle, it should perform a bit worse than the Glo due to the higher resolution and larger screen size.

This is only true if the older models were fully utilizing the capacity of the CPU. Kobo has improved page speed etc numerous times without hardware changes.

From http://www.newstatesman.com/technolo...doesnt-friends

Kobo is in town for the London Book Fair, and used the opportunity to launch its new ereader. The tech itself is fancy as hell: described by the company as being designed from the ground up for "passionate" readers, it's got an ultra-high resolution screen (slightly sharper than an iPad 4's, though at that stage, who's counting?), sharp industrial design, and a speedy processor that makes it feel faster than any e-ink reader I've used before.