Aura HD Kobo Aura HD

[Sharkus]

Originally Posted by Fourl29

I wrote a much more in depth post on how I feel about this new device and the competition. So I 'll just sum up my buyer beware here (and buy a kindle paperwhite instead):

Minus
Mickey mouse company
Worst in class customer support
Worst in class and horrendously buggy excuse of software (just see the appropriate thread)
Blue light instead of (paper)white
Poor infrared screen that responds as it sees fit, not when it should
Crap dictionaries
Crap notetaking (and that's one of the main attractions of ebooks instead of paperbooks, easy, exportable, syncable, backup-able, notetaking - something that amazon's devices truly excel at)
Crap store (not worst in class crap, I 'll give this to them, but one of the crappiest)

Plus
Best in class dpi in eink
Size increase is very welcome

So pretty much everything that has nothing to do with kobo but with eink itself is great, everything that has to do with kobo's implementation of eink is rubbish.

If I were you I 'd wait for either amazon or sony to come up with something similar. If you must or if you are willing to spend money just to have one, maybe planning to sell it later on, then go ahead and buy it.

Despite the many minuses I mentioned I am still considering buying one, mainly because I find it cheap for what it can offer me in terms of book reading. But I am fully aware from the get go I am going to be dealing with a mickey mouse company, that I 'd rather not give my hard earned cash to, and that I am going to be frustrated with the user experience, I have no illusions in terms of that. I am however dying to see that high dpi eink in person, since I 've been following the technology for a long time now.



It's beyond pathetic if they can't sort such an idiocy out. Typing http in 2013 in a browser... the epitome of pathetic.

Curious to know why you think Kobo is a Mickey Mouse company?

Also, have you actually had a hands-on with the Aura, or are you drawing conclusions from the reviews of others?

It seems you have a gripe of some sort with Kobo. Granted, Kobo is not perfect, but I'm sure there are many who would say the same of Amazon.

[Sharkus]

To those with the Firefox issues, if you have not let customer care know, please do so.

I've also sent a quick email saying there might be an issue with Firefox to some who I think may well deal with this type of thing.

[Sharkus]

Not sure if this is new, but on the main help page (http://www.kobo.com/help) There is this notice:

Having trouble completing an eReader or accessory purchase online? Please click here and sign out of your account, and then sign back in. Sorry for the inconvenience, we're working to fix this.


If anyone is having problems, please give that a shot and see if it works.

[Skydog]

Originally Posted by geormes

Nothing like strongly held opinions based on "Device: none".

...and a total of five posts.

[Latinandgreek]

Originally Posted by Gadget_girl

I pre-ordered this today. Firefox was still giving me issues with the Kobo site so I used Chrome instead, thanks for the suggestion. I decided to order from the company directly instead of from Chapters or Futureshop so as to save on one of the taxes. The extra $9 can go towards an e-book for my new device, or some fabric to make a pretty case.

I had no idea that you could save on one of the taxes by ordered directly from Kobo, thanks for the heads up!

[Rev. Bob]

Originally Posted by Uschiekid

haven't finished watching, BUT was super interested to see how low the lowest "glo setting" on the aura goes!!! that is awesome...Would be so good for when you first turn it on in the middle of the night....even if you end up turning it up a little when reading. Looks super low enough to me.

I do prefer the Aura's lighting, based on that video. However, I still prefer the Glo's size; if they come out with a "Glo 2" that upgrades the Glo form factor with the Aura's tech, I may wind up buying that. As it stands, though, I don't need the Aura. My iPad mini's about the same size, and I find it a bit too big to comfortably hold and read on.

[medard]

Originally Posted by Rev. Bob

My iPad mini's about the same size, and I find it a bit too big to comfortably hold and read on.

I don't want to be impolite and I'd like to excuse myself it the following sounds impolite but I'm reading statements like this all over the internet now.. Did you ever had a real book in your hand? Do you know how big and heavy a real book is?

The current 6 inch screen is much smaller than a book page, it's simply to small for someone who's used to normal books.

[JSWolf]

For someone who needs large size text to be able to read, the HD 6.8 screen is going to be a lot easier to read from then the Glo.

[Uschiekid]

Originally Posted by medard

The current 6 inch screen is much smaller than a book page, it's simply to small for someone who's used to normal books.

Depends on the size of your hands. I personally have tiny baby hands, which has meant, my whole life, I have had trouble managing to hold ANY book comfortably....I also have weak little wrists, so the weight is also a factor. All I can say is, the 6" screen is a huge improvement for me and not having to hold the pages open (and therefore being able to lean it as opposed to constantly holding it when reading in bed) is another bonus. And I only got my first ereader 6 months ago despite being a huge bookworm. So being "used to normal books" doesn't mean everyone's the same

And I realise you probably meant, bigger screen is closer to real books and therefore more readable...but there are other factors, is all I wanted to point out.

[Rev. Bob]

Originally Posted by medard

Did you ever had a real book in your hand? Do you know how big and heavy a real book is?

If you only knew just how funny that question is to someone who's been reading for forty years...

I bought Stephen King's It in hardback, as soon as it came out. I know very well how big and heavy ent-corpse books can be. I've also read early ebooks on my old Palm T2, if you want to talk about small screens. (A couple of years back, I even had cause to read the PDF galleys of a novel on my 4th-gen iPod touch; that was painful...)

Originally Posted by medard

The current 6 inch screen is much smaller than a book page, it's simply to small for someone who's used to normal books.

That's your opinion. As someone who uses both an iPad mini and a Kobo Glo on a daily basis, I prefer the size and weight of the Glo over the mini, and I prefer both to the heft of a hardback. I've got a Transformer TF101, too; it's much larger, much heavier, and not even in the running. I should also point out that I do quite a bit of my reading in bed, lying on my back; the weight difference between a mini and a Glo may seem negligible, but it makes a definite difference in that context.

This is an area where my nearsightedness works for me; I can crank the font size down on an e-reader and get a decent amount of text on each screen. I don't need the extra screen real estate...but I don't begrudge it to those who do. I'm just saying that the Aura isn't right for me.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Uschiekid

Depends on the size of your hands. I personally have tiny baby hands, which has meant, my whole life, I have had trouble managing to hold ANY book comfortably....I also have weak little wrists, so the weight is also a factor. All I can say is, the 6" screen is a huge improvement for me and not having to hold the pages open (and therefore being able to lean it as opposed to constantly holding it when reading in bed) is another bonus. And I only got my first ereader 6 months ago despite being a huge bookworm. So being "used to normal books" doesn't mean everyone's the same

And I realize you probably meant, bigger screen is closer to real books and therefore more readable...but there are other factors, is all I wanted to point out.

A stand would do well for holding the larger Aurua.

[JD Gumby]

Eh. Compared to a normal mass-market paperback (screw hardcovers and trade paperbacks - waste of money and waaaaaaaaaaaay too heavy), you lose just a bit less than a vertical inch on a Touch or Glo (same 3.5" width, though, assuming some idiot hasn't set fixed margins and the device doesn't override that setting like it should; ditto for line spacing and justiication)

[MrDoug]

Originally Posted by Uschiekid

Depends on the size of your hands. I personally have tiny baby hands, which has meant, my whole life, I have had trouble managing to hold ANY book comfortably....I also have weak little wrists, so the weight is also a factor. All I can say is, the 6" screen is a huge improvement for me and not having to hold the pages open (and therefore being able to lean it as opposed to constantly holding it when reading in bed) is another bonus. And I only got my first ereader 6 months ago despite being a huge bookworm. So being "used to normal books" doesn't mean everyone's the same

And I realise you probably meant, bigger screen is closer to real books and therefore more readable...but there are other factors, is all I wanted to point out.

Buy a Kobo Mini and use a Magnifying glass and a clip on light... LOL

[berklon]

Originally Posted by medard

I don't want to be impolite and I'd like to excuse myself it the following sounds impolite but I'm reading statements like this all over the internet now.. Did you ever had a real book in your hand? Do you know how big and heavy a real book is?

That's right, but why compare it to a book? Shouldn't you be comparing it to other e-readers (including the Kobo Glo)? I think that was the original point. You can always defend a new product because it's better than something a lot older instead of comparing it to the current competition.

[MrDoug]

Originally Posted by berklon

That's right, but why compare it to a book? Shouldn't you be comparing it to other e-readers (including the Kobo Glo)? I think that was the original point. You can always defend a new product because it's better than something a lot older instead of comparing it to the current competition.

AMEN.. good point.. I agree with your statement 125%