Aura NEW Kobo Aura Impressions Thread!

[Kaitou Ace]

Originally Posted by graycyn

Boy eyes do vary! I personally see warmer light at the top going to cooler at the bottom in your picture. I also see four distinct shadow cones at the bottom.

The shadow cones are there, but are not as visible in outside of a photo. I do not see a temperature difference however.

[Kaitou Ace]

Originally Posted by cr3nk

Agree.... I've the exact same problem (yellow to bluer) and four shadows at the bottom.

Kaitou, what's your device s/n? Could try to isolate if it's a batch problem.

It's 514A3730044686

[cr3nk]

Mines 8857A-KBN514

Assuming I got the right one. (IC number found at bottom of device)

[4ll4n]

Originally Posted by Kaitou Ace

Caecilia is also my preferred reading font. Could I trouble you for a tutorial of how exactly these changes are accomplished? I'm interested in giving that a shot as well.

Better still, would you mind sharing your custom fonts?

[4ll4n]

Just to add a little more to my worries, I have now discovered the dreaded reflections in bright light on top fourth of the screen.
I was in my office at home last night and as the day was getting darker, I turned on the lights (recessed ceiling down lighter type lights, nothing unusual or too bright). Instantly, the reflective pattern became pretty disturbing.
Turning the kobo light on solves it but that's not really the kind of thing that I want to do in good lighting conditions.
I'm so disappointed. I've loved all my previous kobos and I was so pleased with the look of the Aura... Now I know I should return it but I just can't bring myself to do so.

[Lyn2012]

Originally Posted by slantybard

I too noticed that the stock fonts are not sharp. Typegenius can help in correcting this, but I found that the best solution was to add a custom font which I optimized for my default reading size and weight (essentially added 60 em of weight to Caecilia (started with medium base font) and scaled by 105%). This made a huge difference in font sharpness on my Aura.

I am using Helvetica Neue (nearest I can get to Helvetica on PW1) but am having the same problem and would love to add weight to the font instead of resorting to changing Regular for Bold. I've installed FontForge but haven't worked out how to use it.

I would like to add my plea for a tutorial for font customisation.

[Anak]

Originally Posted by Kaitou Ace

I don't see anything uneven with the lighting on my Aura. Image attached.

Good or bad, you decide. But I noticed instantly that the lighting is uneven.
To see the uneven light pattern more clearly: just invert the colors of the image.
Edit: added an untaltered inverted image and inverted image with *roughly* the visual larger uneven light patterns marked. And if you look carefully, you'll notice more shades of uneveness.

[GeoffR]

Originally Posted by slantybard

I too noticed that the stock fonts are not sharp. Typegenius can help in correcting this, but I found that the best solution was to add a custom font which I optimized for my default reading size and weight (essentially added 60 em of weight to Caecilia (started with medium base font) and scaled by 105%). This made a huge difference in font sharpness on my Aura.

So if the cause of the Aura's fuzzyness compared to the Glo is the fonts, then does that mean the Aura is using different fonts to the Glo?

Edit: I guess the way to test is to add the improved custom fonts to a Glo as well and compare again.

[samhy]

Originally Posted by vice-versa

So one of their people went down to fetch one in the backstore so that I could have a look.

I went to my nearby FNAC too. Good point is they knew they received a new Aura the day before. And that's all. Here the Kobo devices are displayed in two places: with computers/tablets and with books (different floors). The boxes were here for those wanting to buy one but the Aura was displayed nowhere so I went to ask someone from the computers/tablets area.
The result was something like:
- "we're not going to display it because there's already an Aura HD and that's pretty much the same thing but smaller."
- "no it's not, for one thing one has an IR screen whereas the other has a capacitive one which is new to Kobo."
- "true."
- "so you want people to buy a 150€ ereader without knowing how the screen looks like nor how the device registers touches?"
- "well, it's just a little smaller than the Aura HD"
- "first comments state it's not that much bigger than a Mini"
- "a Mini?!?"
- "well the Aura is slightly smaller than the Glo, isn't it?"
- "yes. Well there's still no need to display one."
- " so I can't see one?"
- "you may check on the other floor."
From what I got, the shelves were redesigned and now there are four spots for Kobo devices. Those four spots are used by one Arc, one Aura HD, one Glo and one Touch. I guess if they don't move the Arc with other tablets the Aura isn't going to be displayed there.

When I went to the books area, there was one free spot amongst the Kobo devices. I ask the nice lady who had no idea if one was going to be put there since it's one of the computers/tablets guys who deal with that. After a sum up of the discussion with the downstairs guy her comment was "he said that? How interesting!"

Edit: the guy who didn't want to put an Aura on display doesn't seem to be the floor manager, so someone else may decide to take an Aura out of a box.

[owly]

So, my first impression was bit mixed love the lightness, the flat surface which eliminates frame shadow that the HD has. I love the lighting and the fact that you can regulate it with two fingers. My first impression of the text on the screen wasn't as good, the text seemed to be of slightly lower resolution and the grey background seemed slightly granier. But as soon as you put the light on and went in to advanced settings and sharpen the font that wasn't a problem. Not all of the circles on the sliders render properly though. I's also going to be interesting to try the Pocket feature.
A strange thing though, the first time I went in to the font settings the "Advanced" link wasn't there. But after I'd turned it off and gone back in it turned up. This has happened before on my HD right after I'd upgraded to a new program version.

[Anak]

Originally Posted by Lyn2012

I am using Helvetica Neue (nearest I can get to Helvetica on PW1) but am having the same problem and would love to add weight to the font instead of resorting to changing Regular for Bold. I've installed FontForge but haven't worked out how to use it.

I would like to add my plea for a tutorial for font customisation.

Or install a professional font that has also optical sizes instead of only the regular text size version.
Which optical size look best on a ereader may vary from font to font, ereader and personal preferences. A good starting point might be you prefered ereader font size. Just look up the actual size in the kobo.conf file. Most users will find their prefered font sizes in the subhead, 14- to 24-point range.
Even then, some font tweaking may be necessery.


With the advent of photo and digital type technologies, most type manufacturers abandoned the design of optical masters, because it was economically more viable to produce a single master which was then scaled photographically or algorithmically to each point size. Unfortunately, typefaces generated from a single master have a limited range at which they look their best. For example, a typeface that performs well at text sizes may appear light and cramped at smaller sizes, and heavy and ungraceful at larger sizes.
Display types are designed to showcase the elegance of the letterforms and to compliment the smaller size ranges as a lighter and more refined version of the typeface. The display masters are designed with subtle and often stylized detailing, elegant proportions, and increased stroke contrast to help give larger sizes enhanced visual appeal. The display fonts are intended for type sizes above 24-point.

Subhead fonts are best for setting phrases in 14- to 24-point type and are well suited for use as a complement to body text. The subhead fonts represent a middle ground between text and display type, maintaining the practical concerns of readability, while displaying a greater degree of delicacy relative to text sizes.

Text fonts are the cornerstone of a composition family and are intended for 9- to 14-point type. Their weights and proportions have been carefully balanced for reading comfort at the most commonly used point sizes for setting extended text.

Caption fonts, with their sturdy non-idiosyncratic forms, are designed for maximum legibility and work best for 6- to 8-point type.
(Source: Adobe about Optical Sizes)

[4ll4n]

Anyone knows if the reading stats icon (vertical bars) that's shown alongside the other bottom left icons while reading should be available for side loaded books? I can't see either that option or the 'beyond the book' option.
I don't have any kepubs to test.

Edit: I answered my own question by downloading a kepub. Sadly, reading stats are only available for kepubs, not side-loaded books. Yet another disappointment.

[vice-versa]

Originally Posted by samhy

Edit: the guy who didn't want to put an Aura on display doesn't seem to be the floor manager, so someone else may decide to take an Aura out of a box.

I went back at lunch time (I'm a bit obstinate sometimes ) and the yesterday Aura was back in stock, hidden for everyone but the spiders that live there, though there were boxes for people to buy (under heavy locks) but none to be seen "on flesh". I asked the tablets/e-reader man (not the same as yesterday, it would have been too easy) who was gazing at the flies on the ceiling, if it was displayed and where. He tried to send me to the books departement but I had already went there before asking him. Then he tried to show me the Kobo Aura HD and as I was still not happy with his answer, I took a box with the new Aura and showed it to him. This time, he thought it was the Glo or the Touch. At least after having explained to him it was the new device, he was perplex and said he didn't know who was in charge to alter the display of the devices (tablets and e-reader). He couldn't know when or if the new Aura will be displayed.

Dear M. or Mrs FNAC, do you expect people to keep buying faithfully in your store when everything in them is so blurr ?

[samhy]

Vice-versa, I see we're on the same boat.
If they handle the Aura that way, we'll just have to wait for Winter sales to get one at discounted one

I really think that things will evolve around the weekend. I believe that ereaders are seen as less important than tablets, smartphones or computers so given time they'll finally come to deal with it. I've always been impressed to see three Aura HD displayed from day one at my FNAC, so there's hope for the Aura.

[xendula]

Originally Posted by samhy

- "we're not going to display it because there's already an Aura HD and that's pretty much the same thing but smaller."
- "no it's not, for one thing one has an IR screen whereas the other has a capacitive one which is new to Kobo."
- "true."
- "so you want people to buy a 150€ ereader without knowing how the screen looks like nor how the device registers touches?"
- "well, it's just a little smaller than the Aura HD"
- "first comments state it's not that much bigger than a Mini"
- "a Mini?!?"
- "well the Aura is slightly smaller than the Glo, isn't it?"
- "yes. Well there's still no need to display.

Very similar to my experience last time I was in Germany and tried to see the mini in an electronics store. They displayed it, but without having it registered first, it was stuck on the register screen, so I could not play around with it. The guy there refused to connect it to their (locked) Wifi network, saying that it was the exact same thing as the KT next to it. He kept saying "not necessary" and I kept saying "so you DON'T WANT to do it even though you are standing right here, next to a customer interested in buying one"? This went on and on until he lost it and said "yes, I don't want to do it".
I left the store emptyhanded. Thing is, letting me see it in action would have given them a sale for sure.
No wonder Amazon is winning over brick and mortar stores.