Kobo Glo HD

[Nick_1964]

Originally Posted by rjcroy

All this talk of epub vs kepub and firmware patches reminds me how immature this ebook technology still is. Truly mature technology just works. Obviously I don't mind too much--I like technology and I'm willing to edit CSS files to get ebooks looking decent. But when I'm doing it do think 'this is a little crazy'. But I have thought ever since I started reading on ereaders 5 years ago, that this technology is still brittle, and not truly user friendly.

Maybe on a Kindle you don't have this problem. But then their typography engine is so primitive that clearly they have a long way to go too.

The software works,the standards works,the main problem is dat ebook creators use them on their own way and rewrite the html code and even use things like   codes in stead of make a proper tag for the text indent.
They try to hard to let the ebook look like the original books, someones even don't use special fonts for a chapter header but made a jpg of it from the original book, which results in : no matter how you make the font on the reader bigger,that chapter txt stays the same because it is a picture.
If they used a special font,it will follow the font size but then you have to include it in the ebook..some fonts are copyrighted so it is cheaper to just make some pictures.
Converted word docs are even worse, forced lineheights, forced margins,sometimes almost 50% of the html code is nonsense,repeated codes instead of tags, or repeating tags that does the same thing.
Latest I had a book with almost 30 tags in css doing all the same: insert a txt indent of 1 em.
It was more simple to give them all the same tag.
Most of the time,mistakes in books are not the fault of the software or hardware in the reader, but a completely wrong coded book.
Tables used,or hard coded margins of 1 cm on all sides so you make it impossible for the software to stretch to use the whole page.
Like you are looking trough a window.
Let the reader do the work,with the sliders you can make how it looks,not the other way around.

[booklover6]

Originally Posted by ryuji35

Do you plan to hoard all e-reader models?! :O :O :O

OFF-TOPIC: How many e-readers does one need? I am curious about this since much of the people here have 2-5 or beyond e-readers... I will understand 2 e-readers (but even that I can't really warp my mind about it completely) but 3 and more? I really want the Glo HD but I have ZERO justification in buying it except the wanting and wanting.... sigh #TooManyRichKidsHere

My hobby is reading and having various readers to read on is part of it. Also I insist on having a back up, I would not want to have just one. Other reasons a person might want more than one - maybe one preferred to take outside, another preferred to read on at home, one comfortable to take on a trip (and not cry if lost, stolen or damaged). Different formats or software features might make one want to have more than one...maybe one to hack and one to keep stock....there are lots of reasons to have more than one.

[Josieb1]

Originally Posted by booklover6

My hobby is reading and having various readers to read on is part of it. Also I insist on having a back up, I would not want to have just one. Other reasons a person might want more than one - maybe one preferred to take outside, another preferred to read on at home, one comfortable to take on a trip (and not cry if lost, stolen or damaged). Different formats or software features might make one want to have more than one...maybe one to hack and one to keep stock....there are lots of reasons to have more than one.

Me too. Although for me I'm now at my justifiable limit of 3 ereaders and 1 Fire. Going forwards if I replaced the Voyage or the H20, or the Fire I would have to sell the old ones as I've realised that you only get decent prices for second hand ereaders if they are reasonably current models.

[GERGE]

Someone here has asked about getting Calibre library online, I came across an easy guide: https://www.digitalocean.com/communi...n-ubuntu-14-04

This is not how I do it, but as far as server management goes, it is pretty easy.

[evanft]

As someone who used to own an Aura HD and switched back to a Kindle 4, here are my thoughts.

- I'm glad it's the usual 6" form factor. I very much prefer this size.

- I absolutely despise the recessed screen. It's one of the big reasons I got rid of my AHD. It traps crap and causes a shadow in anything other than ideal lighting.

- No page turn buttons. That's still stupid.

- Kobo's firmware is a dumpster fire of issues. My AHD was noticeably slower than my K4 in loading the same book and in page turns. It would randomly freeze or stutter. I had to go through a patching process to make the books look halfway decent. I had to do some tinkering to my K4 to get the font and margins I wanted, but it was a one time deal and was very easy. Working with the AHD was a real PITA. The number of options was awesome, though. Too bad there wasn't a "make it not look like crap" checkbox.

- The price is fantastic. $130 for the Kindle Voyage screen? That's awesome.

[aceflor]

Originally Posted by ryuji35

Do you plan to hoard all e-reader models?! :O :O :O

OFF-TOPIC: How many e-readers does one need? I am curious about this since much of the people here have 2-5 or beyond e-readers... I will understand 2 e-readers (but even that I can't really warp my mind about it completely) but 3 and more? I really want the Glo HD but I have ZERO justification in buying it except the wanting and wanting.... sigh #TooManyRichKidsHere

I have more than 2 readers. Because I can.
#La JalousieEstUnVilainDéfault.

[Nocontact]

I returned my Kobo Aura to get the new Glo HD but now I'm wondering if that recessed screen is something that is really going to bother me and I've made a mistake!

[Nick_1964]

Originally Posted by ryuji35

Do you plan to hoard all e-reader models?! :O :O :O

OFF-TOPIC: How many e-readers does one need? I am curious about this since much of the people here have 2-5 or beyond e-readers... I will understand 2 e-readers (but even that I can't really warp my mind about it completely) but 3 and more? I really want the Glo HD but I have ZERO justification in buying it except the wanting and wanting.... sigh #TooManyRichKidsHere

If you want me to call a kid with my 52 years old, I would not slap u in the face but why.. I have an old sony 650..it is almost the only device with physical buttons,aluminium.. i can't say goodbye to it.
I have myself a Glo and an Aura HD, I first had the Aura HD,perfect but a little to big to take it with me to bed,and a lot of times in the past I forgot it,then you are in bed,can climb out of it,go down all stairs,prevent 5 cats from getting in the living room at night to get my reader.
Have been hospitalised a couple of times, then the Aura HD isn't that handy.
So I have a tv upstairs, a second pair of glasses (for the same reason) and a Glo next my bed with the same books on it as my Aura HD.
I have a second Nexus 7 for the same reasons,it is just there when I want it,or need it.
There is a second Glo, for my girlfriend.
I can see the difference between my Aura HD and my Glo very much, so if the Glo can be the same as the Aura I would like that, so that is why I will buy the Kobo HD.
Why would I sell my old readers when you can't get near to 50% (if you are lucky) for it,then I rather keep it myself,even use it for spare parts if needed.
Or I can please someone with it.
Why ?
I don't smoke, I don't drink,don't drive a car, would I have to give my money to the tax collectors ?
I work hard for it, so if I want, I buy, if my life ends, I can't take my money with me but I can say that I lived the way I want and no one is fighting for the money I left..maybe for the readers,but then I had all the fun with it while I was still there.

[DaleDe]

Originally Posted by Nocontact

I returned my Kobo Aura to get the new Glo HD but now I'm wondering if that recessed screen is something that is really going to bother me and I've made a mistake!

Many people like the recessed screen since it makes the location obvious when you are holding the unit and you are less likely to fingerprint the screen accidentally.

Dale

[Josieb1]

Originally Posted by Nocontact

I returned my Kobo Aura to get the new Glo HD but now I'm wondering if that recessed screen is something that is really going to bother me and I've made a mistake!

I have both a Voyage (flat screen) and the Kobo H20 (recessed screen) and I actually think I like a recessed screen better as I'm less likely to accidently page turn, saying that I still love my Voyage. I wouldn't worry tbh I think the new screen will knock socks of the Aura screen (yes I had one of those too )

[GERGE]

Glo is the perfect device for me, Glo HD seems like a direct continuation but missing SD card worries me.

It is not that I carry thousands of books, I put manga in there.

[ottdmk]

I would find the lack of a SD card disturbing (yes, I'm in a SW mood today) but a while back I picked up a 64GB Blackberry Playbook specifically for PDFs. And then I got the Asus, specifically for comics. So the lack of space for larger files doesn't really bother me anymore. My Aura HD (long may it reign) is for novels and the odd tech book. (Programming Perl is quite readable on an Aura HD in epub format.)

Still though, were my Aura HD to die I would be paying the extra $56.50 ($50 + HST) to get an Aura H2O. The Aura HD form factor just works for me. Going back to a 6" would seem like a downgrade.

[pssquirrel]

Originally Posted by 6charlong

... Kobo uses separate programs to render books in .epub (e.g., It.epub) and .kepub (It.kepub). The extension instructs the reader which program to use ...

Originally Posted by davidfor

... In a kepub, each sentence is wrapped in a span. This has an id. The location system uses these ids. If you just change the extension, when you close and reopen a book, you will always be taken to the start of the chapter you were up to. And any annotations stored will not be redisplayed in the book. The plugins add the spans to the epubs. The plugin also adds some extra divs and CSS that the kepub ereader expects and helps with the way it does the formatting.

Thank you @6charlong! Thank you @davidfor! I've been trying to understand the difference between epub and kepub for a while, and now it's finally clear

And thanks to everyone for your input on tinkering and patching.

[rjcroy]

Originally Posted by Rizla

I don't know that I'd agree with that. Windows computers have been with us a long time, and they lack the "just works" aspect of Apple computers. The difference is that Windows (and Android) are much more open systems than Apple. It's a trade-off between stability / ease-of-use and being able to do want you want with the hardware you bought.

This comparison applies to Kobo and Amazon. Amazon is stable, simple(r) and closed. Kobo is more open and configurable.

Saying that, they are both far more limited than the hardware allows.

Yes, this is true. I agree there is a long standing trade off here with complex tools like computers. So for reading on a tablet, yes.

But ereaders are not complex multi-function devices. They are designed to do just one thing well. "You only had one job!" It doesn't need to be complex, even if there are some typography options for the user.

[Nocontact]

Originally Posted by Josieb1

I have both a Voyage (flat screen) and the Kobo H20 (recessed screen) and I actually think I like a recessed screen better as I'm less likely to accidently page turn, saying that I still love my Voyage. I wouldn't worry tbh I think the new screen will knock socks of the Aura screen (yes I had one of those too )

True, I did make lot of inadvertent page turns on the aura. Took a look at the Glo h2o today and the recessed screen looked better than I imagined. Looking more forward to the Glo hd now!
Pocket integration makes the kobo the winner over the kindle for me. Love it!