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Old 07-24-2016, 11:11 AM   #16
Stiletto
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Originally Posted by eschwartz View Post
I am pretty sure I have heard Kobo owners claiming that the Kobo's highlighting sensitivity issues are a software problem, since it only affects one of the two formats the Kobo uses. Either EPUB or KEPUB, but I certainly cannot be bothered to keep track of which one.
The Kobo uses different rendering engines for each. Apparently this is not the only amusing result.
So… if I were to use Calibre (and any other software, such as KOReader) would that mean I’d circumvent this problem?

I think I’ll be heading over to the Kobo forum to have a look around there.

Thanks again!

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Originally Posted by pdurrant View Post
It is possible to get a Kindle waterproofed, or buy a ready-waterproofed one. See these guys and this review.
Wow! So cool! I’ve checked both links out, thank you. Unfortunately the service is only available for the Paperwhite and US domestic market only, so back to the drawing board!

Last edited by Stiletto; 07-24-2016 at 04:43 PM. Reason: to add "and any other software, such as KOReader"
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Old 07-24-2016, 12:20 PM   #17
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- Is it possible to install the COED or Complete & Unabridged Collins dictionary on the H2O and if so, what is the functionality like?

- Would I be better off asking this question on another forum here?
I'm not sure, you can supposedly add your own custom dictionaries but I'm not sure it's completely straightforward and think you have to replace the default dictionary on the Kobo with your own. Can you actually get either of those dictionaries in epub format for using on a Kobo, I remember looking previously and not being able to find a decent dictionary in epub format? Definitely try asking the question in the Kobo forum.

In terms of the highlighting, its not a feature I use (I do find the page turns on my Kobo less concise and reliable than on my current Kindle) but what eschwartz says rings a bell, and I'm sure people are recommended to convert their epubs to Kobo's kepub format to improve things (which you can do with Calibre). Another thing to consider is that I'm not sure highlighting in PDF's is as well supported (for both Kindle & Kobo), but as above, you should probably post these queries over in the Kobo forum.
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Old 07-24-2016, 12:37 PM   #18
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Originally Posted by Stiletto View Post
I think I'd be using Calibre on whatever device to centralise note-taking and transfer, so the Epub vs. Kindle format is not a factor to me, I don't think.
Getting your notes (annotations) off the Kobo is not a straight forward thing. If you dig in the Kobo forum you'll find some discussion but you can't just pull them off easily and there is very little possibility to add them back on unless it's for a book bought from Kobo.

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Originally Posted by soulfuldog View Post
Another thing to consider is that I'm not sure highlighting in PDF's is as well supported (for both Kindle & Kobo), but as above, you should probably post these queries over in the Kobo forum.
To confirm, there IS NO pdf highlighting directly in the Kobo firmware (can't remember if there is in Koreader or other alternative readers.
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Old 07-24-2016, 05:36 PM   #19
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Originally Posted by soulfuldog View Post
Can you actually get either of those dictionaries in epub format for using on a Kobo, I remember looking previously and not being able to find a decent dictionary in epub format? Definitely try asking the question in the Kobo forum.
Nope. I've just looked and neither the Collins nor Oxford are available in the Kobo shop.

Quote:
In terms of the highlighting, its not a feature I use (I do find the page turns on my Kobo less concise and reliable than on my current Kindle) but what eschwartz says rings a bell, and I'm sure people are recommended to convert their epubs to Kobo's kepub format to improve things (which you can do with Calibre). Another thing to consider is that I'm not sure highlighting in PDF's is as well supported (for both Kindle & Kobo), but as above, you should probably post these queries over in the Kobo forum.
I'm trying to get my brain around all of this and think my next post will be on the KOReader forum. My thinking is that I could convert PDFs to another format with Calibre and read/highlight/annotate using KOReader on the device and Calibre on my Mac.

I think once I figure out what software I should use, I can work back to choosing the right device to run it.

Have you used KOReader on any of your ereaders or only their native apps?

Thanks again for continued help!
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Old 07-24-2016, 05:40 PM   #20
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Getting your notes (annotations) off the Kobo is not a straight forward thing. If you dig in the Kobo forum you'll find some discussion but you can't just pull them off easily and there is very little possibility to add them back on unless it's for a book bought from Kobo.
Is this the case even if I'm using KOReader on a Kobo and Calibre on my Mac?

Quote:
To confirm, there IS NO pdf highlighting directly in the Kobo firmware (can't remember if there is in Koreader or other alternative readers.
This does not matter if I'm converting PDF to some other format (using Calibre), correct?

Thank you!
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Old 07-24-2016, 10:37 PM   #21
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Is this the case even if I'm using KOReader on a Kobo and Calibre on my Mac?
How calibre talks to a device depends on the device and software. Calibre has integration with Kobo and Kindles and lots of other devices. But, only with the native software.

For Kobo, the calibre driver reads the database on the device to know what is on the device. The driver can also update some metadata and the collections books are in. There is also some support for fetching annotations. There are other plugins that interface with the device, but again, it is only with the native software. One of these will fetch the annotations into calibre.

There is absolutely no support in calibre for any other software on these devices. And for people exclusively using KOReader on Kobo devices, I recommend that they disable the Kobo drivers and mount the device as a folder in calibre.

I believe KOReader has its own mechanism to sync reading status and annotations between KOreader installations on different devices. I don't use KOReader, so I don't know how useful this is and where it can send the data.
Quote:
This does not matter if I'm converting PDF to some other format (using Calibre), correct?
Correct.

For dictionaries on the Kobo devices, Kobo supply a set, but have no way to upgrade them to different versions. They can be replaced by the user. But, this is not supported by Kobo. If you do this, the dictionary can be replaced by Kobo the next time the device is synced with the Kobo server. From what I can see, the biggest issue with this is finding a dictionary in a format that can be converted to the format that Kobo uses.
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Old 07-25-2016, 06:24 AM   #22
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Its a long time since I've used anything other than the stock firmware on my current readers, so can't be of any help with KOReader. Probably better for the specific queries on PDF's, KOReader etc to post in the relevant forums. Be sure to have a look at existing threads in places like the Kindle & Kobo Developers forums as well as the top level Kindle/Kobo forums.
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Old 07-26-2016, 02:28 AM   #23
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Originally Posted by Stiletto View Post
- The last time I avidly read books on a device was around the turn of the century, on an HP iPaq using MobiPocket Reader. I’ve used the Kindle App on my phone and Mac, but neither satisfy me.
Last year, I was in the market for a new reader as well. So, I was looking at the Kindle Voyage and the Kobo H2O. I also tried the Kindle app on my phone, my Android tablet and on my Windows 8 tablet (in that case both the windows 8 app and the Windows executable). And my husband has a Kindle Paperwhite.

I just hated the Kindle app everywhere. I will use it, in a pinch, but I don't find it comfortable reading. That, together with the waterproofness and larger size of the H2O, made me buy the Kobo. I've not once regretted the purchase. I really like the slightly larger screen of the Kobo over the default sized screen of my previous reader (the Sony) and my husband's Kindle. And especially the ability to customize the margin sizes (instead of having the options, huge, larger and large on the Kindle) I love.

About the "end of life" of readers: I don't think that should be a problem. There's hardly been any real approvements to readers for some time. The last was the frontlight. The other improvements are mostly in weight and form factor (not counting software as that is often updated across the entire range of devices).
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Old 07-26-2016, 07:29 AM   #24
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How calibre talks to a device depends on the device and software. Calibre has integration with Kobo and Kindles and lots of other devices. But, only with the native software.



From what I can see, the biggest issue with this is finding a dictionary in a format that can be converted to the format that Kobo uses.
Thank you very much for all that you wrote. Also for clarifying that once PDFs are converted the commonly stated PDF issues are nullified.

I’ve looked and searched and not found a way of getting the dictionary I’d want on a Kobo. It rules this and other devices out, which is a shame. Kindle it is.

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Originally Posted by soulfuldog View Post
Its a long time since I've used anything other than the stock firmware on my current readers, so can't be of any help with KOReader. Probably better for the specific queries on PDF's, KOReader etc to post in the relevant forums. Be sure to have a look at existing threads in places like the Kindle & Kobo Developers forums as well as the top level Kindle/Kobo forums.
Thanks again! I did a lot of searching and reading yesterday on the forums. It seems KOReader does not support annotations and the dictionary is another limiting factor, so I’ve opted for a Kindle.

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Originally Posted by Sweetpea View Post
Last year, I was in the market for a new reader as well. So, I was looking at the Kindle Voyage and the Kobo H2O. I also tried the Kindle app on my phone, my Android tablet and on my Windows 8 tablet (in that case both the windows 8 app and the Windows executable). And my husband has a Kindle Paperwhite.



About the "end of life" of readers: I don't think that should be a problem. There's hardly been any real approvements to readers for some time. The last was the frontlight. The other improvements are mostly in weight and form factor (not counting software as that is often updated across the entire range of devices).
Thank you for your input! I really do like the waterproofness of the Kobo but the dictionary is a deal breaker for me, so I’ve opted for a Kindle.
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Old 07-26-2016, 10:49 AM   #25
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By the way, you can use https://www.clippings.io to organize your annotations/highlights. It will import and index your "My Clippings.txt" file.

It is quite slick.
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Old 07-26-2016, 08:10 PM   #26
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By the way, you can use https://www.clippings.io to organize your annotations/highlights. It will import and index your "My Clippings.txt" file.

It is quite slick.
Ooh! Thank you so much, this looks super interesting and useful. I'm looking forward to trying it out!
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Old 07-27-2016, 04:27 PM   #27
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My feeling is that you would be happier with a tablet perhaps with an antiglare covering. Tablets just work inherently better with pdf files than do ereaders. You can waterproof a tablet. You can also get a waterproof skin. They have waterproof skins on the tablets used at the hospital.

The Voyage works quite well with magazine pdfs, but only because those magazines are formatted for such devices. Most of my pdfs are pretty much unreadable on the small screen.
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Old 07-28-2016, 06:24 AM   #28
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My feeling is that you would be happier with a tablet perhaps with an antiglare covering. Tablets just work inherently better with pdf files than do ereaders. You can waterproof a tablet. You can also get a waterproof skin. They have waterproof skins on the tablets used at the hospital.

The Voyage works quite well with magazine pdfs, but only because those magazines are formatted for such devices. Most of my pdfs are pretty much unreadable on the small screen.
I wrote an update at the bottom of my post saying I'd decided to go for the Kindle Oasis, I'm not sure if you saw that; if not, perhaps I should edit and put that at the top?

In any case, thank you for your comments. The PDFs are books, the traditional type, not multi-column magazines. My plan is to convert them to another format using Calibre, so reading them (plus highlighting and making notes) on the Kindle shouldn't be an issue.

Do you see a downside to this?

I would have liked a waterproof device, but it's more important to me to have a device I can read well in bright sunlight and is easy on my eyes for prolonged reading in different settings. I'm not convinced that a tablet, even with an anti-glare covering, would be enjoyable and comfortable enough for me. Another poster linked me to a company that waterproofs the Paperwhite. Perhaps at some point in the future there'll be something similar available in Europe for the Oasis. *crosses fingers*
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Old 07-28-2016, 07:12 AM   #29
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Originally Posted by Stiletto View Post
I wrote an update at the bottom of my post saying I'd decided to go for the Kindle Oasis, I'm not sure if you saw that; if not, perhaps I should edit and put that at the top?

In any case, thank you for your comments. The PDFs are books, the traditional type, not multi-column magazines. My plan is to convert them to another format using Calibre, so reading them (plus highlighting and making notes) on the Kindle shouldn't be an issue.

Do you see a downside to this?
Yes, I see a rather large downside to this. Converting from book size PDF ALWAYS introduces errors. The only way to make sure you don't have conversion errors is to a/b compare the PDF to the conversion. Plus, some PDF can take a really long time to convert and eat a large chunk of ram.
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Old 07-28-2016, 10:28 AM   #30
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In any case, thank you for your comments. The PDFs are books, the traditional type, not multi-column magazines. My plan is to convert them to another format using Calibre, so reading them (plus highlighting and making notes) on the Kindle shouldn't be an issue.

Do you see a downside to this?
The only downside is that depending on the PDF, the quality of the conversion can range anywhere from decent to absolutely horrendous.
Due to the nature of PDF as an output-only format, it can be very difficult to get usable text+layout information from one.

See the sticky in the Calibre ==> Conversion subforum for more details, and good luck.

Last edited by eschwartz; 07-28-2016 at 10:31 AM.
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