Kobo Aura ONE Third Party Cover Thread

[Poppaea]

Originally Posted by anacreon

And my dream reader would have
* my old Sony PRS-T1 and T2' PDF handling
* good dictionaries, accessible from a book and from the home page.

Mine would be my Sony PRS-650 with the light, weight and size of the Aura One.

[Poppaea]

Originally Posted by Katsunami

I've contacted Noreve about the cover not staying shut as they promised, and it putting the reader to sleep when folded back. They requested a video, so I made one showing them the problems (and the fact that it does work with a different case). They gave me a return address.



After that, I'll reset the Aura One, package it up into its original box, and put it up for sale. I've given them a fair chance, but after tinkering for a week with CSS and patches to actually USE all of the screen estate, seeing the bugs in the firmware that don't get basic functions right (battery drain, not updating reading stats, which should be simple enough), and bugs/problems with the lighting and sleep function, I've just had it.

I wonder when you did send them the video. As they didn't ask me for one, when I emailed them to return my cover. Your video seems to have done the trick for me too. If they change their design, I'll happily take another one of those gorgeous covers. As it is it is not safe for me to use it. I fall asleep regularly when reading in bed and the corners of the reader must be covered to avoid damage if it falls to the ground. As they are not, I risk my device using it.

With the Kindle, I bought a cheap knock-off cover similar to the original one; it worked, but I didn't like it. I exchanged it for the cover I have now, and everything has worked splendidly from day one. OK, it doesn't have calibre-managed collections like the Kobo, but THAT is not a dealbreaker for me. I only have a few books on the device at any time.

I am sorry to hear this, even though I totally understand. I nearly had enough when I went on a three day trip and had to bring a charger. Thank goodness, they fixed that.

This is my second Kobo. The Aura was so smooth and worked so well, I never really got it when I read all the complaints about Kobo putting out horrible firmware. Now I know better.

I cross my fingers for you, maybe Amazon will make a bigger reader that you like better/works right out of the box.

[Katsunami]

Originally Posted by Poppaea

I wonder when you did send them the video. As they didn't ask me for one, when I emailed them to return my cover. Your video seems to have done the trick for me too. If they change their design, I'll happily take another one of those gorgeous covers. As it is it is not safe for me to use it. I fall asleep regularly when reading in bed and the corners of the reader must be covered to avoid damage if it falls to the ground. As they are not, I risk my device using it.

I requested a return last Monday (sixth working day since receiving the cover). Yesterday (Tuesday) they requested a video, and I sent it to them, and the same day they replied they were sorry with regard to the problems and provided a return address.

The video showed them that their cover did not stay closed, and that the cover turned the reader off when folded backwards; I switched the reader from the Noreve cover to the cheap ForeFront cover (live), and showed that it did work there.

Have you re-requested a return?

I am sorry to hear this, even though I totally understand. I nearly had enough when I went on a three day trip and had to bring a charger. Thank goodness, they fixed that.

My old Kindle just goes on and on and on forever. I don't think I've charged it more than twice a year. I mean, put it to the charger, explicitly. Because I mostly have only 2-5 books on the Kindle, it gets connected to the computer before the battery runs out, and it recharges there.

Even with the battery fix in the newer firmware, I can see the KA1's charge dropping. When asleep, the Kindle basically two months, while the Kobo lasts about three weeks (max).

The light on the KPW1 is always around 10 in my case.

When new, the KPW1 lasted even longer. Maybe I'll just replace the KPW1 battery at some point, and then just keep using it until it breaks; or Amazon comes out with a 7.8 inch or 8 inch device.

This is my second Kobo. The Aura was so smooth and worked so well, I never really got it when I read all the complaints about Kobo putting out horrible firmware. Now I know better.

I cross my fingers for you, maybe Amazon will make a bigger reader that you like better/works right out of the box.

I have toyed with the idea of trying a Kobo for years. If you'd search the forum, you'd see. I liked the font options as compared to the kindle, but I hated the header and footer. Only the font options was not enough enticement to upgrade.

With the KA1, being 1.8 inch bigger than the KPW1, the unofficial full screen mode (which needed some fixing; I'm fine with that, as it's unofficial), together with the font options were enough reason to finally give it a try.

Pity that it seemed to be too good to be true. The KA1 is a beautiful piece of hardware, and reading on it (in full screen mode, after fixing it) is splendid. With regard to all of the rest, I feel Kobo hugely bodged it.

PS: one thing I like is the fact that calibre can send page-numbers to the KPW1, and that the reader will adhere to them. I like that more than having calibre-managed collections. With regard to page numbers, I'm a bit old-fashioned; I use Count Pages in calibre, and I've been reading with the same count for so long that I can now exactly predict how long a book will take me as soon as I see the page number.

And yes, believe it or not, that is somewhat important to me. If I don't have a lot of time to read, which is often the case, I don't want to inadvertently start a book that would be 1200 pages long if in paperback size. I'd never finish it in a decent time frame. I'd rather start something around the 250-300 page mark.

While not essential, I just like that the KPW1 page numbers correspond with those in calibre. That's just a part of my OCD and stuff.

[Katsunami]

Originally Posted by anacreon

If I had, my own peeves wouldn't be the sleep function (I decided early on that it was too risky), but the unresponsive and slightly blurring capacitive layer (the Glo HD is perfect there),

While I don't *NEED* the sleep function, it's very useful for me.

I read in public transport, and I often don't stop reading until the call system calls out the bus or train stop I have to get off (or the one before that). Then I just snap the reader shut, stuff it into my bag, and (with the Kindle I have now), I *know* it will be off, and I *know* the magnets are strong enough to keep it shut whatever happens. I don't have time to make sure the reader is off and the case stays shut, because I often have to be off the bus/train, and onto the next in under 3, sometimes 2 minutes.

As public transport is often busy, my bag gets bumped, kicked, dropped, and sometimes all at the same time. I don't want to have to worry about anything in it.

I *can* make do without a sleep function, of course, and did before, but I've been using one for years now, and I just refuse to give it up. (It's different with the automatic lighting: I just turn that off. I don't care for it. Never have; two out of my three monitors/laptops have it, and it's off there as well.)

[davidfor]

Originally Posted by Katsunami

My old Kindle just goes on and on and on forever. I don't think I've charged it more than twice a year. I mean, put it to the charger, explicitly. Because I mostly have only 2-5 books on the Kindle, it gets connected to the computer before the battery runs out, and it recharges there.

Even with the battery fix in the newer firmware, I can see the KA1's charge dropping. When asleep, the Kindle basically two months, while the Kobo lasts about three weeks (max).

You have had the chance to let the Aura ONE sleep for three weeks to test? Or are you guessing based on shorter sleeps. In either case, are you turning off the auto sync?

PS: one thing I like is the fact that calibre can send page-numbers to the KPW1, and that the reader will adhere to them. I like that more than having calibre-managed collections. With regard to page numbers, I'm a bit old-fashioned; I use Count Pages in calibre, and I've been reading with the same count for so long that I can now exactly predict how long a book will take me as soon as I see the page number.

And yes, believe it or not, that is somewhat important to me. If I don't have a lot of time to read, which is often the case, I don't want to inadvertently start a book that would be 1200 pages long if in paperback size. I'd never finish it in a decent time frame. I'd rather start something around the 250-300 page mark.

While not essential, I just like that the KPW1 page numbers correspond with those in calibre. That's just a part of my OCD and stuff.

What book format are you using? For epubs, the ADE algorithm is used. The Count Pages plugin can generate these and they are a reasonable match to what the device shows. For kepubs, you have the choice between the per-chapter count which is really a count of the screens used (changes with reading settings), or a per-book count. The latter is the same for whatever reading settings you use. I don't know how it is calculated. I assume they do something like the ADE method, but, from memory, it ends up with a higher number than the ADE method. If I'm reading a kepub, I usually use the per-chapter page count. Being able to see how much to the end of the current chapter is useful when picking a stopping point. But, shortly after starting a kepub, I frequently change to the per-book count to get an idea of length. Once I have done that, I have a better of what "30%" means for how far I am through the book. Plus the chapter graph in the stats gives a very good indication as well.

If the point of the page number is to get an idea of the book length, then you can use whatever version you like in calibre and push it into the comments/synopsis of the book. When choosing a book, you can look at the details of the book on the device and see the calculated length in the synopsis. For me, I add the word and page count plus the tags and my rating. You can do this and some other tweaking of the metadata using my Kobo Utilities plugin.

[Sweetpea]

Originally Posted by anacreon

Remember the last line in Some like it hot - Nobody is perfect? NO reader is perfect for me, so I have to choose the one (kobo One presently) which answers my needs best. Luckily for me, I have no principles to add to my wish list...

If I had, my own peeves wouldn't be the sleep function (I decided early on that it was too risky), but the unresponsive and slightly blurring capacitive layer (the Glo HD is perfect there), and next in line the collections navigation: I have some 2700 items on the One, and a very necessary 60 collections, some with hundreds of items; navigating them is VERY PAINFUL.

And my dream reader would have
* my old Sony PRS-T1 and T2' PDF handling
* good dictionaries, accessible from a book and from the home page.

Ohh, the old Sony PRS650! That one was just perfect. If it had backlight, and at least .8" extra screen... Oh, and be waterproof!

Originally Posted by Poppaea

Mine would be my Sony PRS-650 with the light, weight and size of the Aura One.

See, I'm not the only one

In short, no reader is perfect for me, though some come close. And the One is getting really close but it also has some things I don't like (but I do love the cover I have for it now, it's way better than the one I have for my Sony and that one was just as expensive)

[Katsunami]

Originally Posted by davidfor

You have had the chance to let the Aura ONE sleep for three weeks to test? Or are you guessing based on shorter sleeps. In either case, are you turning off the auto sync?

Everything that can be off, is off.

The longest the reader sat unused (sleep) is an entire week. In that time, it lost 35 percent of its battery life, so therefore I guess that it can hold out for three weeks at maximum.

What book format are you using? For epubs, the ADE algorithm is used. The Count Pages plugin can generate these and they are a reasonable match to what the device shows. For kepubs, you have the choice between the per-chapter count which is really a count of the screens used (changes with reading settings), or a per-book count. The latter is the same for whatever reading settings you use. I don't know how it is calculated. I assume they do something like the ADE method, but, from memory, it ends up with a higher number than the ADE method. If I'm reading a kepub, I usually use the per-chapter page count. Being able to see how much to the end of the current chapter is useful when picking a stopping point. But, shortly after starting a kepub, I frequently change to the per-book count to get an idea of length. Once I have done that, I have a better of what "30%" means for how far I am through the book. Plus the chapter graph in the stats gives a very good indication as well.

If the point of the page number is to get an idea of the book length, then you can use whatever version you like in calibre and push it into the comments/synopsis of the book. When choosing a book, you can look at the details of the book on the device and see the calculated length in the synopsis. For me, I add the word and page count plus the tags and my rating. You can do this and some other tweaking of the metadata using my Kobo Utilities plugin.

I use the KEPUB format. I already put the books length as calculated by Count Pages into the title using a plug board.

I'm going to send the covers back, sell the reader, and sell anything else I still have that has flaws which have made me abandon the product in the end.

I'm done with tinkering and sending stuff back and forth, and will be sticking to stuff which I know will work.

[chrisridd]

Originally Posted by Katsunami

I'm going to send the covers back, sell the reader, and sell anything else I still have that has flaws which have made me abandon the product in the end.

I'm done with tinkering and sending stuff back and forth, and will be sticking to stuff which I know will work.

Given you are already in the Amazon ecosystem I'm surprised you didn't go for the Kindle Oasis. You should make enough from selling all your Kobo bits to afford one...

[Katsunami]

Originally Posted by chrisridd

Given you are already in the Amazon ecosystem I'm surprised you didn't go for the Kindle Oasis. You should make enough from selling all your Kobo bits to afford one...

I dislike the Oasys and the Voyage. They only add stuff I don't need.

And I'm not in any ecosystem, as all of my books are und-DRM-ed. Actually, I've only bought 5 books at Amazon, because most of the time, Kobo is cheaper for me; especially when they have coupons.

[Sweetpea]

Originally Posted by chrisridd

Given you are already in the Amazon ecosystem I'm surprised you didn't go for the Kindle Oasis. You should make enough from selling all your Kobo bits to afford one...

I'm like Katsunami, except his exact opposite. I have a Kobo reader (he has a Kindle), and I have bought only 5 books (could be 6) at Kobo so far (and dozens at Amazon). I find them more expensive! Which is weird, as we both live in the same country :P

Plus, I find cleaning books from amazon a lot easier than kobo, I wouldn't even know where to start with epubs... (the only books I've bought at Kobo so far didn't have DRM).

Edit: and I've never seen one coupon from Kobo... And the only books they ever put on sale are Dutch

[chrisridd]

Originally Posted by Katsunami

I dislike the Oasys and the Voyage. They only add stuff I don't need.

And I'm not in any ecosystem, as all of my books are und-DRM-ed. Actually, I've only bought 5 books at Amazon, because most of the time, Kobo is cheaper for me; especially when they have coupons.

Kobo's price matching means they're now always cheapest, if they have the book. I've hardly ever been able to use Kobo's coupons though, because they don't usually work on books from the big publishers.

[chrisridd]

Originally Posted by Katsunami

I dislike the Oasys and the Voyage. They only add stuff I don't need.

And I'm not in any ecosystem, as all of my books are und-DRM-ed. Actually, I've only bought 5 books at Amazon, because most of the time, Kobo is cheaper for me; especially when they have coupons.

Sorry, I assumed anyone owning a Kindle would automatically be buying books from Amazon!

[Katsunami]

Originally Posted by Sweetpea

I'm like Katsunami, except his exact opposite. I have a Kobo reader (he has a Kindle), and I have bought only 5 books (could be 6) at Kobo so far (and dozens at Amazon). I find them more expensive! Which is weird, as we both live in the same country :P

Plus, I find cleaning books from amazon a lot easier than kobo, I wouldn't even know where to start with epubs... (the only books I've bought at Kobo so far didn't have DRM).

Edit: and I've never seen one coupon from Kobo... And the only books they ever put on sale are Dutch

For EPUB's, you install Adobe Digital Editions version 2.01 (and only that one). It's basically the generic counterpart of Kindle for PC and Kobo Desktop.

Then you buy a book at Kobo. You get an ASCM file, which basically is a download key. You drop that into ADE, and it downloads the book. From there on, you import it into calibre, and if you have installed Alf's tools correctly, the file will be cleaned.

Find the Kobo coupons thread in this forum. If a multi-use coupon is there, you can buy lots of books at good discounts. In the past, Kobo released a huge amount of 50-90% (!) multi-use coupons, and that's why I have so many books. Also, a lot of books I read are not published by one of the Big Five (such as the Forgotten Realms), and there you stand a bigger chance of a coupon working.

I never buy anything in Dutch, because everything I ever wanted to read in Dutch is already in the public domain. I'm not interested in original fantasy written in Dutch. I find that it doesn't work. If I write something myself, I write it English as well.

[dagrim1]

Originally Posted by DNSB

In a dim room, if you look directly at the micro-USB socket, you can see the light without having to open the cover.

Ah, nice one. Thanks!

Just a small update, seems to be working just great now. Took it in the bag to work the last few days. Stays asleep fine... Read in bed, put it down, sleeping fine in the morning.

Just ordered a spare in case this one breaks/deteriorates (it IS a cheap chinese cover, and it takes a few weeks to arrive).

[Sweetpea]

Originally Posted by Katsunami

For EPUB's, you install Adobe Digital Editions version 2.01 (and only that one). It's basically the generic counterpart of Kindle for PC and Kobo Desktop.

Then you buy a book at Kobo. You get an ASCM file, which basically is a download key. You drop that into ADE, and it downloads the book. From there on, you import it into calibre, and if you have installed Alf's tools correctly, the file will be cleaned.

I'll probably have to log on to the ADE as well. I have bought maybe 4 books with epub drm (or rather, at 4 different times). And every single time I couldn't use my adobe account anymore and had to create a new one...