Next model kobo? Kobo Aura H2O Edition 2

[MisterBuggie]

So, my Kobo Touch is 5 and a half years old, I'm considering replacing it with the new H20 (179€ at the local store, according to their website - I'll go take a look when I get time), as the larger screen and backlight would be nice. However, I've seen some videos comparing previous Kobos to Kindles, and the Kindle display seems so much quicker (zooming on a PDF, using the browser, etc.). Plus the touchscreen seems to be more precise. Not necessarily the most important aspects for reading books, but still...
So how good is this new model? How does it compare to a Kindle?
Also, are there any bugs to be aware of? The original KT has a bug where the touch screen will cut out every so often (a couple of times per book) and you'll have to reboot. And I think there used to be a couple of other problems, that were finally sorted out with updates.

[snoeki]

I had a kindle paperwhite from 2014 and I just bought the kobo H20 2nd edition. Speed is about the same in the menu's and reading books. I don't read pdf's on them because I read them on my ipad (I use a lot of pdf's and I do have to make notes because I am a teacher). So the ipad is my only pdf device and I cannot advice you on pdf's on an ereader.

but for reading books it makes no difference. The kindle has a better webbrowser due to the article mode, I find the kindle a few percent faster in the menu's , I enjoy the kobo more because of kobo plus (for Dutch books a good option, in English you have amazon prime which is also a good choice). And I like the kindle touch screen better, it's a bit less sensitive and that is better for me, I also like the next page / previous page parts of the kindle better, but perhaps I am not used to the kobo options. I have had a kindle for 10 years, so it's perphaps a thing I need to get used to. Now I played a bit with my kobo I am getting used to it more and more, but I prefer the kindle touch screen for my fingers.

So, well, if you don't read pdf's I don't see a big difference. Which eco systsem for your books is best for you? If you read Dutch it will be kobo, but if I lived in the USA I think I would choose amazon.

Now kobo has a new firmware I do like the stability, amazon's kindle was always stable for me the last 10 years.

Originally Posted by Wicked John

Hello everyone!

I’m looking for ebook reader, I recently sold my Kobo aura and now I’m thinking of buying H2O2 or One, @snoeki I would like to ask you how many hours can u pull through with one full charge and if it is discharging while on sleep,

Me and my wife share our kobo account (due to kobo plus, a spotify / netflix for books). The problem is: it also combines our reading hours. But to answer your question: the kobo H20 2nd edition seems to have a much better battery life than the kobo glo hd. It has no drains at all, the battery is still full (the icon on the screen) after reading about 10 hours. So I think it's safe to say battery life is pretty nice. You won't have a problem with reading 8 hours in one night. But be aware, with the night reading mode option (orange light) it's difficult to stay awake. I have had the blue light on while reading and it's about 30% on. I don't use the orange light at the moment. Perhaps the battery will drain faster if you put the lights at 100% , but it feels to me like looking in a flash light in the dark and it's way too bright for me. But kobo has a great battery life, it's the same as the kindle and I only charge it once every 3 or 4 weeks. I have the kobo now for less than a week, so I will have to see, but it seems good and I have wifi enabled and I do every night a sync (automatically), so it uses my wifi also.

And if anyone sees a pink hardcover for the kobo H20 2nd edition, please let me know, my wife would love it. And I need a cover without a flap, the original cover is ok-ish, but I would just like to cut of the flap because it's stupid.

[MisterBuggie]

Thanks snoeki. I'm in France, so it comes with the Kobo store and the Fnac store (one of the main book sellers in France).
I'm glad to hear there isn't that much difference between the two. And I'm used to Kobo. I don't use PDFs much, but that might be because I know it's not worth it with my old Kobo. I also just realised that Amazon only makes 6" readers, so the H20 2 is a little bigger. So despite the difference in price, I might just treat myself to the new Kobo.

I might then donate my old Kobo to a family member, as there are several people who read a lot, but I'm the only one with an electronic reader.

[meeera]

Originally Posted by MisterBuggie

So, my Kobo Touch is 5 and a half years old, I'm considering replacing it with the new H20 (179€ at the local store, according to their website - I'll go take a look when I get time), as the larger screen and backlight would be nice. However, I've seen some videos comparing previous Kobos to Kindles, and the Kindle display seems so much quicker (zooming on a PDF, using the browser, etc.).

If you're going to be spending a significant amount of time reading PDFs and browsing, I suggest a tablet, not a Kobo or Kindle. The right tool for the job. If I'm reading and I want to quickly browse something, I'll grab my phone.

[moofychops]

This may be helpful to new users of this model:-
https://kbdownload1-a.akamaihd.net/m...erguide_EN.pdf

[MisterBuggie]

So, I just bought it. So far impressions are good. The touch screen is a bit more reactive than the original kobo touch, however precision is still lacking. Took about 10 presses to tick a box. But it's a reader, not a tablet, so no big deal. I checked out the orange light, which should prove interesting, and transferred my library over, which was nice and quick. I'll be going to bed early tonight to try this out

[MisterBuggie]

Well, I ended up going to bed late, had a problem with the books I was reading. Thought it was a problem with the reader, turns out it was just because of corrupt files. Those books had been corrupted by a failed drive, so I'd restored from a backup, but Calibre kept both versions, and was transferring the corrupt ones over.
Anyhow, light at 25% is plenty for reading in the dark. The orange light is fine for reading. And as an added bonus, as it was late I did my usual thing and fell asleep reading, but this time the light in the room was off. Quite nice not waking up in the night to turn the light off... The extra space on the screen is really nice, and the higher definition does make a difference.

[JSWolf]

Light at 25% is going to be bright and/or harsh. No way I could read comfortably at 25%.

[MisterBuggie]

If it was blue, I'd agree. But the orange light is so much softer.

[slayerwpww]

Honestly, the lack of a microSD expansion slot is so annoying that I think I will take really good care of my old Aura HD. Now Kobo has removed the internal SD card (Aura One and H20-2) and replaced it with a soldered chip. So, no possibility to upgrade the internal SD memory card either. I really like to have many (big) technical ebooks with me and I really need more than 8G. Tablets are a pain to read from, so they are not an option for me. Maybe I will have to buy 2 or more cheaper kobos to keep my collections separated??? I have always been a huge fan of ebook readers dedicated devices but I can't see a bright future for them now. In my opinion, expansion slots for microSD cards are far more important than having a waterproof device... just my 2 cents.

[koboy]

Originally Posted by slayerwpww

Honestly, the lack of a microSD expansion slot is so annoying that I think I will take really good care of my old Aura HD. Now Kobo has removed the internal SD card (Aura One and H20-2) and replaced it with a soldered chip. So, no possibility to upgrade the internal SD memory card either. I really like to have many (big) technical ebooks with me and I really need more than 8G. Tablets are a pain to read from, so they are not an option for me. Maybe I will have to buy 2 or more cheaper kobos to keep my collections separated??? I have always been a huge fan of ebook readers dedicated devices but I can't see a bright future for them now. In my opinion, expansion slots for microSD cards are far more important than having a waterproof device... just my 2 cents.

i feel your pain.

best wishes koboy

[davidfor]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Light at 25% is going to be bright and/or harsh. No way I could read comfortably at 25%.

Jon: How much light you get at 25% is different for each type of device. And the ambient lighting affects what is harsh. I find I have my Glo HD at over 30% when in a reasonable well lit room.

[Sweetpea]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Light at 25% is going to be bright and/or harsh. No way I could read comfortably at 25%.

It depends on which light MisterBuggie means...

Originally Posted by MisterBuggie

Anyhow, light at 25% is plenty for reading in the dark. The orange light is fine for reading. And as an added bonus, as it was late I did my usual thing and fell asleep reading, but this time the light in the room was off. Quite nice not waking up in the night to turn the light off... The extra space on the screen is really nice, and the higher definition does make a difference.

Which light did you have at 25%? I have my normal light at 2% and my natural light at around 70%.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by davidfor

Jon: How much light you get at 25% is different for each type of device. And the ambient lighting affects what is harsh. I find I have my Glo HD at over 30% when in a reasonable well lit room.

In a well lit room, my light setting at dark would not be sufficient. With my H2O, I use 4% in the dark.

[moofychops]

Originally Posted by slayerwpww

Honestly, the lack of a microSD expansion slot is so annoying that I think I will take really good care of my old Aura HD. Now Kobo has removed the internal SD card (Aura One and H20-2) and replaced it with a soldered chip. So, no possibility to upgrade the internal SD memory card either. I really like to have many (big) technical ebooks with me and I really need more than 8G. Tablets are a pain to read from, so they are not an option for me. Maybe I will have to buy 2 or more cheaper kobos to keep my collections separated??? I have always been a huge fan of ebook readers dedicated devices but I can't see a bright future for them now. In my opinion, expansion slots for microSD cards are far more important than having a waterproof device... just my 2 cents.

I think us more common book readers still prefer the waterproofing, and removal of the 'flappy' tag at the bottom of the reader is again another bonus. Add this to the newer lighting system makes the H2O just about perfect. (IMHO of course). 8Mb of storage is probably about right for us as well to store all our 'stuff' hi

As for remarks about the H2O case being expensive, I have reused the version case by using a leather punch to make the new on/off switch visible and as the V2 is 'shorter' than the V1, I used double sided adhesive sponges to fix the reader into the old case. The 'sleep; magnet still works as well.

I think Kobo will have a winner on its hands as it got the lighting and night reading pale orange light just about right (having avoided the earlier KA1 problems).