Aren't Kobo eReader designs a little boring?

[TechniSol]

You make a good point. I bought my first Kobo E-reader, a Touch, because Kobo had the ability to provide lighter/heavier font adjustment and install other fonts. I bought my second Kobo, a Glo, because I didn't like the lighting on the the "new" frontlit Nooks and because I wasn't really a part of the Amazon ecosystem. However, had Sony produced a decently priced frontlit e-reader similar to the models they made in aluminum, I'd have been all over them.

I think it may be a fair statement to say that "Function Trumps Form" for most people who buy e-readers over just using a tablet.(oddly some who posted in favor of form, still said function came first...) I prefer to read on my old Glo, but the 8" Nuvision tablet is a close second as far as visual comfort(with inverted display colors) -the battery life is not conducive to sitting down and plowing through a whole book without recharging. I also have a Lenovo Miix 700 12" tablet that is great for reading PDF files or comic books in the various PDF based file formats without having to scroll the page around.

If I have to, or just want to, take just one device with me and expect only a few hours of usage then my 8" tablet will do -I also have a bluetooth keyboard hardcase by Zagg that I modified to fit that works nicely for a bit of typing/editing.(Wouldn't want to type all day on it, but in a pinch...) If I want to go nuts I can bring a relatively small powerbank that will run the tablet about 30 additional hours.(36+ total)

If I need a longer run time just for reading without carrying anything else the Kobo Glo and my cellphone serve well enough.

The Miix 700 serves as the "big gun" and has a decent keyboard for a tablet folio style case. Mine dual boots Windows 10 and BlissROM X86 Android 8.1.

Bottom line, at this point it's picking the right tool for the job. While form played some role in my selection of each of these particular devices, ultimately function came first.

Also, as far as I'm concerned, there is no one device that does most everything well available at this time. That said, if I could get one of those e-ink screen cases for my phone that'd be interesting as an every day carry device with decent software to run the e-ink display -but, it still wouldn't be much for reading comics. Further, I have too many gadgets!

[meeera]

I want the hardware to disappear while I'm reading. I have no interest in colour/design of the back because it's in a case anyhow.

[monic39]

It seems I am the only one here that has a problem with the new style of the back (textured or rubbery feel) for the Kobo's.
The textured feel gets very irritating on my fingers in about 10 minutes. That's the reason I am not buying the new kobo aura H2o or Kobo One. A cover is too heavy (bone disease) I like to read with the device in my bare hands

Are there more strange persons who feel this way about the new backs .

[Mrs_Often]

Originally Posted by monic39

It seems I am the only one here that has a problem with the new style of the back (textured or rubbery feel) for the Kobo's.

The textured feel gets very irritating on my fingers in about 10 minutes. That's the reason I am not buying the new kobo aura H2o or Kobo One. A cover is too heavy (bone disease) I like to read with the device in my bare hands



Are there more strange persons who feel this way about the new backs .

Yes definitely (me). I loved the feel of the back of the Touch (velvety diamond shapes) and really had to get used to the Glo (which funnily enough also has velvety diamond shapes... but just completely different ones both to touch and to the eye). I have no idea what the newer Koboes feel like but I don't like the sound of 'rubbery' at all! That would irritate me/my fingers too (possibly even literally as I'm allergic to rubber!). That's a big shame because I am/was planning on upgrading to something with a ComfortLight Pro and hoping for the Clara HD to be perfect for me...

So yes, meeera, hardware should disappear while reading its content, but for me that means the hardware needs to be comfortable to hold (and preferably pretty enough for me to be extra happy, even though I know that's just silly).

I agree on the cover = too heavy thing too.

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by monic39

It seems I am the only one here that has a problem with the new style of the back (textured or rubbery feel) for the Kobo's.
The textured feel gets very irritating on my fingers in about 10 minutes. That's the reason I am not buying the new kobo aura H2o or Kobo One. A cover is too heavy (bone disease).

You can get covers that weigh almost nothing. I'm using a KW Mobile cover that adds very little weight to my Aura. Here's one for the Kobo Aura One

[tiltowait]

My ideal eReader design would be to take, say, the KA1, and remove the bezels not by reducing the footprint of the device, but by stretching out the screen to take up the space they occupied. That would leave a large-enough margin around the text for you to hold the device, and the software could easily be designed not to register touch in the margins.

[shalym]

Originally Posted by tiltowait

My ideal eReader design would be to take, say, the KA1, and remove the bezels not by reducing the footprint of the device, but by stretching out the screen to take up the space they occupied. That would leave a large-enough margin around the text for you to hold the device, and the software could easily be designed not to register touch in the margins.

How would that work for highlighting? What if there is a footnote, and the link just happens to appear in the portion of the screen that is too close to the edge?

Or are you talking about just having glass across the whole thing so that it is flush, but still having part of the screen area not capable of showing text? If so, I believe the original Aura and the Aura One both have that already.

Shari

[tiltowait]

Picture the KA1, but instead of the black borders, it's just more eInk panel. No text would be rendered in that area, as it's (effectively) purely cosmetic. Actual functionality of the device remains unchanged.

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by tiltowait

Picture the KA1, but instead of the black borders, it's just more eInk panel. No text would be rendered in that area, as it's (effectively) purely cosmetic. Actual functionality of the device remains unchanged.

Why bother to install a larger and more expensive eInk panel if you're not going to use it? A white bezel would have much the same effect and be cheaper.

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by DNSB

Why bother to install a larger and more expensive eInk panel if you're not going to use it? A white bezel would have much the same effect and be cheaper.

I agree. The anti-bezel move in devices right now doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me. I had a bezel-less phone and was happy enough to go back to bezels. Especially on anything larger than a phone.

[tiltowait]

Originally Posted by DNSB

Why bother to install a larger and more expensive eInk panel if you're not going to use it? A white bezel would have much the same effect and be cheaper.

Because it would look nicer? My idea is for the bezel to perfectly blend with the screen. A white plastic bezel wouldn’t accomplish that.

[davidfor]

Originally Posted by tiltowait

Because it would look nicer? My idea is for the bezel to perfectly blend with the screen. A white plastic bezel wouldn’t accomplish that.

Basically what you are asking is to double the price of the device without improving the function in any way. It might make it better looking, but personally, I don't think it would. And it would be confusing to use. I know I would keep tapping in that area to get it do something.

[tiltowait]

Oh, please. We both know it wouldn't come anywhere near to doubling the price. And since this is a thread about Kobo's "boring" designs, I think it's more than reasonable to discuss, you know, design ideas. Flush screens raise the price of the device and serve no functional purpose, but I don't see people complaining about that.

[dordale]

Personally I like having a bezel...and I can guarantee if you had empty "screen space" on the edges with no way to decrease the margins so that text could fill the area Kobo would get numerous complaints about wasted screen space from folks wanting to decrease margins. (I'd probably be one of them )

[davidfor]

Originally Posted by tiltowait

Oh, please. We both know it wouldn't come anywhere near to doubling the price.

OK, "significantly raising the price".

And since this is a thread about Kobo's "boring" designs, I think it's more than reasonable to discuss, you know, design ideas.

True, and I did give an opinion on this. But, I'll be blunt: I think it is a stupid idea. If you are going to increase the size of the screen, then actually use it.

Flush screens raise the price of the device and serve no functional purpose, but I don't see people complaining about that.

Not sure how flush screens raise the price. For function, I believe that they probably increase stiffness and strength. Or at least that is being claimed in some places. But, as to people complaining about them, have you read this forum? There are plenty of people here who don't like them and have expressed a preference for raised bezels. I'd say the lack of complaints is that everyone can see this is where the designs are heading and for most of us, it doesn't matter.