Clara HD Anyone with qualms about the Walmart reviews of Kobo devices?

graycyn · 08-22-2018, 03:00 AM

So, Walmart is selling Kobo on their site, and the reviews of the devices are, well, maybe a little TOO glowing? For one thing, where did they get all these reviews from, since today is the first day the devices have been available to order from Walmart?

Further, and please correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought the new Clara HD was NOT waterproof? And if this is the case, then the review mentioning using the Clara HD *WHILE SNORKELING* seems patently false....

Don't get me wrong, I *love* my Kobo Aura One, but these reviews feel overly strong somehow.

CORRECTION: I missed that the reviewer said her experience with the Clara HD and the fishes was NOT reality, but it's still an odd review for a product that isn't mentioned as being waterproof in the first place....

In any case, these reviews have, to me, a distinct 'manufactured' feel. Several mentions of the Kobo store having a larger pool of books? Really? And there are mentions of Overdrive support, but I thought this was still restricted to the Aura ONE? Also saw someone stating the Clara HD was great for PDFs ... um, since when has any Kobo been great for PDFs out of the box?

Many of these reviews were supposedly written as part of a 'contest' making me wonder if the reviewers had even purchased or owned a device.

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Mrs_Often · 08-22-2018, 03:29 AM

That is rather strange indeed. Clara HD is not waterproof and is not good at reading PDFs... unless you install non-Kobo things.

It will however support OverDrive (like all current/new devices) with the new firmware that is being rolled out at the moment (4.10.something). Perhaps there are PDF reading improvements in there as well??? No idea. In any case the reviews are very suspicious.

Edit: have you googled some of the text in the reviews to see if they were taken from another source? Directly from Kobo store maybe?

graycyn · 08-22-2018, 11:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mrs_Often

That is rather strange indeed. Clara HD is not waterproof and is not good at reading PDFs... unless you install non-Kobo things.

It will however support OverDrive (like all current/new devices) with the new firmware that is being rolled out at the moment (4.10.something). Perhaps there are PDF reading improvements in there as well??? No idea. In any case the reviews are very suspicious.

Edit: have you googled some of the text in the reviews to see if they were taken from another source? Directly from Kobo store maybe?

Yes, just saw on Nate's blog that Kobo is updating the newer models to support Overdrive, but that just makes me more suspicious of the reviews, since Kobo usually doesn't roll updates out to all devices at once.

No, I didn't Google the text, it was just a strong initial impression. All the constant mention of features ... just didn't feel like the average group of consumer reviews.

It's too bad, because if I get that impression, other people probably will as well. Better to just let the honest reviews come in. Kobo does have a good product!

I'm hoping that now they are making readers more easily available in the USA, thus being in more direct competition with Amazon, that they will up their game a bit with firmware and hardware in the future. Spreading the Overdrive integration to their newer models is a great start!

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ZodWallop · 08-22-2018, 11:53 AM

Honestly, do the reviews on Walmart's site really even matter?

graycyn · 08-22-2018, 01:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ZodWallop

Honestly, do the reviews on Walmart's site really even matter?

Well, not to me, but to people who may be considering ordering a reader, a smattering of fake reviews just looks bad as an initial impression. It's really too obvious.

If that was my first encounter with Kobo products, I'd be feeling wary of buying anything made by the company.

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ZodWallop · 08-22-2018, 03:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by graycyn

Well, not to me, but to people who may be considering ordering a reader, a smattering of fake reviews just looks bad as an initial impression. It's really too obvious.

If that was my first encounter with Kobo products, I'd be feeling wary of buying anything made by the company.

I guess. On the other hand, it's not like Walmart sells any other readers. And who takes the time to go online to look at reviews, but then only checks Walmart's site?

Sorry. I guess I'm contributing nothing to this thread.

HLS · 08-22-2018, 03:11 PM

I was reading the reviews and some were saying how great the Walmart ebook store is yet it’s been open only a day now and the snorkeling one was odd. An ereaders with no color is not the best for IDing fish lol

rcentros · 08-22-2018, 04:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kcladyz

I was reading the reviews and some were saying how great the Walmart ebook store is yet it’s been open only a day now and the snorkeling one was odd. An ereaders with no color is not the best for IDing fish lol

Unless my setup is odd, isn't the Walmart eBook store just Kobo's eBook store with a Walmart referral URL? I know when I click eBooks on Walmart it automatically goes to my Kobo account (since I stay signed in on that on my home computer). Is there another eBook store that I'm not seeing?

HLS · 08-22-2018, 06:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rcentros

Unless my setup is odd, isn't the Walmart eBook store just Kobo's eBook store with a Walmart referral URL? I know when I click eBooks on Walmart it automatically goes to my Kobo account (since I stay signed in on that on my home computer). Is there another eBook store that I'm not seeing?

It’s not on the bookstore Walmart. When you do a basic search for kobo on Walmart.com the devices show up. When you look at the reviews for Clara they are suspicious

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Kobo-Clara-HD/848940265

But the Walmart ebook url does take you to kobo ebook store but I see the Walmart design

graycyn · 08-22-2018, 08:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ZodWallop

I guess. On the other hand, it's not like Walmart sells any other readers. And who takes the time to go online to look at reviews, but then only checks Walmart's site?

Sorry. I guess I'm contributing nothing to this thread.

Someone might walk into a Walmart, see the new reader display, start thinking about it, go to the site, look at the reviews then. I admit to shopping that way, tho I also admit I hardly restrict myself to the Walmart site when doing so.

In all probability, it probably WON'T matter that much. It's just that I hate to see Kobo/Walmart start out with this cheezy tactic. They have a good product, there's no need.

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rcentros · 08-23-2018, 02:34 AM

The reviews on Amazon are pretty much worthless now also. Half the time they aren't even filed under the right product -- sometimes not even under the right brand.

Cootey · 08-24-2018, 05:26 PM

It’s likely that the reviews aren’t fake, but from beta testers who had early access. Eventually, more recent reviews will reflect reality like “I cry fowl! I took thsi Clark HD swimming with me and now it doesn’t run anymore!!!!1!” 😏

Sent from my iPhone, proving definitively that I’m all thumbs.

http://DouglasCootey.com

08-22-2018, 03:00 AM	#1
graycyn Wizard Posts: 1,591 Karma: 11722446 Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: NE Oregon Device: Kobo Sage, Pocketbook Era, Kobo Forma, Kindle Oasis 2	Anyone with qualms about the Walmart reviews of Kobo devices? So, Walmart is selling Kobo on their site, and the reviews of the devices are, well, maybe a little TOO glowing? For one thing, where did they get all these reviews from, since today is the first day the devices have been available to order from Walmart? Further, and please correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought the new Clara HD was NOT waterproof? And if this is the case, then the review mentioning using the Clara HD WHILE SNORKELING seems patently false.... Don't get me wrong, I love my Kobo Aura One, but these reviews feel overly strong somehow. CORRECTION: I missed that the reviewer said her experience with the Clara HD and the fishes was NOT reality, but it's still an odd review for a product that isn't mentioned as being waterproof in the first place.... In any case, these reviews have, to me, a distinct 'manufactured' feel. Several mentions of the Kobo store having a larger pool of books? Really? And there are mentions of Overdrive support, but I thought this was still restricted to the Aura ONE? Also saw someone stating the Clara HD was great for PDFs ... um, since when has any Kobo been great for PDFs out of the box? Many of these reviews were supposedly written as part of a 'contest' making me wonder if the reviewers had even purchased or owned a device. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Last edited by graycyn; 08-22-2018 at 03:28 AM.

08-22-2018, 03:29 AM	#2
Mrs_Often Wizard Posts: 1,775 Karma: 2694823 Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: The Netherlands Device: Kobo Touch, Glo, Clara HD	Anyone with qualms about the Walmart reviews of Kobo devices? That is rather strange indeed. Clara HD is not waterproof and is not good at reading PDFs... unless you install non-Kobo things. It will however support OverDrive (like all current/new devices) with the new firmware that is being rolled out at the moment (4.10.something). Perhaps there are PDF reading improvements in there as well??? No idea. In any case the reviews are very suspicious. Edit: have you googled some of the text in the reviews to see if they were taken from another source? Directly from Kobo store maybe?

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08-22-2018, 11:53 AM	#4
ZodWallop Gentleman and scholar Posts: 11,479 Karma: 111164374 Join Date: Jun 2015 Location: Space City, Texas Device: Clara BW; Nook ST w/Glowlight, Paperwhite 3	Honestly, do the reviews on Walmart's site really even matter?

08-22-2018, 03:11 PM	#7
HLS Wizard Posts: 2,132 Karma: 16342480 Join Date: May 2017 Device: Sage, Scribe, Boox Note 2 Plus, iPad Pros and Samsungs S6,S7,S8	I was reading the reviews and some were saying how great the Walmart ebook store is yet it’s been open only a day now and the snorkeling one was odd. An ereaders with no color is not the best for IDing fish lol

08-23-2018, 02:34 AM	#11
rcentros eReader Wrangler Posts: 7,888 Karma: 52039845 Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: Boise, ID Device: PB HD3, GL3, Tolino Vision 4, Voyage, Clara HD	The reviews on Amazon are pretty much worthless now also. Half the time they aren't even filed under the right product -- sometimes not even under the right brand.

08-24-2018, 05:26 PM	#12
Cootey Absentminded Reader Posts: 1,324 Karma: 7387565 Join Date: Apr 2017 Device: Kobo Mini, Libra Colour & Elipsa; Kindle Paperwhite 3 & 4; iOS apps	It’s likely that the reviews aren’t fake, but from beta testers who had early access. Eventually, more recent reviews will reflect reality like “I cry fowl! I took thsi Clark HD swimming with me and now it doesn’t run anymore!!!!1!” 😏 Sent from my iPhone, proving definitively that I’m all thumbs. http://DouglasCootey.com