Best Firmware version on Kobo Touch?

teija · 06-10-2019, 03:21 PM

Just trying to clean up an old Kobo Touch and wondering which firmware version is everyone's favourite (least buggy but best interface/features)? I am partial to the versions that had the "Kobo Guy" but of course may have to sacrifice him.

Hopefully I am not duplicating too much - I had a quick search on here but wasn't able to find if there is already a thread about this.

geek1011 · 06-10-2019, 05:03 PM

3.19.5761 if you want the old home screen, 4.15.12920 (the latest) otherwise.

Quoth · 06-10-2019, 05:26 PM

I'd agree with that, except I didn't know 3.19.5761 was the last good one with old home screen, which I only liked with ALL the tiles turned off, so it was only the books currently be accessed in MRU order.
The Touch is three versions? A, B & C? I have the C, if Touch = N905C. Mine suffers from bad ghosting. Worst screen of all my ereaders, maybe it's faulty? Though not as bad as when I got it a few months back.

teija · 06-10-2019, 06:54 PM

Thanks for the prompt and helpful replies, both of you! That really helps to narrow it down. I'll look into the two and see which one I can get along with best...

Quote:

Originally Posted by FrustratedReader

The Touch is three versions? A, B & C? I have the C, if Touch = N905C. Mine suffers from bad ghosting. Worst screen of all my ereaders, maybe it's faulty? Though not as bad as when I got it a few months back.

Ah, good point. I didn't realize there were different versions of the one model... I have the N905... no letter, so I guess the oldest?

And yes, I realize the Touch IS old, laggy, not as good of a screen and by no means up-to-par with the more modern e-readers, but this one is just going to be my "junk" device, for taking in the car, on trips, etc. I will not cry too much if it gets damaged or lost (not as much as I would with my more expensive Aura HD).

geek1011 · 06-10-2019, 10:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FrustratedReader

I'd agree with that, except I didn't know 3.19.5761 was the last good one with old home screen

Well, there are a few of the 4.x.x ones, but many of those are buggy compared to 3.19.5761 and don't offer much more.

Quote:

which I only liked with ALL the tiles turned off, so it was only the books currently be accessed in MRU order.

I generally liked it with the books and the collections.

Quote:

The Touch is three versions? A, B & C? I have the C, if Touch = N905C. Mine suffers from bad ghosting. Worst screen of all my ereaders, maybe it's faulty? Though not as bad as when I got it a few months back.

I also have a Mini, and although the ghosting is just as bad as the Touch, it's still bearable. I also miss the responsibility of the old infrared touch screens. It really makes it feel much faster.

Quote:

Originally Posted by teija

Thanks for the prompt and helpful replies, both of you! That really helps to narrow it down. I'll look into the two and see which one I can get along with best...

I'd highly recommend the newest version if you don't absolutely need the tiles.

davidfor · 06-10-2019, 11:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FrustratedReader

I'd agree with that, except I didn't know 3.19.5761 was the last good one with old home screen, which I only liked with ALL the tiles turned off, so it was only the books currently be accessed in MRU order.

The last with the tiled home screen (can't call it the "old" home screen as there were at least two older home screens) was 4.3.something. But, not all the firmware versions between 3.19.5761 and 4.4 were released for the Touch and most had different issues. 3.19.5761 is probably the best for the devices that it supports if you want to avoid the current home screen.

Quote:

The Touch is three versions? A, B & C? I have the C, if Touch = N905C. Mine suffers from bad ghosting. Worst screen of all my ereaders, maybe it's faulty? Though not as bad as when I got it a few months back.

Not likely to be faulty, just the oldest type of e-ink screen and the most likely to show ghosting. I have an N905 (there was no "A") and the ghosting is bad compared to the other device. I think it is worse than when it was new, but, I am not sure.

As to firmware, I have been keeping my Touch up to date with only one issue. It seems to need two or three tries to connect to WiFi, and it can forget the network completely. I only use it to check things, so, that hasn't really worried. But, for firmware choice on it, I'd choose either 3.19.5761 or the latest available.

Quoth · 06-11-2019, 02:13 PM

No problem with my WiFi on the N905C, however the two modem/router/airpoints supplied by the last two ISPs were terrible on everything on WiFi and also had no ability to block sites.

chronoreverse · 06-11-2019, 08:23 PM

I find that 3.19.5761 is faster than the newer firmwares significantly too.

davidfor · 06-11-2019, 08:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chronoreverse

I find that 3.19.5761 is faster than the newer firmwares significantly too.

At doing what? I can guarantee that collections are slower on 3.19.5761, but, I'd have said the current release has caught up to it on everything else. And I'd have tended to say that page turning was faster.

teija · 06-12-2019, 03:09 AM

It may be a moot point, since I have never been too technical with my eReaders, and it wouldn't let me complete the setup without connecting to the PC/Kobo Desktop (that Feb. 28th update/restriction)... So, looks like I will be going with the latest!

davidfor · 06-12-2019, 05:24 AM

Firmware 3.19.5761 will work on a Touch and allow connecting the the net. And it is a good choice if you don't want to use the later firmware. Which usually means you don't want the current home page. But, as later firmware has been released for the Touch, the device will want to update whenever you do a sync or connect to the Kobo desktop application. If you are sideloading only, there is no reason not to use it.

chronoreverse · 06-12-2019, 01:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by davidfor

At doing what? I can guarantee that collections are slower on 3.19.5761, but, I'd have said the current release has caught up to it on everything else. And I'd have tended to say that page turning was faster.

I don't use collections so I didn't know about that. I meant general UI latency as well as page flips.

teija · 06-12-2019, 05:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by davidfor

Firmware 3.19.5761 will work on a Touch and allow connecting the the net.

I wasn't sure how to connect it to a computer (or Wifi) and NOT have it automatically update to the latest firmware, so I just let it do what it was going to do.

But I must say, I am VERY impressed so far with how zippy this old Touch is on the latest firmware! That is of course because I haven't started putting anything on it, just a couple of eBook files to check it so far.

Thanks again everyone! It has been an informative discussion

06-10-2019, 03:21 PM	#1
teija Gadget fiend Posts: 354 Karma: 2111100 Join Date: Apr 2013 Location: Vancouver, Canada Device: Kobo Clara HD, Aura HD, Kindle Paperwhite 2021, Sony PRS-350	Best Firmware version on Kobo Touch? Just trying to clean up an old Kobo Touch and wondering which firmware version is everyone's favourite (least buggy but best interface/features)? I am partial to the versions that had the "Kobo Guy" but of course may have to sacrifice him. Hopefully I am not duplicating too much - I had a quick search on here but wasn't able to find if there is already a thread about this.

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06-10-2019, 05:03 PM	#2
geek1011 Wizard Posts: 2,811 Karma: 7423683 Join Date: May 2016 Location: Ontario, Canada Device: Kobo Mini, Aura Edition 2 v1, Clara HD, Clara BW, Libra Colour	3.19.5761 if you want the old home screen, 4.15.12920 (the latest) otherwise.

06-10-2019, 05:26 PM	#3
Quoth Still reading Posts: 15,007 Karma: 111111255 Join Date: Jun 2017 Location: Ireland Device: All 4 Kinds: epub eink, Kindle, android eink, NxtPaper	I'd agree with that, except I didn't know 3.19.5761 was the last good one with old home screen, which I only liked with ALL the tiles turned off, so it was only the books currently be accessed in MRU order. The Touch is three versions? A, B & C? I have the C, if Touch = N905C. Mine suffers from bad ghosting. Worst screen of all my ereaders, maybe it's faulty? Though not as bad as when I got it a few months back.

06-11-2019, 02:13 PM	#7
Quoth Still reading Posts: 15,007 Karma: 111111255 Join Date: Jun 2017 Location: Ireland Device: All 4 Kinds: epub eink, Kindle, android eink, NxtPaper	No problem with my WiFi on the N905C, however the two modem/router/airpoints supplied by the last two ISPs were terrible on everything on WiFi and also had no ability to block sites.

06-11-2019, 08:23 PM	#8
chronoreverse Connoisseur Posts: 59 Karma: 1134 Join Date: Jan 2019 Device: Kindle Voyage	I find that 3.19.5761 is faster than the newer firmwares significantly too.

06-12-2019, 03:09 AM	#10
teija Gadget fiend Posts: 354 Karma: 2111100 Join Date: Apr 2013 Location: Vancouver, Canada Device: Kobo Clara HD, Aura HD, Kindle Paperwhite 2021, Sony PRS-350	It may be a moot point, since I have never been too technical with my eReaders, and it wouldn't let me complete the setup without connecting to the PC/Kobo Desktop (that Feb. 28th update/restriction)... So, looks like I will be going with the latest!

06-12-2019, 05:24 AM	#11
davidfor Grand Sorcerer Posts: 24,905 Karma: 47303824 Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Sydney, Australia Device: Kobo:Touch,Glo, AuraH2O, GloHD,AuraONE, ClaraHD, Libra H2O; tolinoepos	Firmware 3.19.5761 will work on a Touch and allow connecting the the net. And it is a good choice if you don't want to use the later firmware. Which usually means you don't want the current home page. But, as later firmware has been released for the Touch, the device will want to update whenever you do a sync or connect to the Kobo desktop application. If you are sideloading only, there is no reason not to use it.