Forma Questions for those who own the Forma and smaller Kobo devices

[droopy]

Dear Kobo users,

For a long time, I've been considering getting a Kobo Forma. I have told myself that a bigger screen is nicer, because:
1. You don't have press the next-page button as often.
2. You can see more words at a time (font size staying constant).
3. You get a better reading experience with PDFs.

But now I wonder if I really need the larger Forma. So my question for those who have a Forma and a smaller Kobo device:
1. Why did you end up with multiple Kobos?
2. When do you use the Forma? When do you use your smaller Kobo?


August 22 update: I decided to get a Forma and am happy with its size.

[MGlitch]

I gave up using my Kobo Aura One when I got the Forma.

The physical footprint of the two is similar enough that I don’t find it inconvenient to carry with me. Same goes for the weight even when using the official case.

[droopy]

Originally Posted by MGlitch

I gave up using my Kobo Aura One when I got the Forma.

The physical footprint of the two is similar enough that I don’t find it inconvenient to carry with me. Same goes for the weight even when using the official case.

Thank you for your reply. Upon reading what you wrote I googled [Kobo Aura One vs Forma] and was led to https://blog.the-ebook-reader.com/20...-review-video/ . On that page I learned that

Forma's screen has a plastic backing and the Aura One’s has glass so that makes the Forma’s screen lighter and more durable.

I'm trying to understand what is meant by "plastic backing". Does that mean that the Forma's exterior layer (what your fingers touch) is glass, and behind the glass is the "plastic backing"?

Why did you give up using your Aura One?

[NiLuJe]

@droopy: No, that's a technical detail of how the eInk tech is implemented on the Forma. On the vast majority of previous eInk devices, the TFT substrate is glass. Here, it's plastic, so it's a bit more flexible, and a lot more resilient to shock. (Google "broken eInk screen" for horror stories ;p).

The top layer (i.e., what you touch) is plastic. (I don't recall if anyone ever did true glass on the front. The Kindle Voyage, maybe?).

TL;DR: Yeah, the Forma pretty much instantly became my daily driver. It's light as hell, I like the form-factor, and I already had a larger than 6" device, so I already had to get creative to store the device in my bag (basically, they're in a neoprene sleeve, and instead of the small-ish front pocket, it now goes in the back next to a laptop).

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by droopy

Dear Kobo users,

For a long time, I've been considering getting a Kobo Forma. I have told myself that a bigger screen is nicer, because:
1. You don't have press the next-page button as often.
2. You can see more words at a time (font size staying constant).
3. You get a better reading experience with PDFs.

But now I wonder if I really need the larger Forma. So my question for those who have a Forma and a smaller Kobo device:
1. Why did you end up with multiple Kobos?
2. When do you use the Forma? When do you use your smaller Kobo?

Why did I end up with multiple Kobos? Hmmm... updating over the years from the first Kobo without Wifi though it did support Bluetooth to a Blackberry. Thouhg there have been accusations that I am an ereader collector. As my eyes age, I find myself using larger font sizes so the larger screen ereaders allow me to see the same amount of text on the screen. Currently I'm swapping between my Aura One and Clara HD for reading. The Aura One is my goto reader, the Clara HD is when I'm sitting outside enjoying lunch on a sunny day -- I wouldn't mind its loss or damage as much. Both live in my laptop bag along with a few other devices so the weight is not really an issue.

When do I use the Forma? I did get to use it for a few hours before my wife "borrowed" it. She is still very happy with it. Lighter than the Aura One and she likes the page turn buttons. Unless I hold the Aura One and the Forma side by side, the difference in screen size is hard to see.

[MGlitch]

I gave up using my Aura One because it wasn’t worth switching between the two for me. There simply wasn’t a benefit for the Aura One since the two are of such a similar physical size despite the Forma having a larger screen. Maybe if I’d held on to a 6 inch ereader it’d be a different story. However I’ve always moved up to the largest screen available from a dedicated ereader company and generally never looked back. The extra text on the page is worth the trade off in size and weight for me.

Most of my books are side loaded because I like future proofing them which also means that position in a book won’t sync. But that’s probably a use case that puts me in a minority of a minority.

[Terisa de morgan]

Well, I have Forma, Aura, Aura One, Aura 2 and Clara. And I have all of them because I like to test and I'm too lazy for selling what I don't need. And you can guess my use of Forma when I tell you I intend to give it as a present to a person who I know he is going to appreciate it. I use almost only my Clara now, none of the advantages you mention matter to me (as I don't read PDF, which would be the most important one), and my main consideration is smaller size and weight as it comes with me to every place. There is difference in weight and volume between Forma and Clara for sure, even between Clara and the original Aura. Another thing is if it matters to you, but there is difference.

[milady133]

I switch between my Aura One and the first Aura (6"). I use the Aura One at home because the large screen is nice, and the first Aura lives in my bag, and I use it on the go. That's the main reason to have more than one eReader. I didn't get the Forma because I don't particularly like its form, although the buttons would be nice, and the screen size difference with the Aura One isn't that much. I have purchased various second hand Aura first generation because it's the smaller eReader with a light (the first I purchased finally got the screen broken after some years of going with me everywhere) so it fits in almost all my bags.

[Zorka]

Alltough I own a H2O and an old touch, I still prefer my mini. My eyes are still pretty good, so I use a rather small font.
Only in bed I use the H2O because of the frontlight.

[ratinox]

Originally Posted by droopy

But now I wonder if I really need the larger Forma. So my question for those who have a Forma and a smaller Kobo device:
1. Why did you end up with multiple Kobos?
2. When do you use the Forma? When do you use your smaller Kobo?

Larger screen means larger pretty much everything. I've owned a fair number of readers over the years: iRex Illiad, Kindle DX, Aura HD, Kindle Paperwhite, Aura One, and now Forma. Between comics and manga and PDFs and technical documents which don't flow well (or at all), larger is simply better for my needs.

1. Because Kobo have been producing large(r) form factor readers at reasonable prices.

2. Always. Never.