Clara HD New Kobo Owner

[pghaworth]

Originally Posted by Sirtel

Yes, they're both Calibre plugins.

thank you!

[Alanon]

Originally Posted by pghaworth

thanks for the links. I can see myself buying Kobos in the future. I looked for a Kepubs option on Calibre but didn't find a way to convert to them. probably just tired and need to try tomorrow.

yes, the dictionary support on Kindle is wonderful. I have a one-way FR I need to get onto my Clara. I use it a lot for a certain series and will miss it if it isn't available to me. did some reading and it's just a naming thing I think, if I can convert it. it's currently in mobi so I'm not sure how that works.

If you've started on your patching journey, I presume you already figured out all the wonderful font and margin combos you can get with them, so I won't dwell on that. However, there's a very useful patch for dictionaries, along with some threads and tutorials that can transform Kobo's capability with dictionaries and make them the best out there.

Basically, the dicthtml patch ensures that you can hijack the languages on offer and substitute them with any dictionary you can get your hands on and convert them into the proper format Kobo can read. It is possible, for example, to substitute Kobo's French dictionary for another, or add the that other version alongside Kobo's by substituting it for another language option, like English-French.

The possibilities are endless. While the threads I linked have many public domain dictionaries that skilled users have converted, the real power comes from finding digitized versions of great dictionaries in a versatile format like StarDict and using the tools provided to convert them for Kobo. In that manner you can load the OED, Webster's Third, or something even more exotic, like the Dictionnaire de l'Académie Française.

[pghaworth]

Originally Posted by Alanon

The possibilities are endless. While the threads I linked have many public domain dictionaries that skilled users have converted, the real power comes from finding digitized versions of great dictionaries in a versatile format like StarDict and using the tools provided to convert them for Kobo. In that manner you can load the OED, Webster's Third, or something even more exotic, like the Dictionnaire de l'Académie Française.

thank you so much. this is exactly what I was hoping for.

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by pghaworth

I love this Clara so much! it's just perfect for me in most ways without patching and with a couple of patches it will be an amazing ereader. Kobo did a great job.

As Avis said for years: When you're #2, you try harder.

[pghaworth]

Originally Posted by ZodWallop

As Avis said for years: When you're #2, you try harder.

seriously. excellent reading experience with only a few minor quibbles that can be patched. and those are my issues, not theirs.

haven't tried any yet because I'm waiting for the latest update to be thoroughly vetted. then I'll install it and begin my patching journey. I love to play with devices and this is right up my alley once I makes sense of it all.

I have a Paperwhite 4 arriving today and I don't really want it anymore. my Clara purchase was to see how much it had improved since 2011, but didn't expect to like it, never mind love it.

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by pghaworth

seriously. excellent reading experience with only a few minor quibbles that can be patched. and those are my issues, not theirs.

haven't tried any yet because I'm waiting for the latest update to be thoroughly vetted. then I'll install it and begin my patching journey. I love to play with devices and this is right up my alley once I makes sense of it all.

I've just updated my Clara (like, the device is ejecting and updating while I type).

The only patches I use are advanced font control for sideloaded fonts (why that isn't enabled out of the box is a mystery) and ligatures (why Kobo hasn't enabled ligatures in kepub is another mystery). I don't expect any issues with that.

I did remove the two links on the home page you mentioned. But I didn't like the way the home page looked, so I turned that one off.

I have a Paperwhite 4 arriving today and I don't really want it anymore. my Clara purchase was to see how much it had improved since 2011, but didn't expect to like it, never mind love it.

Paperwhite 4 is waterproof, Clara has the night light. So they both have pluses. I'm just waiting for a 6" reader that has both, preferably a Kobo, but I'd take a Nook as well.

[pghaworth]

Originally Posted by ZodWallop

Paperwhite 4 is waterproof, Clara has the night light.

I don't care about either of those, but I do prefer Kobo's version of the night light over Kindle's. I had the Oasis 3 and it was too yellow. Kobo's seem more like f.lux's sort of peach tone to me rather than yellow.

I tried the PW4 last year after it was released and really wasn't impressed. after thinking about it, reading newer reviews, and asking questions I got the feeling they shipped me the old gen instead of the new. I wanted to try one more time to see if it is better and I like it this time. now, I don't need two readers and I am happy with the Clara. the PW4 arrives today so I'll check it out. got a good deal on it on it.

I loved my PW2s, with the exception of the uneven lighting at the bottom but got over it. mine are dead now so I need at least one new ereader. I have missed having one.

[Scarpad]

Kobo store had the Clara to $99 so just bought one. I’ll have to find a case for it now

[pghaworth]

Originally Posted by Scarpad

Kobo store had the Clara to $99 so just bought one. I’ll have to find a case for it now

congrats! hope you love it as much as I do. I got mine at Amazon for the same price. heck of a deal imo. great little reader.

[rtiangha]

Originally Posted by pghaworth

s
haven't tried any yet because I'm waiting for the latest update to be thoroughly vetted. then I'll install it and begin my patching journey. I love to play with devices and this is right up my alley once I makes sense of it all.

The tweaking is endless. You haven't even gotten to the point of installing third-party readers like Koreader and/or Plato, mods like miniclock, or other apps like Frotz and Takuzu.

Although while it's still early days, it might be a good idea to make a backup image of your Clara's internal SD card, in case you tinkered too much and wanted to revert. And the best part is, once you've backed up an image of the sd card (just follow the instructions in that link to the half-way point; it's for the Glo HD, but it'll work for the Clara too), you could restore that image onto a 512GB micro sd card if you wanted (in that case, follow all the instructions)...

Have fun with the hacking!

[pghaworth]

Originally Posted by rtiangha

The tweaking is endless. You haven't even gotten to the point of installing third-party readers like Koreader and/or Plato, mods like miniclock, or other apps like Frotz and Takuzu.

Although while it's still early days, it might be a good idea to make a backup image of your Clara's internal SD card, in case you tinkered too much and wanted to revert. And the best part is, once you've backed up an image of the sd card (just follow the instructions in that link to the half-way point; it's for the Glo HD, but it'll work for the Clara too), you could restore that image onto a 512GB micronsd card if you wanted (in that case, follow all the instructions)...

Have fun with the hacking!

thanks for everything. I am! have things configured and just need to update fw then apply patches. pretty fun really.

also, I get what you said, but when I started here and elsewhere like fb I had no idea what was really going on out there. too late for all of that but now I guard privacy wherever I can these days. it's not much, but it makes me feel better in the long run.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by rtiangha

The tweaking is endless. You haven't even gotten to the point of installing third-party readers like Koreader and/or Plato, mods like miniclock, or other apps like Frotz and Takuzu.

Although while it's still early days, it might be a good idea to make a backup image of your Clara's internal SD card, in case you tinkered too much and wanted to revert. And the best part is, once you've backed up an image of the sd card (just follow the instructions in that link to the half-way point; it's for the Glo HD, but it'll work for the Clara too), you could restore that image onto a 512GB micronsd card if you wanted (in that case, follow all the instructions)...

Have fun with the hacking!

I've never found a need for KOReader or Plato. I find RMSDK works well. If I had a need to read PDF, I would install KOReader as it does the best job possible to handle PDF.

[pghaworth]

Originally Posted by rtiangha

you could restore that image onto a 512GB micronsd card if you wanted (in that case, follow all the instructions)...

Have fun with the hacking!

and I definitely want to do something fun like this in the future. maybe not 512 because it's just not necessary for me, but 256 or 128, heck yeah! I really love this Clara. I am off the Kindle-go-round and I love every minute of it.

[pghaworth]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

I've never found a need for KOReader or Plato. I find RMSDK works well. If I had a need to read PDF, I would install KOReader as it does the best job possible to handle PDF.

thanks.

[pghaworth]

step .5: backup device... check

step 1: update fw... and done!

step 2: patches... first coffee coffee coffee