Libra Kobo Libra H2O - first reviews

[HLS]

I am happy with my Clara, Libra, and my Aura 6.8" ( not sure the model name) I doubt I will buy any more unless they make a cheaper Forma.

[ilovejedd]

Originally Posted by HLS

I am happy with my Clara, Libra, and my Aura 6.8" ( not sure the model name) I doubt I will buy any more unless they make a cheaper Forma.

I'd like another Libra (to keep my fic library separate from normal books) but I really want native Dropbox integration like the Forma. I haven't gone with 8" because of weight but the Forma is nearly the same weight as the Libra (and lighter than PW3 besides) so I might opt for that.

[NiLuJe]

@ilovejedd: FWIW, how light the Forma is was one of the things that surprised me the most, it's fairly noticeable (and great ).

I wouldn't necessarily be so gung-ho about the Dropbox integration, though. I'm clearly not the target audience anyway, but it's basically wireless side-loading with zero bells and whistles. As someone who actually likes what Calibre drivers do, missing out on that is kind of a bummer . But, sure, it does what it's supposed to, and it's there, so, there's that ;p.

(Then again, if you don't care for the UI, a quick rclone script will do the same, or more, and support every cloud & file syncing protocol under the sun in the process).

[ilovejedd]

Originally Posted by NiLuJe

@ilovejedd: FWIW, how light the Forma is was one of the things that surprised me the most, it's fairly noticeable (and great ).

Thanks for the feedback. The Forma sounds really promising plus provides an option for 32GB.

Originally Posted by NiLuJe

I wouldn't necessarily be so gung-ho about the Dropbox integration, though. I'm clearly not the target audience anyway, but it's basically wireless side-loading with zero bells and whistles. As someone who actually likes what Calibre drivers do, missing out on that is kind of a bummer . But, sure, it does what it's supposed to, and it's there, so, there's that ;p.

(Then again, if you don't care for the UI, a quick rclone script will do the same, or more, and support every cloud & file syncing protocol under the sun in the process).

Calibre requires a PC and I'm just rarely in front of my home desktop. More often than not, I'm just saving ongoing fics to Dropbox straight from iPhone/iPad while in bed.

Having built-in Dropbox support helps accommodate my laziness.

Besides, I think the last time I actually added my books to Calibre was last year so the Calibre drivers aren't particularly compelling to me at the moment.

Mind, I already use Dropbox support in KOReader to download new books to Kindle and Kobo. Just wish there was a way to batch download.

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by ilovejedd

Calibre requires a PC and I'm just rarely in front of my home desktop. More often than not, I'm just saving ongoing fics to Dropbox straight from iPhone/iPad while in bed.

Having built-in Dropbox support helps accommodate my laziness.

My solution to this problem was to get a Surface tablet with full Windows 10. It comes with an inbuilt kickstand, so it's pretty nice to use in bed or on the sofa. It can run Calibre, the Dropbox desktop app or any other Windows program (for example, I have Photoshop on it) and in those apps not optimized for touch (like Calibre) I navigate with the active pen. The screen is excellent too, so in between work one can binge Netflix or whatever else one wants. A gods' gift for lazy people.

[ilovejedd]

Originally Posted by Sirtel

My solution to this problem was to get a Surface tablet with full Windows 10. It comes with an inbuilt kickstand, so it's pretty nice to use in bed or on the sofa. It can run Calibre, the Dropbox desktop app or any other Windows program (for example, I have Photoshop on it) and in those apps not optimized for touch (like Calibre) I navigate with the active pen. The screen is excellent too, so in between work one can binge Netflix or whatever else one wants. A gods' gift for lazy people.

I've tried Windows 10 tablets but as far as tablet/touch-based UI goes, I still prefer iOS a lot more. Most of my iPad usage is web browsing and on Windows tablets, it seems like I always need to have a stylus or mouse.

I'm not going to buy a $2K Surface Pro just so I can copy ebooks to my Kobo/Kindle ereaders.

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by ilovejedd

Most of my iPad usage is web browsing...

Of course there's no reason to buy a separate Windows tablet if that's your main use case for it (it's not mine, otherwise I'd probably have gotten a cheapo iPad too). Btw, I didn't pay $2K for my Surface - the model I bought was first released in 2018 and was sold as an outlet product, so cost me less than 1,000€. It was practically new, without any defects and powerful enough for my needs (I do some photo editing on it besides other things).

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by Sirtel

My solution to this problem was to get a Surface tablet with full Windows 10. It comes with an inbuilt kickstand, so it's pretty nice to use in bed or on the sofa. It can run Calibre, the Dropbox desktop app or any other Windows program (for example, I have Photoshop on it) and in those apps not optimized for touch (like Calibre) I navigate with the active pen. The screen is excellent too, so in between work one can binge Netflix or whatever else one wants. A gods' gift for lazy people.

I'll agree. I bought a Surface mainly because I wanted a big pretty screen to read comics on. But the Surface wound up replacing my laptop and my desktop. It's a great machine. (I bought the Surface Pro 5 from Costco at the end of the 5's life cycle and got the tablet and the keyboard cover for $800. Such a deal!)

[Quoth]

For that I bought a Libra, Lenovo 10" tablet, 256 G micro SD card, a decent real laptop and would still have change out of $800. The iPad and Surface are both massively overpriced.
Also Win10 is the worst Windows since Win 2.0, worse that ME or Vista.
The keyboards are also x5 overpriced.

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by Quoth

For that I bought a Libra, Lenovo 10" tablet, 256 G micro SD card, a decent real laptop and would still have change out of $800. The iPad and Surface are both massively overpriced.
Also Win10 is the worst Windows since Win 2.0, worse that ME or Vista.
The keyboards are also x5 overpriced.

Well, people are different. For most, decent is enough. I was among them myself for most of my life. But some want not decent, but excellent. And having used some high-end electronics (I also have a lightly used Surface Book 2, also bought for far less than new price), merely decent is no longer enough for me. Yes perhaps Surface products are overpriced as new, but there is always aftermarket and you can get pretty good prices there. I am willing to pay more to get an excellent product instead of just decent, at least in regard to tablets, laptops and ereaders.

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by Quoth

For that I bought a Libra, Lenovo 10" tablet, 256 G micro SD card, a decent real laptop and would still have change out of $800. The iPad and Surface are both massively overpriced...
The keyboards are also x5 overpriced.

I don't want a Libra and already have a Lenovo 10" tablet. I wanted a screen that is larger than 10" so your argument goes nowhere there.

The Surface is a much more than decent laptop.

And the cover came with it in my case.

Also Win10 is the worst Windows since Win 2.0, worse that ME or Vista...

You and I will just have to disagree there.

For me, Windows 10 is the best iteration of Windows I've ever used.

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by ZodWallop

For me, Windows 10 is the best iteration of Windows I've ever used.

Ditto.

[French2001]

Hi,

I would like to know if you are satisfied with this Libra after several months of use and if it works with Mac OS Catalina. Because, the Kobo I currently have is no longer compatible with Catalina.

[mirage]

Originally Posted by French2001

Hi,

I would like to know if you are satisfied with this Libra after several months of use and if it works with Mac OS Catalina. Because, the Kobo I currently have is no longer compatible with Catalina.

I've only had a Libra for a few days, but it's had no compatibility issues at all with Catalina for me. I've been doing lots of experimenting with Calibre, via Finder/Path Finder, etc. Catalina mounts the device pretty quickly.

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by French2001

Hi,

I would like to know if you are satisfied with this Libra after several months of use and if it works with Mac OS Catalina. Because, the Kobo I currently have is no longer compatible with Catalina.

A bit weird since my Kobo ereaders including my Forma work happily with MacOSX Catalina. See attached image. I'd be more likely to suspect the USB cable or port. Kobo's ereaders do have some issues with connecting to USB3/USBC ports. I find a USB 2 port replicator is a handy gadget to keep around.