Upgrade or sidegrade options for Kobo Libra 2

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by John F

I see your point, but I think capactive touch compatible things are fairly common now: gloves, pens, styluses,...

One of my children has a collection of gloves to use with capacitive touch devices. While I can see using the lighter gloves, I still haven't figured out how they can actually type messages wearing the winter gloves—I have enough trouble with a naked finger.

[Starker]

Well, I can tell you for a fact that none of my gloves work with the Libra 2 I have.

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by Starker

Well, I can tell you for a fact that none of my gloves work with the Libra 2 I have.

Most gloves don't. You need a glove with the capacitive touch capability. Rather often, they look and feel as if the tips of the thumb and index finger have been dipped into a rubbery coating though you can get some where every digit has the coating but some build the touchscreen capability into the glove so an added coating is not needed. My offspring does not recommend the ones where you can pop your fingertip out of the glove to use a touchscreen.

If you check Amazon, for example for touchscreen gloves, they have a mass of them. The image I've attached is what I think is one of the pairs my offspring has.

[Starker]

Well, should the buttons on my Libra 2 ever stop working, I might consider going out to see if any of my local shops sells these kinds of gloves.

[Renate]

Originally Posted by Starker

Well, should the buttons on my Libra 2 ever stop working, I might consider going out to see if any of my local shops sells these kinds of gloves.

Apparently the buttons are capacitive sensing.
So you need something with some conductivity.
You can carry around a breakfast sausage, that will work fine.

If you go to any dollar store you will find cheap "one size fits all" stretch gloves.
For $1+ they have little woven-in finger pads with conductive thread.

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by Starker

Well, should the buttons on my Libra 2 ever stop working, I might consider going out to see if any of my local shops sells these kinds of gloves.

When the the Libra 2 start using capacitive buttons? Though trying to press an ereader's buttons with ski gloves doesn't work all that well.

[meeera]

Originally Posted by Starker

Well, should the buttons on my Libra 2 ever stop working, I might consider going out to see if any of my local shops sells these kinds of gloves.

You can also buy conductive thread, if you wish to modify a favoured pair of woollen gloves.

This sort of thing: https://smalldevices.com.au/products...tive-thread-2m

[Starker]

Originally Posted by DNSB

When the the Libra 2 start using capacitive buttons? Though trying to press an ereader's buttons with ski gloves doesn't work all that well.

What do you mean? They are just regular physical buttons. You put physical pressure them and they depress and the page changes.

[Starker]

As my Libra 2 got a bit worse, requiring recharging basically every other day, I decided it would be time to get a new reader sooner rather than later, especially with the hardware situation being what it is (RAM prices skyrocketing, raw materials rising in price as well, shortage of CPU manufacturing capacity on the horizon, etc).

I decided to go with the Libra Colour, as the Sage cost about 100€ more to order locally and seemed to be sold out elsewhere. I've been using it for few weeks now and my assessment is that it's overall fine, though not really as good as I was hoping it would be.

The main issue I have with it is the screen. I've seen people saying here and there that the difference is only noticeable when directly comparing the screens, but I haven't been able to get used to it. It's kind of like when you have gotten a higher resolution monitor / TV and then try to go back to the old one -- you were completely fine with it before, but now you can't unsee that the quality is not as good. It's not just that the background is grey, but the color filter layer makes the text look slightly pixelated and lower contrast.

There are two ways I've been able to make it more or less bearable -- first by cranking up the brightness to 90--100 and second by reading in dark mode. Either of these solutions is far from ideal, though -- the first eats up battery at a much higher pace and the second does not work for the menus.

I've also experimented using it as a note-taking device and it works well for taking a few quick notes, but pen and paper is still much superior for more dedicated note-taking, as far as I'm concerned. The only issue I had was that there was no good place to attach the stylus to -- you can magnetically stick it to where the buttons are, but it attaches sort of awkwardly at an angle, getting in the way if you want to use the device outside of note-taking. So I also bought a notebook-style cover for the reader where there's a place for the stylus in the spine and that works much better for portability and usability.

With the addition of the cover and the stylus, I've decided to use the new reader purely as a travel device -- I can keep it in a coat pocket or a bag and take quick notes on the go. The old Libra 2 I can just keep using at home where even with the bad battery there's not much issue keeping it tethered to the computer.

Anyway, I just thought I should add my final impressions and experiences as a follow-up. Generally, the Libra Colour is a perfectly good device to use -- the battery is good and it feels responsive, etc. It's just that the added colour capability is a bit too much of a trade-off for me personally.

[JSWolf]

There is no upgrade/sidegrade option for the libra 2 as there is no BW 7" Kobo. The Libra Colour is not an upgrade or a sidegrade. It's somewhat of a downgrade.

[Hasdrubal_Lector]

Originally Posted by Starker

...With the addition of the cover and the stylus, I've decided to use the new reader purely as a travel device -- I can keep it in a coat pocket or a bag and take quick notes on the go. The old Libra 2 I can just keep using at home where even with the bad battery there's not much issue keeping it tethered to the computer...

Have you considered a power bank for the libra 2? There are decent ones available that are about the size of a phone these days. It would make it a bit more portable than keeping it tethered to a computer.

[JSWolf]

The other option is to find someone who can open it and swap the battery. You would have to find a battery to buy.

[Aleron Ives]

You might also consider just replacing the battery. As long as you don't read in the tub and depend on the waterproofing, you can restore your Libra 2 to its original runtime.

[Starker]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

There is no upgrade/sidegrade option for the libra 2 as there is no BW 7" Kobo. The Libra Colour is not an upgrade or a sidegrade. It's somewhat of a downgrade.

Personally, I would still say it's a slight upgrade on the whole, even if it isn't quite what I was hoping for. If I didn't have to crank up the brightness or use dark mode for the screen to not bother me, it would be a very clear upgrade, as it's more responsive and I can take quick notes on it.

Originally Posted by Hasdrubal_Lector

Have you considered a power bank for the libra 2? There are decent ones available that are about the size of a phone these days. It would make it a bit more portable than keeping it tethered to a computer.

Yes, it's an option. I do have one for my phone for longer trips or things like camping where I might not necessarily be near an outlet very often. But I rather like the long battery life of readers and the hassle-free nature of just slipping one in the coat pocket and being able to read on the go. The Libra Colour so far is working well for that purpose. I haven't exactly measured it, but I think the battery lasts even longer than the Libra 2 one did at the beginning.

Originally Posted by Aleron Ives

You might also consider just replacing the battery. As long as you don't read in the tub and depend on the waterproofing, you can restore your Libra 2 to its original runtime.

Yeah, I read in bath a lot, so I'm not really keen on opening it up. Also, I don't quite trust the batteries that are sold over the internet right now. After next year, though, my region will start requiring replaceable batteries from manufacturers of electronic devices, so maybe in the future it will become easier and more reliable to replace the battery on a reader and who knows, maybe the manufacturers might even start stocking them.

[JSWolf]

Personally, the color screen is a downgrade. It's akin to watching TV with sunglasses on.