Forma New Kobo reader: The Forma/Shape

[Tony1988]

Originally Posted by rosalita

I wasn't the original poster you were responding to, but my only real beef is with smartphones and how big they are getting. I have an iPhone SE and I am dreading having to move to a larger phone when the time eventually comes to upgrade.

Conversely, I love my Glo HD but I will seriously consider buying a Forma to use as my "at home" e-reader, keeping my Glo for carrying around. I'm not a speed reader but I read quickly enough (and need a large-enough type size) that a larger screen size and fewer page turns would be a nice change.

I can understand the size issue on smartphones to a point. The screens definitely won't be going back to 4" like the SE. But even the smallest adult hands should be able to hold the new 5.5 inch screens since they are increasingly going edge to edge and eliminating bezels. The SE was just discontinued sadly. Luckily ereaders have pretty much remained the same and even improved some ergonomically over the years. They are incredibly comfortable to hold.

[Uschiekid]

Originally Posted by Tony1988

I can understand the size issue on smartphones to a point. The screens definitely won't be going back to 4" like the SE. But even the smallest adult hands should be able to hold the new 5.5 inch screens since they are increasingly going edge to edge and eliminating bezels. The SE was just discontinued sadly. Luckily ereaders have pretty much remained the same and even improved some ergonomically over the years. They are incredibly comfortable to hold.

That doesn't take into account people like me who literally have the same sized hands I had at age 10. As an adult, I found a hand tracing I had done at that age, and it is identical to my hand size as an adult. The rest of me grew normally, just not my hands. My fingers are shorter than my palm, which makes phones fit ok in the palm, but my fingers never reach. My phone is 5.2 inch, up from the last phone with 4.6 inch, which was the biggest size that fits in my hand without feeling like I'm going to drop it whenever I try to do things with one hand. The only bezel is the top and bottom, yet, I really can't use many aspects with one hand. 5.5 inch, which is now the standard "small" smart phone, no matter how little bezel, just won't fit in my hand.

I paid more for a smaller screen. And that just irks me. And my "child hands" aren't the smallest, so I wish there was more options, and less overcharging for those with different needs.

End of rant (and back on topic)!

E-readers on the other hand, don't need to be nearly as small to be comfortable to hold (mostly just need to be able to turn a page from the corner), and I love my Aura One. I like the idea of more than one way to change pages, but for me, the most comfortable way would be remotely. Then I could put my ereader in its stand, and far from my face, and change the page without having to have my arm awkwardly positioned in reach of the ereader, just to do a tap or swipe.

[Tony1988]

Originally Posted by Uschiekid

That doesn't take into account people like me who literally have the same sized hands I had at age 10. As an adult, I found a hand tracing I had done at that age, and it is identical to my hand size as an adult. The rest of me grew normally, just not my hands. My fingers are shorter than my palm, which makes phones fit ok in the palm, but my fingers never reach. My phone is 5.2 inch, up from the last phone with 4.6 inch, which was the biggest size that fits in my hand without feeling like I'm going to drop it whenever I try to do things with one hand. The only bezel is the top and bottom, yet, I really can't use many aspects with one hand. 5.5 inch, which is now the standard "small" smart phone, no matter how little bezel, just won't fit in my hand.

I paid more for a smaller screen. And that just irks me. And my "child hands" aren't the smallest, so I wish there was more options, and less overcharging for those with different needs.

End of rant (and back on topic)!

E-readers on the other hand, don't need to be nearly as small to be comfortable to hold (mostly just need to be able to turn a page from the corner), and I love my Aura One. I like the idea of more than one way to change pages, but for me, the most comfortable way would be remotely. Then I could put my ereader in its stand, and far from my face, and change the page without having to have my arm awkwardly positioned in reach of the ereader, just to do a tap or swipe.

I have seen a few new cheaper 4" phones. But with media consumption on the rise with smartphones everyone wants bigger screens. I have pretty big hands and have a 6" phone. I still have to use two hands. It's a decent trade-off. Funny that about 4 or 5 years ago people laughed at first adopters with the larger smartphones now it's pretty much becoming the norm.

[lkmiller]

Originally Posted by Braid

It does seem like a strange place to put the power button. However, using my Oasis 2, I don't think it would be an issue. Holding the device in my right hand, the side edge of the device doesn't touch my hand. Sometimes I'll hold the device with the bottom right corner sitting in the palm of my hand. But never the side edge of the middle of the device.

Yes, I think the button is good on the side. I usually hold my Oasis 2 in my left hand and the button ends up right where the reader sits against my palm. Luckily it takes a bit of a press so I very rarely shut off the screen accidentally. But I think up on the side would be out of the way for both right hand and left hand use.

[mgrimace]

Originally Posted by Nate the great

I'm holding it left-handed right now

Nate the great, can you speak at all to the uniformity of the lighting? Specifically, in dim/low light is there any light bleed/banding along the edges, dark/light cones, and blotchiness and/or discolouration with the comfort light (i.e., the various screen issues that some of us experienced on our KAO)?

I realize it's a small sample (one) and I'm also making the assumption you do have one based on your comments, but to me screen uniformity is a major factor and I'd appreciate your insights! Thanks!

~M

[Uschiekid]

Originally Posted by Tony1988

I have seen a few new cheaper 4" phones. But with media consumption on the rise with smartphones everyone wants bigger screens. I have pretty big hands and have a 6" phone. I still have to use two hands. It's a decent trade-off. Funny that about 4 or 5 years ago people laughed at fist adopters with the larger smartphones now it's pretty much becoming the norm.

Oh, I know that 4" phones are possible (and actually the 4.6" was better in terms of screen plus usability...I don't need a 4", just want more choice in the less than 5.5 inch category), but 4" phones just don't come with the features of a bigger phone.
I finally compromised and got pretty much the phone I wanted in terms of features, but went up to 5.2 inch, which meant it has a nice screen, but otherwise is much harder for me to use.

Oh well, nothing is right for everybody, be it phones, be in ereaders. I get why some like the mini, but I hate turning the page, so a bigger ereader works better for me. But if the Aura One were as heavy for its 7.8 inches as the smaller ereaders were for their size, I wouldn't be able to use it either. I wonder if the Forma really will be easy to hold, since it is supposed to be so light, maybe the square shape won't be as much as pain, as it would be with a heavier ereader. I won't be in the market for another ereader for some time (fingers crossed), but I am glad they don't seem to be about to ditch the 7.8/8 inch screen, the colour temperature lighting or waterproofing, as those are for me, the most important.

I will be very interested to see if the landscape reading will be brought to other devices, as in theory, it should work, especially with the large size of the Aura One...I'm not 100% how much I would use it, but I would like to try it.

[disconnected]

Originally Posted by Tony1988

There's a ton of smaller ereaders out there

Yes, and I have many of them.

No one of them is ideal but all the features I want are out there if only someone would put them all together. I want a high-end ereader in a small body and right now I have to settle for one or the other.

A six-inch screen is best for me. For portability of course but also for ease of holding (I have weak hands) and for readability. I wear glasses with progressive lenses and the reading area on them is quite small; a larger screen is harder for me to focus on.

At home I tend to gravitate to my Nook Glowlight 3. The wide rubbery bezel makes it really comfortable to hold; it’s not my lightest ereader but it feels the lightest. It’s a bit bulky to be ideal for carrying around though, it isn’t waterproof, and the software isn’t the best.

My Clara is ok but it’s slippery with a narrow bezel -- it isn’t nearly as comfortable to hold as the Nook, it has no buttons, and it isn’t waterproof.

My H2O2 is also very nice but it’s a bit too big and too heavy for me; I mostly use it for reading in the tub.

I think the asymmetrical bezel on the Oasis One was a brilliant idea because the wide side makes it easier to hold while still saving space on the other three sides. Unfortunately, it’s so slippery and so thin that my hands tend to cramp trying to hold onto it. As brilliant as I think the design is I think the split battery was a big step too far; the connection on mine fails regularly, causing freezes and depleted battery (and the battery life on mine varies a lot anyway). And it was so unnecessary; making it just a bit thicker to accommodate the whole battery would have been much simpler. Also, it’s not waterproof and doesn’t have comfort lighting.

I’m guessing that the original Oasis design was considered somewhat of a failure since it was abandoned so quickly. For me, the failure was mainly the split battery concept but I’m afraid that Amazon (and probably the rest of the world) has decided that the problem was the size/price ratio.

I've managed to resist the Aura One but I really like the asymmetry of the new Forma so I'm really tempted, even though I know I'll probably find it too big and too slippery. I'd order one in a heartbeat if it came in a smaller size.

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by vrf

I can see how plastic would be strong against drops and larger sorts of movements that may crack the substrate, but it seems the softer plastic would be more susceptible to scratching, like if you have a bit of sand in your book bag or something.

The substrate is the back of the screen sandwich not the front. If you damage the substrate, you've gone through all the layers in front of it. I suppose you could open your ereader and damaged it from the back side but that would hard to pass off as an accident.

[cerem0ny]

Hrmmm a very tempting device to be sure... but I think I’ll wait to see what Amazon pits out - I own both a Kobo Aura One and a Kindle Oasis 2 and I just love the *feel* of the Oasis better, and this new Kobo kinda just seems like a bigger, less impressive Oasis. I love how premium the Oasis 2 feels as well. I am a sucker for style but I think that is where the Kobos disappoint... it’s kind of like Androids and Apples, iPhones just seem to have this premium quality finish on them that I’ve yet to see on an android device yet... I do miss all the font customisation and margin options on my Kobo but again I just love the feel of my Oasis. Omg does this make me shallow?!? :P

Hoping that another ‘light gate’ saga doesn’t appear with the release of the Forma like it generally does, no bleeding, blotchy lighting etc. which Kobo is reknowned for IMO... really hoping for an Oasis 2 update soon so I don’t give up and splurge on a Forma!

[Mrs_Often]

I realised I was assuming something: ...landscape mode means two-page view, right?

Apparently not:
https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/techc...ium-price/amp/

Originally Posted by Devin Coldewey

The only one that doesn’t feel correct is the landscape mode. I’m not sure why someone would want to read this way, though I’m sure a few will like it. It just seems like a missed opportunity. Why can’t I have two pages displayed side by side, like a little pocket paperback? I’d love that! I’ve already asked Kobo about this and I assume that because I have done so, they will add it. As it is, most books simply feel strange in this mode.

(...the bold: ...eh???)

[Mrs_Often]

I see they added an image (in the Dutch Bol.com) to show left handed orientation:

https://www.bol.com/nl/p/kobo-forma/...ProductPageUrl

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by Mrs_Often

I see they added an image (in the Dutch Bol.com) to show left handed orientation: ...

They've got a similar image now on their main English site. I guess too many people were asking about this feature.

https://us.kobobooks.com/products/ko...campaign=Forma

It was odd that they didn't make that clear from the start. And The Fall of Gondolin is the book they featured for the English sites. I wonder who chose that?

I assume the keys flip also when you flip the Forma?

[Nate the great]

Originally Posted by Cbp001

I’m interested if it’s comfortable to hold with that USB port and power switch right next to the page turn buttons. It seems to be right where you grip the device. Also, can you tell the screen is .2 inch bigger in comparison with the KAO or is it negligible?

It's comfortable but still poorly placed. I keep pressing the power button instead of the page turn button.

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by Uschiekid

I will be very interested to see if the landscape reading will be brought to other devices, as in theory, it should work, especially with the large size of the Aura One...I'm not 100% how much I would use it, but I would like to try it.

Wouldn't it also require an accelerometer to really be useful? Without one, you would have to manually change back and forth between landscape and portrait modes.

I think adding landscape to the older readers would wind up causing more confusion than anything.

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by cerem0ny

...I do miss all the font customisation and margin options on my Kobo but again I just love the feel of my Oasis. Omg does this make me shallow?!? :P

Eh, Kobo has a lot more fine-tuning options, but it's not like the Kindle software is garbage. I don't think you're shallow