Libra Kobo Libra H2O - first reviews

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by anacreon

With a few books in I started dipping into a few books.

First, a big disappointment: the plastic at the back of the Libra is hard and slippery, not at all like the slightly rubbery back of the Forma, so much less comfortable to hold. I was thinking perhaps a skin (not the first time I had a slippery Kobo), but then the recessed on/off button would make it complicated, and it is long and expensive to import to France, just for a bit of plastic, preferably invisible.

I've always said it's easier to hold a Reader using a cover and that is still the way it is with the Libra (from your description).

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by ZodWallop

Kindles have their advantages. Way better dictionary and X-ray.

These aren't features I use. I agree with you that Kobos suit me better. But you couldn't say Kobo blows Kindle out of the water.

I read that others say the kindle has a better dictionary. But from my use of the Kobo dictionary, I've found very few words that were not there. As for X-Ray, I don't care. I do use X-ray occasionally when watching something from Prime Video, but I have no need for it in my eBooks.

And remember, Kindles also have that feature buts words in between lines. That's rather annoyingly useless.

[crane3]

I upgraded from a kobo aura one LE to a Kindle oasis 2; much nicer for me. I found that the kobo is too unreliable for reading & its book management flakey.

[ps67]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

I read that others say the kindle has a better dictionary. But from my use of the Kobo dictionary, I've found very few words that were not there. As for X-Ray, I don't care. I do use X-ray occasionally when watching something from Prime Video, but I have no need for it in my eBooks.

And remember, Kindles also have that feature buts words in between lines. That's rather annoyingly useless.

The Italian dictionary embedded in Kobo is ridiculous: if You find a word You already know its meaning, if You don't know the meaning of a word You don't find it in the dictionary. Kindle dictionary in my PW3 is much better. But thanks to Kobopatch it is not no more a issue.

@crane3: I will consider again a Kindle when they will produce a 8" screen device. But of course it is only question of individual preferences.

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

And once you go Kobo, whatever Kindles you have will be your last Kindles.

I hope not (I do like Kindles), but who knows.

Haven't placed the order yet. I'll probably buy the Libra from Cameranu.nl, but they don't have the black model in stock yet, only the white. The black Libra can be pre-ordered. Well, as I've always been quite weak-willed and unable to resist temptations, I might place the pre-order before tomorrow...

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by crane3

I upgraded from a kobo aura one LE to a Kindle oasis 2; much nicer for me. I found that the kobo is too unreliable for reading & its book management flakey.

Unreliable? How so?

It's book management was never flakey. It uses collections the same as the Kindle except, you can control the collections from Calibre without the need to patch or jailbreak.

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

I do use X-ray occasionally when watching something from Prime Video, but I have no need for it in my eBooks.

It's easy to say that when it's never been an option for you.

I'm planning on reading War and Peace soon-ish. I have a feeling that will be a book where I find myself wishing for X-ray.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Sirtel

I hope not (I do like Kindles), but who knows.

Haven't placed the order yet. I'll probably buy the Libra from Cameranu.nl, but they don't have the black model in stock yet, only the white. The black Libra can be pre-ordered. Well, as I've always been quite weak-willed and unable to resist temptations, I might place the pre-order before tomorrow...

According to SeasonReads review and photos of the Libra and the discussion of the new 4.17.x firmware, I think you'll like the Libra.

[SusanReads]

I've been using the Libra since yesterday (switching between black and white) and so far I really like how easy it is to start a book in comparison to the Kindle. The Kindle shows the 3 most recent books on your home screen, but that could also be the last 3 books you imported. Not necessarily the books you're reading. Kobo does that better. You always have the 3 books you're actually reading on your home screen.

The text is still super crisp and the contrast is great. One thing that REALLY bothers me though is that the black Libra has an unnatural green/yellow screen. If I turn up the comfort lights it just becomes this sickly orange.
The white Libra doesn't have this! The screen is whiter (not an optical illusion) and the comfort lights just make the screen look like it should, like you're reading with candle light.

I just decided I was going to keep the black one but the screen color bothers me too much. So much so that I ordered a second black device to see if that screen will be better.

So the fact that the screens can differ so much between devices is not a good thing in my book. That means there will probably be all kinds of different Libra screen qualities out there. It was the same with my Kindle Voyage. I tried 3 and kept the best one. The Paperwhite never had this problem.

[FizzyWater]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

He really needs to cut his nails and get rid of that ghastly ring. His unkempt nails and ungainly ring make the video very hard to watch.

I can't tell if you're serious. Why don't you think those are a woman's hands?

[SusanReads]

Just a small question about the new firmware. We now have a small footer (yay!), but I want it to display time to read, which it does, but it displays the name of the book first. I would like just to see the remaining time. Is that possible?

[SusanReads]

Just received my third device. And this is the best one yet! The screen is more evenly lit and the color is not the green the other black device has. It still a bit darker on the half of the button side, but it's not so bad, so I know I won't even see it after a while.

I'm definitely keeping this one.

[Wearever]

Originally Posted by SusanReads

I've been using the Libra since yesterday (switching between black and white) and so far I really like how easy it is to start a book in comparison to the Kindle. The Kindle shows the 3 most recent books on your home screen, but that could also be the last 3 books you imported. Not necessarily the books you're reading. Kobo does that better. You always have the 3 books you're actually reading on your home screen.

The text is still super crisp and the contrast is great. One thing that REALLY bothers me though is that the black Libra has an unnatural green/yellow screen. If I turn up the comfort lights it just becomes this sickly orange.
The white Libra doesn't have this! The screen is whiter (not an optical illusion) and the comfort lights just make the screen look like it should, like you're reading with candle light.

I just decided I was going to keep the black one but the screen color bothers me too much. So much so that I ordered a second black device to see if that screen will be better.

So the fact that the screens can differ so much between devices is not a good thing in my book. That means there will probably be all kinds of different Libra screen qualities out there. It was the same with my Kindle Voyage. I tried 3 and kept the best one. The Paperwhite never had this problem.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts about the Libra and it's screens. I also prefer the whiter background, this is why I kept my Oasis 2 and not traded it in for a Oasis 3. I don't mean the comfortlight, just the normal light setting. I also have 3 Voyages 2 are for back up. Each Voyage varies a little too, 2 are whiter and one has a slight tint which is more common. I guess that's just how the screens are . The trick is to find the best one for you. Glad you found one you like.

[tourneur]

Comparing my Libra to my Clara, there is no difference in the tint of the screen with the front light turned off:



However, the front light on my Libra is not even. The side where the buttons are is whiter, whereas my Clara has fully even lighting:



Other first impressions:

- the back of the Libra is a slightly softer and grippier material than the hard plastic back of the Clara.
- the new sleep button on the back is a big improvement over the Clara's one.
- the page turn buttons are good, although one button makes more noise than the other one.

[Lima7]

Hey everyone!
I bought the Libra to replace my Aura H2O edition 2, which I decided to sell (yea I know that was totally unnecessary!).
Here’s why :
- I own a Clara for when I don’t want to carry a large device, or for when I don’t want to bring with me the expensive one.
- the Aura H2O was too similar to the Clara. Therefore, I found myself using my Clara more.
- the Libra is much more different than the Clara, so for me it justifies having 2 different devices.
- I love the buttons
- I love the white.

Here are my first impressions :

- White device definitely has a better lighting than the black device. I’m not sure why.
- the screen is, IMO, more crisp than on the Forma. I don’t know what the screen for the forma is, I think the Libra is 300 PPI? But anyway, side to side, I could really tell the difference.
- speaking of the screen.... it’s really good. Side to side with my Clara and aura h2O it’s a no brainer. I don’t know if it’s because it’s new and I’m all excited about it, but wow. Love it!
- love the white version. Keep in mind though it is a tiny bit shiny. Like it’s not really a matte white. But nonetheless very pretty.
- I always had black ereaders, so I was a little worried about having a white one, since I heard and read oftentimes that it can affect your reading experience (why TVs are black, computers, bla-bla-bla) but honestly I forgot about the white a few pages in my book. I would even say that the black stood out more when I went back to a black device right after.
- the buttons compared to the Forma : they make juste a little more noise when you press them but nothing outrageous. I would say that I prefer the buttons of the Libra. Like a lot. They are firmer. I always thought that on the forma, it felt like pushing into half melted butter.
- speaking of the buttons : I will take that over a touch screen ANYDAY. You know sometimes when you don’t press your screen hard enough, or at the right place, or etc, and then it’s full of finger prints... that’s all gone with the buttons! For me, it’s way more user friendly.
So far that’s it. I really like it. I’m still waiting on my sleep cover : will review that once I get it. I’d be interested to hear reviews of others who have gotten it already.

I’m sorry this isn’t a really technical review : I don’t like to look into the technicalities of a device. I just like to try it and see if I like it because in the end for me it’s all that matters!

PS: English isn’t my first language so I’m sorry if this post isn’t super clear!