Purpose of Kobo Aura 2?

[pickyaxe]

I think the point is to increase the general price point of Kobo devices. I think Kobo decided they are pricing their devices too low, and wanted to go for more Kindle-like profit margins

[cramoisi]

Is the intern memory of the ka2 a removable micro sd (like on the gloHD, etc) ?

[RamonR]

The Aura 2 is a big let down. I've waited pretty long for the new readers to come out since I didn't feel like buying a 4 year old device in the Kobo Glo HD, only to be surprised with them releasing a product that is worse than their 4 year old device. I actually went to the store to look at the aura 2.0, and like the thinness of it, but the screen resolution is horrible for a modern e-reader.

I think it's easy to see that their purpose is to have a bigger discrepancy between their premium reader and their budget model, so that more people are inclined to go for the Aura One. They will also probably sell quite a few Kobo Glo HD's now. E-reader technology is so frustrating. There's no innovation at all, except for making the screen larger. If my Onyx Boox I62 HD's screen didn't break, there would be literally zero reasons to buy a new one. Seems like we're going backwards in battery life as well.

[piratepanda]

Originally Posted by RamonR

The Aura 2 is a big let down. I've waited pretty long for the new readers to come out since I didn't feel like buying a 4 year old device in the Kobo Glo HD, only to be surprised with them releasing a product that is worse than their 4 year old device.

The Glo HD actually came out last year, the original Glo without the HD came out 4 years ago. For the rest of your post I agree though.

[ottdmk]

Originally Posted by RamonR

There's no innovation at all, except for making the screen larger.

I disagree there. The Aura One's Natural Light is certainly an innovation for e-readers. The Overdrive Integration is innovative in its approach as well.

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by RamonR

E-reader technology is so frustrating. There's no innovation at all, except for making the screen larger.

As ottdmk mentioned, Aura One's Natural Light is innovative. So is the Voyage's light sensor and 'buttons', H20's water-proofing and the entire design of the Oasis.

What is frustrating is that these innovations aren't adopted as standard into all future e-readers. I think e-readers suffer from being a niche product with a tight profit margin.

I remember reading the Digital reader's initial blog entry about the Aura 2 being destined to be a flop. The commentary on it seemed to suspect that the compromises were made because the Glo HD was just too expensive to manufacture vs. what they could charge for it. I think they were right.

[the.Mtn.Man]

Originally Posted by RamonR

E-reader technology is so frustrating. There's no innovation at all, except for making the screen larger.

What sort of innovation are you looking for? When you think of it in terms of utility, e-readers do exactly what they need to do, and they do it very well. I really can't think of too many features that would meaningfully improve them. Clearer, sharper, higher resolutions screens are really the only thing.

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by the.Mtn.Man

What sort of innovation are you looking for? When you think of it in terms of utility, e-readers do exactly what they need to do, and they do it very well. I really can't think of too many features that would meaningfully improve them. Clearer, sharper, higher resolutions screens are really the only thing.

As mentioned above, making features like waterproofing, higher resolution screens and color changing lights standard rather than catch as catch can would be nice.

The Nook Glowlight Plus shouldn't be a nicer e-reader than the brand new Aura 2.

[koboy]

Originally Posted by the.Mtn.Man

What sort of innovation are you looking for? When you think of it in terms of utility, e-readers do exactly what they need to do, and they do it very well. I really can't think of too many features that would meaningfully improve them. Clearer, sharper, higher resolutions screens are really the only thing.

it would be a good thing if Kobo put back some of the excellent features they took away, like the micro SD card slot and the physical light button, too much cost cutting only makes for a poorer device.

also i would like to see more choice for example perhaps a model that as page buttons on it similar to the voyage and the oasis, of course i won't hold my breath for any of these things.

the current line up of Kindle Ereaders regardless of if you like them or not all offer distinct different features from each other, unfortunately that's not something you can say about the Kobo Ereaders except for the new KA1 although imho bigger is not necessarily better.


best wishes koboy