Aura NEW Kobo Aura Impressions Thread!

[Corran006]

What do you guys think of lighting on the screen I have?

http://i.imgur.com/aCo5o3r.jpg

[Canuck_in_Japan]

It looks perfectly fine to me but half the people on here will tell you it looks awful.

[aceflor]

Originally Posted by Corran006

What do you guys think of lighting on the screen I have?

http://i.imgur.com/aCo5o3r.jpg

It looks good to me, I don't see blotches I saw on other pictures.

[4ll4n]

Well, after much debating with my geeky self, I took my Aura back yesterday. Just couldn't live with the blurry fonts, darker screen and horrid reflections.

It's the first time I've ever taken a fully functioning "gadget" back. Such a shame.

[Zeeke5]

Hi
Is the speed of the page turn customizable? I have always owned Sony e-readers and I find the difference quite remarkable. Perhaps a setting would adjust that? I do like the new Aura but I keep thinking I must be doing something wrong.
Regarding the diamonds in the top quarter of the screen, do they all have this? I imagine mine is not defective but it is something found in all of them. Is it possible that if I had waited six months, units would've come out without this or is it just the plastic that they use?

Thank you for your feedback.

[thomasn75]

i suspect the diamond pattern is part of the capacitive touch screen sensing. without being an expert on this i had a quick look online and it appears most smaller(especially if use multitouch) screens use the projected type of screen which would appear to have a diamond pattern.

"Projected capacitive touch panels
Projected capacitive touch panels are often used for smaller screen sizes than surface capacitive touch panels. They've attracted significant attention in mobile devices. The iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad use this method to achieve high-precision multi-touch functionality and high response speed.

The internal structure of these touch panels consists of a substrate incorporating an IC chip for processing computations, over which is a layer of numerous transparent electrodes is positioned in specific patterns. The surface is covered with an insulating glass or plastic cover. When a finger approaches the surface, electrostatic capacity among multiple electrodes changes simultaneously, and the position were contact occurs can be identified precisely by measuring the ratios between these electrical currents.

projected capactive

A unique characteristic of a projected capacitive touch panel is the fact that the large number of electrodes enables accurate detection of contact at multiple points (multi-touch). However, the projected capacitive touch panels featuring indium-tin-oxide (ITO) found in smartphones and similar devices are poorly suited for use in large screens, since increased screen size results in increased resistance (i.e., slower transmission of electrical current), increasing the amount of error and noise in detecting the points touched.


Larger touch panels use center-wire projected capacitive touch panels in which very thin electrical wires are laid out in a grid as a transparent electrode layer. While lower resistance makes center-wire projected capacitive touch panels highly sensitive, they are less suited to mass production than ITO etching.

Above, we've summarized the differences between the two types of capacitive touch panels. The overall characteristics of such panels include the fact that unlike resistive film touch panels, they do not respond to touch by clothing or standard styli. They feature strong resistance to dust and water drops and high durability and scratch resistance. In addition, their light transmittance is higher, as compared to resistive film touch panels.

On the other hand, these touch panels require either a finger or a special stylus. They cannot be operated while wearing gloves, and they are susceptible to the effects of nearby metal structures."

there is a picture of this pattern but i cant copy it so here is link instead
http://www.eizo.com/global/library/b...f_touch_panel/

consequently i suspect this is not a manufacturing issue but rather the way it is and some people are more sensitive to this pattern of electrodes that others. i am guessing as i have not had a chance to see a aura in person yet.

I wonder if the kindle uses the same type of touch screen(does the kindle have multitouch?)
i suspect this pattern wont bother me as my heated winscreen in the car has electrodes in it and unless you look really closely you cant see it.

is it more visible because it is raised above the eink screen contrary to the kindle?

any thoughts on this - maybe from someone who knows more about screen tech than i do?

[samhy]

I went back to FNAC this morning and I did find how to change the refresh rate. Of the two devices displayed one has one small bright spot, the other one none.

[Shifty4Ever]

Hi everyone, wanted to give my impressions coming from a PRS350 and 950. I run PRS+ on both readers with a Georgia font usually. I was looking for a reader with front lighting, since I read mostly at night and in bed. At the moment, I use a LED clip on with the 950.

First, my Aura has approx. 6 pinprick spots. Mostly in the text area. I run my light at around 30 to 40%, and a few of them are still distracting at that level. I have contacted Kobo about a replacement. I had to take pictures of the spots and email them. I hope it is an easy swap.

As far as the screen goes, I am a little disappointed. I have tried all the fonts, the font adjustments ,including weight and sharpness, and loaded some of my own. It doesn't appear as sharp as either of my Sony readers.

Am I missing something on the setup?

[llcj]

Regarding the screen, there appears to be two separate issues. One is the very small diamond pattern that is uniform and covers the entire screen (it can be seen in a photo in a previous post.) The other issue appears to be some sort of etching on the upper portion of the edge to edge, very top plastic screen.

[neil74]

I have had 2 unsuccessful attempts to return mine now.

I am not noticing any issues with a pattern or in sunlight but I do have 2 pin-pricks. Both are near the edge and not visible at all at the brightness that I use so I am contemplating just living with them. Another part of me wants to get a perfect model as these things are not cheap. I may keep trying.

Overall I still think it is very nice and I prefer it to my old Kindle PW.

[mr_nihilism]

Originally Posted by neil74

I have had 2 unsuccessful attempts to return mine now.

I am not noticing any issues with a pattern or in sunlight but I do have 2 pin-pricks. Both are near the edge and not visible at all at the brightness that I use so I am contemplating just living with them. Another part of me wants to get a perfect model as these things are not cheap. I may keep trying.

Overall I still think it is very nice and I prefer it to my old Kindle PW.

I am of the school of thought that a $150 eReader should provide a screen that is not flawed. I returned mine after three attempts as I saw no reason to just settle for less.

[booklover6]

Originally Posted by mr_nihilism

I am of the school of thought that a $150 eReader should provide a screen that is not flawed. I returned mine after three attempts as I saw no reason to just settle for less.

I agree. That's not chump change!

[Chocky]

Originally Posted by llcj

Regarding the screen, there appears to be two separate issues. One is the very small diamond pattern that is uniform and covers the entire screen (it can be seen in a photo in a previous post.) The other issue appears to be some sort of etching on the upper portion of the edge to edge, very top plastic screen.

That's what I have seen on the 3 that I "tried" to buy.

Steve

[gerard lambert]

Just went to my local FNAC, indeed they had no aura to show, when I asked a vendor she almost laughed at me saying "no need to show it, there are almost no difference with the other models and it is almost out of stock". What a bunch of loosers, they have the exclusivity for France so they don't care about the customer who can't get it in another store. It's no wonder Fnac business is not doing well. I'm really pissed off right now...

[mr_nihilism]

And this just up regarding the Aura:

http://blog.the-ebook-reader.com/201...-than-aura-hd/