Aura NEW Kobo Aura Impressions Thread!

[neil74]

I just went back to the aura (my third) after the HD I tried turned out to be an even bigger disaster.

The current aura has 2 pin pricks, top rightish and bottom leftish, I read at 50% brightness and at that only 1 remains visible but in normal reading you have to really look for it.

What the last 2 weeks has made me realise is that I totally prefer the interface, home screen and configurability of the kobo vs my old paperwhite, I also like the smaller footprint of the aura a lot, so maybe a couple of minor pin pricks and having to avoid kepubs is a worthwhile trade? I'd be even happier if I could shrink that damn footer a little too though.

[Kaitou Ace]

Well it's been a bit since I got my Aura, so I can give a better impression of it after reading on it for the last couple of weeks. Overall I am actually pretty satisfied with it. I have one small pinprick in the lower right, but it's low enough that there's never text there, so I don't see it. Otherwise, everything is working as it should.

Loading collections is acceptably fast, it's at 30 seconds now for about 215 collections and ~2000 books. For comparison, the Glo took 2 minutes to load the same amount. I have no real complaints on the device so far, and the bugs I had on the glo seem to have been fixed.

[peterwardgd]

Just to update any UK aura buyers/swappers! following the thread. I've returned the first aura aka starchart. i found a few more faint pinpricks on-top of the others! fairly sure now that there is little or no QC at the factory producing the Aura. Not entirely surprised really with the relatively low cost of the device (compared to a more expensive and i would think more profitable device like a tablet) £119 for a dedicated device is still a fair amount to pay though.

The new one has one very faint pinprick on the middle left that i can live with. I'm not a perfectionist so i'm ok with it. Was quite relieved actually, held my breath after turning the light on, jeez you'd think i was defusing a bomb.

After a troubled day yesterday i'm still sure i made the right choice. Even with some tinkering i don't think the New Paperwhite was for me. I was already feeling closed in before i'd even bought or tested the flaming thing.

One quick question though as i'm new to e-readers, can lit e-readers degrade over time? (thinking comfortlight specifically) just wondering if the pinpricks can appear at a later date? I'm thinking not but was just curious.

[filmo]

Originally Posted by peterwardgd

One quick question though as i'm new to e-readers, can lit e-readers degrade over time? (thinking comfortlight specifically) just wondering if the pinpricks can appear at a later date? I'm thinking not but was just curious.

Shouldn't but it was discovered that Nook with front light was easily damaged by dropping keys on screen.

[mystika1]

I am so glad that I stuck with my Kobo Glo instead of getting the Aura. Seems like the Aura has lots of problems with the screens. I don't recall the Glo having this much trouble. I have never had any hardware issues at all with my Glo. The glitches that I have only occur in firmware issues.

Penny

[Noritje]

I said I threw the towel on Aura and keep Aura HD.

Well, I changed my mind haha. I decided to keep my third Aura. Third time's the charm?
Like I said my only issue was the bright line on top so I finally get one that only show a little bit of the line. It seemed like every unit has that bright line thing, just a matter of how severe each one is.

I still think for that much money the screen should be perfect but I so love the form factor of Aura. It's small convenient and for someone who reads mainly before sleep, lying down in bed, the weight and form factor matters (while Aura HD perfect screen made me very happy, my arms beg to differ when reading lying down).

So all said and done, I do however has a very low tech remedy on the bright line on top. I cover it with a sticker (left over from Gelaskins). (very thin like 1mm). Once the bright line is gone, the lighting on the screen look very even indeed. I'm a happy camper!

PS: Did anyone tear apart their aura yet? I am thinking of a permanent solution if the top is just a cover...

[neil74]

So is there any way of fixing the massive footer yet?

[peterwardgd]

has anyone tried a classic aura cover yet? or does anyone know of a decent alternative? early days i know just thinking ahead.

[rone1986]

Just an update on my Aura RMA

I sent my faulty unit back and the RMA department has had it for a week. Delivery was confirmed by Australia Post. I've chased up Kobo customer care repeatedly only to be promised time frames for contact which come and go without so much as a boo from Kobo.

Worse still, every time I contact Kobo customer care, the agents cannot provide an update, telling me that they “do not have the scope of support to inform you about the exact status of your case,” as only the RMA department has those specifics.

I’ve been promised updates within specific time frames by Customer Care on behalf of the RMA department, I’ve provided email and phone contact details, but have not been contacted by anyone from Kobo at all.

This is my first foray into Kobo. So far, I am unimpressed.

[tlaine]

Originally Posted by peterwardgd

does anyone tried a classic aura cover yet? or does anyone know of a decent alternative? early days i know just thinking ahead.

Yes, I have one, I can't recommend it though. Within hours of using it my fingernail punched a hole in the thin, tight plastic leaving a gouge with some foam showing and a one inch scratch.

[peterwardgd]

Originally Posted by tlaine

Yes, I have one, I can't recommend it though. Within hours of using it my fingernail punched a hole in the thin, tight plastic leaving a gouge with some foam showing and a one inch scratch.

Yikes that's not good, thanks for the heads up. I think i might just buy a neoprene pouch for when/if i travel with it. Rest of the time it can wear its birthday suit!

ta

[NoUseToRush]

Gave my Glo to my wife and offered myself an Aura. Very satisfied...would not go back to Glo.
However, the microsd slot bugs me: it doesn't take the card (any micro sd card) all the way. The card exceeds the reader by at least 1/8" and, given that the slot is located at the bottom of the reader, you just can't keep it inside.
Kobo should correct that in the next generation. In my view, it renders the micro usb feature usell
ess

[jiminrussell]

On mine it doesn't protrude more than maybe 1/16" or 1/32",which is very slightly more than it does on my glo. The thing that I find odd is that it is inserted upside down unlike the glo where you insert it label side up.

[FanciFreez]

Originally Posted by evelynne_r

Despite my rant yesterday, and despite having received no shipping notification my Kobo Aura 6 inch ereader was delivered to my door this afternoon. I’ve played with it for a little while and here are my first impressions.

It is a gorgeous device. I really like the industrial design that the screen is flat without a bevel. It makes it feel very tablet like – and avoids messy crumbs being caught! eReaders aren’t normally noted for their look, but I really love what Kobo has done with this. From other reviews I’d seen I’d been concerned about the reflection of light on the screen, but it didn’t seem to be any more noticeable than on the Glo.

The screen is really lovely, too. Comparing it to the Kobo Glo, it’s an incredible difference. You can see some pictures here:

The Kobo Aura is on the left.





and compared to the Kindle Paperwhite (2013 edition)



The Aura’s Comfort Light is warmer to my eyes than the Glo’s and certainly much more even, and in comparison the Glo’s screen seems somewhat muddy. Page turns are the same on both devices. This is hardly surprising, given that they both have the same processor. However, the Aura only does a full refresh each chapter which makes reading smoother than on the Glo which refreshes every six pages. I didn’t notice any ghosting on the Aura at all.

With regards to the new functionality coming with the new devices, I checked out the Pocket integration. It is fantastic. Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve been saving articles to my Pocket account and they were all there for me on my Kobo Aura when I linked my accounts. Awesome. That is a functionality I will certainly make use of. The multitouch brightness control works well, too.

However, it seems that Kobo’s Beyond the Book still has some ways to go. I downloaded a sample of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit that I have seen used to demo Beyond the Book and did indeed see that some items were indeed underlined. Clicking on these took me to an error page. I think it will be some time before this feature is as fully formed as Amazon’s X-Ray, which was able to import Shelfari data (Shelfari is owned by Amazon)

All in all it’s a lovely little device and looks great.

Hi.. how do you like the Aura 6" vs the KPW 2013? I love my KPW 2013 but thinking of the Aura 6" as well..
Thanks in Advance..

[Nightyume]

It's beeaaaauuuuuuutiful. I JUST signed for it. I honestly didn't expect to like it so much. I just wanted a new ereader as the last one broke.

And yeah, pictures don't do it justice, you havee to hold it.