Touch Kobo Touch Firmware 2.0

[RareBird]

Ok I've just updated and been playing around with this new update for a half hour or so. I gotta say overall I'm very happy with it. I was in the camp that actually liked the carousel at the bottom (which I used as my TBR list) but I like the shelves feature and have already set up a some for different authors. So you get a thumbs up from me Kobo!

[Danger]

Did some more reading on the new firmware. Unfortunately my favorite font SabonLTStd no longer looks as nice as it did and of course no way to fix that as there are no Advanced options with sideloaded fonts. Currently downgrading as I type this and I was really looking forward to this upgrade. Oh well...

Now that I have it, I am impressed with most of the changes.

First of all, they listened to us on the carousel.

I like being able to adjust the weight of the font.

The ability to see a definition by tapping on a word is wonderful.

And I welcome the return of the top margin.

[nogle]

I was having trouble setting up shelves and then discovered it wouldn't sync over wifi. I logged out of my account (as suggested earlier in the thread). The KT went through what looked like a factory reset, but all my sideloaded books remained and everything seems to be working now. I am thankful that there is now a softer option than factory reset.

[TongueTied]

I've done the update and it has bricked my KT. Here is a description which is part of the email I sent to Kobo in the unlikely event that they actually respond with something useful.

I updated my Kobo Desktop for Mac to the new version 3.0.0 (actually, I wasn't given a choice not to!) and the new Desktop required me to update my Kobo Touch firmware to the new version 2.0.0 from 1.9.16. Everything appears to work until after I am told to unplug the Touch and the Touch reboots. The Updating screen appears and the hourglass flows for a while then the unit starts going through its startup routine and the image of the Touch with a smily face is shown with 5 squares below it. The squares sequentially go black and enlarge and shrink as you would expect. After a few passes on the squares, the unit stops and the 4th square is in its expanded position but nothing further happens. I left it for an hour thinking it might just need more time to finish the process but it is still showing the same thing and will not complete the startup process.

I have tried doing a soft reset
This causes the Touch to go through the startup routine again and sure enough, it stops in the same place.

Turning it off
By holding the off slider for a while, it seems to cause the Touch to restart which just like the soft reset, goes through the start up routine and stops in the same place.

Performing a Factory reset
I can't perform a factory reset in the normal fashion because the Touch will not start up. However, holding the home key down and performing a soft reset (keeping both held down for 10 seconds) causes a factory reset. I plug the Touch back into the computer and Kobo Desktop again updates the Touch. However, that too follows the same sequence and the Touch refuses to proceed past the same point in the startup routine.

Uninstalling Kobo Desktop and installing an earlier version
I tried uninstalling an earlier version of the Desktop. Unfortunately, once installed, it requires me to update to Version 3.0.0 and Desktop 3.0.0 subsequently forces me to update the Touch to 2.0.0 with the same results as above.

So, I see there is discussion about people using earlier firmware versions but it seems now, the Desktop forces you to update. Does anyone have any suggestion how I might get around this?

[meeera]

Several factory resets in (and a few unsuccessful attempts at them), I'm starting to fear a bricking with this one, unfortunately. (But at least it's still under warranty, and everything's on an SD card, so it's not exactly catastrophe.) I've had flashing blue lights, flashing red lights, a very very prolonged rapid-multiflash factory reset light (went on for a few minutes before the Read On screen finally arrived), and so on.

Can anyone tell me how long to look at the white loading screen with the progressing squares before giving up and hitting more buttons? Is 20 minutes long enough?

(No hacks/plugins installed, so it's not that.)

I usually wait 48 hours for major system upgrades, but I saw a few happy people here and went for it! Fingers crossed this last factory reset will work...

[PeterT]

@Meeera; is this being done with SD card in place? If so try taking it out

[meeera]

Originally Posted by PeterT

@Meeera; is this being done with SD card in place? If so try taking it out

Nope, I took it out before I started. And it's fully charged, and etc. This isn't my first rodeo.

*sings* the squares go marching one by one hurrah, hurrah* (They're still going. I have a paperclip at the ready, and I'm not afraid to use it. Or maybe I am. Sigh.)

EDIT: Fourth factory reset's a charm, right? I got to the language selection screen. Skipped setup and poked around, everything looked good. Went to set up: and Kobo Desktop wants to download the update yet abloodygain (can't it stow it somewhere?), so I have to sit and wait for that to happen.

[taming]

nila--I am sure plugin development will continue with the new firmware update. Just give the folks who are doing this a bit of time to look around with the current firmware.

There was a huge outcry AGAINST the carousel on the bottom. It went on and on. It now takes three taps to get to the shortlist: library==> shelves==>shortlist. I don't actually find it all that onerous, and I love the clean look of the home screen. Different strokes.

If you have the special picture in the first five choices of Reading (the things that appear in the home screen mosaic), it can launch from there. I seldom have more than two or three books on the go, so I think that is what I would do.

[kaikara]

Originally Posted by taming

nila--I am sure plugin development will continue with the new firmware update. Just give the folks who are doing this a bit of time to look around with the current firmware.

There was a huge outcry AGAINST the carousel on the bottom. It went on and on. It now takes three taps to get to the shortlist: library==> shelves==>shortlist. I don't actually find it all that onerous, and I love the clean look of the home screen. Different strokes.

If you have the special picture in the first five choices of Reading (the things that appear in the home screen mosaic), it can launch from there. I seldom have more than two or three books on the go, so I think that is what I would do.

People will complain no matter what they do. You would have thought the world was going to end when they added the bottom list by some of the posts here. Now they take it away and people miss it.

Personally I think the new release is pretty solid. Love the dictionary, shelves and extra controls with the fonts.

[RareBird]

Originally Posted by taming

nila--I am sure plugin development will continue with the new firmware update. Just give the folks who are doing this a bit of time to look around with the current firmware.

There was a huge outcry AGAINST the carousel on the bottom. It went on and on. It now takes three taps to get to the shortlist: library==> shelves==>shortlist. I don't actually find it all that onerous, and I love the clean look of the home screen. Different strokes.

If you have the special picture in the first five choices of Reading (the things that appear in the home screen mosaic), it can launch from there. I seldom have more than two or three books on the go, so I think that is what I would do.

Outcry is an understatement. Outrage is more appropriate. Personally I never understood the fuss. But like they say, you can't please everybody and there will always be some who'll complain no matter what you do. The home screen is definitely much cleaner. I just found this weighting thing for the fonts that I've seen mentioned and that's definitely a nice touch.

[meeera]

Buggrit, still borked.

I did another factory reset, selected my language, plugged in and updated via Kobo Desktop when prompted, waited till I could safely eject, ejected, waited a bit longer to be sure, unplugged, got the hourglass Updating screen, got the Restarting screen... and then, yet again, just the smiley face and the everlasting march of the squares.

Can't help thinking a return is my next step. I've run out of ideas. Anyone?

[JD Gumby]

Originally Posted by TongueTied

So, I see there is discussion about people using earlier firmware versions but it seems now, the Desktop forces you to update. Does anyone have any suggestion how I might get around this?

Obvious answer: if you manually upgrade to an earlier firmware version, don't use the desktop software.

[TongueTied]

Originally Posted by JD Gumby

Obvious answer: if you manually upgrade to an earlier firmware version, don't use the desktop software.

If that is the case, how to you load your library? Also, once you load a earlier firmware eg factory reset, you need the desktop to finish the setup process so that rules out using wifi to load your library.

[PeterT]

Judicious use of a local hosts file to prevent desktop finding some of the URLs it needs to look for updates?

Manual editing of the user table in the SQL database to populate it?