Kobo Forma front light malfunction within a week...

[HLS]

This is why I do not buy 1st generation of anything

[MGlitch]

Originally Posted by John F

I thought the new Paperwhite added another LED?

If it did it’s still hardly anything that would cause issues. The overall structure is similar enough to the last one is really the point

[squiresque]

I traveled over 100 miles through a foreign country and walked 10 miles through a crowded panhandler infested Queen Street West to purchase a Forma that ultimately had to be returned because of the screen defect, notwithstanding that there was much about the device to like.

Let's assume, purely arguendo and total tongue-in-cheek, for the moment that Kobo Forma represents such an extraordinary leap in technology over Kobo's prior models that the observed defects are understandable and perhaps excusable.

If so, Kobo ought to be out in front of this issue, acknowledging the necessary trade-offs (defects) accompanying its (assumed) ground breaking technological bravado.

What they may not do is promote the device with defect-free advertisements and photos, and, when problems surface, sneakily lay back in their cushy corporate lair counting on the sheer nuisance value of returns and exchanges to discourage customer returns and maintain their bottom line.

Having said that, when Kobo recovers from the (assumed) giddiness of having launched this (assumed) mars-shot galactically-innovative (assumed) e-reader, and manages a reasonably defect-free version, I'm prepared to repurchase.

[koboy]

various issues have dogged 3 of Kobo's recent releases from the KA1 to the Clara HD and now the Forma. coincidences or serious lack of quality control? i'll go with the latter although i'm definitely sure some will disagree.

if only predicting the lottery jackpot numbers was as easy

best wishes koboy

[m_j]

Originally Posted by koboy

various issues have dogged 3 of Kobo's recent releases from the KA1 to the Clara HD and now the Forma. coincidences or serious lack of quality control? i'll go with the latter although i'm definitely sure some will disagree.

if only predicting the lottery jackpot numbers was as easy

best wishes koboy

Would like to know what happened to the previous two models.
Would you mind giving me some keywords?

I know Aura One's screen is not accurate sometimes. When users select A function, the machine would open B function instead. Luckily, I haven't encountered that issue on Forma.

[koboy]

Originally Posted by m_j

Would like to know what happened to the previous two models.
Would you mind giving me some keywords?

I know Aura One's screen is not accurate sometimes. When users select A function, the machine would open B function instead. Luckily, I haven't encountered that issue on Forma.

the pick of the last 4 Kobo releases would seem to be the H2O Edition 2 imo.

a quick search on this forum for the KA1, H2O2, Clara HD, and the Forma should enlighten you/all on the pros and cons of each device.

best wishes koboy

[davidfor]

Originally Posted by m_j

Would like to know what happened to the previous two models.
Do you mind giving me some keywords?

I know Aura One's screen is not accurate sometimes. When users select A function, the machine would open B function instead. Luckily I haven't encountered that issue on Forma by far.

The "Natural light" on the Aura ONE can be uneven. A lot of people have reported different colour issues with it. Most seem to be green patches towards the bottom of the screen. I don't remember if anyone had a good explanation of what actually causes this.

The Clara HD has a light bleed issue along the sides. It tends to start in the bottom corners and fades as it goes up. But, some have spots along the sides that are brighter. From the fixes people have used, this seems to be a manufacturing problem where the bezel doesn't stick properly to the screen in the corners.

In both cases, individual devices are affected in different amounts.

Originally Posted by koboy

the pick of the last 4 Kobo releases would seem to be the H2O Edition 2 imo...
best wishes koboy

Having been the proud owner of one for nearly 200 whole minutes now, I see no reason to disagree with assessment.

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by squiresque

I traveled over 100 miles through a foreign country and walked 10 miles through a crowded panhandler infested Queen Street West to purchase a Forma that ultimately had to be returned because of the screen defect, notwithstanding that there was much about the device to like.

What was that quote about the difference between North America and Europe? "In Europe, 160 kilometres is a long distance, in North America, 100 years is a long time".

[m_j]

Originally Posted by davidfor

The "Natural light" on the Aura ONE can be uneven. A lot of people have reported different colour issues with it. Most seem to be green patches towards the bottom of the screen. I don't remember if anyone had a good explanation of what actually causes this.

The Clara HD has a light bleed issue along the sides. It tends to start in the bottom corners and fades as it goes up. But, some have spots along the sides that are brighter. From the fixes people have used, this seems to be a manufacturing problem where the bezel doesn't stick properly to the screen in the corners.

In both cases, individual devices are affected in different amounts.

Thanks for telling these issues
I thought Kobo is a veteran manufacturer of eReader with experience of so many years, so its design and quality should be quite stable. But it seems like it is still struggling with quality problems.

[Maritimer555]

As someone wanting to buy the Forma I'm wondering about this screen issue.

How serious is it- does it really deter your reading experience ?
Is it possible to expect a fix via a software update or is it merely a hardware issue ?

I'm an Aura One user that would like to upgrade for physical page buttons and lighter footprint.

[m_j]

Originally Posted by Maritimer555

As someone wanting to buy the Forma I'm wondering about this screen issue.

How serious is it- does it really deter your reading experience ?
Is it possible to expect a fix via a software update or is it merely a hardware issue ?

I'm an Aura One user that would like to upgrade for physical page buttons and lighter footprint.

It seems like my machine is special one, no one encounters the same issue as far as I know. The issue is caused by defective LED lamps I think. The symptom happens on and off and I have no control of it. Therefore, I did't use the front light for the past days.

Put aside the front light issue, the experience is quite good actually. However, I am not sure whether I can call it an upgrade from Aura One to Forma, because their specifications are similar.