Glo to Aura Upgrade Questions (Are Reading Stats Available on Aura)?

[TimeEffect]

So, I know Aura's are on sale, and I'd like to upgrade from my Glo.

Money shouldn't be an issue: I am able to likely sell my Glo and upgrade for maybe $20.

I got a brief time with the Aura today, and I liked it: Screen seems good, as does the light. I heard the light had a yellowish hue, or that it was brighter on the top more so than the bottom, but that didn't seem to be too apparent.

Additionally, and important to me, I notice that the Aura was upgraded to 3.3.0 (or 3.2.0), yet the books retained the stat tracking within the book (Hours read, time until chapter is finished, time until book is completed), etc.

I REALLY Like this feature, but I thought it was removed with firmware updates? It at least does not exist on my Kobo Glo.

So, considering:

1) Stat tracking exists within books
2) The screen seems to be pretty good
3) The light seems to be no worse than the Glo

should I upgrade?

Or are there issues with the screen that I am unaware of?

I am pretty happy with the Glo, so I'm not too critical of the light or screen, unless it is somehow worse than the Glo.

I figure there will be new models, but I am unable to afford an Aura HD, but an Aura would be nice to upgrade to.

I'd really appreciate any feedback on the current state of the Aura. I've heard negative things about the Aura when it first launched, but I'm assuming those issues are either no worse than the Glo, or have improved with current models. Thanks!

[robko]

Originally Posted by TimeEffect

Additionally, and important to me, I notice that the Aura was upgraded to 3.3.0 (or 3.2.0), yet the books retained the stat tracking within the book (Hours read, time until chapter is finished, time until book is completed), etc.

The book you were looking at on the demo model would have been a kepub rather than a sideloaded epub. The info is still (and has always been) there for kepubs. It was removed for sideloaded epubs/kepubs and still isn't back for these.

Other than that, I'm not aware of any Aura specific issues. The firmware (aside from being a newer version potentially) is the same as your Glo (with a few additions on the Aura i.e. allowing two finger swipe for light level change).

[TimeEffect]

Originally Posted by robko

The book you were looking at on the demo model would have been a kepub rather than a sideloaded epub. The info is still (and has always been) there for kepubs. It was removed for sideloaded epubs/kepubs and still isn't back for these.

Other than that, I'm not aware of any Aura specific issues. The firmware (aside from being a newer version potentially) is the same as your Glo (with a few additions on the Aura i.e. allowing two finger swipe for light level change).

Thanks for your reply, but This is not true

I had Kepubs (or rather epubs turned into Kepubs via Calibre) in my Glo BEFORE the update that removed the stat tracking feature.

I used to be able to view that stats in-book

But then after the update, it was gone for all books, even Kepubs.

But on the Aura, it has the latest update, and maintains the stat progress, unlike the Glo.

[robko]

Originally Posted by TimeEffect

Thanks for your reply, but This is not true

I had Kepubs (or rather epubs turned into Kepubs via Calibre) in my Glo BEFORE the update that removed the stat tracking feature.

I used to be able to view that stats in-book

But then after the update, it was gone for all books, even Kepubs.

But on the Aura, it has the latest update, and maintains the stat progress, unlike the Glo.

On my Glo with 3.3.0 with true kepubs (not sideloaded kepubs via Calibre) the stats are there. They are not there for sideloaded kepubs or epubs. There is a difference between a true kepub and a calibre created kepub and the stat functionality IS NOT the same. If you lost the stats on kepubs downloaded DIRECTLY from Kobo via wifi or the Kobo desktop you have a bad install or corrupt file somewhere. The stats for TRUE KEPUBS have changed in the way they've been displayed, but I can't remember a firmware that removed them. For SIDELOADED KEPUBS, yes they disappeared and no they haven't returned.

[TimeEffect]

Originally Posted by robko

On my Glo with 3.3.0 with true kepubs (not sideloaded kepubs via Calibre) the stats are there. They are not there for sideloaded kepubs or epubs. There is a difference between a true kepub and a calibre created kepub and the stat functionality IS NOT the same. If you lost the stats on kepubs downloaded DIRECTLY from Kobo via wifi or the Kobo desktop you have a bad install or corrupt file somewhere. The stats for TRUE KEPUBS have changed in the way they've been displayed, but I can't remember a firmware that removed them. For SIDELOADED KEPUBS, yes they disappeared and no they haven't returned.

Ah I see, thanks!

And that's too bad

Guess there's no way for sideloaded epubs to be "True". What exactly is the difference, I mean, what's the fundamental component that makes the reader recognize the difference between a "true" and sideloaded epub?

Anyways, outside of that then, the screen and light are better on the Aura, right?

[Ripplinger]

One of the differences is that the Glo uses an infrared touch system, whereas the Aura uses capacitive.

Just so you're aware of that difference in case you're like me and don't want to have to buy special gloves to read outside in the cold weather, which I do a lot (or if also like me, your skin hates capacitive touch). If you only read indoors, it's probably not a concern for you.

I'm so tempted to buy a backup Glo since it seems more and more readers are switching to capacitive touch.

[davidfor]

Originally Posted by TimeEffect

Guess there's no way for sideloaded epubs to be "True". What exactly is the difference, I mean, what's the fundamental component that makes the reader recognize the difference between a "true" and sideloaded epub?

The difference is in where they are and how they get there. There was a lot of discussion of this last year and a lot of experiments. It couldn't be done in a safe way.

Anyways, outside of that then, the screen and light are better on the Aura, right?

I can't comment. I have a Glo and haven't seen an Aura. There has been lots of discussion on it.

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by TimeEffect

Ah I see, thanks!

And that's too bad

Guess there's no way for sideloaded epubs to be "True". What exactly is the difference, I mean, what's the fundamental component that makes the reader recognize the difference between a "true" and sideloaded epub?

Anyways, outside of that then, the screen and light are better on the Aura, right?

Kobo supplied kepubs are stored in a different directory (.kobo/kepub) using a file naming convention which seems to be a split up 128 bit binary number expressed in hexadecimal notation that looks more like a GUID or a Unifom Resouce Name uuid than a filename ( for example, 452b13de-2bba-449e-a1b2-12632e7313cb ). There is no file type extension such as the .kepub.epub used by sideloaded kepubs. I've experimented with installing books into this directory and, so far, have a fine collection of trashed databases to show for my efforts.

The screen resolution on the Aura and Glo are the same (1024x758) in contrast to the Aura HD's 1440x1080 and I've seen varying opinions on which one has the better frontlight. One issue some Aura owners have complained about is seeing cross-hatching or scratches on the screen -- mostly with a point source bright light and a viewing angle that I find unlikely for normal reading. You can also get into arguments at to whether the Glo's IR touchscreen or the Aura's capacitive touch screen technologies are better. My wife's opinion is the only difference she notices is that the Aura does not have the gap under the bevel to collect fluff which she complained about with the Glo. When she read outdoors in cold weather, the glove she uses for her phone works just as well on the Aura.

Regards,
David

[buffaloseven]

I recently upgraded to the Aura from a Glo and like it quite a bit. The Firmware is identical to the Glo (with regards to software), so anything your Glo does the Aura will do as well. The things that I found fairly quickly that I really like:

- It's smaller and lighter and easier to hold
- The textured back offers more grip than the traditional Kobo "quilted back" that the Glo has
- The front light can go significantly dimmer than the Glo (this is a big for me, since it actually now allows me to read in bed without bothering my wife)
- The entire device is snappier than the Glo.
- Overall it just feels like a better quality product. There are no squeaks or creaks like my Glo had with some parts of where the body seams were. The smooth front coupled with the more solid case makes the entire product feel like a better crafted device.

The Aura feels very much like the Glo...but better. It's nothing revolutionary, but it's a solid step up. If it weren't possible to get it for so cheap (I got mine for $85), I'd say it would be worth waiting, but for even the standard $109.00 sale price, it's a pretty compelling buy.