New New Home Screen (4.4.9298) vs. Old Home Screen

[oren64]

Originally Posted by anacreon

I opened the User Guide to see whether it gave tips on the new home screen, but it describes the old one - Kobo pushing an old User Guide on a device with a brand new UI...

I don't think Kobo updating the user guides, they just releasing user guide when there is a new device.

But see here, they did release a new user guide for H2O edition 2 with instruction for 4.4.x firmware.

[Quoth]

Kobo Aura HD H20 with sleep cover.

New screen:
1) Only 4 books,
2) no MRU of collections and other activies
3) No stats on annotations.
4) Wasted space generally
5) Wasted space on two Kobo links at bottom

It's massively worthless compared to previous screen

I managed to contact Customer care once (totally inept). Now the "submit" button doesn't work.

I had to delete the WiFi points AND restart my WiFi point to get WiFi to work.

The update came without warning when I was annotating / proof reading a 79K novel and looking up a phrase on Internet, even though sync is disabled. Went blank for scary amount of time.

The only good feature is that there is a check box to turn off swipe for brightness (which often accidentally changed when going back a page).

I've a lot of other gripes with the SW, which USED to be better than Amazon's rubbish. Are Kobo, and Amazon only employing interns / students? The ancient iRiver was better. I had better PC document management on DOS in 1980s!

I've a Kindle DXG and papertouch too.

I use Calibre to manage and backup my books as well as to make eBooks from Webpages and wordprocessor files.

IMO Kobo's attitude is abusive. I paid €220 for this. I should be informed and have a choice. It wasn't even a "security" upgrade, but seems to be a pointless jiggling of GUI, two small patches and making the Home Screen suit THEIR marketing instead of MY reading. Are they trying to copy MS, Google, Facebook and Amazon?

[Quoth]

I can't decide if a PIN is important on a eReader or not. Strange though to only add it NOW?
How many years have they been doing eReaders?
But then Amazon's first Kindle was like 20 year old software, only Latin font (and only maybe 4 styles!) and very primitive. While the Amazon Kindle GUI has got worse, at least they now support non Latin based text.

[Quoth]

Ironically I was about to buy a Kobo Aura One for technical docs etc because the Sony CAE paper tablet is about $900.
Totally put off now. Especially after the attitude of the emails (eventually) from Kobo.

[MGlitch]

Originally Posted by FrustratedReader

I can't decide if a PIN is important on a eReader or not. Strange though to only add it NOW?
How many years have they been doing eReaders?
But then Amazon's first Kindle was like 20 year old software, only Latin font (and only maybe 4 styles!) and very primitive. While the Amazon Kindle GUI has got worse, at least they now support non Latin based text.

Believe it or not the PIN thing was a requested feature, it's handy as a hindsight setting if your device is ever stolen. Sure folks will be able to get around it, but only by logging out of the account on it, leaving your account intact. This also applies if you lose your Kobo.

[Quoth]

Probably the PIN is a reasonable idea.
It's not hard to do, so baffling it wasn't on their first device from day 1.

It doesn't STOP your device being stolen, so I'd think of it more as a privacy thing. Kobo don't have any payment option for me so the stored account is of no value at all.
The Kindle is more of an issue.
I discovered how to stop Amazon storing Credit Card and even block the max purchase setting.
Make a trivial edit to Amazon address after every online web purchase. Then Credit Card has to be re-entered at next purchase!

I wish I could setup Kindle with Amazon account that had no payment option.
IMO it's abusive that that you buy an eReader and have to create an account with a Corporate entity (even if in case of Android and Kobo you can just give them a specially created email address), even to put your OWN written documents or public domain texts.
I certainly don't use Adobe Digital Editions (Spyware!).
I download Amazon eBooks to PC, like I do with Smashwords.

[JSWolf]

With the pin, it means if you lose your Reader, then you don't have to worry about what's on the Reader or someone buying eBooks using your account. Also, it means nobody else can pick up your Reader and just have a go with it.

[MGlitch]

Yeah it's not going to stop the theft but it means you can just replace the device, login, and go. Otherwise you'll have to transfer your account to a new one and deactivate the account from the stolen device.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by MGlitch

Yeah it's not going to stop the theft but it means you can just replace the device, login, and go. Otherwise you'll have to transfer your account to a new one and deactivate the account from the stolen device.

You should still move to a new account because if whoever has your Reader has unlimited tries, maybe the pin can be guessed.

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

With the pin, it means if you lose your Reader, then you don't have to worry about what's on the Reader or someone buying eBooks using your account. Also, it means nobody else can pick up your Reader and just have a go with it.

Yes, privacy is the most useful aspect. I'm not complaining about it. It ought always to have been an option.

No-one can buy ebooks on my Kobo account, not even me. I've figured how to limit them to one or none on the Kindle.

I've nothing in Kobo's so called "cloud". Some books on Amazon's Cloud, I wish I could disable that. I have no need of it. I do my own safer and more private backups.

[davidfor]

Originally Posted by FrustratedReader

Probably the PIN is a reasonable idea.
It's not hard to do, so baffling it wasn't on their first device from day 1.

Easy, it isn't a core function of an ereader. When you start a project like this, you write a list of things you need to do and want to. You then put them in order of need and implement as many as you can in with the time, resources and money you have. At the time, something like the PIN lock probably seemed unimportant. If they started from scratch now, it might be done earlier.

[Blossom]

One thing I miss is ability to access the browser from the home screen.

Sent from my XT1528

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by davidfor

Easy, it isn't a core function of an ereader. When you start a project like this, you write a list of things you need to do and want to. You then put them in order of need and implement as many as you can in with the time, resources and money you have. At the time, something like the PIN lock probably seemed unimportant. If they started from scratch now, it might be done earlier.

Um, no. We were putting PIN locks (AND multiple users) on LCD gadgets in 1988 and 2003 projects. We didn't bother with the 2006 4G VOIP handset running Debian Linux and Firefox with only touch screen as it was purely proof of concept.

Actually the software of EVERY eInk eReader I've had/tried (5 differnent Kindles, Sony, iRiver Story Cover, Kobo H20) is pretty rubbish at "library" management and only bare minimum for reader. The Apps on phones / tablet/Laptop identically useless at book/library management and only really an advantage for convenience or non-book content (Amazon stupidly now has three kinds of "eBook" branded Kindle two of which do not work on ANY eInk Kindle. The Kindle Fire is NOT a Kindle, it's a crippled LCD Android tablet and worse than simply getting a decent Android tablet and adding an eReader App.

The Kindle seems to be a hurriedly slapped together GUI with the guts of the Mobireader (they bought) slapped on Android with GUI stripped.
The Kobo is a poor GUI and slightly better reader app stuck on a more regular Linux. It is prettier now with current release, but the home screen is now less functional, and the one thing better on Kobo was home screen and annotations. The Annotations stats are gone. At least the annotation per book can still be extracted via Calibre, though the python script now doesn't work. Amazon Kindle seems to stupidly create one text file for ALL annotations, though it's usable on PC.

I use my eReaders for three things:
1) Reading loads of books, some bought on Smashwords or Amazon, but mostly Gutenberg. The big publishers charge too much, so I buy theirs on paper.
2) Manuals and tech stuff (why I have a DXG and got 6.8" H20)
3) Reading / proofing /annotating my own writing. Up to 18 revisions on some books, ten complete, about 9 in development. Saving even just on PAPER has paid for Kobo OR Kindle DXG or PaperWhite. Add toner and I've saved cost of all three.

However the software is a joke (actual reader not too bad, but that is simple as the content is basically like HTML and interface is basically a paginating web browser). I've written a Document Archive system, two physical library management systems, a document manager and a wordprocessor with hierarchical document links (a little like hypertext, except if you make a link and the document doesn't exist you can start editing it). So I'm qualified to point and laugh at their efforts that are worse than some final year student projects I've mentored.

[davidfor]

Originally Posted by FrustratedReader

Um, no. We where putting PIN locks (AND multiple users) on LCD gadgets in 1988 and 2003 projects. We didn't bother with the 2006 4G VOIP handset running Debian Linux and Firefox with only touch screen as it was purely proof of concept.

So, you did what I said: decided the importance of the features and implement as needed.

And yes, people have been putting PIN locks on devices for almost as long as they have been making them. I'll stick with my point that over recent years the security factor has been pushed more. That will result in devices created now getting locks that might not have 10 years ago.

[JSWolf]

I do think RMDSK on Kobo is better than what is on the Kindle for KF8. Mobi I just ignore as it's obsolete and done. KFX, that's just silly as what's does in KFX could have been done with KF8 in software. RMDSK can do it with ePub so there's no reason for KFX.