Trying to love Kobo, but...

[rashkae]

It's really hard to describe the back of the H20 (2nd Edition) compared to the Kindle and Clara.

It's nothing like the cheap slippery plastic of the Clara, but it's not also not the solid rubbery texture of a PW. The plastic of the H20 is 'softer' than the Clara, and the back has a fine pattern of dimples, I find it feels reminiscent of a basketball, but not as rubbery.

Of all the current generation of Kobos, the case of the H20 is by far my favorite.

[WillW]

Thanks for the information, it sounds hopeful. I sent the Clara back today, and was hoping to order the H20, but John Lewis don't have any in stock at the moment, so I'll wait until they do. I found a couple available from unknown online sellers, but I tend to stick to J.L. for electronics. Great customer service, and 2 year guarantee included.

Meanwhile, good old Kindle still satisfies :-)

[4691mls]

Originally Posted by compurandom

I think the swipe page turn backwards glitch is from swiping at an angle.
I started being careful to make my swipes more horizontal and it hasn't done that for me for a while.

I tried to figure out if I was doing something wrong but I was never able to recreate the glitch by swiping in any direction. However, it hasn't happened at all in the last couple of books I've read. So either I've gotten better at swiping or maybe the problem only happens in certain books?

[lumpynose]

Have you looked at the PocketBook reader? It's a Swiss company. I like its and the Kobo's user interface because they sort authors correctly and do things like list authors with how many books by them you have, recognize and group series, and other helpful things when you load your ereader with lots of books. By comparison the Kindle is quite crude.

[Alanon]

For what it's worth, Kobo has some distinct advantages over Kindle, but most are related to patching. If you would like to expand the H2O's capabilities, like add actual PDF readability, add additional reader programs and interfaces, like KOReader (or the new and excellent Plato), I think that Kobo is the current champion, with PocketBook coming in at second place. If you're willing to invest a bit of time, you can side-load multiple, proper English dictionaries, add fonts, tweak default margins and various size steps, mod the header and footer so that the text reaches the edges, if you so wish, all within the native interface. You can even unlock some cute games!

Basically, once you tweak a bunch of details and ranges to fit your preference, it will become very difficult to pick up an unmodded Kobo device, let alone a Kindle! However, from most reviews I've seen, Kindle is still the champ for the "fire up and go" usage scenario. Though, it's worth noting that with some initial patience and testing, once you decide on what you want, you can set up an easy system that will cost you only a couple of minutes whenever there's a firmware update. The rest of the time, the patched software will act exactly as you have set it up. With those expanded capabilities, Kobo is a killer!

From everything I've read - and I echo this sentiment fully - the main downsides of going Kobo are its native, out-of-the-box state and problematic quality control. The ideal situation would be to check your device for issues during purchase, to make sure you have a good specimen. If you have a good relationship with your retailer, that will certainly help. I'm not sure if patching the firmware would break your warranty, though. In a pinch, it should be possible to revert to the unpatched state with a reset, and nobody should be able to detect anything suspicious, though more knowledgeable persons should comment on that.

[WillW]

I looked at Pocketbook but had dismissed it as a bit niche. I now see that it is available from Amazon UK. The Touch 3HD looks really good, but I’m kind of hooked on the idea of a larger screen now, although it’s not a dealbreaker if the quality is good.
I really like the look of the Inkpad 3, although it’s very expensive. That said, I’m always willing to pay a premium price for a genuinely high quality well made product. More research needed, but currently Pocketbook has nudged Kobo off the top of the list.

I take the point about the improvements which can be made to the Kobo’s functionality. Actually I spent a lot of time with the Clara over the weekend and really got to like its U.I. My real issue with Kobo is build quality. It seems to be hit and miss whether one will get a good example, and I’d be willing to sacrifice a few bells and whistles on the Kobo for a better made/properly quality controlled device. If that turns out to be the Pocketbook I shan’t mind.

[koboy]

Originally Posted by WillW

I looked at Pocketbook but had dismissed it as a bit niche. I now see that it is available from Amazon UK. The Touch 3HD looks really good, but I’m kind of hooked on the idea of a larger screen now, although it’s not a dealbreaker if the quality is good.
I really like the look of the Inkpad 3, although it’s very expensive. That said, I’m always willing to pay a premium price for a genuinely high quality well made product. More research needed, but currently Pocketbook has nudged Kobo off the top of the list.

I take the point about the improvements which can be made to the Kobo’s functionality. Actually I spent a lot of time with the Clara over the weekend and really got to like its U.I. My real issue with Kobo is build quality. It seems to be hit and miss whether one will get a good example, and I’d be willing to sacrifice a few bells and whistles on the Kobo for a better made/properly quality controlled device. If that turns out to be the Pocketbook I shan’t mind.

of course it's entirely your own choice. personally i'd try the H2O Edition 2 from John Lewis or Argos if you can before you go down the Pocketbook road. the reason i suggest this is because as you will know it's very easy to get a replacement/refund from them if for any reason that is needed/required.

good luck with whatever you decide to do.

edit. i'd also recommend looking at the PocketBook forum on here.

best wishes koboy

[WillW]

Thanks. My post above is written before much real research into Pocketbook, so the pendulum could swing right back to Kobo of course.
And yes, the John Lewis return/refund policy does make a big difference when buying unseen..

[Quoth]

I'm temped by the Inkpad 3 if it is OK, but it's expensive and I don't have the money.

[church mouse]

@WillW

I used a Pocketbook Touch HD for nearly 2 years. The build quality was very good. I loved the page turn buttons, which was my reason for buying it. However, I sold it a few months ago and returned to Kobo (a Clara with no screen issue) because the native reader software is very basic and even the Coolreader fork too often had issues presenting a nicely formatted book.

I have yet to find the perfect reader but a Pocketbook with a much better native reader app would be close.

[WillW]

A quick trawl through the Pocketbook forum soon put that idea to rest.
Then I got sidetracked by Boyue and Tolino. Briefly.
Then I reminded myself that all I require is a simple un-fenced ereader to replace my excellent and much loved Kindle 2. No bells or whistles required, just a slightly larger screen with smart light adjustment. So I'll order the H20 ed2 when it's back in stock and hope for the best. If it has issues like the returned Clara, I'll send it back and forget all about it until the Kindle eventually gives up the ghost.
Maybe Kobo qualty control will be sorted by then..

[4691mls]

Hopefully you will get the H20 and be happy with it. But do keep in mind that not all Claras have the light bleed problem. Though I know it would be frustrating to keep buying and trying until you get a satisfactory one.

[WillW]

I really hope so.
It puzzles me how my old Kindle with 4 LEDs has perfectly even screen lighting, while the Clara, with its 8 white & 4 orange LEDs, couldn't manage it.

[koboy]

Originally Posted by WillW

I really hope so.
It puzzles me how my old Kindle with 4 LEDs has perfectly even screen lighting, while the Clara, with its 8 white & 4 orange LEDs, couldn't manage it.

the H2O Edition 2 doesn't have the light bleed problem like some Clara's do so you should be ok regarding that specific issue.

best wishes koboy

[davidfor]

Originally Posted by WillW

I really hope so.
It puzzles me how my old Kindle with 4 LEDs has perfectly even screen lighting, while the Clara, with its 8 white & 4 orange LEDs, couldn't manage it.

The light bleed appears to be a manufacturing problem. It doesn't affect all Clara HDs, and for those it does affect, the amount varies. Mine wasn't enough to worry about. From pictures I have seen, some would have been to much for me to use.

There is a fairly simple fix. But, it does involve disassembling the device. That would break warranty. I did eventually do the fix on mine, when I opened it to change the SD card for a larger one. And it improved the reading experience more than I expected. If you want to look, there is a long thread discussing the problem in the Kobo forum.