Kobo Aura One is REAL!

[Katsunami]

Originally Posted by dstinson

I agree about the cover. I do not like the covers that fold all around. They are just not practical for casual reading.

Well... I *demand* a cover that folds all around, as having one that doesn't is just not practical for casual reading.

The fact that a book has TWO pages side by side is one of the things I came to dislike, because a hardcover becomes huge compared to an e-reader, even if the e-reader is 7.8 inch or even bigger.

So, having a cover that doesn't fold all the way back effectively puts an always-blank page on the left of the reader. No, thanks.

Regarding weight and/or size: I hold 6 inch e-readers, including a cover, in one hand. I even keep my 10.1 inch tablet in one hand while using it with the other. I'm sure I'll be able to hold an AURA ONE including a wrap-around cover in my right hand without any problems.

Actually, I've ordered the Aura ONE today. It'll be delivered tomorrow. If Kobo didn't *** it up somehow, it looks like the perfect reader:

- A lot bigger than 6 inch (6.8 is just marginal), but not as huge as 9.7 inch.
- Much more font and layout options as compared to any Kindle
- Front-light, despite being bigger than 6 inch (I know there are some front-lit 8 inch readers)
- Reader from a major company that is actually readily available in the Netherlands; readers such as Icarus are hard to obtain (even though they're a Dutch company), and are basically rebranded, generic OEM readers made by some unknown (to me) manufacturer in China. Maybe I'm short-changing myself, but I consider anything apart from Amazon or Kobo to be avoided.

[JoOrwick]

Originally Posted by Katsunami

A lot bigger than 6 inch (6.8 is just marginal), but not as huge as 9.7 inch.

For me, this is by far the biggest reason for upgrading. I've been waiting for a decent ~8" ereader ever since I got my Paperwhite 3. Honestly, I wouldn't mind an even bigger display. I think 8.5-9" would be perfect. 7.8" is fine, though. It's pretty much right in the middle of 6" and 9.7"

6" is way too small and I have huge hands. It feels like I'm reading on a smartphone instead of a tablet-like device meant for reading books which are usually huge compared to most ereaders anyway.

8" ereaders have been around for a while, but only the KA1 has an e-ink carta display, decent frontlight uniformity and a high PPI rating which is all I really care about when it comes to ereaders. I can deal with shoddy Chinese software, poor book selection etc. as long as the display is good.

[Katsunami]

Originally Posted by JoOrwick

For me, this is by far the biggest reason for upgrading. I've been waiting for a decent ~8" ereader ever since I got my Paperwhite 3. Honestly, I wouldn't mind an even bigger display. I think 8.5-9" would be perfect. 7.8" is fine, though. It's pretty much right in the middle of 6" and 9.7"

For me, it finally tipped the scales to try a Kobo reader.

My eyesight is poor, and therefore I'm very particular about my font choices. On the Kindle, the only two fonts I can use are Caecilia and Palatino. Between the two, I mostly prefer Palatino. Sometimes however, depending on the lighting and how my eyes decide to behave on a particular day, Palatino is too thin, and I have to switch to Caecilia, which I find an exceedingly ugly font.

Baskerville has some problems, notably the 'e' having such a small loop that I often mistake it for a 'c'. I don't even consider the non-serif fonts; I find them hard to read, Futura in particular, with its rounded letters.

Add to that the fact that sizes 1-3 are tiny, 4 is tiny or usable, and 5 is usable or huge, depending on the book's base font size. Sometimes, I *have* to use font size 5, because 1-4 is just too small, and then I end up with a too large font, so only 5-6 words fit on one line.

I have been slavering over the Kobo font options for years. However, their bad reputation with regard to firmware stability kept me away. Then the Aura HD appeared, and I was interested... but it was only 6.8 inch, and I didn't like the looks of the weird back. The H2O was better, but still only 6.8 inch.

And now, the Aura ONE at 7.8 inch, without any weird-ass crinkly curving back, along with the maturing KEPUB plugins in Calibre and Kobo's improving reputation regarding the firmware, pushed me over the edge to try the reader.

I have always found a six inch reader too small. It's convenient to take along in public transport, but in the past, I read newspapers in there... so a 7.8 inch reader won't be a problem. 6 or 7.8 inch is trivial to fit in my work bag.

6" is way too small and I have huge hands. It feels like I'm reading on a smartphone instead of a tablet-like device meant for reading books which are usually huge compared to most ereaders anyway.

I'd never read on anything smaller than 6 inch. That really is the bare minimum. 9.7 inch however, is too big. I'd never read one page at a time on such a large reader. If it's going to get that big, then I'd prefer a 10-12 inch 16:10 reader in landscape, with two pages side by side. I have a feeling that there's a good chance that a 8-ish inch reader is going to be the perfect size for me.

8" ereaders have been around for a while, but only the KA1 has an e-ink carta display, decent frontlight uniformity and a high PPI rating which is all I really care about when it comes to ereaders. I can deal with shoddy Chinese software, poor book selection etc. as long as the display is good.[/QUOTE]

AFAIK, Kobo readers are not generic rebranded readers; and Kobo's book selection isn't really poor. I've bought everything I have at Kobo, except for a very few books, and using their coupons, I've always came out cheaper than at Amazon.

Is KA1 going to be the official shortcut for the Kobo Aura ONE?

[JoOrwick]

Originally Posted by Katsunami

My eyesight is poor, and therefore I'm very particular about my font choices.

My eyesight is below average, but I can still read fairly comfortably without glasses as long as the text is no more than ~35cm away from my eyes. I still prefer larger fonts simply because they're easier on the eyes. Reading a tiny font is a sure way to get a headache.

Originally Posted by Katsunami

but it was only 6.8 inch, and I didn't like the looks of the weird back. The H2O was better, but still only 6.8 inch.

I had the same dilemma. I had been thinking about getting the H20, but in the end I decided to wait in hopes of an even larger Amazon/Kobo device.

Originally Posted by Katsunami

AFAIK, Kobo readers are not generic rebranded readers; and Kobo's book selection isn't really poor.

I know that. I wasn't bashing Kobo. What I meant is I can deal with poor software of various lesser known Chinese ereader manufacturers as long as they use e-ink Carta, good frontlight technology and high resolution displays. Unfortunately, all of the Chinese 8" ereaders currently on the market have old e-ink Pearl technology and low resolution displays. They also tend to have poor book selection. Most don't even have their own book stores.

As far as Kobo goes, their software is not terrible, but it's definitely not as polished and responsive as Amazon's software. Their book selection is decent enough.

Originally Posted by Katsunami

Is KA1 going to be the official shortcut for the Kobo Aura ONE?

Looks like it.

[LordP]

My Aura One was just delivered.

It's one thing to read that it weighs 230 grams and it's totally another to hold it in your hand. This thing is light! And Big!

The reader updated as soon I hooked to my WiFi and it was cute, when done downloading it said 101%

Still setting up so I can't say much more.

[sakura-panda]

My local (independent) bookstore used to carry Kobo ebook readers in the store. (They also have an affiliate link with Kobo that I use when I buy ebooks.) I stopped in yesterday to see if there was an Aura One on display, but she doesn't have any at the moment. She can order Kobo readers, but the newer ones are not available to her and she doesn't know why. She's going to call and then let me know.

I'm resisting well while it's a lonely image on a website, but I suspect that if I get one into my hand, I won't be able to let it go. LOL

[Caleb666]

Does the Kobo automatically hyphenate ePubs like iBooks does, or do I need to preprocess them using calibre?