Aura HD Should I be upgrading my Aura HD's firmware?

[gevaisa]

Hi everybody! I'm looking for some advice about whether I need to keep up with the firmware upgrades for the Aura HD.

I bought mine when it first came out and have never upgraded the firmware. It still works perfectly but I think I only use really basic functions - I have all my books on an SD card, sideload books using Calibre and never connect it to wifi. It's a bit sluggish sometimes but that seems to go with putting a lot of books on there (>4000).

Thanks very much!

[hleo12]

What firmware version is currently on your device right now? You can look under Settings -› Device Information.

[Ken Maltby]

Originally Posted by gevaisa

Hi everybody! I'm looking for some advice about whether I need to keep up with the firmware upgrades for the Aura HD.

I bought mine when it first came out and have never upgraded the firmware. It still works perfectly but I think I only use really basic functions - I have all my books on an SD card, sideload books using Calibre and never connect it to wifi. It's a bit sluggish sometimes but that seems to go with putting a lot of books on there (>4000).

Thanks very much!

I held off a number of the "upgrades" because of problems or incompatibilities they introduced, but it is looking like 3.5.0 is very stable and not producing any ill effects, for me. But, I don't use the stock Kobo reading software, or the Nickel User Interface. I have ~7000 ebooks, in various formats (mostly epub or pdb) in a "hidden" folder on the external uSD card. I use tshering's great "Kobo Start Menu" and read with Koreader.

I can't imagine living with Kobo's database management of a large library such as both of us have. Since you use calibre to add books to your device, you might be interested in the new Search feature just added to Koreader (by one of our fellow MR posters, WS64) it searches the "calibre.metadata" file and returns a listing of ebooks with matching metadata.

An install guide.

The WiKi install page.

Luck;
Ken

[gevaisa]

hleo12, I'm using 2.5.1 version of the software. I'm pretty sure it's the version it came with.

Ken, thanks for the recommendation but I think your setup might be too advanced for me - I'm not too knowledgeable about technology!

Sorry for the dopey question but if I don't update the firmware on the Aura HD, am I damaging it? Will it break earlier?

[Ken Maltby]

The programs that need updates to protect themselves are those that are exposed to outside input, for the most part, with you not using the WiFi feature, that should not be an issue. Updating unexposed programs/devices is to correct problems with the original software or to enable new features. For your device and use, you should have the functioning and usefulness that you have now, for as long as you want with your current firmware. It would not be damaged or break, just because of using the firmware that is working for you now.

Luck;
Ken

[gevaisa]

Phew! I feel so much better now. Thanks!

[cybmole]

the golden rule is "if it ain't broke, don't fix it"

[gevaisa]

^This

A question for people who have updated their firmware: is it hard? Did it go smoothly?

[PeterT]

Originally Posted by gevaisa

^This

A question for people who have updated their firmware: is it hard? Did it go smoothly?

Maybe I am in a minority but I come from the school of when an upgrade is offered, take it.

And yes, the process is dead easy.

[Dr. Drib]

Originally Posted by PeterT

Maybe I am in a minority but I come from the school of when an upgrade is offered, take it.

And yes, the process is dead easy.

+1 - Yes, same here.

[filmo]

I can take 2 months or more for update to reach every reader that regularly is connected to Kobo servers. Your reader can use wifi connection to sync with Kobo servers, your Kobo connected to your computer running Kobo desktop app to sync with Kobo servers or with computer connected to kobo's website and sync. A month after release of new firmware while reading mobileread posts about latest update should inform if update is safe or might not be ok for your reader yet.

[Athropos]

I'm still using 3.1.0 on mine and have no plan upgrading it. My usage is very basic: open the cover, read, close the cover. It works perfectly fine and I'm very pleased with it, I see no reason taking the risk to upgrade it.

[cybmole]

Originally Posted by Athropos

I'm still using 3.1.0 on mine and have no plan upgrading it. My usage is very basic: open the cover, read, close the cover. It works perfectly fine and I'm very pleased with it, I see no reason taking the risk to upgrade it.

that's the spirit

in an ideal world the device would present:
1 an option to upgrade, with a change log setting out the benefits/changes
2. a simple option to roll back to previous version

firmware upgrades are not risk free: a power cut at the wrong moment if using USB , or a loss of wi-fi signal at a critical stage can brick a device.. I permanently bricked a netgear router one time & had to bin it , just by attempting a firmware upgrade without carefully disconnecting all other equipment first.

plus there's the inconvenience of being forced to sit thru an upgrade when all you wanted to do was continue reading

[davidfor]

Originally Posted by cybmole

firmware upgrades are not risk free: a power cut at the wrong moment if using USB , or a loss of wi-fi signal at a critical stage can brick a device.. I permanently bricked a netgear router one time & had to bin it , just by attempting a firmware upgrade without carefully disconnecting all other equipment first.

Those particular factors are not really risk factors for the current Kobo devices. The firmware is downloaded as a file to the internal memory. If that fails, it won't get installed. If there is not enough available space to unpack the files, it won't get installed. If the battery level is not high enough, it won't get installed. Including if it is plugged into a charger at the time. Once the firmware is downloaded, the WiFi is not needed.

Yes, there is risk, but it is not as high as everyone seems to say. From all the over WiFi upgrades I have done on my two Kobos, including all the beta firmware, I have never had it fail.

plus there's the inconvenience of being forced to sit thru an upgrade when all you wanted to do was continue reading

That I agree with. They are impolite about when they make you upgrade. Being able to say "remind me later" and still able to sync books would be very good.

[booklover6]

Originally Posted by cybmole

the golden rule is "if it ain't broke, don't fix it"

The rule I live by, unless I feel like trying a new feature I have read about. I did update my Aura to the latest, because I was tired of lines being cut off at the bottom on the firmware I had been using (I believe it was 3.3.0). No problems with 3.5.0 (which I side loaded).