Kobo future firmware feature request thread

[fluffier]

Hello,

Here are two requests that would surprise if nobody asked for them already:

- To make the size of the diccionary font as big as the size of the font of the book you are reading (or at least for the user to be able to change the size of the dieccionary letters)

- To make the brightness of the screen be able to go below 1% (0,7% 0,5%, 0,3%)

Thanks!

[davidfor]

Originally Posted by fluffier

Here are two requests that would surprise if nobody asked for them already:

- To make the size of the diccionary font as big as the size of the font of the book you are reading (or at least for the user to be able to change the size of the dieccionary letters)

Have you tried the "Large Print Mode" that is in the beta features? You can also change the scaling used. Search for "LargePrintFontScale" to see how.

- To make the brightness of the screen be able to go below 1% (0,7% 0,5%, 0,3%)

I would expect this to be a physical limitation. 1% is probably the lowest level the LEDs can be set.

[johnnyb]

Originally Posted by meeera

Have you tried using kepub instead of epub?

He probably has when he is talking about syncing between the apps and a reader. As far as I know, Kobo does not support syncing between sideloaded books at all.
That being said, they should, and in the process, maybe also redo their apps to match the experience and level of comfort you get with iBooks or Kindle.

[milady133]

Originally Posted by johnnyb

As far as I know, Kobo does not support syncing between sideloaded books at all.

That being said, they should, and in the process, maybe also redo their apps to match the experience and level of comfort you get with iBooks or Kindle.

The problem for Kobo is they don't have the servers needed to support this. Amazon, Google and Apple are much more than ebook store companies, they sell cloud services, so adding cloud support for ebooks is not such a big effort, and they offer it for free because normally the libraries won't take more than 2G top for user (I'm not talking about outliers like some people here, but the average customer).
Kobo has some cloud support to allow users to synchronize the Kobo bought content, but adding support for sideloaded books would mean adding a lot more space to those servers, at their expense, because you're not going to pay for that, will you? For example, take a look at what Bookari charges for cloud support to synchronize your content (that is one reading app that I know offers that additional service). For big companies like Amazon, Apple and Google is small potatoes, but Kobo is not there.

[johnnyb]

Originally Posted by milady133

The problem for Kobo is they don't have the servers needed to support this. Amazon, Google and Apple are much more than ebook store companies, they sell cloud services, so adding cloud support for ebooks is not such a big effort, and they offer it for free because normally the libraries won't take more than 2G top for user (I'm not talking about outliers like some people here, but the average customer).
Kobo has some cloud support to allow users to synchronize the Kobo bought content, but adding support for sideloaded books would mean adding a lot more space to those servers, at their expense, because you're not going to pay for that, will you? For example, take a look at what Bookari charges for cloud support to synchronize your content (that is one reading app that I know offers that additional service). For big companies like Amazon, Apple and Google is small potatoes, but Kobo is not there.

I would accept that argument if it weren't for the fact that both Pocketbook and the European Tolino system offer comparable services where users can upload their books to the companies’ cloud. The former does not even make money on books, the latter is a platform where multiple book vendors participate and pay for the service which was formerly provided by a German telecommunications company and is now owned by, wait for it, Kobo.
You are definitely correct in saying that Kobo is trying to save money, however, it is Kobo cheaping out, not me asking Kobo to provide something entirely unreasonable.

[Terisa de morgan]

Originally Posted by johnnyb

I would accept that argument if it weren't for the fact that both Pocketbook and the European Tolino system offer comparable services where users can upload their books to the companies’ cloud. The former does not even make money on books, the latter is a platform where multiple book vendors participate and pay for the service which was formerly provided by a German telecommunications company and is now owned by, what for it, Kobo.

We're comparing a national platform (with small customer base) against an international company. I'm afraid that we are comparing pears and apples.

[johnnyb]

Originally Posted by Terisa de morgan

We're comparing a national platform (with small customer base) against an international company. I'm afraid that we are comparing pears and apples.

I'm utterly puzzled by this. What difference does this make? Shouldn't a larger customer base also increase revenue somewhat proportionately?
(also, tolino is selling in a number of countries, Pocketbook too)

[Terisa de morgan]

Originally Posted by johnnyb

I'm utterly puzzled by this. What difference does this make? Shouldn't a larger customer base also increase revenue somewhat proportionately?
(also, tolino is selling in a number of countries, Pocketbook too)

No, it's not proportional, I'm afraid. And, even if they sell at a lot of countries, I don't think they sell the same number of devices (only checking around, that's all).

[johnnyb]

Originally Posted by Terisa de morgan

No, it's not proportional, I'm afraid.

Do you have any data or additional info to back that up?
Because from a strictly logical point of view, your argument makes no sense at all.
If anything, having more customers generating more revenue makes such a service cheaper because the flat operational costs (software development, maintenance etc.) are met with bigger revenue from more customers.

[Terisa de morgan]

Originally Posted by johnnyb

Do you have any data or additional info to back that up?
Because from a strictly logical point of view, your argument makes no sense at all.
If anything, having more customers generating more revenue makes such a service cheaper because the flat operational costs (software development, maintenance etc.) are met with bigger revenue from more customers.

Which revenue is generating the sync? Because I see none for a sideloaded book, I only see expenses.

[milady133]

Originally Posted by johnnyb

Do you have any data or additional info to back that up?

It's not real data, I don't think we have that, but only observing the activity in forums here can give you an idea of user base, and in these forums there's a big number of people more informed on eReaders technology than the media in "the real world", so the number of outliers is bigger. Tolino is not selling outside Germany, they have perhaps a bigger user base than Kobo in Germany as they are tied to physical bookstores (although Kobo is selling also in MediaMarkt), but outside Germany there's very few people with a Tolino. Pocketbook is not even selling in physical stores, you have to buy it online, so although they sell internationally, they're not known, people buying a Pocketbook have been reading about eReaders and for some very technical reason don't want a much cheaper and known Kindle.

[DNSB]

One other thing to remember is that Kobo is still based in Canada. Under Canadian law, they would have to obtain permission to copy any identifiable information about your sideloaded books never mind the books themselves and give the users access to that information which is where the can of worms starts to pop open. Check into PIPEDA for more information on this.

There was a series of rather long discussions starting back in 2012 or so about this if you care to search.

[johnnyb]

Originally Posted by milady133

It's not real data, I don't think we have that, but only observing the activity in forums here can give you an idea of user base, and in these forums there's a big number of people more informed on eReaders technology than the media in "the real world", so the number of outliers is bigger. Tolino is not selling outside Germany, they have perhaps a bigger user base than Kobo in Germany as they are tied to physical bookstores (although Kobo is selling also in MediaMarkt), but outside Germany there's very few people with a Tolino. Pocketbook is not even selling in physical stores, you have to buy it online, so although they sell internationally, they're not known, people buying a Pocketbook have been reading about eReaders and for some very technical reason don't want a much cheaper and known Kindle.

And yet they are still providing cloud sync (Tolino btw is selling in Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Belgium, The Netherlands and Italy and Pocketbook across Eastern Europe, Russia and former USSR states like the Ukraine).
I get the argument why smaller markets make cloud sync cheaper, whilst selling worldwide makes it more expensive, if you compare traffic and storage space you need to have.
However, if you are selling to more customers, you also make more money. Of course you don't make any money on the cloud sync itself, but you do on devices and content that you are selling. Example (hypothetical, just to illustrate the principle, please do not comment on the purely fictive specifics of this example, comment on the principle): if you sell 1,000 readers and make 10 on each device, you have 10,000 to put towards cloud sync for 1,000 customers. If you sell 100,000 devices and make 10 on each device you have 1,000,000 to put towards cloud sync for 100,000 customers. In addition, if sales of books are the same, you get additional revenue, say 5 per month, i.e. 5,000 from 1,000 customers and 500,000 from 100,000 customers for general upkeep and the servers that you have to maintain anyway, because you also use them to sell books.
From that point of view, there is no other explanation than Kobo cheaping out and fearing they might lose revenue (which is only a real problem anyway if they allow for the uploading of DRM'ed books). They already have servers set up for their book store, all the need to do is create a system that allows for the upload, conversion and integration of epubs into their system (kepub) and cloud. And then there are minimal costs incurred by downloading these books and storing them. To keep the costs in check, they could simply impose a limit on items and max. file size. Then they would have a number they could calculate with.
However, they are probably either too cheap/greedy/incompetent to offer such a service to customers.

[davidfor]

Originally Posted by johnnyb

However, they are probably either too cheap/greedy/incompetent to offer such a service to customers.

Or maybe they just disagree with the you over the importance of the function for their target market.

[johnnyb]

Originally Posted by davidfor

Or maybe they just disagree with the you over the importance of the function for their target market.

Maybe