Take blank notes on Kobo using keyboard

[davurpi]

There is any way to instal an extra app to kobo reader?
Sketch app permits hand-write. It will be good that will permits use the keyboard.
David

[Ken Maltby]

You can install the Kobo Start Menu7 and Sergey's Launcher w/CoolReader, one of the utilities included with the launcher is a "Notepad" program. Tshering has also provided a Tool script that lets you mount the external SD card as read write, in KSM7.

An install guide.

Luck;
Ken

[DuhPhewU]

Hi: Can the directions in the "Install Guide" be effectively used to load "Notepad" onto the "Kobo n416 eReader," aka Kobo 1st Generation, Original, & the one w/ Bluetooth rather than WiFi?
If not, could you point me to how I could install
onto the Kobo n416 a small, simple text editor? (Notepad would be fine, but if any other such text editor could be more easily loaded onto the "n416" that'd be preferable given my newbie status.)
Finally, I saw mention of creating on an eReader, as an alternative to loading a text editor, something called an "Open Book," which essentially is an empty book into which one can keyboard (& assumedly save on & transfer from the eReader) as if it was a text editor.
It would be much appreciated if you could point me as well to directions for, if possible, doing this on a "Kobo n416."
Thanks in advance for any guidance you can offer.
Adam
P.S. Being a newcomer to this site, as well as a newbie, I've been amazed to see the extent of knowledge here, in addition to being impressed by the generosity those "in the know" are willing to be with aid & information for those not yet very saavy about this stuff.

[DuhPhewU]

Hi: Can the directions in the "Install Guide" be effectively used to load "Notepad" onto the "Kobo n416 eReader," aka Kobo 1st Generation, Original, & the one w/ Bluetooth rather than WiFi?
If not, could you point me to how I could install
onto the Kobo n416 a small, simple text editor? (Notepad would be fine, but if any other such text editor could be more easily loaded onto the "n416" that'd be preferable given my newbie status.)
Finally, I saw mention of creating on an eReader, as an alternative to loading a text editor, something called an "Open Book," which essentially is an empty book into which one can keyboard (& assumedly save on & transfer from the eReader) as if it was a text editor.
It would be much appreciated if you could point me as well to directions for, if possible, doing this on a "Kobo n416."
Thanks in advance for any guidance you can offer.
Adam
P.S. Being a newcomer to this site, as well as a newbie, I've been amazed to see the extent of knowledge here, in addition to being impressed by the generosity those "in the know" are willing to be with aid & information for those not yet very saavy about this stuff.

[Ken Maltby]

I am not sure how much still applies to that earliest Kobo, but you would loose nothing by trying. The utilities in Sergey's Launcher (part of the PBchess download) hopefully can function with such an old device.

Luck;
Ken

[johnnyb]

You can create a “notebook”-epub according to your liking with chapters (if you have different frequent topics that you take notes on), empty pages with only a few words (e.g. Note 1, Note 2, etc) on them and then attach typed notes to those...
Easiest workaround I can think of

[DuhPhewU]

My thanks for the advice & my apologies for both my ignorance & my asking for more advice, but could you either explain how I'd go about creating a "notebook"-epub or direct me to where I could find such instructions?
Also, is this something I could do on the Kobo Original (aka K1, n416, etc.) itself, or that I'd do on my PC, transferring the "notebook"-epub from it to the n416?
Finally, is it possible to, once I've made entries into the "notebook"-epub on the n416, transfer it from the n416 to my PC, so I could copy-and-paste those notes into WordPad, Notepad, or Word for further use? If so, could you explain how or direct me to such instructions?
My great appreciation in advance for any help you can offer.

[johnnyb]

Originally Posted by DuhPhewU

My thanks for the advice & my apologies for both my ignorance & my asking for more advice, but could you either explain how I'd go about creating a "notebook"-epub or direct me to where I could find such instructions?
Also, is this something I could do on the Kobo Original (aka K1, n416, etc.) itself, or that I'd do on my PC, transferring the "notebook"-epub from it to the n416?
Finally, is it possible to, once I've made entries into the "notebook"-epub on the n416, transfer it from the n416 to my PC, so I could copy-and-paste those notes into WordPad, Notepad, or Word for further use? If so, could you explain how or direct me to such instructions?
My great appreciation in advance for any help you can offer.

I think you should do some experiments with epub creation. The easiest way is to create a word file with a couple of words and sections and convert that to epub using calibre. You can add bookmarks and further formatting there if anything is missing. Then just use it like any regular ebook.
You can get the notes out as well, just add

[FeatureSettings]
ExportHighlights=true

to the kobo eReader.conf file in the hidden .kobo folder.
However, if you’re using the original Kobo, that device has no onscreen keyboard, no touchscreen and no way to attach notes to words so that makes this whole process impossible. Without either a software keyboard or at least a touchscreen that is supported by third party software, I see absolutely no way to make notes on that early Kobo model.

[Ken Maltby]

I wasn't aware Nickel or either reader had a way to create new user supplied text that could be made highlighted text. I thought you could only highlight existing text. Is this new, I haven't used Nickel in a vary long time.

Luck;
Ken

[davidfor]

Originally Posted by johnnyb

I think you should do some experiments with epub creation. The easiest way is to create a word file with a couple of words and sections and convert that to epub using calibre. You can add bookmarks and further formatting there if anything is missing. Then just use it like any regular ebook.
You can get the notes out as well, just add

[FeatureSettings]
ExportHighlights=true

to the kobo eReader.conf file in the hidden .kobo folder.
However, if you’re using the original Kobo, that device has no onscreen keyboard, no touchscreen and no way to attach notes to words so that makes this whole process impossible. Without either a software keyboard or at least a touchscreen that is supported by third party software, I see absolutely no way to make notes on that early Kobo model.

And of course, that option is only available in firmware that doesn't run on the original Kobo.

[johnnyb]

Originally Posted by davidfor

And of course, that option is only available in firmware that doesn't run on the original Kobo.

yup, I noticed to late that the question was basically “How can I input text in a device that has no means for inputting text”...

[johnnyb]

Originally Posted by Ken Maltby

I wasn't aware Nickel or either reader had a way to create new user supplied text that could be made highlighted text. I thought you could only highlight existing text. Is this new, I haven't used Nickel in a vary long time.

Luck;
Ken

There is no such thing. The idea was to highlight individual words and then to append notes to those words (which would then show up in export and the annotations overview etc).
Basically you make an epub, with different sections (general notes, memorable quotes, general ideas, notes on research topic 1,2,3 etc and so forth and then put lists or something similar in these sections that just contains the words “Note 1”, “Note 2”, “Note 3”, “Note 4” etc.) Downside is of course that these types of notebook do actually “fill up” but this is still a little bit better than having nothing to write at all
This is btw something that is being sold as ebooks on the Kindle store

[DuhPhewU]

But at this URL -- http://www.boxwave.com/kobo-ereader-...ies/bwdd/zgwf/ -- I found an external Bluetooth keyboard with which the Bluetooth-equipped Kobo Original is (or is at least represented to be by the keyboard's manufacturer) compatible; it is the Original, please note, that is here clearly pictured.
My questions were premised on my presumption that, once I received this keyboard I'd ordered, I'd be able to, with it, in tandem with the Kobo Original, put to use the information you'd so generously provided me.
Is there some reason to doubt or know that this external keyboard, despite its manufacturer's representation, will not actually work with the Kobo Original?
(FYI: It's not as if the manufacturer is just representing its keyboard to be compatible with every Kobo; in fact, it represents the keyboard is compatible only with the Kobo Aura One and the Original at the following URL: http://www.boxwave.com/keyboards/sli...s-md/ffmt-fmt/.)
If so, my apologies for bringing you along on my ill-informed wild-goose chase

[salamanderjuice]

Originally Posted by DuhPhewU

But at this URL -- http://www.boxwave.com/kobo-ereader-...ies/bwdd/zgwf/ -- I found an
external Bluetooth keyboard with which the Bluetooth-equipped Kobo Original is (or is at least represented to be by the keyboard's manufacturer) compatible.
My questions were premised on my presumption that, once I received this keyboard I'd ordered, I'd be able to, with it, in tandem with the Kobo Original, put to use the information you'd so generously provided me.
Is there some reason to doubt that this external keyboard will, as its manufacturer represents, actually work with the Kobo Original?
If so, my apologies for bringing you along on my ill-informed wild-goose chase.

Probably not. It's been a few years since I've used my Original Kobo but IIRC the bluetooth wouldn't pair with anything other than old school Blackberry phones. It was kobo's cheapo way of having wireless book syncing. I don't think the operating system ever supported keyboards at all, nor pairing with any bluetooth devices other than a Blackberry phone.

That said, it's probably not IMPOSSIBLE to hack in support for bluetooth keyboards and a text editor. But it would take a large amount of work for an incredibly old device that no longer being sold that isn't particularly fast or desirable in any other way. Page refreshes on the OG Kobo weren't quick so I can't imagine it be a great typing experience either.

My guess is that retailer saw Bluetooth support on the Kobo and assumed it would work with a bluetooth keyboard.

I recommend you look up the Freewrite. It's basically exactly what you want. An eInk device for typing. It's expensive though admittedly.

EDIT: Now that I think about those are probably keyboards for Kobo's line of Android tablets like the Vox or Arc which could actually use keyboards and they also called eReaders.

[Ken Maltby]

If you are going to spend any money you might look for a different ereader, one with the features you want.

Luck;
Ken