Walmart Kobo update

[rcentros]

The one Walmart that took forever to get electricity to the Kobo kiosk finally has an Aura 2 on display (only took about 3 months!). Actually the display was clean and fairly well stocked (there were a few empty pegs at the very bottom, left corner). I thought, "wow, is someone finally interested?" Well, not exactly.

I took a closer look at the Aura. it was displaying the WiFi selection page, so I picked "WalmartWifi" and, apparently, there was no password because it immediately checked for and downloaded an update. But then it wanted me to set up the Kobo. So I tried turning it off and on (thinking maybe there was a demo mode somewhere). It installed the update, restarted and prompted me to enter my user name and password. I was half-tempted to enter in a generic email address and password (I wanted to see what the screen looked like) but I didn't. I figured that would screw them up at Walmart. So now, unless someone else has put in their credentials, there is a Kobo Aura 2 stuck at the login in page. Great way to sell one.

So, giving up on Aura 2, I checked the Samsung tablet. Pretty impressive tablet ... NOT displaying Kobo. So I checked to see if I could load in the Kobo app. It's not on the tablet. I don't think it's ever been installed. So two devices at the Kobo kiosk, neither one of which will let you try out reading on a Kobo or Kobo app. ?!

Ugh.

There were about 20 cards for Kobo Aura 2s there. Supposedly you take a card to the counter and they get the Kobo for you. But, at least on Walmart's website, there aren't any more Aura 2s. I guess I should see what happens if I bring a card to the counter. I've got a feeling the employee would be wandering around for about 20 minutes in a vain search for one.

Not very impressive.

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by rcentros

The one Walmart that took forever to get electricity to the Kobo kiosk finally has an Aura 2 on display...

I would be curious to compare the Aura 2 screen against my Aura. The only improvement made to the Aura 2 was updating the screen from Pearl to Carta. Since the resolution is the same*, I'd be curious to see what difference a screen generation makes.

*The Aura resolution is 1024X758, the Aura 2 is 1024×768. Close enough to call it the same.

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by ZodWallop

I would be curious to compare the Aura 2 screen against my Aura. The only improvement made to the Aura 2 was updating the screen from Pearl to Carta. Since the resolution is the same*, I'd be curious to see what difference a screen generation makes.

It makes a pretty big difference between my Tolino Page (E-Carta 800x600) and all the 800x600 Pearl screens on just about every other eReader I own. Not that Pearl screens are unreadable or anything, but you can really tell the difference side-by-side. (At least I could ... impressed me enough that I found a Tolino Shine "1.5" and Tolino Vision 2HD (both use the next step up E-Carta screens, 212 (like the Auras).

[davidfor]

Originally Posted by ZodWallop

I would be curious to compare the Aura 2 screen against my Aura. The only improvement made to the Aura 2 was updating the screen from Pearl to Carta. Since the resolution is the same*, I'd be curious to see what difference a screen generation makes.

*The Aura resolution is 1024X758, the Aura 2 is 1024×768. Close enough to call it the same.

The other difference is the Aura was capacitive touch, and the Aura 2 is IR. There are a lot of complaints about the extra layer for the capacitive touch making the screen less clear.

[Cootey]

Originally Posted by rcentros

I took a closer look at the Aura. it was displaying the WiFi selection page, so I picked "WalmartWifi" and, apparently, there was no password because it immediately checked for and downloaded an update. But then it wanted me to set up the Kobo. So I tried turning it off and on (thinking maybe there was a demo mode somewhere). It installed the update, restarted and prompted me to enter my user name and password. I was half-tempted to enter in a generic email address and password (I wanted to see what the screen looked like) but I didn't. I figured that would screw them up at Walmart. So now, unless someone else has put in their credentials, there is a Kobo Aura 2 stuck at the login in page. Great way to sell one.

So, giving up on Aura 2, I checked the Samsung tablet. Pretty impressive tablet ... NOT displaying Kobo. So I checked to see if I could load in the Kobo app. It's not on the tablet. I don't think it's ever been installed. So two devices at the Kobo kiosk, neither one of which will let you try out reading on a Kobo or Kobo app. ?!

Ugh.

…

Not very impressive.

This has been my experience with the local Kobo displays. In one local Walmart, the display vices were cinched so tightly, the screens were buckling. Neither display unit, Kobo nor Samsung, was working. Both stuck on the setup pages. I set the Kobo to log into the Walmart network, but then it wanted a user account login, like any old Kobo. Neither device has a demo mode running. And the price was written in sharpie. It’s so ridiculous, it’s funny.






Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by Cootey

This has been my experience with the local Kobo displays. In one local Walmart, the display vices were cinched so tightly, the screens were buckling. ...

That's even worse. I know Walmart hired a contract company to "maintain" the Kobo displays. I hope they're not paying them much.

In the middle of April, according to the sheet I read, Kobo is scheduled to be incorporated into the floor plan. I'm hoping they've got something better than this in mind.