The highlight function on Kobo Forma is difficult to use

codychan · 11-16-2018, 01:10 AM

When I bought my Kobo Aura One two years ago, on the first few versions of firmware, highlight function is terrible, I have to try several times to highlight a sentence (all my files are .kepub.epub format converted using Calibre plugin), I was furious and wanted to smash it with a hammer for several times. I'm not joking.

After installing a new firmware, the highlight function seemed fine, but it was far away from being good, especially speed and accuracy, they were terrible. And now, it is still not good to use, it is just usable (v4.10.11655).

I bought Kobo Forma two weeks ago, and noticed that the highlight function on Kobo Forma is a little different, maybe it is designed like this, maybe it is just a bug, that is, when I long tap the screen and move my finger to select a sentence to highlight, and since the function of highlight of kobo is not good to use, I cannot see the ending point before I let my finger go, it is very easy that I didn't highlight the whole sentence or highlight more words which I don't want, so like usual, I would tweak the highlight part, tap the highlight part again, then there will be two pointer at both sides of the highlight, I can just move the pointer for more or less words. This is usable on Kobo Aura One, but unusable at all on Kobo Forma, I have to delete the highlight and do the highlight from the beginning.

So my question is about the speed, accuracy and tweak the highlight on Kobo Forma.

Kobo developers really don't care about the highlight function?

davidfor · 11-16-2018, 01:58 AM

I haven't done much highlighting on the Forma, but, just trying it now, I don't see any difference in behaviour than on the other devices. Highlighting in a kepub (either sideloaded or purchased) and the word I start on is underlined. As I move my finger, the words I move across are also underlined. When I lift my finger off the screen, selected words are still underlined and handles are drawn at the ends of the highlight that can be used to change it. I don't suppose I can see the end of the highlight as I draw it, but that is because my finger is covering it.

Grabbing the handles to adjust the highlight has always been hard. I've generally not done it as I don't need much accuracy in my highlights (mainly marking errors so I mark around it to make them easy to find). But, I don't see any difference on the Forma. If anything it seems to be slightly easier.

As I said, as far as I can tell it works exactly the same as on the other devices and exactly how I expect it to work. It is by no means perfect, but it seems to be better than on my Glo HD (the other device I have with me). And it doesn't behave any differently to the Clara HD (what I was using for most of my reading pre-Forma). I haven't tried the Aura ONE for a while as that is the device my wife uses. I'll try it over the weekend to see if it has changed somehow. I don't expect so, as there haven't been any comments here about it, and Kobo deliberately makes functions like this the same across all the devices.

codychan · 11-16-2018, 02:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by davidfor

I haven't done much highlighting on the Forma, but, just trying it now, I don't see any difference in behaviour than on the other devices. Highlighting in a kepub (either sideloaded or purchased) and the word I start on is underlined. As I move my finger, the words I move across are also underlined. When I lift my finger off the screen, selected words are still underlined and handles are drawn at the ends of the highlight that can be used to change it. I don't suppose I can see the end of the highlight as I draw it, but that is because my finger is covering it.

Grabbing the handles to adjust the highlight has always been hard. I've generally not done it as I don't need much accuracy in my highlights (mainly marking errors so I mark around it to make them easy to find). But, I don't see any difference on the Forma. If anything it seems to be slightly easier.

As I said, as far as I can tell it works exactly the same as on the other devices and exactly how I expect it to work. It is by no means perfect, but it seems to be better than on my Glo HD (the other device I have with me). And it doesn't behave any differently to the Clara HD (what I was using for most of my reading pre-Forma). I haven't tried the Aura ONE for a while as that is the device my wife uses. I'll try it over the weekend to see if it has changed somehow. I don't expect so, as there haven't been any comments here about it, and Kobo deliberately makes functions like this the same across all the devices.

I just tried it for another several times, I select a sentence, and the menu doesn't pop up(sometimes it will sometimes it won't, it is annoying) and I tap the selected text again, then it comes up. And I want to move the the handle to select more or less text, it doesn't response(100% percent), and I let my finger go, and do the movement again, it works.

For the already highlighted the text, and if I want to highlight more or less text, I long tap the highlight text, the handles will come up at the ends of the text, and I move the handle, it doesn't response(100% percent), and I let my finger go, and do the movement again, it works again.

After playing it for a while, now I get it, as long as the handles and the small pop-up menu are both on the screen, moving the handle won't work, you have to make the small pop-up window go away (long tap the handle once will do that), then let you finger go and move the handle again, it responses again.

This is really annoying. I'll try it on my Kobo Aura One later.

mathil · 11-16-2018, 03:57 AM

I'm using the latest Forma firmware on my Glo HD and I've noticed the same issues with highlighting in .kepubs. I usually find it pretty accurate in general (or maybe I've just gotten used to it?) but whenever I need to adjust with handles afterwards they don't move. So I need to delete the highlight and try again. I seem to remember it working quite well with the latest official firmware for the Glo HD, though.
IIRC, this issue was also brought up in one of the first reviews I saw for the Forma (in Italian), using the pre-release firmware.

patrik · 11-16-2018, 04:09 AM

Highlights have been the one issue that has been the problem for me with Kobo. For the first years, it was pretty much unusable, but somewhere it got sort of working, and now it is actually pretty good.

This is with 4.8.11073 on my Aura HD.

Maybe I should stay on this firmware forever...

(But I plan to get a Forma...)

codychan · 11-16-2018, 04:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mathil

I'm using the latest Forma firmware on my Glo HD and I've noticed the same issues with highlighting in .kepubs. I usually find it pretty accurate in general (or maybe I've just gotten used to it?) but whenever I need to adjust with handles afterwards they don't move. So I need to delete the highlight and try again. I seem to remember it working quite well with the latest official firmware for the Glo HD, though.
IIRC, this issue was also brought up in one of the first reviews I saw for the Forma (in Italian), using the pre-release firmware.

Check my reply

"After playing it for a while, now I get it, as long as the handles and the small pop-up menu are both on the screen, moving the handle won't work, you have to make the small pop-up window go away (long tap the handle once will do that), then let you finger go and move the handle again, it responses again."

murraypaul · 11-16-2018, 07:58 AM

I've found that on the Aura One, the highlighting is fine if you just want to select one word, but so bad as to be essentially unusable if you want to do anything else, especially trying to select part of a word. (Edit: This is with ePubs, not kePubs.)

rashkae · 11-16-2018, 08:21 AM

The Highlight accuracy on the Forma (for Kepub) is actually very good, and a big improvement over all other kobo's, even better than Kindle now! There was, however, one annoying bug introduced with the new firmware you have to be aware of.

When you try to adjust the selection handle the first time, it does't move, at all. ever. Just lift your finger and try moving it a second time, and will respond correctly.

This is not a Forma specific problem.. the same bug gets added to the Clara HD if you upgrade with the new Forma firmware.

codychan · 11-16-2018, 08:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rashkae

The Highlight accuracy on the Forma (for Kepub) is actually very good, and a big improvement over all other kobo's, even better than Kindle now! There was, however, one annoying bug introduced with the new firmware you have to be aware of.

When you try to adjust the selection handle the first time, it does't move, at all. ever. Just lift your finger and try moving it a second time, and will respond correctly.

This is not a Forma specific problem.. the same bug gets added to the Clara HD if you upgrade with the new Forma firmware.

Yes，I got this too, when you try to adjust the selection handle the first time, the popup menu and the handles are both on the screen, lifting your finger will make the popup menu go away, then move the handle again, it will work. I said already in the previous reply.

mathil · 11-16-2018, 03:18 PM

Yes, it moves after that, but it does so without any type of fine tuning. You try and move the handle again, you wait, and then it "jumps" to another position, after which you have to repeat the process. You used to be able to hold the handle and move it precisely where you wanted. It's no use for me like this, unfortunately, I'll just try and get it right the first time, or try again.

11-16-2018, 01:10 AM	#1
codychan Groupie Posts: 159 Karma: 27950 Join Date: Nov 2018 Device: Kobo Aura One, Kobo Forma	The highlight function on Kobo Forma is difficult to use When I bought my Kobo Aura One two years ago, on the first few versions of firmware, highlight function is terrible, I have to try several times to highlight a sentence (all my files are .kepub.epub format converted using Calibre plugin), I was furious and wanted to smash it with a hammer for several times. I'm not joking. After installing a new firmware, the highlight function seemed fine, but it was far away from being good, especially speed and accuracy, they were terrible. And now, it is still not good to use, it is just usable (v4.10.11655). I bought Kobo Forma two weeks ago, and noticed that the highlight function on Kobo Forma is a little different, maybe it is designed like this, maybe it is just a bug, that is, when I long tap the screen and move my finger to select a sentence to highlight, and since the function of highlight of kobo is not good to use, I cannot see the ending point before I let my finger go, it is very easy that I didn't highlight the whole sentence or highlight more words which I don't want, so like usual, I would tweak the highlight part, tap the highlight part again, then there will be two pointer at both sides of the highlight, I can just move the pointer for more or less words. This is usable on Kobo Aura One, but unusable at all on Kobo Forma, I have to delete the highlight and do the highlight from the beginning. So my question is about the speed, accuracy and tweak the highlight on Kobo Forma. Kobo developers really don't care about the highlight function? Last edited by codychan; 11-16-2018 at 02:17 AM.

11-16-2018, 07:58 AM	#7
murraypaul Interested Bystander Posts: 3,725 Karma: 19728152 Join Date: Jun 2008 Device: Note 4, Kobo One	I've found that on the Aura One, the highlighting is fine if you just want to select one word, but so bad as to be essentially unusable if you want to do anything else, especially trying to select part of a word. (Edit: This is with ePubs, not kePubs.) Last edited by murraypaul; 11-16-2018 at 08:24 AM.

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11-16-2018, 01:58 AM	#2
davidfor Grand Sorcerer Posts: 24,907 Karma: 47303748 Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Sydney, Australia Device: Kobo:Touch,Glo, AuraH2O, GloHD,AuraONE, ClaraHD, Libra H2O; tolinoepos	I haven't done much highlighting on the Forma, but, just trying it now, I don't see any difference in behaviour than on the other devices. Highlighting in a kepub (either sideloaded or purchased) and the word I start on is underlined. As I move my finger, the words I move across are also underlined. When I lift my finger off the screen, selected words are still underlined and handles are drawn at the ends of the highlight that can be used to change it. I don't suppose I can see the end of the highlight as I draw it, but that is because my finger is covering it. Grabbing the handles to adjust the highlight has always been hard. I've generally not done it as I don't need much accuracy in my highlights (mainly marking errors so I mark around it to make them easy to find). But, I don't see any difference on the Forma. If anything it seems to be slightly easier. As I said, as far as I can tell it works exactly the same as on the other devices and exactly how I expect it to work. It is by no means perfect, but it seems to be better than on my Glo HD (the other device I have with me). And it doesn't behave any differently to the Clara HD (what I was using for most of my reading pre-Forma). I haven't tried the Aura ONE for a while as that is the device my wife uses. I'll try it over the weekend to see if it has changed somehow. I don't expect so, as there haven't been any comments here about it, and Kobo deliberately makes functions like this the same across all the devices.

11-16-2018, 03:57 AM	#4
mathil Evangelist Posts: 439 Karma: 287725 Join Date: Sep 2014 Location: Europe Device: Kobo Aura H2O/Glo HD/Libra 2, Kindle PW3/PW5	I'm using the latest Forma firmware on my Glo HD and I've noticed the same issues with highlighting in .kepubs. I usually find it pretty accurate in general (or maybe I've just gotten used to it?) but whenever I need to adjust with handles afterwards they don't move. So I need to delete the highlight and try again. I seem to remember it working quite well with the latest official firmware for the Glo HD, though. IIRC, this issue was also brought up in one of the first reviews I saw for the Forma (in Italian), using the pre-release firmware.

11-16-2018, 04:09 AM	#5
patrik Guru Posts: 657 Karma: 4568205 Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Sweden Device: Kobo Forma	Highlights have been the one issue that has been the problem for me with Kobo. For the first years, it was pretty much unusable, but somewhere it got sort of working, and now it is actually pretty good. This is with 4.8.11073 on my Aura HD. Maybe I should stay on this firmware forever... (But I plan to get a Forma...)

11-16-2018, 08:21 AM	#8
rashkae Wizard Posts: 1,142 Karma: 5061953 Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Ontario, Canada Device: Kobo Aura HD	The Highlight accuracy on the Forma (for Kepub) is actually very good, and a big improvement over all other kobo's, even better than Kindle now! There was, however, one annoying bug introduced with the new firmware you have to be aware of. When you try to adjust the selection handle the first time, it does't move, at all. ever. Just lift your finger and try moving it a second time, and will respond correctly. This is not a Forma specific problem.. the same bug gets added to the Clara HD if you upgrade with the new Forma firmware.

11-16-2018, 03:18 PM	#10
mathil Evangelist Posts: 439 Karma: 287725 Join Date: Sep 2014 Location: Europe Device: Kobo Aura H2O/Glo HD/Libra 2, Kindle PW3/PW5	Yes, it moves after that, but it does so without any type of fine tuning. You try and move the handle again, you wait, and then it "jumps" to another position, after which you have to repeat the process. You used to be able to hold the handle and move it precisely where you wanted. It's no use for me like this, unfortunately, I'll just try and get it right the first time, or try again.

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