Forma Just ordered new Kobo Forma

[abdirahim]

Originally Posted by cycojesus

I remember putting my phone on the closed Forma. And when it went from 100% to 0% in my bag there was some metal pencils and rulers under it. It's just a wild guess.

This is my fourth Kobo and I've always left the wifi on on them without trouble. I'll try without wifi and cover this night, thanks.

EDIT: read an hour, it went from 100% to 81%. Wifi off, luminosity 1%.

Okay, maybe no experiment necessary then. I'd guess Kobo support would have you do a reset and see if that fixes it. I don't know if that's worth a try or not. Maybe there's some battery calibration or something. Perhaps others here will know better, maybe wait to see what they will recommend.

Personally, you sound very familiar with ereaders, so perhaps you're right. Kobo says the Forma should give you weeks of use, depending on individual usage. Maybe you need to return or replace it?

[Alan_S]

Originally Posted by cycojesus

EDIT: read an hour, it went from 100% to 81%. Wifi off, luminosity 1%.

I have two kobos, they don't have linear battery readings, also each device can with time change a bit their battery readings (even on new devices as Forma must be pretty new device).

You can try with some deep cycles (don't charge it till it goes almost empty). But, also, depending on device, there are sudden drops with battery percentage.

My H2O usually shows longer upper battery percentage, with sudden drops as it goes lower (below 40% I know I need to start charging, or I could found empty battery). My K1A is more even, but with few drops (10-15% is "lost"), first is around 55%, next about 40%, after that it goes more or less "stable".

But, this is just battery percentage as number you see, not actual battery percentage, you have still more or less battery capacity (unless you don't*), e.g. on my K1A when I go deep cycle I can read for hours on 0% and I mean hours.

*It is possible that something goes really wrong with battery, that it really loses capacity. If you try deep cycles and see how long you can read, this is only real way to test actual capacity, battery percentage as shown is almost always wrong and serves just as an orientation idea.

[cycojesus]

Originally Posted by Alan_S

I have two kobos, they don't have linear battery readings, also each device can with time change a bit their battery readings (even on new devices as Forma must be pretty new device).

You can try with some deep cycles (don't charge it till it goes almost empty). But, also, depending on device, there are sudden drops with battery percentage.

My H2O usually shows longer upper battery percentage, with sudden drops as it goes lower (below 40% I know I need to start charging, or I could found empty battery). My K1A is more even, but with few drops (10-15% is "lost"), first is around 55%, next about 40%, after that it goes more or less "stable".

But, this is just battery percentage as number you see, not actual battery percentage, you have still more or less battery capacity (unless you don't*), e.g. on my K1A when I go deep cycle I can read for hours on 0% and I mean hours.

*It is possible that something goes really wrong with battery, that it really loses capacity. If you try deep cycles and see how long you can read, this is only real way to test actual capacity, battery percentage as shown is almost always wrong and serves just as an orientation idea.

I think it's more than just percentage reporting. I just took it to read before bed and it wouldn't wake up. I plugged it in and it woke up with the battery at 47%. Just sitting idle (wifi off) all day. Meanwhile the h2o2 that I haven't touched in a week or so is as fine as ever (I never had to even think about its battery level.)

I'll be in touch with the seller and/or kobo.

[abdirahim]

Originally Posted by cycojesus

I think it's more than just percentage reporting. I just took it to read before bed and it wouldn't wake up. I plugged it in and it woke up with the battery at 47%. Just sitting idle (wifi off) all day. Meanwhile the h2o2 that I haven't touched in a week or so is as fine as ever (I never had to even think about its battery level.)

I'll be in touch with the seller and/or kobo.

By coincidence I see today a youtube video, but it is about the H2O Edition 2, so may not apply to you. But he said that he had a strange battery life problem, but he learned there was a bug. He turned off the setting "Always sync" and then he found he had no more problem.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGxfkr1ZmOg

He starts to talk about it around 1:40 minutes. Of course, it is not a Forma, and it is an older video. But maybe try it, and see if it helps. Have you installed the latest firmware for the Forma? Try that too. Good luck!

[Hamfe]

Just received my Forma, and must say I have mixed feelings about it. I really like the form factor and the screen has a much more uniform light distribution than the Aura One. I actually don’t find the light band that annoying (and it should be very easy fixable by applying a narrow line of black electrical tape). What annoys me the most, which I haven’t seen mentioned here, is the noise coming from the grip side of the device. It is a very high-pitched noise, like coil whine from a graphic card or GPU. I have to take off my hat to Kobo, succeeding in making an e-book ready make coil whine. The noise is at the highest when the Forma is “thinking”, so I found that turning off wifi significantly reduces the noise. If the noise doesn’t get worse I think I’ll keep the device and just leave wifi turned off most of the time..

Damnit Kobo..

[j.p.s]

Maybe the whine is from the power supply.

[k9reeder]

Originally Posted by Hamfe

....
I actually don’t find the light band that annoying (and it should be very easy fixable by applying a narrow line of black electrical tape). ...

Damnit Kobo..

Allow me to introduce you to the CURB!

You can follow this link to experience the full Keynote Presentation of the brand new CURB v 1.0 for the Kobo Forma!

[lkmiller]

I don't hear any whine at all. I leave wifi on all the time and it syncs fairly often as I read a lot of stories from Pocket deleting them from the device as I finish them. Either I don't have the issue or your hearing is much better than mine!

[davidfor]

Originally Posted by Hamfe

What annoys me the most, which I haven’t seen mentioned here, is the noise coming from the grip side of the device. It is a very high-pitched noise, like coil whine from a graphic card or GPU. I have to take off my hat to Kobo, succeeding in making an e-book ready make coil whine. The noise is at the highest when the Forma is “thinking”, so I found that turning off wifi significantly reduces the noise. If the noise doesn’t get worse I think I’ll keep the device and just leave wifi turned off most of the time..

It is faulty, take it back. As you commented, no-one has mentioned it before. It shouldn't make a noise like that. Mine definitely doesn't and I do notice those sort of sounds more than most people around me.

[m_j]

Originally Posted by Hamfe

Just received my Forma, and must say I have mixed feelings about it. I really like the form factor and the screen has a much more uniform light distribution than the Aura One. I actually don’t find the light band that annoying (and it should be very easy fixable by applying a narrow line of black electrical tape). What annoys me the most, which I haven’t seen mentioned here, is the noise coming from the grip side of the device. It is a very high-pitched noise, like coil whine from a graphic card or GPU. I have to take off my hat to Kobo, succeeding in making an e-book ready make coil whine. The noise is at the highest when the Forma is “thinking”, so I found that turning off wifi significantly reduces the noise. If the noise doesn’t get worse I think I’ll keep the device and just leave wifi turned off most of the time..

Damnit Kobo..

You are not alone, I can hear that buzz on my Forma too.
Because no one mention this before, so I thought it was normal...
The buzz is not loud though. Most of the time, I have to put the machine right next to my ear to hear it. The loudest sound I have heard was coming from turning on/off the front light(yes, front light again).

[k9reeder]

Originally Posted by m_j

You are not alone, I can hear that buzz on my Forma too.
Because no one mention this before, so I thought it was normal...
The buzz is not loud though. Most of the time, I have to put the machine right next to my ear to hear it. The loudest sound I have heard was coming from turning on/off the front light(yes, front light again).

Yes, for me too it seems associated with the lights.

I'm at the age where I can't hear certain sounds anymore. I could only hear a higher pitched whine when I pressed the back of it to my ear. It went away when I turned the brightness down to 0%. I would never have noticed anything but for the earlier comment.

[jackie_w]

Oh no!!! I'm beginning to get seriously worried about my sensory faculties. Not only does my Forma have flickering that I can't see but now, apparently, it's also got a high-pitched whine I can't hear!

My plans to video myself page-turning every book in slow-mo so that I can subsequently read it back via Youtube have been dashed.

Similarly, I've abandoned all hope of reading my books with my ear pressed to the back of the device, due to a total lack of eyes-on-stalks DNA in my half of the family.

I'd be almost inconsolable were it not for the fact that Kobo provides me with a device (several, in fact) with excellent flexibility (thank you, Kobo patch gurus) and book organisation (thank you, calibre gurus). As for enhanced typography, well that's been standard for at least 5 years.

If you feel that Amazon and Nook are regularly producing lighted devices and firmware upgrades that no-one at MobileRead has found fault with, then I suggest you're not looking hard enough

[k9reeder]

Originally Posted by jackie_w

Oh no!!! I'm beginning to get seriously worried about my sensory faculties. Not only does my Forma have flickering that I can't see but now, apparently, it's also got a high-pitched whine I can't hear!

Well, sometimes I also hear grinding, but I'm pretty sure that's my teeth. Or perhaps it's more of a weeping and gnashing sound, hard to say.

That said, my auto on/sleep Kobo Forma Box is peachy. Just slide that magnet into the envelope and Presto! Aren't you clever.

[koboy]

for those who are happy with the Kobo Forma good for you (he says without the slightest hint of sarcasm)

for those amongst you who believe the negatives outweigh the positives the solution is simple get a refund and try something else or save your money the choice is completely up to you

call me old fashioned but when i buy something new even more so when it's expensive i expect it to work relatively flawlessly = minus the easily curable poor quality control issues

personally out of the current range Kobo have to offer i would only buy/entertain the H2O2.

best wishes koboy

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by jackie_w

If you feel that Amazon and Nook are regularly producing lighted devices and firmware upgrades that no-one at MobileRead has found fault with, then I suggest you're not looking hard enough

Nook, oh boy. Since they released Nook ST w/Glowlight, I think their hardware is the best. But their software... it was never the best. But the most recent software (the software currently powering the Glowlight Plus and Glowlight 3) is buggy and sluggish. Reading a book is fine. Anything else? Forget it.

You don't know how badly I wish I could slap Kobo's software on one of my Nooks. The best of both worlds! (Or you could put Nook's software on a Clara, Forma or Aura one. For the true masochist!)