H202 Setup and Beginner Help

[FlyHero]

Is there a way to get past the "Set up via-wifi/set up via computer" screen and use the device offline? I've tried swiping and pulling down/up for menus. I don't want to register it or use any Kobo services. I have Calibre and my library installed on my computer. Also how do you fully power it off? I have tried long pressing etc and the entire screen is black with a "Powered Off" in grey at the bottom. Is this fully off? Most devices are grey when off.

The manual is useless and says "plug it in and register to begin" essentially.

Also is the plain Aura One no longer available? All I see on the site is the limited edition version.

[robko]

Originally Posted by hap124

Also how do you fully power it off? I have tried long pressing etc and the entire screen is black with a "Powered Off" in grey at the bottom. Is this fully off? Most devices are grey when off.

You are getting fully powered off. E-ink requires power to CHANGE the screen, not to maintain whatever is on it, so you'll usually have something (most people choose the book cover option) on the screen even when fully powered down.

[FlyHero]

Originally Posted by robko

You are getting fully powered off. E-ink requires power to CHANGE the screen, not to maintain whatever is on it, so you'll usually have something (most people choose the book cover option) on the screen even when fully powered down.

Odd to me since all my non-Kobo devices would go blank when fully off. Only time things were displayed were in sleep. Also going from mostly white/grey to all black (which was NOT what was on the screen) seems odd. It was all grey when I opened the box and it was powered off from the factory. Anyway until I can get past the setup to use it it's moot.

[jackie_w]

There used to be an old thread about bypassing registration somewhere in the Kobo forums but you'll have to look for it. Whether those methods still work, I don't know.

I think many people just create a one-off minimal account to do the initial registration. You don't need to add any credit card details to the account.

[rashkae]

The easy way to bypass registration, connect the Kobo to a computer via USB, copy this database file into the .kobo directory. Eject/disconect the Kobo from computer, and be sure to turn it off and start up again.

https://www16.zippyshare.com/v/MFNRgpgK/file.html

You'll probably also want to check the firmware update thread to download the latest software updates for your new Kobo.

[davidfor]

Originally Posted by hap124

Odd to me since all my non-Kobo devices would go blank when fully off. Only time things were displayed were in sleep. Also going from mostly white/grey to all black (which was NOT what was on the screen) seems odd. It was all grey when I opened the box and it was powered off from the factory. Anyway until I can get past the setup to use it it's moot.

All my Kobo devices will show some sign they are powered off, if they are powered off correctly. Exactly what is shown, depends on some options in the settings. If it hangs and you force the device off, then it will probably show whatever was on the screen at the time.

The manual tells you how to do the setup. The fact that it doesn't tell you how to hack the device to do something it isn't intended to do, is not a fault of the manual. If you want to avoid this, it has been discussed many times here and a search will find the details. But, Kobo do not do any validation of the email address beyond making sure it looks like one. It is simple to just use a fake address.

[FlyHero]

Originally Posted by davidfor

All my Kobo devices will show some sign they are powered off, if they are powered off correctly. Exactly what is shown, depends on some options in the settings. If it hangs and you force the device off, then it will probably show whatever was on the screen at the time.

The manual tells you how to do the setup. The fact that it doesn't tell you how to hack the device to do something it isn't intended to do, is not a fault of the manual. If you want to avoid this, it has been discussed many times here and a search will find the details. But, Kobo do not do any validation of the email address beyond making sure it looks like one. It is simple to just use a fake address.

I find your response unecessarily smug and offputting. The manual doesn't tell you how to do ANYTHING but turn it on and go to a website. That's useless and a waste of paper. It's no more than the device says when you push the obvious power button, and certainly not useful. You chose to expend all those words admonishing me rather than just say "here is how you do it" like the more helpful posts above. Nobody required you to respond. If you don't like what or how I asked you can ignore the post. You CHOSE to get uppity and type out your tut tuts to "put me in my place" and it's rude and pointless. People like you are why I hate posting anything online. Always looking to posture and make it about them.

[FlyHero]

Originally Posted by rashkae

The easy way to bypass registration, connect the Kobo to a computer via USB, copy this database file into the .kobo directory. Eject/disconect the Kobo from computer, and be sure to turn it off and start up again.

https://www16.zippyshare.com/v/MFNRgpgK/file.html

You'll probably also want to check the firmware update thread to download the latest software updates for your new Kobo.

Thanks Is it as simple as copying the contents of the existing file for a backup and plopping them back into .kobo if you intend to restore/return etc?

[davidfor]

Originally Posted by hap124

I find your response unecessarily smug and offputting. The manual doesn't tell you how to do ANYTHING but turn it on and go to a website. That's useless and a waste of paper. It's no more than the device says when you push the obvious power button, and certainly not useful. You chose to expend all those words admonishing me rather than just say "here is how you do it" like the more helpful posts above. Nobody required you to respond. If you don't like what or how I asked you can ignore the post. You CHOSE to get uppity and type out your tut tuts to "put me in my place" and it's rude and pointless. People like you are why I hate posting anything online. Always looking to posture and make it about them.

"unecessarily smug and offputting", "uppity"? Can you tell me exactly what in the language of my response gives that impression? Or maybe someone else can tell me. That way I can be more careful in the future as I was not intending to be that way.

But, if you are saying that suggesting that you search for the answer is "unecessarily smug and offputting" and "uppity", then I won't be changing anything. My response told you that you could do what you wanted, and that the info is here. I don't believe that endlessly repeating instructions is at all useful.

And for the record, I pulled out the setup guides for a couple of my Kobo devices. Yes, all they really say is to turn the device on and follow the instructions. I have absolutely no idea what else they should say. The setup is so simple that anything else would just be wasted paper.

[Ripplinger]

Originally Posted by hap124

Is there a way to get past the "Set up via-wifi/set up via computer" screen and use the device offline? I've tried swiping and pulling down/up for menus. I don't want to register it or use any Kobo services. I have Calibre and my library installed on my computer. Also how do you fully power it off? I have tried long pressing etc and the entire screen is black with a "Powered Off" in grey at the bottom. Is this fully off? Most devices are grey when off.

The manual is useless and says "plug it in and register to begin" essentially.

Also is the plain Aura One no longer available? All I see on the site is the limited edition version.

There have been ways to bypass the registration, but it's much simpler and quicker to just create a throwaway email you won't use for anything, use a made up name and address if the email service insists on it (I have various emails I use for unimportant websites that that force you to sign up just to read content that I have no intention of ever using, etc. and I used one of them) and sign up with that. You do not need to enter any real name or real address or credit cards for payment... absolutely nothing but an email. You don't ever have to buy anything from Kobo at all (I haven't, I buy mostly from Amazon and independents). And then you're done and reading. You'll spend FAR more time trying to finagle a workaround to avoid having to sign up, and I'm certain you've already spent far more time reading and posting about how to get around it.

Originally Posted by hap124

I find your response unecessarily smug and offputting. The manual doesn't tell you how to do ANYTHING but turn it on and go to a website. That's useless and a waste of paper. It's no more than the device says when you push the obvious power button, and certainly not useful. You chose to expend all those words admonishing me rather than just say "here is how you do it" like the more helpful posts above. Nobody required you to respond. If you don't like what or how I asked you can ignore the post. You CHOSE to get uppity and type out your tut tuts to "put me in my place" and it's rude and pointless. People like you are why I hate posting anything online. Always looking to posture and make it about them.

As a third party just offering an opinion, I read absolutely none of the attitude that you did in davidfor's post. He's one of the most helpful people regarding questions that anyone has about Kobo readers on the forums. None of what he said came across as rude or anything but sincerely trying to help out.

Sometimes more is read into typed text than what the original poster ever intended.

[FlyHero]

Originally Posted by Ripplinger

Sometimes more is read into typed text than what the original poster ever intended.

There is a frustrating trend on the internet when asking for technical help and people respond to debate rather than assist. They want to lecture and appear smart. They want to tell you why you are wrong and they are right. I didn't read INTO his response. I read it, and the follow up, and find them smug and ego driven rather than helpful. "That's not the fault of the manual" etc in some sideways swipe is the sort of weird, passive aggressive comment that people just cannot help but insert so often. I didn't post asking what he thinks about my question or what he thinks about the manual or what he thinks about anything. I posted asking how to circumvent the dark pattern of being forced into a log-in page with no other options presented. If someone doens't think that's a dark pattern or isn't bothered by it they can move on rather than need to "make a point". Sometimes things are hidden in actions you don't know of like longer button presses etc. Thankfully I got the answer from others.

[Quoth]

Ultimately I'd imagine that soon the EU will explicitly state that it violates the principle of GDPR, that you buy a hardware that doesn't need Google, Amazon, Kobo, Microsoft, Apple services etc to operate and you are coerced into giving those organisations your information.

The fact that Kobo lets it work (currently) with a fake email is irrelevant. It's immoral. The fact that Google and Amazon are worse and it's simple is irrelevant.

[davidfor]

Originally Posted by hap124

There is a frustrating trend on the internet when asking for technical help and people respond to debate rather than assist. They want to lecture and appear smart. They want to tell you why you are wrong and they are right. I didn't read INTO his response. I read it, and the follow up, and find them smug and ego driven rather than helpful. "That's not the fault of the manual" etc in some sideways swipe is the sort of weird, passive aggressive comment that people just cannot help but insert so often. I didn't post asking what he thinks about my question or what he thinks about the manual or what he thinks about anything. I posted asking how to circumvent the dark pattern of being forced into a log-in page with no other options presented. If someone doens't think that's a dark pattern or isn't bothered by it they can move on rather than need to "make a point". Sometimes things are hidden in actions you don't know of like longer button presses etc. Thankfully I got the answer from others.

For the the record, I have no need to come here to "lecture and appear smart". I get far to many opportunities for the former in my day job and I am intelligent enough to know that "appearing smart" is a waste of time. (And yes, I am sure you will just take that as a demonstration of your point.) You are the person who read something into my reply that was not there. At the most, there might have been some exasperation in someone repeating a frequently asked question with obviously no prior research.