For some time, I've been considering an Aura HD, but the price was too high to justify, taking into account that I already have a Kindle Paperwhite 1 which is perfectly fine. Now that the AHD price has come down to ~€145, I'm considering it again, because of the font adjustments, and the larger screen.
Even though I can go take a look at the reader in a nearby store, I will not be able to side-load my own EPUB/KEPUB books; I don't even know if I'll be able to actually get it in hand and turn it on.
Therefore, I have some questions that I cannot answer by searching the web, and can't find out on my own. I would greatly appreciate some help resolving them to see if the AHD is a good addition to (or maybe even replacement) for the KPW1.
First: I like to make clear that I will always side-load any books, even the ones I buy at Kobo. My base format is EPUB, and I use Calibre to convert to AZW3 for the KPW1 (I even go as far as converting Amazon books to EPUB, and then working from there), and would also use the KEPUB plugin to convert to KEPUB.
Second: I am only interested in book statistics: time to read per chapter, per book, and page numbers. I'm not interested in any overall reading statistics, or any online capabilities whatsoever. After registering the reader, any synced books will be deleted, and Wifi will be turned off, probably forever (except if it's needed to accomplish something special).
Third: I will not be hacking or jailbreaking the device.
The questions:
1. I'm seeing complaints in reviews that the Kobo readers always have space between paragraphs and no indentation. Is this true? If so, for EPUB, KEPUB, or both?
2. Does the AHD monitor and display Time To Read for the chapter and book for EPUB, or does it only do this for KEPUB? If it's the latter, does it work with Calibre-created, side-loaded KEPUB?
3. Do the font adjustments (weight, sharpness, etc) work on side-loaded EPUB / KEPUB books?
4. Is the "leave half of the screen blank at random locations"-bug resolved?
5. The Kindle driver is able to send the page numbers calculated by the Count Pages plugin to the Kindle. So, the Kindle displays the same page numbers as Calibre does. I have chosen a custom page count, setting the plugin to count using 2400 characters per page. (This is the average for an English Del Rey Paperback.) Can the Kobo or KoboTouchExtended driver also send the page numbers created by Count Pages to the Kobo, or does the Kobo always use the Adobe algorithm? (In this case, I'd need to recount the page numbers in my library.) Also, is there a difference between EPUB and KEPUB in this regard?
And last, a request. I've attached a free public domain book, which I acquired at Feedbooks.com; the ZIP-file contains the EPUB as it is posted at FeedBooks.com, and a KEPUB created with the Calibre plugin. After converting it to AZW3, it displays perfectly on the Kindle, and I would like to see a comparison with regard to display on the AHD.
I would like to request that someone does the following:
0. (Preferably: Update the AHD to the latest firmware available, as that's what I would do.)
1. Load the attached EPUB and KEPUB books into the Aura HD.
2. Set the font to a SERIF font, and set weight, sharpness and size in such a way that it would be comparable to a well-printed paperback.
3. Display the first page of the tale "The Golden Bird" on screen, using the EPUB, and take a picture.
4. Flip the page once, take another picture.
Please repeat steps 2, 3 and 4 using the KEPUB file.
5. Attach the pictures to a post.
Thank you very much for all efforts.
Even though I can go take a look at the reader in a nearby store, I will not be able to side-load my own EPUB/KEPUB books; I don't even know if I'll be able to actually get it in hand and turn it on.
Therefore, I have some questions that I cannot answer by searching the web, and can't find out on my own. I would greatly appreciate some help resolving them to see if the AHD is a good addition to (or maybe even replacement) for the KPW1.
First: I like to make clear that I will always side-load any books, even the ones I buy at Kobo. My base format is EPUB, and I use Calibre to convert to AZW3 for the KPW1 (I even go as far as converting Amazon books to EPUB, and then working from there), and would also use the KEPUB plugin to convert to KEPUB.
Second: I am only interested in book statistics: time to read per chapter, per book, and page numbers. I'm not interested in any overall reading statistics, or any online capabilities whatsoever. After registering the reader, any synced books will be deleted, and Wifi will be turned off, probably forever (except if it's needed to accomplish something special).
Third: I will not be hacking or jailbreaking the device.
The questions:
1. I'm seeing complaints in reviews that the Kobo readers always have space between paragraphs and no indentation. Is this true? If so, for EPUB, KEPUB, or both?
2. Does the AHD monitor and display Time To Read for the chapter and book for EPUB, or does it only do this for KEPUB? If it's the latter, does it work with Calibre-created, side-loaded KEPUB?
3. Do the font adjustments (weight, sharpness, etc) work on side-loaded EPUB / KEPUB books?
4. Is the "leave half of the screen blank at random locations"-bug resolved?
5. The Kindle driver is able to send the page numbers calculated by the Count Pages plugin to the Kindle. So, the Kindle displays the same page numbers as Calibre does. I have chosen a custom page count, setting the plugin to count using 2400 characters per page. (This is the average for an English Del Rey Paperback.) Can the Kobo or KoboTouchExtended driver also send the page numbers created by Count Pages to the Kobo, or does the Kobo always use the Adobe algorithm? (In this case, I'd need to recount the page numbers in my library.) Also, is there a difference between EPUB and KEPUB in this regard?
And last, a request. I've attached a free public domain book, which I acquired at Feedbooks.com; the ZIP-file contains the EPUB as it is posted at FeedBooks.com, and a KEPUB created with the Calibre plugin. After converting it to AZW3, it displays perfectly on the Kindle, and I would like to see a comparison with regard to display on the AHD.
I would like to request that someone does the following:
0. (Preferably: Update the AHD to the latest firmware available, as that's what I would do.)
1. Load the attached EPUB and KEPUB books into the Aura HD.
2. Set the font to a SERIF font, and set weight, sharpness and size in such a way that it would be comparable to a well-printed paperback.
3. Display the first page of the tale "The Golden Bird" on screen, using the EPUB, and take a picture.
4. Flip the page once, take another picture.
Please repeat steps 2, 3 and 4 using the KEPUB file.
5. Attach the pictures to a post.
Thank you very much for all efforts.