7 ms·

> The Kobo is an excellent reading device, but it is a very poor internet browsing device. Sounds like a feature to me - perfect!

AshamedCaptain 5y ago
Apparently these days you can release a half-baked product and get away with it by saying "the obvious lack of features is so that you can have a focused, distraction-free experience!" or something similar.
- glial 5y ago
  Do you complain about knives because they're not good at scooping? When something does one thing well, I don't care if it does auxiliary things poorly, or at all.
- morsch 5y ago
  They half-assed the capability to mix two liquids with my Kindle, as well, IPX8 certification nonwithstanding. Useless. I'm sticking with spoons.
- AdmiralAsshat 5y ago
  My counter would be that it was traditionally never the paperback book's job to help you navigate the bookstore. But yes, I'll grant that the Kobo's experimental browser (which I think is the component that powers all the pieces I mentioned above that are slow/cumbersome) is noticeably less responsive than the Kindle's. They could probably do some additional tweaking under-the-hood to make it more responsive. Beyond a certain point, however, the only way to make it faster would be to increase the hardware specs and put a beefier OS into it. But at that point, you wouldn't really have a dedicated eReader anymore--you'd have something closer to a conventional tablet with just an e-Ink screen. And there are definitely markets for those (see any number of e-Ink tablets running Android), but then the price starts skyrocketing.
  - AshamedCaptain 5y ago
    > My counter would be that it was traditionally never the paperback book's job to help you navigate the bookstore. This is like claiming that a phone never had the job of an internet browsing device. Sure, the hardware and maybe the form factor has some handicaps, but it is perfectly reasonable hardware, if only the software was up to the task. But the problem is people claiming the poor software is so that "you can have a more distraction-free experience". That's just ridiculous, and the net conclusion is that again I have to bring a entire backpack full of gadgets rather than just one because of _minimal_ software differences. If I am forced to bring new hardware in my luggage, I want it to be because of meaningful differences in the hardware itself (e.g. e-Ink easier to read outdoors), rather than ridiculous differences in the software (e.g., I also need to bring another computer because the ridiculous software won't let me visit a website to download a new ePub, even on eInk speeds), most specially if these differences are explained with very dubious excuses such as "distraction-free" experience.
    - AdmiralAsshat 5y ago
      > But the problem is people claiming the poor software is so that "you can have a more distraction-free experience". That's just ridiculous, and the net conclusion is that again I have to bring a entire backpack full of gadgets rather than just one because of _minimal_ software differences. Fair, I think "distraction-free experience" is a cop-out. But I guess my point would be that there is a trade-off when you try to take a specialized gadget and make it more multi-purpose. The iPods and MP3 players of old did not have wireless-accessible storefronts, for example: you plugged them into a computer and pulled down your library, podcasts, etc. It was definitely more of a hassle from that perspective compared to using your smartphone as an mp3 player, but the advantage was arguably superior audio quality, and objectively superior battery life, since the mp3 player's OS had only one purpose compared to a smartphone's. I'd argue the same on an eReader versus a conventional tablet. Yes, if you really wanted to browse the store / browse Libby & Overdrive library /browse Wikipedia while reading, you definitely could do all the reading on a standard iPad or Android tablet and use the Kobo App instead, and it would work. I have a 10" Samsung tablet and do this on occasion (mostly for comics, because the Galaxy Tab S5e has a gorgeous screen for a mid-range device). But I generally don't do it for any book that I'm going to read for more than an hour, because the reading experience on the tablet is subpar compared to that of the Kobo, to say nothing of the battery life (measured in hours on the tablet versus weeks on the Kobo). And this is just me personally, but I don't think it's that big of a deal to pull out my smartphone and buy a book on the Kobo app, then click 'Sync' on my Kobo to connect to WiFi and bring it over. Or do the same with a Libby book checkout, or a Pocket article. It's not like I would've left my phone at home if the Kobo had been able to better do it on its own.
- kayodelycaon 5y ago
  > the obvious lack of features is so that you can have a focused, distraction-free experience This means the device is more of an appliance than a general computing device. A good example is a reMarkable 2. It is a solid, well-designed digital version of a paper notebook. (I will add paper notebooks aren't searchable.) Yes, anything else, including search, is bolted on but the core experience it was designed for isn't half-baked.
  - AshamedCaptain 5y ago
    Actually, reMarkable is _precisely_ what I had in mind. Distraction-free is just an excuse for obviously unfinished software; just go and see which con most reviews agree on. The hardware is quite capable, but held back by the software.
    - the__alchemist 5y ago
      Not every electronic device needs to run a general purpose operating system and arbitrary software! This is a big contributor to why modern electronics have high latency and frustrating UIs.
      - AshamedCaptain 5y ago
        Most of them are already running general purpose operating systems, and you are already paying the cost in latency (and frustrating UI) without any benefit. This is not the 90s, everything just runs Linux, even "single purpose" devices.
        the__alchemist 5y ago
        I'm proposing designing more devices that don't use GPOS/linux. And do their job well, with no noticeable latency or responsiveness problems. Easy for many tasks, using Cortex-M for example.
        AshamedCaptain 5y ago
- leppr 5y ago
  Kobo can get away with it because their product is hackable. It's fine to release a platform with slightly too limited functionality if other people can then build on it.
Syonyk 5y ago
I've found a use for the browser - it allows me to easily load DRM-stripped books from various places without having to bother plugging the device in. You can set the homepage to a server on the LAN with your books and download what you want easily. That's... about all the browser really handles. But Pocket or Wallabag get you a far better article reading experience anyway. Any long form article on the web now gets shoved in Pocket and read on my Kobo.
bo1024 5y ago
The problem is you can't use the Kobo until you create an online account and connect it to the internet. After that, though, you can do airplane mode forever.
- Aengeuad 5y ago
  If you're comfortable working with sqlite files it's an incredibly simple process to bypass any account registration or need to ever connect the device to the internet, this should work on all models new and old. https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1998068#post1998068 https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1998068#p...

AshamedCaptain 5y ago

Apparently these days you can release a half-baked product and get away with it by saying "the obvious lack of features is so that you can have a focused, distraction-free experience!" or something similar.

glial 5y ago
Do you complain about knives because they're not good at scooping? When something does one thing well, I don't care if it does auxiliary things poorly, or at all.
morsch 5y ago
They half-assed the capability to mix two liquids with my Kindle, as well, IPX8 certification nonwithstanding. Useless. I'm sticking with spoons.
AdmiralAsshat 5y ago
My counter would be that it was traditionally never the paperback book's job to help you navigate the bookstore. But yes, I'll grant that the Kobo's experimental browser (which I think is the component that powers all the pieces I mentioned above that are slow/cumbersome) is noticeably less responsive than the Kindle's. They could probably do some additional tweaking under-the-hood to make it more responsive. Beyond a certain point, however, the only way to make it faster would be to increase the hardware specs and put a beefier OS into it. But at that point, you wouldn't really have a dedicated eReader anymore--you'd have something closer to a conventional tablet with just an e-Ink screen. And there are definitely markets for those (see any number of e-Ink tablets running Android), but then the price starts skyrocketing.
- AshamedCaptain 5y ago
  > My counter would be that it was traditionally never the paperback book's job to help you navigate the bookstore. This is like claiming that a phone never had the job of an internet browsing device. Sure, the hardware and maybe the form factor has some handicaps, but it is perfectly reasonable hardware, if only the software was up to the task. But the problem is people claiming the poor software is so that "you can have a more distraction-free experience". That's just ridiculous, and the net conclusion is that again I have to bring a entire backpack full of gadgets rather than just one because of _minimal_ software differences. If I am forced to bring new hardware in my luggage, I want it to be because of meaningful differences in the hardware itself (e.g. e-Ink easier to read outdoors), rather than ridiculous differences in the software (e.g., I also need to bring another computer because the ridiculous software won't let me visit a website to download a new ePub, even on eInk speeds), most specially if these differences are explained with very dubious excuses such as "distraction-free" experience.
  - AdmiralAsshat 5y ago
    > But the problem is people claiming the poor software is so that "you can have a more distraction-free experience". That's just ridiculous, and the net conclusion is that again I have to bring a entire backpack full of gadgets rather than just one because of _minimal_ software differences. Fair, I think "distraction-free experience" is a cop-out. But I guess my point would be that there is a trade-off when you try to take a specialized gadget and make it more multi-purpose. The iPods and MP3 players of old did not have wireless-accessible storefronts, for example: you plugged them into a computer and pulled down your library, podcasts, etc. It was definitely more of a hassle from that perspective compared to using your smartphone as an mp3 player, but the advantage was arguably superior audio quality, and objectively superior battery life, since the mp3 player's OS had only one purpose compared to a smartphone's. I'd argue the same on an eReader versus a conventional tablet. Yes, if you really wanted to browse the store / browse Libby & Overdrive library /browse Wikipedia while reading, you definitely could do all the reading on a standard iPad or Android tablet and use the Kobo App instead, and it would work. I have a 10" Samsung tablet and do this on occasion (mostly for comics, because the Galaxy Tab S5e has a gorgeous screen for a mid-range device). But I generally don't do it for any book that I'm going to read for more than an hour, because the reading experience on the tablet is subpar compared to that of the Kobo, to say nothing of the battery life (measured in hours on the tablet versus weeks on the Kobo). And this is just me personally, but I don't think it's that big of a deal to pull out my smartphone and buy a book on the Kobo app, then click 'Sync' on my Kobo to connect to WiFi and bring it over. Or do the same with a Libby book checkout, or a Pocket article. It's not like I would've left my phone at home if the Kobo had been able to better do it on its own.
kayodelycaon 5y ago
> the obvious lack of features is so that you can have a focused, distraction-free experience This means the device is more of an appliance than a general computing device. A good example is a reMarkable 2. It is a solid, well-designed digital version of a paper notebook. (I will add paper notebooks aren't searchable.) Yes, anything else, including search, is bolted on but the core experience it was designed for isn't half-baked.
- AshamedCaptain 5y ago
  Actually, reMarkable is _precisely_ what I had in mind. Distraction-free is just an excuse for obviously unfinished software; just go and see which con most reviews agree on. The hardware is quite capable, but held back by the software.
  - the__alchemist 5y ago
    Not every electronic device needs to run a general purpose operating system and arbitrary software! This is a big contributor to why modern electronics have high latency and frustrating UIs.
    - AshamedCaptain 5y ago
      Most of them are already running general purpose operating systems, and you are already paying the cost in latency (and frustrating UI) without any benefit. This is not the 90s, everything just runs Linux, even "single purpose" devices.
      - the__alchemist 5y ago
        I'm proposing designing more devices that don't use GPOS/linux. And do their job well, with no noticeable latency or responsiveness problems. Easy for many tasks, using Cortex-M for example.
        AshamedCaptain 5y ago
leppr 5y ago
Kobo can get away with it because their product is hackable. It's fine to release a platform with slightly too limited functionality if other people can then build on it.

Syonyk 5y ago

I've found a use for the browser - it allows me to easily load DRM-stripped books from various places without having to bother plugging the device in. You can set the homepage to a server on the LAN with your books and download what you want easily. That's... about all the browser really handles. But Pocket or Wallabag get you a far better article reading experience anyway. Any long form article on the web now gets shoved in Pocket and read on my Kobo.

bo1024 5y ago

The problem is you can't use the Kobo until you create an online account and connect it to the internet. After that, though, you can do airplane mode forever.

Aengeuad 5y ago
If you're comfortable working with sqlite files it's an incredibly simple process to bypass any account registration or need to ever connect the device to the internet, this should work on all models new and old. https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1998068#post1998068 https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1998068#p...