Kobo Clara Review & Fix
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- čas přidán 20. 06. 2018
- In this long-winded video I am comparing the new Kobo Clara with the older Kobo Aura 2. Also, I am showing you how to fix the side light-bleed these new Clara models are suffering from. (Starting at 11:33)
NOTE: Should you decide to open up your Clara and apply the fix as described here, I have to inform you that I decline all responsibility if you trash your device or your warranty. I didn't force you to do it, so don't come whining to me if it doesn't work for you, k? Just thought I'd mention it. Because with the internet... you never know.
Oh yeah, and "Go Germany!!"
Great video... I wanted a Clara so I'm glad you mentioned the light bleed. Not sure I'd take it apart but your suggestion to wait for Kobo to fix it is a good one.
Loved the video. I tried the fix and it really makes a wonderful difference. If I might make a couple of suggestions. Do this on top of a cloth or towel. You're less likely to scratch the screen and if you drop a screw the screw is less likely to bounce away from you. Also, familiarize yourself with what book you're reading when you do this. I freaked out at one point doing this. I managed to turn the Clara off and turned the screen over to look at it and noticed a giant crack on my screen. Following a large blood pressure spike I paused for a moment of reflection and saw that the crack was just part of the book cover's design. My doctor says I'm fine now.
Oh my gosh, that's hilarious!
This video really helped me thank you so so much! I have been deciding whether to buy a kindle or a kobo Clara and thanks to this (and previous videos) I've made up my mind into buying the Clara!
I got the Clara just today. And the problem with the bleeding light I was not aware. So I am not sure, if it really makes me crazy. But when that gets more and more clearer for me. I now know, what I have to do. Thank you so much for that video.
What is with, the needless commas?
Thumbs up on having the guts to experiment and figure out how to open the Clara and fix the light bleed issue.
Thank you so much for doing this marvellous review!! Please keep up the amazing work!! You should have more views! Your reviews are perfect!
Hi Karin! Greetings from Spain. I just get the Kobo H2O 2nd gen. with the same issue described by you. It's a shame that Kobo don't fix this issue in the new models... After your quick fix, the quality of the image (without focusing my eyes in those bright lines) while read my e-books has improved a lot, so my kudos to share your experience and how to fix it.
Thanks from Spain.
I have immediately ordered a Kobo Clara HD for Christmas.
Greetings.
Thank you! I really enjoyed your Kobo reviews 😍. I found them personal, interesting and honest. I think I will buy the Kobo One for now, but the Clara is on my wish list
Encore. Keep making videos. The cat was also providing entertainment in the background 😼
I Love that you had the guts to try this. I love my Clara HD and decided the light bleed wasn't really too bad. Actually I hated the light bleed. I just didn't have the guts to do what you did. Thank you. Mine is now fixed!
Thanks Karin! I had the same problem with my Kobo Clara and just fixed it using your method.
Just got a Kobo Clara HD in December of 2019. I see nothing wrong with the lights on mine, even when looking for it. Great little eReader.
I agree. I dont get what the problem is that she has. Ive been using Kobo’s since they came out. Just bought a second Clara today, with a Christmas gift cert, because I keep leaving one up at the cottage,, which drives me mad when I’m reading something really good. I’m in my mid ‘80’s and I find the Kobo so easy to read, so convenient and so handy. No idea what she is banging on about.
There definitely are some quality control issues. Not just with Kobo, but it seems like with the continued contraints on supply of electronics that companies more of less are taking what they can get in order to have the magnitude of their orders fulfilled. Which has then put that quality control into the hands of consumers.
I love this video! Thank you so much for doing this for all of us!
Nice job fixing it. I'm currently waiting for mine to arrive, hopefully the issue is resolved as the other guys are saying, but if not, this is instruction will certainly come in handy.
BTW according to some guy from Reddit you could have also swapped the internal Micro SD card with something bigger, but then you would have needed to flash the card with the correct OS image and stuff.
thank to you, now I got the perfect e-reader. the screen look so good now. oh my god, this made my day.!
Thank you -- my cat just knocked my Aura 2 off the windowsill and now I've got those delightfuk horizontal lines of death. I was trying to decide on another Aura or the Clara. Most excited that they both now have the OverDrive app included so I don't need to add extra steps to get hooked up to the laptop, download the epub, transfer it to the kobo ...... Thanks for the help
Got my Clara HD a few weeks ago. This issue seems to be resolved now, at least on my device. Maybe I'm just lucky (that would be a first).
Where did you buy your kobo from?
Love your review, and I followed your advice and fixed my light bleed. Thank you! 😊 I’m just hoping you can tell me if your natural light colour slider changes the colour with every tap of the sun/moon, or only every few taps? On mine the brightness slider changes slightly with each tap but the colour slider only changes the hue every 3 or 4 taps. Gee I really hope that makes sense. Just wanting to check that my colour settings aren’t faulty. Thanks so much! I’ve subscribed!
Great video showing that nothing is impossible.
Great review and fix! Thank you.Have you had any experience or have youany comments about the Overdrive software that the newer Kobos come with?
Glad you made the video 👍🏻
Love this! Thank you for posting!
Glad I found your channel, I'm really enjoying your videos. I have a Kobo and love it. Any murder mysteries to recommend? :)
Thank you! If you like police procedurals, I recommend the Department Q series by Jussi Adler Olsen. For a classical murder mystery, Anthony Horowitz has two I really liked: "Magpie Murders" and "The Word is Murder".
@@KarinNelson Thank you very much! Added to my list. :)
How amazing of you to create this tutorial,, I don't own a kobo yet, but THANKS ^^ +10 Humanity
Thanks for the quality explaination, it's a great vid'.
I'm convinced by the Clara and opening it doesn't bother me. I even more convinced since the memory is an amovible SD card so I can take a bigger one to store manga or black and white comics as the Clara reads CBR/CBZ. But for a book only use 8Go is enough.
Hello. I'm sorry if I bother you, but I didn't know the SD could be replaced. How is it done?
Hi.
I bought a Kobo Clara HD and received it a few days ago.
There is absolutely no light bleeding on my device (I checked it at maximum brightness in a dark room).
The screen is perfectly even.
So, I think they have finally decided to fix the problem in the assembly process (or maybe I was lucky with my unit?)
I wonder what the clara hd display model code is.
my screen is broken. I can not find
I just bought the Kobo Clara and there is no masking tape on the sides but I have only slight light bleed in the bottom left corner, nothing on the sides. It is really easy to take apart.
Good for you!
Very good advice, thank you. My eyes are very sensitive, so I'm sure that would have hurt me.
hello I have the CLARA since one year and Im very satisfied .. but since some weeks I have a strage problem ..normally battery last long time , but it has happened 3 times that I leave the reader in stand by and after just 2 days of not using the battery drained to zero … now Ill check better to be sure to switch off the device instead of leave it in stand by but in the past I had a Kobo touch and with that device if I leave in stand by it didn't drain battery … should be a problem of my device or I just have to switch it off ? many thanks for answer .. ciao from Italy
May I suggest using hockey tape. It's very easy to apply and a nice matte black.
Thank you. You are my hero :)
Hey! Do you know if this is still an issue on the new Clara BW? 9I know I'm asking 5 years after)
Quite risky to place the tape on the screen when the device is turned on! Anyway, nice fix! I have the Libra and noticed that there is some darker edge on the side of the screen. Only noticeable when the light is on.
Clever idea with the tape.
I watched your video a couple of times and finally decided to try the fix....several things...when I finally got the back off and undid the screws the "guts" did not come out....somehow it was still attached by the on/off switch...no matter, but guess what....there was nothing to peel off....they did not even bother to shield the light ....I did apply black electrical tape and after a couple of trys getting it on, it worked....my kobo clara now has no light bleeds.....thanks
jerrybrooks
jerrbrooks Good for you! For the off switch, you have to lift forward and then up. It’s a bit tricky.
Nice one Karin.
I remember exchanging posts with you when you described what you had done to get rid of the BLB on your Clara.
Great that you posted a video guide on how to reduce or eliminate altogether that pretty bad BLB on the Clara.
A pity that Kobo had not done a better job during manufacture.
Thankfully after buying the Aura One the screen is quite good and I do like the larger screen.
Great advice
My eyes got really tired after readying with the light in the kobo clara hd..I'll try the kindle paperwhite and the kindle base version with the light hoping to not have the same problem. With no light was perfect but I wanna read in the night too
english:
A question about the Kobo Clara image viewer:
I noticed that images (maps, for example) appear sharper and well contrasted for a fraction of a second when zooming and when changing pages and are then permanently less sharp and weakly contrasted but too bright, making them difficult to read.
Is the phenomenon known and is the reason for this deficiency known?
Do I have to use Photoshop to contrast the images more strongly and reduce the brightness to get results that can be used and read in Kobo Clara?
(Example ebook: Henry Kissinger - The White House Years)
german:
Mal eine Frage zum Bildbetrachter des Kobo Clara:
Mir ist aufgefallen, dass Bilder (Landkarten z.B.) beim Zooming und beim Seitenwechsel für Sekundenbruchteile schärfer und gut kontrastiert erscheinen und dann permanent weniger scharf und schwach kontrastiert aber dafür zu hell dargestellt werden, sodass sie nur noch schwer zu lesen sind.
Ist das Phänomen bekannt und kennt man den Grund für diesen Mangel?
Muss ich erst mit Photoshop die Bilder stärker kontrastieren und die Helligkeit reduzieren, um Ergebnisse zu erhalten, die im Kobo Clara zu gebrauchen und lesbar sind?
You are asking me a question I am not able to answer. I am sorry, but this is beyond my knowledge. If you are reading books with maps and images often, I wonder if some sort of tablet wouldn't be better suited. I mostly read books that have no pictures at all... so a reader like the Kobo or the Kindle are suited well. Sorry I have no better answer for you.
Hi Karin, Thanks for the review. I just bought the clara for my wife and we always see a quick black background each time we switch page menu. Do you know if we can fix that? Is it a setting? Thanks.
Yes. In order to prevent ghosting (residues of ink from letters from previous pages), the Kobo performs a page refresh every now and then. You can determine how many times this happens in the settings. I think I have it for every 10 pages or so. It's not a bad thing. It's actually good because it keeps the page clean and readable.
Thanks for the video! I applied the fix and really love my Clara now. I could have used your fingernails, though :-D
Just done this, can't thank you enough.
I can't see the light bleed on mine. Unless it manifests itself later. I only had my Clara for 2 weeks
I had mine on the right and left sides.
Thank you.
Hiya! I have light bleed on both of the bottom corners (it’s a darker color than the rest of the screen) but when I squeeze the corners of the device, the bleed goes away.
Do you think this electrical tape fix will happen to fix that particular light bleed issue? Thanks for any information that can be provided :)
Hmm... light bleed usually means the screen is BRIGHTER in on area compared to others, and yes, when you push that it goes away. I'm not sure if the electrical tape would fix the darkness. It's supposed to block out light...
@@KarinNelson Thank you for the reply. I’ve decided to just leave it for now. It only really bothers me when I focus on it. But as you said, I don’t think the tape would fix my particular issue as it’s dimmer instead of brighter.
great , fortunately i don't have that problem i have the kobo touch
I love my Aura Edition 2 but I hate the typing it took e like 30 minutes to sign in the first time
I have no clue as to what the ‘light bleed’ is. I love the Clara, wouldn’t switch for anything.
Thanks
Hummmm much better without the glasses on the head!!! I never understood the reason for the glasses on my head...can we see our thoughts better? 😁👌❤️
Thanks a lot for this fix !
Thank you, for the heads up on the light situation on the Kobo Clara, I will try to do research on if they fixed it by now before I buy. Lovely cat. :)
And, did they fix that problem? I'm searching a good e-reader with an affordable price, and the Kobo Clara HD seems to be the perfect one for me, but I don't want to lose the warranty trying to fix it
Kobo Clara HD one has secret SD card ?
Secret SD. But yes it has an micro SD card as internal memory. You can replace it with a bigger/faster one. Some vids on CZcams will explain. Process is the same for all the kobos
My Kobo just stopped working. Tried everything, resetting etc, the screen just remains white. Very uncompetend support. I will go for another brand.
My light has gone out on my old Kobo Clara. Can I fix it myself?
I'm afraid that's a bit more complicated than blocking light. I wouldn't know the first thing about it, sorry.
thumbs up for the cat!!
Judging by the comments here, it seems that Kobo had fixed it on a hardware revision, that probably also has the hidden system memory card replaced with an eMMC chip, so if that's true, it wouldn't be possible to replace the memory card with one containing rooted Tolino Shine 3 firmware in order to run older Android tablet apps.
Have you found something about that? Is that true, confirmed?
You have strong fingernails!. I would have bent and broke mine. Thank you for the review. My Kobo old (2013) Aura died and would like a new one. Sorry about the World Cup.
Great video. I have tried 2 Clara HD's. Both had a terrible lightbleed, so I returned them. On the other hand, I saw a device in a store that was okay and I really liked it. So I am considering to go for another Clara HD and fix it, based on your video. Now my question: Wouldn"t it be helpful to apply some "dummy"-tape, directly on the screen (with the side against the vezels) before you start the procedure? This would give you a physical line that you can use as a mark to apply the black tape under the vezel. The dummy-tape can be easily removed after finishing the job.
Sure. I don‘t see why not. But you can‘t tape right up to the dummy tape. You have to stay back a mm or so.
You are the dreamgirl for every men out there, imagine your wife fixing this problem for you. And a good sense of humor, thanks Karin, I really enjoyed this movie and I will check our your other contributions.
I bought my Kobo from Indigo Chapters in January 2020 and it did not have this problem. I guess I got lucky.
Great news! I believe the later production dates don't have the issue anymore.
Hi, many thanks for your video!
Mine just freezed after 4 months. I would love to replace the screen but I can't find the proper screen anywhere.
Can someone tell me where I can oreder one please.
Thanks
Kudos for fixing it yourself.
hello Karin, as I already said on the website of Nathan (blog.the-ebook-reader.com): thanks I lot! I tried it out this evening and I'm very happy with the result
Почему у всех обзорщиков читалки в спящем режиме? У меня она лежит неделями, потом я её включаю почитать. И если она включается полминуты, а читать минут 15, то я лучше почитаю с телефона или планшетника. И никто не показывает, как долго включается читалка.
Oh ... cute cat...
Use a plastic prying tool to open it up; not your fingernails. You'll need to open it to replace the battery; which may need replacing if you're lazy enough to let it discharge.
I’m surprised there’re quite a few differences between the Kobo Aura and the Kobo Aura H2O (first edition). I have the H2O and it died on me so I was browsing through several vids to see what I can do beacause of course the warranty period has come and gone before this happens but it’s not even 3 full years of use so I don’t just want to replace it lol
Will you buy ever buy a Kindle and make a review?
11:57 kobo Clara also has a removable sd card #linux
Yes, but you have to copy the OS from the installed card to the new card first (I think).
@@KarinNelson thanks
My requirements for an e-reader are the Android OS, 300 PPI, removable storage, fast CPU and the ability to listen to the audiobooks! You see: audiobooks are much more convenient than the e-books unless you are into mangas, drawings, and schemes, good people! Just a couple of examples out of many: you can lay down, close your tired eyes and LISTEN to a great book after you came home from a gym where you were listening to audiobooks while working out!
if you like listening to audiobooks over reading ebooks, I'd stick to a phone rather than a ereader
Believe it or not, I sold my Clara just because that power button being at button, really annoyed me.
Acrobat Cat...
Thanks for this great video...
I would love to send some Karma back your way... watch this other youtube video to upgrade the memory on your Kobo, should you ever find that you are running out of space. Since you are comfortable opening your Kobo, you just have to swap out a memory card on the main board with a larger one. Just format it and transfer over the operating system to the new (blank) card. Realistically, unless you are loading audio books though, 32GB is plenty!
czcams.com/video/vE9TPEIrwrY/video.html
oof, this light bleed is a total dealbreaker. what a horrible oversight by Kobo.
Get sick of these Kobos bricking. Had four different models in the last six years and even if you treat them well they always end up freezing or getting stuck on pages.
The cat seem bored out of its mind.
Kobo makes crap products anyway. My 3th our 4th product just broke down. They say they are eco friendly by using recycled plastic but that’s no use if they make this crap
Long-winded indeed!! A 27:04 minute video that (if you didn't pause and drag out every sentence) would be in the range of 10 to 15 minutes. I stopped watching after 5 minutes because I didn't care to (nor could I bare to) listen to you drag ,most everything, out.
Ok, I wrote "long-winded" in the description. Yet you still decided to watch it. And it was indeed long-winded, as advertised, but now complaining about it? Can't help you there, Miss.