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Kobo Firmware Update 4.23 Includes Major Changes to the Menus, Interface

Going by the reports from their latest firmware update, Kobo is apparently in one of those moods to reinvent everything.

The 4.23 update, which was released on Monday, includes a whole host of changes. It’s already been taken apart over at MobileRead, and all sorts of interesting details were uncovered:

  • Top-left main menu (i.e. the one which appears everywhere except for the reader) is now a clock (everywhere, not just the home screen).
  • New global bottom navigation (Home/My Books/Discover/More[My Articles/Activity/Beta Features/Settings/Help]). State persists between these views.
  • New style for library tabs.
  • No more pagination controls in the library views.
  • There’s a new `org.bluealsa` DBus wrapper in libnickel, implying the next Kobo will have Bluetooth audio?!?
  • There’s a new ReadingMenuTab widget (currently unused) with TOC and annotation items, implying they were testing making the reading view popup have toc/annotation tabs
  • The web browser now appears as a pop-up with a huge amount of wasted space.

The firmware update will be distributed over the air, but  if you don’t want to wait you can find the download links over at MobileRead.

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Comments


Susan August 13, 2020 um 10:39 am

Clock everywhere – does that mean within the book you are reading? All three of my devices do not show the clock within the book.


Ros Jackson August 14, 2020 um 5:46 pm

I’m not a big fan of change for its own sake, which is mostly what this update feels like. Fortunately the clock doesn’t display in the book you’re reading.

Audio is a good idea. At the moment I don’t take part in any of Kobo’s audiobook offers because it’s limited to some specific devices. Having that on the Kobo itself makes sense, and would certainly increase their market for that format. It’s a logical move.


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