There’s a post over at MobileRead where someone discovered that Kobo is now using Secure Boot on the new Kobo Libra Colour, and that probably includes the other new Kobo models as well (the Clara Colour and Clara BW).
On the surface that might sound like a good thing for security reasons, but it’s not like Kobo ereaders are a big target for hackers, and it also means Kobo could close off modding their devices with a future software update, similar to what Amazon does with Kindles.
This also makes it all but impossible to install alternate operating systems on the new Kobo models.
At present, you can still install mods and alternate reading apps like KOReader on Kobo’s new devices, but now there’s the possibility that Kobo could shut down stuff like that in the future if they wanted to.
There’s an active developer’s community for Kobo’s devices with all kinds of mods and fixes that gives people more options on how they chose to use their Kobo devices. It’s one of the main things that sets Kobos apart from Kindles, which Amazon actively goes out of their way to keep locked down. If Kobo decides to take a similar approach as Amazon, it’s going to tick off a lot of people.
It’s unclear why Kobo is suddenly changing course on this, but they might be doing it to make their devices appear more “secure”, even though it doesn’t really accomplish anything other than aggravating people who like to modify their purchased Kobo devices.
Older Kobos are unlikely to be affected by this, but it’s not entirely out of the question and is something to keep an eye on if you like modding your Kobo ereader. Hopefully Kobo will continue to allow people to install mods and other reading apps like KOReader in the future.
Obliterating the best thing about Kobo hardware? Bad idea! I would use Nickel more if they got rid of automatic font hinting on sideloaded fonts (it ruins pretty much every sideloaded font) whereas Koreader presents you the option – it’s pretty much the main reason why I stick to Koreader