Shade ereaders aren’t new – manufacturers like Onyx and PocketBook have been making them for some time – however I’ve been ready a very long time to see a color-screen Kindle or Kobo. It’s lastly occurred with the Japanese-Canadian model right this moment (April 10) asserting not one, however two new colour ereaders on the identical time!
Referred to as the Kobo Libra Color and Kobo Clara Color, each tablets are upgraded variations of the present Libra 2 and Clara 2E ereaders, now utilizing a unique display know-how referred to as E Ink Kaleido 3 rather than the monochrome Carta 1200 within the earlier fashions.
The Kaleido 3 show is at the moment the very best colour e-paper know-how out there for ereaders, supporting 4,096 hues, however the colours seem a bit muted when in comparison with what you’d see on an LCD show.
Regardless of this little niggle, Kobo has overwhelmed Amazon within the race to make a mainstream colour ereader and, extra importantly, I believe they’re competitively priced.
Balancing options and value
The primary new ereader from Kobo is the Libra Color, an up to date model of what we predict is the very best ereader general – the Kobo Libra 2 – and it’s the one which has me most excited. Whereas it retains the 7-inch display dimension from the earlier generations, the necessary replace right here is that it might now show over 4,000 colours and has writing capabilities. Sure, that is proper – Kobo’s greatest ereader simply acquired higher!
To deal with the additional work, Kobo has improved the processing energy, utilizing a 2GHz CPU versus the 1GHz chip we noticed within the Libra 2. The battery, too, is larger, now utilizing a 2,050mAh capability pack the place the older mannequin had a 1,500mAh battery.
The opposite options on the Libra Color have been inherited from its predecessor, and that’s not a foul factor in any respect. Our Kobo Libra 2 evaluate scored a full 5 stars and an Editor’s Selection Award for providing a superb all-rounder at a good value level. The page-turn buttons that I like have been introduced over, plus there’s 32GB of inner storage and Bluetooth assist so you’ll be able to hearken to audiobooks. OverDrive remains to be baked in to permit customers to borrow library books immediately on their machine, and now you can signal into both Google Drive or Dropbox to entry recordsdata you’ve acquired saved within the cloud.
I’m additionally stoked that Kobo hasn’t slapped a large price ticket onto the Libra Color, although the brand new display capabilities may justify it. It’s out there to pre-order now immediately from Kobo for $219.99 / £219.99 / AU$359.95 and can begin transport from April 30.
To take full benefit of the Libra Color’s expertise, you will desire a appropriate pen too and Kobo’s current Stylus 2 – which debuted alongside the Elipsa 2E writing pill – is the one you will want. You’ll have to bought individually although, and that’s truthful, contemplating the Libra Color is launching at solely a barely increased price ticket than the Libra 2, which at the moment retails for $189.99 / £169.99 / AU$319.95.
That’s fairly darn good contemplating the Onyx Boox Tab Mini C – a 7.8-inch Android various that’s our decide for the very best colour ereader – retails for $450 / £450 / AU$765, though it does ship with a pen. One other comparability can be the PocketBook InkPad Shade 3, which can also be a 7.8-inch colour ereader however with none writing capabilities, retailing within the US for $329.
Additionally out there to buy individually for the brand new Kobo Libra Color are some sleepcovers.
Double the Clara attraction
Then there’s the Kobo Clara Color, a 6-inch mid-range choice that is available in at a launch value of $149.99 / £139.99 / AU$259.95. Whereas it doesn’t boast any writing options, it’s an inexpensive – albeit smaller – various to different colour ereaders that sometimes have a 7.8-inch display. It comes with 16GB of inner storage and Bluetooth connectivity. Right here too OverDrive is baked in, however there is no Google Drive or Dropbox assist right here. To switch recordsdata, you will must plug the machine into your laptop.
Whereas the 2 colour ereaders are the headline act right here, there’s yet one more new Kobo ereader debuting on the identical time. Referred to as the Kobo Clara BW, it is a monochrome replace to the Kobo Clara 2E, now boasting the newest E Ink Carta 1300 display tech. This show, so far as I do know, is at the moment solely getting used on the iReader Sensible x3, so it is a maojor leap for Kobo when it comes to display tech.
It guarantees even higher distinction than the Carta 1200 panels we’ve been seeing on most monochrome ereaders. Which means the blacks ought to look darker which, in flip, ought to make textual content on the display seem sharper and simpler to learn. E Ink, the corporate that makes these e-paper shows, additionally says that the refresh fee on the Carta 1300 screens is healthier than earlier than, which ought to scale back ghosting results we sometimes see on ereaders.
The Kobo Clara BW will set you again $159.99 / £119.99 / AU$239.95 for 16GB of storage.
Making studying higher for the planet
Kobo began a sustainability initiative with the Clara 2E, which was the model’s first e-book reader to be constructed from 80% recycled plastics, 10% of which was ocean-bound. It was adopted up with the Kobo Elipsa 2E, with the ‘E’ moniker indicating their eco-friendly origins.
The three new ereaders observe in the identical path, with Kobo stating that not solely had been recycled and ocean-bound plastics used to make the physique of every machine, however the packaging is 100% recycled paper with soy ink used to print the textual content on the bins.
IPX8 waterproofing on all the brand new Kobo ereaders means they’ll keep it up functioning regardless of the unintended dunk within the pool, tub or kitchen sink – you may wish to preserve them away from salt water, although.
Kobo can also be partnering with iFixit in a brand new repairability initiative that might additionally assist delay the lifetime of your machine. Particulars on how this partnership will work remains to be unclear, however iFixit often has easy-to-follow guides on its web site that show you how to restore sure tech merchandise by your self if you’ll find substitute components. These components can typically even be bought immediately from iFixit. I am going to you should definitely replace this text as quickly as concrete particulars on Kobo’s new repairability initiative can be found.
