One thing to sit up for: Whereas colour e-readers are nothing new at this level, main e-reader corporations largely promote monochromatic gadgets and Android-based tablets which might be ill-conceived for a cushty studying expertise. Canadian firm Kobo is now making an attempt to disrupt this unhappy state of affairs.
On April 30, Kobo will begin transport its new colour e-reader fashions: the $150 Kobo Clara Color, and the $220 Kobo Libra Color. Each gadgets make use of the identical E Ink Kaleido 3 show know-how, whereas specs, storage capability and have availability differ. The Toronto-based firm guarantees the identical, improved studying expertise on both mannequin, with a full colour display screen and “taking pictures hues” particularly designed for readers.
The unique Kobo eReader was launched in 2010 as a minimalist, financial various to the dearer e-book readers obtainable on the time. Now, Rakuten Kobo Inc. is making an attempt to grab new market alternatives whereas different main e-reader corporations (together with Amazon) are nonetheless promoting completely black-and-white, but expensive, studying gadgets.
The Kobo Clara Color e-reader has a 6-inch, glare-free contact show, helps highlighting and “color-coding” guide passages with the contact of a finger, and is totally waterproof (IPX8). The included 16GB storage is sweet sufficient to archive 12,000 books, Kobo says, whereas connectivity choices embrace Bluetooth, Wi-Fi 5, and USB-C. The system makes use of a dual-core processor, aiming to make sure a nice studying expertise..
The upper-end Kobo Libra Color mannequin employs the identical primary E Ink know-how and dual-core CPU, with a bigger contact display screen (7″) and help for a Kobo Stylus, which is offered individually. The e-reader additionally consists of bodily buttons to show pages, whereas storage goes as much as 32GB or 24,000 books. Kobo can also be refreshing its earlier black-and-white e-reader, which is now referred to as the Kobo Clara BW, with a urged worth of $130.
The E Ink Kaleido 3 know-how employed in Kobo’s new colour e-readers can present 4,096 colours and extra saturated hues in comparison with the earlier technology Kaleido Plus. Coloration pictures have a decision of 150 PPI, whereas black-and-white content material continues to be sharper at 300 PPI. Regardless of coming into the colour e-reader market, Kobo continues to be promising the identical week-long battery life and glare-free studying expertise.
In accordance with Rakuten Kobo CEO Michael Tamblyn, the Kobo Libra Color and Kobo Clara Color are the primary reasonably priced colour e-readers from a world book platform. Coloration e-ink know-how ought to enrich customers’ studying expertise, Tamblyn mentioned, whereas preserving the identical daylight readability and battery longevity that also make E Ink screens the most effective resolution for readers in a world stuffed with LCD/OLED-based smartphones and tablets.