I have used a Pocketbook 302 for years and loved it. But it is failing, so I thought I would buy the (hopefully) much improved latest model from Pocketbook.
I bought the PB 623 Touch Lux. It is ok, and I am happy enough with it, but if this is the direction Pocketbook is heading in, then I think they are making a big mistake. The 302 is a much better designed unit even than the 623.
They have taken all the good features in the PB302 and dropped them. Weird. The big edge the PB had over all the rest (Kindle, Kobo, etc) is that you could customize everything. Not so anymore. It is still better than the Kindle or Kobo, but a lot of the stuff is gone.
No bluetooth (not that I really care).
The physical buttons were great - and located perfectly. So what did they do - move them and basically delete 2 of them.
There are touch zones on the screen - which is good - but you cannot change them.
The status bar (in a book) - still one of the best ones around. But not as good as the one in the 302.
The CPU speed is still not really fast enough. It is ok - but now that we have 2Gig octo-cores - why use an 800MHz single core clunker? Perhaps more RAM is needed also. Bit disappointing.
The touch screen is not as good as the 302. I almost never got a false trigger on the 302. With the 623 you have to be fairly careful how you activate the touch triggers, especially the swipes. I am guessing that this is because of the newer capacitive screen, but the 302 was certainly better.
Price wise we are still looking at one of the most expensive ereaders around. It is certainly dearer (in Australia) than the Kobo Aura HD which I think is the nearest competitor.
Having used both the Kobo Aura and the PB623, I think the PB623 is the better unit. But the point of my little diatribe is that Pocketbook should have built on the PB302 and made a truly brilliant market leader. Unfortunately, they seem to have gone the other direction, trying to compete with mass market readers like the Kindle.
Anyway, the Pocketbooks are a joy to transfer books onto (folder based, yay!). Getting onto that now.
I bought the PB 623 Touch Lux. It is ok, and I am happy enough with it, but if this is the direction Pocketbook is heading in, then I think they are making a big mistake. The 302 is a much better designed unit even than the 623.
They have taken all the good features in the PB302 and dropped them. Weird. The big edge the PB had over all the rest (Kindle, Kobo, etc) is that you could customize everything. Not so anymore. It is still better than the Kindle or Kobo, but a lot of the stuff is gone.
No bluetooth (not that I really care).
The physical buttons were great - and located perfectly. So what did they do - move them and basically delete 2 of them.
There are touch zones on the screen - which is good - but you cannot change them.
The status bar (in a book) - still one of the best ones around. But not as good as the one in the 302.
The CPU speed is still not really fast enough. It is ok - but now that we have 2Gig octo-cores - why use an 800MHz single core clunker? Perhaps more RAM is needed also. Bit disappointing.
The touch screen is not as good as the 302. I almost never got a false trigger on the 302. With the 623 you have to be fairly careful how you activate the touch triggers, especially the swipes. I am guessing that this is because of the newer capacitive screen, but the 302 was certainly better.
Price wise we are still looking at one of the most expensive ereaders around. It is certainly dearer (in Australia) than the Kobo Aura HD which I think is the nearest competitor.
Having used both the Kobo Aura and the PB623, I think the PB623 is the better unit. But the point of my little diatribe is that Pocketbook should have built on the PB302 and made a truly brilliant market leader. Unfortunately, they seem to have gone the other direction, trying to compete with mass market readers like the Kindle.
Anyway, the Pocketbooks are a joy to transfer books onto (folder based, yay!). Getting onto that now.