The Pocketbook Inkpad Color has proven itself to me as being a very recommendable color e-ink tablet. I received the unit after waiting weeks to find it in stock somewheres. I had already had experience with the Pocketbook Color device which preceded this 7.8 screen with a smaller and earlier version 6 screen.So, I already suspected the new guy would require a software update. The basic user interface on this Linux-based reader was the same as the earlier one. So I quickly went to settings and software update. I mention this first as I think getting the update might be very important. On my Pocketbook Color 6 device I had been not terribly happy with the color until a software update seemed to improve it a very big amount. So, I recommend before you do anything with the Inkpad Color 7.8 device that you update the software.
While the 7.8 Pocketbook InkPad Color downloads and installs its update go on another computer and download the user manual from Pocketbooks site. The User Manual is actually available in the new settings app as a choice at the bottom of the settings list. But, even so, I recommend that you download and print out the manual. Page-flipping is often the easiest way to find info. But whether you read the electronic manual on the Inkpad Color, read it as a PDF on your main computers big monitor, or print it out and take to your armchair this is a well-designed and worthwhile manual to peruse and refer to.
The first thing I did was to sideload a few comic books and one or two ebooks. The unit has a library button which will quickly access material in the main memory or a plug-in mini-SD card of up to 32G (actually if you check this forum many report using much bigger cards formatted specially.) Anyway, I first called up one of my favorite comics. Now on the 6 device it was acceptable but very hard to read due to the size. 7.8 screen may not sound much better than 6 but well, wow. The 7.8 screen was much more like holding a comic book. The default color was acceptable but I am a tweaker and went right to settings. First I reduced the color saturation to zero so that it was black and white. On the now black and white screen I carefully adjusted the contrast and brightness and adjusted the back light also until The black and white was sharp and clear. Then I upped the color saturation. OK, it never ever gets to where a tablet would show vibrant colors. But it gets to a level where if, like me, you enjoy cutting-edge technology it is one exciting moment to first see the color screen on this maxed-out to its best performance. I love it. I am sorry to be subjective but I dont know another way to describe the color and resulting reading experience.
With the settings set to refresh with every page turn there is no ghosting at all when you turn a page. The new page opens quickly and fills in clearly. You can really find that you are immersed in this device and that the actual mechanics go away and you are left simply reading and enjoying.
What I understand from the manual is that the default is set by the program dependent on each file. And I have opened many files from different sources and of different qualities. Every first opening was within acceptable quality. But tweaking always does help a little. BUT it is optional. The reading software is that good on its own. If you want to try my settings, then for most of my comic books I have found to go into settings and: First in the display tabs set to fill the page and leave it there; then go to the adjustments and I set the contrast to plus 5, the brightness to plus 1, the gamma (worth Googling that if it is a new term to you) to plus 1.5 and color saturation to plus 4. Again, your subjectivity is different from mine. But do try my advice of killing color and adjusting the brightness and contrast (and gamma) and only then bringing up the color.
Then I called up my Gutenberg ebook of Anthony Trollopes THE WAY WE LIVE NOW. Whenever I first use an ereader of any ilk I have a weird desire to use a work written in the 1800s you know, Dickens, Trollope, Austen maybe. I was really curious to see how the Inkpad Color would compare to my Kindle Oasis 3. The resolution is specd 1872 X 1404. The Oasis 3s spec is 1680 X 1264. Close.
The Oasis 3 has a warmth light which I like as well as the usual cold backlight. The Inkpad Color has just the cold light (as do most other ereaders). So, to me, the Oasis wins because of that. However, I decided to compare it with my older Oasis 2 which does not have the warm, second light. More like comparing oranges with oranges. The Oasis 2 still wins but not hugely. The Inkpad Color has one small display problem. The two upper LEDs inside sort of shine out a little from below the top bezel. This causes a little bit of bright and uneven light at the very top of the display. Frankly, I would not ever have noticed this if I had not been in super-critical, reviewing mode. But its there. Then, there is the question of fonts. The fonts supplied on the Inkpad Color can charitably be described as basic. They do not compare to those on Amazons devices or on Apples. But they are useable for sure. The Inpkad does win on one surprising detail, again a subjective one. To me the InkPads background when the backlight is turned up bright or in bright sun is more paper-like than on the Kindle.
So, overall, if you want to use the Inkpad Color as an ereader for regular textual matter it should work out very well for you. It may not top the top of the line Kindle for black and white but it does blow away most of the lower models in Kindleworld. And, of course, if your book has color pictures, no contest there. Well, yet. I am guessing Amazon isnt going to turn its back on the color market forever.
Of course, the big problem with the Inkpad Color becoming your ereader of choice is the lack of a Kindle program written in Linux so you will not be able to use your Kindle books unless you de-DRM them. There is a way use Adobe DRMd ebooks on the Inkpad Color which I have not tried. But there are many ebookstores that use that format. There is also a Pocketbook ebook store. FAHGEDDABOUTIT! Seriously, it has the most outre selection of worthless ebooks I have ever seen. I guess that Pocketbook being international has a very hard time with seller agreements from publishers. But even the public domain area is, well, disappointing is too mild a term!
But if you have books to sideload you can be sure you can sideload them to the Inkpad which will access more formats than I have ever seen on one device. Once you have books it is easy to sideload them. Just make sure that in settings Maintenance/USB Mode you set to Ask when connected. Then when you connect a cable to your computers USB port and plug it into your Inkpad Color the Inkpad will ask whether you want to Charge or to PC Link. Obviously you want to Link when sideloading so you can drag ebooks then from your computer to the device. And, here is good news, it all works fine with your Calibre library which recognizes it as a workable device.
Minor details: The Inkpad Color accesses the Pocketbook cloud if you would like to use that. It also will use a social media that looks a little bit like Goodreads but not enough for me to join up. My experience with the PB Cloud on my PB Color 6 was that the synchronizations totally slowed things down
So if you are already thinking of an InkPad Color or the idea intrigues you to be on the cutting edge of ereader technology then by all means the new Inkpad Color 7.8 is worth the cost and will deliver to you as a reader the whole world of color.
While the 7.8 Pocketbook InkPad Color downloads and installs its update go on another computer and download the user manual from Pocketbooks site. The User Manual is actually available in the new settings app as a choice at the bottom of the settings list. But, even so, I recommend that you download and print out the manual. Page-flipping is often the easiest way to find info. But whether you read the electronic manual on the Inkpad Color, read it as a PDF on your main computers big monitor, or print it out and take to your armchair this is a well-designed and worthwhile manual to peruse and refer to.
The first thing I did was to sideload a few comic books and one or two ebooks. The unit has a library button which will quickly access material in the main memory or a plug-in mini-SD card of up to 32G (actually if you check this forum many report using much bigger cards formatted specially.) Anyway, I first called up one of my favorite comics. Now on the 6 device it was acceptable but very hard to read due to the size. 7.8 screen may not sound much better than 6 but well, wow. The 7.8 screen was much more like holding a comic book. The default color was acceptable but I am a tweaker and went right to settings. First I reduced the color saturation to zero so that it was black and white. On the now black and white screen I carefully adjusted the contrast and brightness and adjusted the back light also until The black and white was sharp and clear. Then I upped the color saturation. OK, it never ever gets to where a tablet would show vibrant colors. But it gets to a level where if, like me, you enjoy cutting-edge technology it is one exciting moment to first see the color screen on this maxed-out to its best performance. I love it. I am sorry to be subjective but I dont know another way to describe the color and resulting reading experience.
With the settings set to refresh with every page turn there is no ghosting at all when you turn a page. The new page opens quickly and fills in clearly. You can really find that you are immersed in this device and that the actual mechanics go away and you are left simply reading and enjoying.
What I understand from the manual is that the default is set by the program dependent on each file. And I have opened many files from different sources and of different qualities. Every first opening was within acceptable quality. But tweaking always does help a little. BUT it is optional. The reading software is that good on its own. If you want to try my settings, then for most of my comic books I have found to go into settings and: First in the display tabs set to fill the page and leave it there; then go to the adjustments and I set the contrast to plus 5, the brightness to plus 1, the gamma (worth Googling that if it is a new term to you) to plus 1.5 and color saturation to plus 4. Again, your subjectivity is different from mine. But do try my advice of killing color and adjusting the brightness and contrast (and gamma) and only then bringing up the color.
Then I called up my Gutenberg ebook of Anthony Trollopes THE WAY WE LIVE NOW. Whenever I first use an ereader of any ilk I have a weird desire to use a work written in the 1800s you know, Dickens, Trollope, Austen maybe. I was really curious to see how the Inkpad Color would compare to my Kindle Oasis 3. The resolution is specd 1872 X 1404. The Oasis 3s spec is 1680 X 1264. Close.
The Oasis 3 has a warmth light which I like as well as the usual cold backlight. The Inkpad Color has just the cold light (as do most other ereaders). So, to me, the Oasis wins because of that. However, I decided to compare it with my older Oasis 2 which does not have the warm, second light. More like comparing oranges with oranges. The Oasis 2 still wins but not hugely. The Inkpad Color has one small display problem. The two upper LEDs inside sort of shine out a little from below the top bezel. This causes a little bit of bright and uneven light at the very top of the display. Frankly, I would not ever have noticed this if I had not been in super-critical, reviewing mode. But its there. Then, there is the question of fonts. The fonts supplied on the Inkpad Color can charitably be described as basic. They do not compare to those on Amazons devices or on Apples. But they are useable for sure. The Inpkad does win on one surprising detail, again a subjective one. To me the InkPads background when the backlight is turned up bright or in bright sun is more paper-like than on the Kindle.
So, overall, if you want to use the Inkpad Color as an ereader for regular textual matter it should work out very well for you. It may not top the top of the line Kindle for black and white but it does blow away most of the lower models in Kindleworld. And, of course, if your book has color pictures, no contest there. Well, yet. I am guessing Amazon isnt going to turn its back on the color market forever.
Of course, the big problem with the Inkpad Color becoming your ereader of choice is the lack of a Kindle program written in Linux so you will not be able to use your Kindle books unless you de-DRM them. There is a way use Adobe DRMd ebooks on the Inkpad Color which I have not tried. But there are many ebookstores that use that format. There is also a Pocketbook ebook store. FAHGEDDABOUTIT! Seriously, it has the most outre selection of worthless ebooks I have ever seen. I guess that Pocketbook being international has a very hard time with seller agreements from publishers. But even the public domain area is, well, disappointing is too mild a term!
But if you have books to sideload you can be sure you can sideload them to the Inkpad which will access more formats than I have ever seen on one device. Once you have books it is easy to sideload them. Just make sure that in settings Maintenance/USB Mode you set to Ask when connected. Then when you connect a cable to your computers USB port and plug it into your Inkpad Color the Inkpad will ask whether you want to Charge or to PC Link. Obviously you want to Link when sideloading so you can drag ebooks then from your computer to the device. And, here is good news, it all works fine with your Calibre library which recognizes it as a workable device.
Minor details: The Inkpad Color accesses the Pocketbook cloud if you would like to use that. It also will use a social media that looks a little bit like Goodreads but not enough for me to join up. My experience with the PB Cloud on my PB Color 6 was that the synchronizations totally slowed things down
So if you are already thinking of an InkPad Color or the idea intrigues you to be on the cutting edge of ereader technology then by all means the new Inkpad Color 7.8 is worth the cost and will deliver to you as a reader the whole world of color.