Kobo isn’t the primary on the color-ereader scene; Boox and Pocketbook have had colour ereaders and tablets for years. Each of these corporations make stunning, premium gadgets which might be extremely succesful and customizable — however they don’t supply the plug-and-play ereader expertise of a Kindle or Kobo. Of all of the ereaders I’ve tried over the previous 12 months, I’ve discovered Kobos do the most effective job of mixing a user-friendly interface with high quality {hardware}. And now that {hardware} has a brand new trick with a colour display screen on the Clara Color.
It’s noteworthy that Kobo beat Kindle to the punch in getting a colour ereader out the door. To be honest, Amazon is busy doing, effectively, every little thing, however it’s protected to guess {that a} colour Kindle will likely be coming quickly. For now, although, Kobo’s Clara Color is the consumer-friendly colour ereader to beat. A beefier processor makes it zippier than its already-fast predecessor, and the addition of colour seems to be pretty, with out detracting from the crisp and easy-to-read textual content. I’ll admit, I’m not an ereader diehard; I usually return to my past love, print. However a couple of weeks with Kobo’s newest has me extra excited than ever about studying on this cozy, easy machine.
Engadget
Kobo’s Clara Color has a fantastic construct, a beautiful colour display screen and a useful and speedy working system. It’s the colour ereader to beat proper now…till we see what Amazon does.
- Quicker processor makes menus load rapidly
- Colour display screen makes guide covers pop
- Glorious iIntegration with native libraries
- OS makes it simple to search out books and customise settings
- Permits entry to third-party ePub books
- Display isn’t as sharp or brilliant because the earlier technology
- Kobo’s library isn’t as giant as Amazon’s
$150 at Rakuten Kobo
Design and show
Most e-paper gadgets depend on a show made by E Ink. The Clara Color makes use of the corporate’s new Kaleido 3 panel, which provides a printed Colour Filter Array (CFA) layer on prime of the present black-and-white microcapsule layer. The colour layer can show round 4,000 colours, with a decision of 150 dpi. To be clear, a full colour web page on the Clara Color seems to be nothing like what you’d get from probably the most fundamental LED display screen. E-paper colours are muted and saturated, harking back to ‘70s comic book covers. But, also unlike LED, E Ink color panels actually look better under bright light.
The monochrome microcapsule layer creates sharp, 300 dpi text, same as the previous generation. But set side-by-side with the Clara 2E, the Clara Colour’s web page does look much less sharp. Get near the display screen and also you’ll discover noise within the white elements of the web page. The nice and cozy entrance gentle is extra amber, too. That’s the character of the colour filter array: because it’s all the time there, any textual content you learn is filtered by way of that layer. I’ve to emphasize that it’s solely one thing I seen as a result of I’m scripting this overview and digging deep into the efficiency as in comparison with the earlier technology. In relation to really studying, I discovered I most popular the softer, hotter impact of the Color. It jogs my memory of the pulpy mass-market Stephen King and Anne Rice paperbacks I grew up studying.
Kobo’s customization choices aren’t overly concerned, however they grant sufficient management so you’ll be able to change issues just like the typeface, font measurement, line spacing and margin width, in addition to brightness and light-weight heat. On the surface, the Kobo Clara 2E and the Clara Color look practically similar. The display screen is barely extra recessed on the Color mannequin and the soft-touch plastic is extra textured, which is definitely a profit as a result of it exhibits fewer fingerprints. The centimeter-wide bezels are simply large enough to your thumb, which, together with the textured again, makes the reader simple to carry from completely different positions. It’s sufficiently small I can grip it across the again, however I’ve bigger arms, so which may not work for everybody.
With an IPX8 ranking, the Clara Color can deal with full submersion in water. I haven’t gone that far with this overview unit, however I did survive once I by accident splashed water on it when washing my arms within the toilet. Why was it within the toilet? As a result of I stash my guide close to the bathroom so I don’t sit there and stare at my telephone. It’s the tactic that obtained me studying once more after I had a child and was quickly satisfied I’d by no means end one other guide. I heartily advocate it, notably with a studying system like this one that may deal with the watery surroundings of a restroom.
Studying expertise
The Clara Color’s new chip makes loading menus, performing searches and flipping pages a contact sooner than with the earlier technology. The velocity improve doesn’t quantity to a drastically completely different expertise, however faster web page turns hold the motion going. Like if Murderbot is defending its people from HostileSecUnit1 and out of the blue there’s one other SecUnit on the backside of the web page, you could know as quick as technologically attainable what goes down subsequent. Shopping for a brand new guide and trying out previews is speedier, too, one thing I respect when every little thing on my dutifully curated TBR checklist seems to be like broccoli and I would like ice cream.
The UX is similar as all Kobos that don’t help stylus enter, with simply 4 choices alongside a backside menu bar: House, My Books, Uncover and Extra. Uncover takes you to the Kobo retailer, the place you’ll be able to search for ebooks, audiobooks and titles from KoboPlus, the corporate’s month-to-month subscription for limitless entry to a collection of books (aka Kobo’s reply to Amazon Limitless).
Uncover’s suggestion part has a operating checklist of titles known as Only for You and, below Associated Reads, suggests books you would possibly like based mostly on works you’ve completed. The connective threads between the titles isn’t something shocking, however they provide an excellent place to start out in case you’re noodling on what to learn subsequent.
Kobo’s deep integration with OverDrive permits you to borrow any title your native library has accessible with only a few seconds of setup and a library card. Clicking the three dots close to the Purchase button on any guide brings up the choice to borrow (or place a maintain on) the e book out of your library. I love how deeply Kobo helps the function, inserting one thing free and public on par with paid books and subscriptions.
Different options are good to have, like gathering your Pocket articles from the online so you’ll be able to learn them later within the extra targeted surroundings of your Kobo. There’s additionally a beta net browser that I used to lookup the Wikipedia entry on the Mason-Dixon line once I learn Percival Everett’s James and the one for rook (the hen) when studying Tana French’s The Hunter. The browser’s not geared up for heavy browsing, however that’s an excellent factor. The additional effort it takes to browse retains me on course with my studying. On the similar time, I’m blissful to dig up just a little background information with out choosing up my telephone, the place the distractions are plentiful and compulsive.
The competitors (aka Kindle vs Kobo)
There’s no escaping the truth that a Kobo ereader shouldn’t be a Kindle. However the benefits Kindle has over Kobo are largely within the availability of titles, not in {hardware}. The Kobo Clara Color is most straight similar to the usual Kindle. They’ve the identical fundamental form, the identical measurement display screen with 300 dpi textual content and 16GB of storage. However the Kindle is $50 cheaper.
Nonetheless! Amazon’s system will serve you advertisements on the lockscreen and it prices $20 further to take away them. It’s additionally not waterproof and has no heat gentle. No Kindle has a colour show but, however there are many rumors suggesting that transfer is (fairly clearly) on the horizon. For now, although, colour is one other level in Kobo’s favor.
That stated, in case you’ve spent the previous decade amassing a small library on Amazon, you received’t have the ability to entry it on a Kobo with out some main, quasi-unlawful finagling. I solely have a couple of Kindle titles from my previous, so beginning over with Kobo didn’t really feel like a loss.
Amazon’s e book retailer is bigger than Kobo’s, boosted by Kindle Direct Publishing exclusives and self-published books. Kobo has its personal self-publishing program, however it’s far smaller. That stated, each in-print guide from a significant writer will present up in each the Kindle and the Kobo retailer. Each title I’ve looked for within the Kobo retailer was available.
Amazon’s subscription program, Kindle Limitless, is larger too, with 4 million mixed audio- and e book titles accessible. Comparatively, Kobo Plus at present claims 1.5 million ebooks and 150,000 audiobooks. Kobo’s plan is a tad cheaper at $10 per thirty days to each learn and hear, or $8 for ebooks solely. Kindle Limitless is $12 month-to-month and provides you entry to each codecs. Neither subscription contains bestselling titles from main authors, however there’s nonetheless loads to select from.
Nonetheless, Kobo’s e book entry does outmatch Kindle’s in two methods: the power to buy third-party shops and a neater OverDrive expertise. Amazon makes use of its personal digital rights administration (DRM) expertise, whereas most everybody else depends on Adobe’s DRM. Which means in case you purchase a guide from most main publishers on a third-party web site (like ebooks.com or Google Books), you received’t have the ability to learn the ePub file in your Kindle. There are a couple of further steps for studying these titles on a Kobo, however it’s simple sufficient. As for OverDrive, studying public library books on a Kindle isn’t exhausting, however it’s a must to first go to OverDrive’s or your library’s web site, discover your guide and choose “read on Kindle” because the supply choice. With a Kobo, you click on the three dots subsequent to Purchase, choose Borrow and begin studying seconds afterward the identical system.
Wrap-up
The massive query is whether or not the addition of colour makes the Kobo Clara Color higher and definitely worth the $10 over the earlier technology. The sooner processor alone makes up for the value hike and the waterproof construct, heat entrance lights and lack of advertisements makes for a extra premium ereader that justifies the $50 value disparity between the Clara Color and the essential Kindle.
As for the colour display screen, it doesn’t make a lot distinction while you’re studying a typical e book. And the additional layer does add some noise to the whitespace and provides every little thing a hotter glow. However I didn’t thoughts the minute drop in readability and really most popular the softer, cozier look of the web page. Colours look pretty on the guide covers in my assortment and really useful titles draw me to them with their muted blues and washed out reds.
You’ve most likely heard of that trick the place you turn your telephone’s display screen to grayscale to cut back its enchantment. It appears to truly work, so I’ve to think about the alternative is true, too. Something that makes studying materials extra enticing — and higher capable of compete with the technicolor onslaught of digital distraction — is a win in my guide.