Judging books by their covers is now extra enjoyable

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 lovely, premium units which can be extremely succesful and customizable — however they don’t provide 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 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, properly, every part, nevertheless it’s secure to guess {that a} colour Kindle can 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 appears to be like beautiful, 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 old flame, print. However just a few weeks with Kobo’s newest has me extra excited than ever about studying on this cozy, easy machine.

Design and show

Most e-paper units 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 Shade 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 appears to be like nothing like what you’d get from probably the most primary LED display. 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 and also you’ll discover noise within the white components of the web page. The nice and cozy entrance mild 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 penning this overview and digging deep into the efficiency as in comparison with the earlier era. On the subject of 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 possibly can change issues just like the typeface, font measurement, line spacing and margin width, in addition to brightness and lightweight heat. On the skin, the Kobo Clara 2E and the Clara Color look practically similar. The display 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 reveals fewer fingerprints. The centimeter-wide bezels are simply large enough to your thumb, which, together with the textured again, makes the reader straightforward to carry from totally different positions. It’s sufficiently small I can grip it across the again, however I’ve bigger fingers, so that 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 after I by chance splashed water on it when washing my fingers within the toilet. Why was it within the toilet? As a result of I stash my ebook close to the bathroom so I don’t sit there and stare at my cellphone. It’s the tactic that acquired me studying once more after I had a child and was quickly satisfied I’d by no means end one other ebook. I heartily suggest it, significantly with a studying machine like this one that may deal with the watery atmosphere of a restroom.

Studying expertise

The Clara Color’s new chip makes loading menus, performing searches and flipping pages a contact quicker than with the earlier era. The pace enhance doesn’t quantity to a drastically totally different expertise, however faster web page turns hold the motion going. Like if Murderbot is defending its people from HostileSecUnit1 and immediately there’s one other SecUnit on the backside of the web page, that you must know as quick as technologically doable what goes down subsequent. Looking for a brand new ebook and trying out previews is speedier, too, one thing I respect when every part on my dutifully curated TBR checklist appears to be like like broccoli and I need ice cream.

The UX is similar as all Kobos that don’t assist 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 possibly can search for ebooks, audiobooks and titles from KoboPlus, the corporate’s month-to-month subscription for limitless entry to a number 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, beneath Associated Reads, suggests books you may like based mostly on works you’ve completed. The connective threads between the titles isn’t something stunning, however they provide a very good place to start out in the event you’re noodling on what to learn subsequent.

Kobo’s deep integration with OverDrive permits you to borrow any title your native library has out there with just some seconds of setup and a library card. Clicking the three dots close to the Purchase button on any ebook 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 net so you possibly can learn them later within the extra targeted atmosphere of your Kobo. There’s additionally a beta net browser that I used to search for the Wikipedia entry on the Mason-Dixon line after 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 a very good factor. The additional effort it takes to browse retains me on track with my studying. On the similar time, I’m completely satisfied to dig up a little bit background information with out selecting up my cellphone, the place the distractions are plentiful and compulsive.

The competitors (aka Kindle vs Kobo)

There’s no escaping the truth that a Kobo ereader is just not 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 immediately similar to the usual Kindle. They’ve the identical primary form, the identical measurement display with 300 dpi textual content and 16GB of storage. However the Kindle is $50 cheaper.

Nonetheless! Amazon’s machine will serve you adverts on the lockscreen and it prices $20 additional to take away them. It’s additionally not waterproof and has no heat mild. 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 the event you’ve spent the previous decade amassing a small library on Amazon, you received’t be capable to entry it on a Kobo with out some main, quasi-unlawful finagling. I solely have just a few 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, nevertheless it’s far smaller. That stated, each in-print ebook 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 out there. 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 pay attention, 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 lots 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 better OverDrive expertise. Amazon makes use of its personal digital rights administration (DRM) know-how, whereas most everybody else depends on Adobe’s DRM. Meaning in the event you purchase a ebook from most main publishers on a third-party web site (like ebooks.com or Google Books), you received’t be capable to learn the ePub file in your Kindle. There are just a few additional steps for studying these titles on a Kobo, nevertheless it’s straightforward sufficient. As for OverDrive, studying public library books on a Kindle isn’t laborious, however it’s important to first go to OverDrive’s or your library’s web site, discover your ebook and choose “read on Kindle” because the supply possibility. With a Kobo, you click on the three dots subsequent to Purchase, choose Borrow and begin studying seconds in a while the identical machine.

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 era. The quicker processor alone makes up for the value hike and the waterproof construct, heat entrance lights and lack of adverts 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, it doesn’t make a lot distinction once you’re studying a typical e-book. And the additional layer does add some noise to the whitespace and provides every part 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 beautiful on the ebook covers in my assortment and really useful titles draw me to them with their muted blues and washed out reds.

You’ve in all probability heard of that trick the place you turn your cellphone’s display to grayscale to scale back its attraction. It appears to really work, so I’ve to think about the alternative is true, too. Something that makes studying materials extra enticing — and higher in a position to compete with the technicolor onslaught of digital distraction — is a win in my ebook.