New Color Libra and Clara now advertised in US

[BionicGecko]

As a long-time Kindle user I decided to scratch my color itch by getting one of the new Colour Kobos. There are quite a few open box deals right now so I got both the Clara and the Libra, and will be returning one of those.

First thing I want to mention is that those things are fast! I am also quite impressed with the Kobo UI. In many regards it feels much more intuitive than the Kindle UI. Being able to change the brightness just by sliding on the left edge (although I wish we could do the same with the light color, on the right side perhaps), the fine tuning of font size, the auto-rotation to landscape (on the Libra) and the integration to Pocket are all very useful features. I do miss Send To Kindle, although there seem to be some decent alternatives. Coming from the Oasis however, the buttons on the Libra feel really hard and loud - not so great for reading in bed next to the wife.

I have both an Oasis and a Voyage and use both regularly so I'm quite open to either form factor, however so far it does look like the Libra is the better choice, even factoring in the price. At least with the two units I have, the Libra has noticeable better contrast than the Clara in color (not as noticeable in b/w). Color is also just more enjoyable on a bigger screen.

One thing I did notice is that on both devices the front light produces a color gradient, from yellowish to whitish: the Clara is whiter at the bottom, and the Libra is whiter on the right-hand side; this is obviously related to the positioning of the LEDs. Is that something I should expect on all devices? I'm just wondering if that might be the reason why those were open box deals.

Overall I think Kobo really did a great job with those devices. I played a bit with the Boox Tab Mini C when it came out and the ghosting was unbearable. On the Kobos the ghosting is much more under control. I might become a Kobo convert!

[Skydog]

Originally Posted by rashkae

*Rolls eyes*... great to see all the comentators who have clearly not tried one of the new kobos tell us what's what.

Ain't it the truth...

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Aleron Ives

It's interesting how opinions on Kaleido 3 vary so widely. Some people think it's amazing, and some people hate it. I selfishly hope that enough people hate it and return their Libra Colours that Kobo will release a Libra BW.

I think the color Kobos are garbage. They don't do text well enough and are too dark. Plus given how much the light need to be, it' eats a lot of battery.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by rashkae

*Rolls eyes*... great to see all the comentators who have clearly not tried one of the new kobos tell us what's what. Still, as much as I like the Libra colour, I don't think it would be much, (if any) of an upgrade from the Libra H2O, yes, the battery is larger capacity, but the increased processing, requirement for more light, etc, will offset that.

From others who have a Libra Colour, it's been said that you need to up the light to about 15-20% in order to be as light as the Libra 2 with no light. So that says to me that the screen is way too dark.

[Skydog]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

I think the color Kobos are garbage. They don't do text well enough and are too dark. Plus given how much the light need to be, it' eats a lot of battery.

So you're an expert? Do you use one?

I thought so.

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

I think the color Kobos are garbage. They don't do text well enough and are too dark. Plus given how much the light need to be, it' eats a lot of battery.

When did you purchase a Libra Colour (couldn't be the Clara Colour since nobody in your oft stated opinion should be using a 6" ereader) so you could base your opinion on some solid experience with a Kobo colour device?

Comparing my Sage to my Libra Colour says the Libra Colour has better battery life. Comparing reading text, with the backlight at my preferred settings on both, I don't find issues with how well either does text. My granddaughter does like reading on my Libra Colour much more than on any of my BW ereaders.

[booklover6]

Originally Posted by khalleron

I've had my Kobo Libra Colour since a few days after launch, and I have to say I love it to death.

...

I've been wanting a color ereader for years now, but could never justify the price before. I'm glad I waited for this one. I can't see myself ever going back to B&W.

I got one right away, and I don't regret it! Those color highlights are fantastic! I was never much of a highlighter before.

I went on an overnight and took my Clara E instead. I really, really missed that larger colour screen! That doesn't bode well for my Clara!

[khalleron]

Originally Posted by Gazella

You say you can’t get comics to be readable, can you elaborate on what you mean by that? I’ve been reading comics on mine just fine.

I can't get the panels to zoom big enough to read the text. Touching the screen to try to pinch-zoom just brings up the lower and upper menu bars. Can't scroll the page, either, for the same reason.

If you're monkeying with the settings to get the ability to control the screen, I would love to know.

[rashkae]

Originally Posted by khalleron

I can't get the panels to zoom big enough to read the text. Touching the screen to try to pinch-zoom just brings up the lower and upper menu bars. Can't scroll the page, either, for the same reason.

If you're monkeying with the settings to get the ability to control the screen, I would love to know.

What File format are you using. If you can't pinch zoom, did you sideload the comic as a epub? For cbz or Kepub files, pinch zooming is very straightforward (using index finger and thumb, or two fingers.) If you can't use the pinch zoom gesture, for whatever reason, there should also be an image zoom icon when you open the panels, it looks like a little circle surrounded by 4 triangles pointing to the compass directions. Pressing that icon will display a zoom slider, as well as auto zoom icons and a rotate image icon.

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

From others who have a Libra Colour, it's been said that you need to up the light to about 15-20% in order to be as light as the Libra 2 with no light. So that says to me that the screen is way too dark.

Originally Posted by Skydog

So you're an expert? Do you use one?

I thought so.

As Ann Landers (or Dear Abby) once wrote, you don't have to stick your head into a cement mixer to know you wouldn't like it.

I've read the reviews. Even those who like the Libra Colour say it's "darker." Not the direction I would want to go as I don't care about color when reading on my eReader.

Fortunately, if you want a 7" black and white reader, others still provide them.

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by rcentros

As Ann Landers (or Dear Abby) once wrote, you don't have to stick your head into a cement mixer to know you wouldn't like it.

I've read the reviews. Even those who like the Libra Colour say it's "darker." Not the direction I would want to go as I don't care about color when reading on my eReader.

Fortunately, if you want a 7" black and white reader, others still provide them.

Unfortunately for those of us who prefer the Kobo software, there's no option. Pocketbooks have no weight adjustment, which is a dealbreaker for me, and I don't particularly like KOReader or Android apps either. As to the Nooks, I can't stand their software at all.

Not that I need a 7" b/w device right now - my Libra 2 is working perfectly. I do hope Kobo will release another 7" b/w model in the future.

[BionicGecko]

Originally Posted by Sirtel

I do hope Kobo will release another 7" b/w model in the future.

I think it is likely that Kobo will release a BW version of the Libra with Carta 1300 at some point in the relatively near future. I had a chance to look at the Clara BW; the screen is quite nice, not quite on par with my Voyage but very sharp (I never saw the Libra 2 so I can't compare). The lighting was not very even however, with a somewhat much darker spot at the top; that seems to be an issue with the new Kobos.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by DNSB

When did you purchase a Libra Colour (couldn't be the Clara Colour since nobody in your oft stated opinion should be using a 6" ereader) so you could base your opinion on some solid experience with a Kobo colour device?

Comparing my Sage to my Libra Colour says the Libra Colour has better battery life. Comparing reading text, with the backlight at my preferred settings on both, I don't find issues with how well either does text. My granddaughter does like reading on my Libra Colour much more than on any of my BW ereaders.

i don't have a color Reader. But I've had a Reader since the Sony Reader PRS-500 and I know what it's like to read on a much darker screen then the Libra 2. Also, with the Libra 2, I usually have the light level at 3 when I have the light on. So a level of 15-20% to get the LC as bright as the L2 (with no light) is not good.

I don't care about color and I want the screen to look good. A darker screen (IMHO) is a step backwards. The one thing I cannot say for sure is how annoying the color filter would be with just text.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by rcentros

As Ann Landers (or Dear Abby) once wrote, you don't have to stick your head into a cement mixer to know you wouldn't like it.

I've read the reviews. Even those who like the Libra Colour say it's "darker." Not the direction I would want to go as I don't care about color when reading on my eReader.

Fortunately, if you want a 7" black and white reader, others still provide them.

Very well said!

[JSWolf]

Here is a comparison of the screens Libra 2 vs the Libra Colour with no lights on. They are by a window. This is from a video by The eBook Reader. This shows the LC screen is a bit darker then the L2 screen.



Here is the video the screen grab came from.