Libra 2 Discontinued

[Sirtel]

But why should I need to train myself and accept the compromises when I don't read any color content on my eink readers? For those who read comics etc or just like to highlight in color, fine, the advantages of a Kaleido screen may outweigh the flaws for you. But for those of us who don't read color content and have no use for colored highlighting, there simply are no advantages to Kaleido tech at all; there are only disadvantages.

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by Penny

Maybe for luddites, color is the doomsday prophecy that spells the end of eInk. Kaleido is to Carta what cars were to bicycles. Bicycles haven't seen significant innovations in centuries; while they still get you where you need to go, they become more outdated each year. Similarly, eInk technology has seen minimal improvements between the Carta 1200 and 1300 series. The release of Kaleido color should have accompanied the Libra 2, considering the technology was already available in 2021.

Carta black and white screens are for "luddites?" Huh? No they're for people who like clear and bright high contrast screens. Kaleido is not a "significant innovation." And it's not new or particularly well received. Other eReader makers have been using Kaleido screens for a couple years. Unlike Kobo, apparently, they realized that these filled a niche, but were wise enough to keep producing their black and white eReaders as well. (Note Kobo did this with the new Claras, why not the Libras?)

I don't think people here have a problem with Libra Colour eReaders, so long as they still have the choice to buy a Libra B/W. The two are not the same.

[Pjama]

I described what I did as I thought it might be of interest to some readers.

Obviously you have no want or need for the color.

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by Pjama

The Libra 2 is a gorgeous ereader, but maybe people should take it (the late appearance of a 7” Libra BW) up with Kobo, rather than making snide remarks about forum members they consider to be either delusional/stupid/not caring about their eyes simply for the heinous crime of liking color e-ink.

I think it would be better if you respond directly to the poster who accused you of not reading much. (I saw that post.) Most of us here are quite willing to accept that a color reader is (and will be) acceptable, even desirable, to some people. What I think most here want is a Libra BW choice. If I was in the market for 7" Kobo reader that's what I would want — I wouldn't buy the color screen. (And for that I would probably be called a "luddite," so there two sides making "snide comments" in this thread.)

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by Aleron Ives

Those of us who care about contrast are just worried that Kobo is going to forget about us if the Clara/Libra Colour sell well, and the Clara BW doesn't. We don't want "good enough" contrast. We want the best contrast possible to minimise our eye strain.

Better response than mine. Exactly the point. I'm finding that even high contrast, front-lit, black and white screens aren't always working well for my eyes. (Especially now, in allergy season.) For some reason I've recently had better luck using the Glocusent reading light on my older (non front-lit) readers.

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by Pjama

I described what I did as I thought it might be of interest to some readers.

Obviously you have no want or need for the color.

I understand. There should be give and take in a discussion. If everyone had the same opinion it would be kind of boring. No one is wrong for choosing a color screen. No one is wrong for preferring a black and white screen. But I do think people who love their Libra 2s have the right to be worried about their future purchase choices. Hopefully Kobo will, eventually, release a Libra BW, so that everyone can be happy. I may be wrong, but I think the Libra 2 was their best selling reader — so, as it stands now, releasing only a color version seems like a bad decision.

[Pjama]

Originally Posted by rcentros

But I do think people who love their Libra 2s have the right to be worried about their future purchase choices. Hopefully Kobo will, eventually, release a Libra BW, so that everyone can be happy. I may be wrong, but I think the Libra 2 was their best selling reader — so, as it stands now, releasing only a color version seems like a bad decision.

I agree, and I believe they will release one, perhaps even later this year (let’s see if a certain website picks this up as a rumor ). I think their strategy is to go all-in with the color rather than muddy the waters with a BW option (this is not my opinion, rather it is what I believe corporate board members might think is best at this stage).

I agree they should have provided a BW option for this reader, color aside, it is a more comfortable shape to hold than the Libra 2. It would also have been sensible to have it as a standby for all the people who purchased the color version and could not tolerate the screen.

Regarding your earlier post, no, I definitely would not reply personally to someone casting aspersions on my reading ability. I posted an image showing my 150 hours read in the past month, I think that says enough, without getting too involved. The very idea of someone suggesting I don’t read enough is a hoot!

[Aleron Ives]

Another user suggested at one point that Kobo may have discontinued the Libra 2 because the Libra Colour uses a slightly different shape that requires a separate mould, and it would be a pain to manufacture both of them at the same time. It's possible that we'll see a new Libra BW using the same shell as the LC in the near future.

Another possibility is that the release of Carta 1300 means Carta 1200 won't be available for much longer, so Kobo needs to launch new Carta 1300 models to replace their Carta 1200 ones. That would explain why the Clara BW came out so soon after the Clara 2E, if Kobo can't get the 6" Carta 1200 panels that the Clara 2E needs anymore (or without having to pay extra).

[Apollyon202]

I apologize if I hurt someone with my comment. It was not intended, I am truly sorry. I was just outrageous and ranting because of today's trends.
In the past one and a half decade more and more products and even brands are getting downgraded in many ways.
For example, laptops. They are getting thinner and macbook look-a-like just to be easier sold to the masses, because masses buy macbooks mostly. Being thin means that they are having insufficient cooling, means less performance than it should have. Best example: Thinkpads, we bought Thinkpads, because of their superior quality in every way. Pricey, but once worth every penny. Then the once legendary laptops got almost destroyed by corporate greed, now they are just another macbook wannabe copycat toys with a (at this point still useable) Trackpoint.
Another one: Netflix and friends. Humanity switched from cable TV to streaming, because of optional content, WITHOUT ads and the way you want to watch it. Now that dozens of millions of people are using streaming, it's got downgraded, so you can (or have to) watch ads, you are limited how do you watch the from-now-on-filled-with-politics content.
Music: google has youtube for almost two decades, but still the best audio quality and format you can get out from it is 160 kbps opus even if you pay for it. I don't say that it should be lossless CD quality, but still. At least 320 kbps would be desirable. Before that CDs were common, now you have to stream everything in inferior quality and have to be online for no reason.

Sorry for the long post, but I am concerned what will happen with the ereading business. Yes, I am overthinking and overreacting. I just hope that if kobo makes colour readers more popular (and Kindles elevate this even more) then they're not gonna completely wipe out BW readers from existence.
Because what becomes mainstream it becomes mediocre. And bringing the now outdated Kaleido 3 screen into the field in 2024 feels like a huge step back. The multi-coloured note-taking features are nice, but are they really needed and useful for everyday use at the expense of screen readability?

For me (I accept if someone else thinks the opposite) the BW Carta screens offer the best book reading experience ever. I would even give up on the capacitive screen if I could have a crispier screen quality. The Kobo Touch had a less responsive, infrared screen, but that technology would be still very good with a Carta 1200/1300 quality if we have page turn buttons anyway.

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by Apollyon202

For me (I accept if someone else thinks the opposite) the BW Carta screens offer the best book reading experience ever. I would even give up on the capacitive screen if I could have a crispier screen quality. The Kobo Touch had a less responsive, infrared screen, but that technology would be still very good with a Carta 1200/1300 quality if we have page turn buttons anyway.

I agree on the Carta screens. I've got an older Tolino Page. The resolution is 800x600, 6" screen (about 165 dpi). No front light and no capacitive layer, it uses infrared for touch. It's one of the brightest non-lit reader screens I own, and these things were originally made in about 2018 (I think).

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Pjama

I did need a period of adjustment to get used to the different screen. At first I was even thinking I would have to keep my Libra 2 to read novels on, and save the Libra Colour for DK books, art and Asterix type reading.

I actually do have sensitive eyes and had a kind of 'uncanny valley' effect when reading my first novel on it, due to the slightly mottled effect of the Kaleido overlay. I trained myself to ignore this, by using colored highlights to distract my eyes. I was feeling nauseous, even, although it turned out I had sinusitis so probably a coincidence.

I can now read on it just as comfortably as on my Libra 2. I am willing to compromise somewhat on the background because having the pastel colors on a 'black and white' device seems magical to me. I fully understand how the screen works. I fully understand the compromises and handicaps of this type of screen. Nevertheless, I love it.

On your Libra 2, when you are reading a book with just text, what level was the light if you used the light in normal reading conditions? ON the Libra Colour, what level is the light in the same conditions?

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Pjama

I described what I did as I thought it might be of interest to some readers.

Obviously you have no want or need for the color.

For those of us who do want a 7" screen without the color, Kobo has taken that choice away from. That's the problem.

[Penny]

Originally Posted by Pjama

I’m getting really sick of being told here that I am either stupid or hate my eyes because I have a Libra Colour. Or, a new accusation - that I don’t read much. It’s infuriating.

I guess people have to fight about something.

Sadly, some members of this forum hold an elitist mentality, believing their opinions to be absolute law. However, you are not alone in this battle! On Amazon, the Colour has a 4.2/5 rating, while on Kobo, it boasts a 4.6/5. Almost everyone is giving the new version rave reviews, deeming it an upgrade.

I get crucified every time I suggest that the transition to Colour was beneficial. My theory is that the reluctance to accept change may be correlated with the average demographic of the forum users, which tends to be older. As people age, their viewpoints often become more solidified and resistant to change. Any opinion that contradicts their own is perceived as a personal attack and met with hostility. These are the same individuals who were hesitant to upgrade from a flip phone to a smartphone or complained about switching from traditional TV to streaming.

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by Penny

These are the same individuals who were hesitant to upgrade from a flip phone to a smartphone or complained about switching from traditional TV to streaming.

Nope. You're very far off the mark. I had no problems with switching to smartphone, and took to streaming like a duck to water, while I've never watched traditional TV at all.

Our resistance to color ereaders is because a Kaleido screen is worse for black and white content than the current black-and-white Carta screens - it's much darker and needs a lot more light to even approach the same quality. This is something you don't seem to understand, or don't want to understand. Why should I accept a poorer screen when I don't read any content with color on my eink readers? I read black and white novels, and want as good a quality as possible. Kaleido doesn't deliver it.

[Quoth]

We have better colour already, and Kaleido is years old.

The issue, though, isn't the colour but lack of a 7″ mono eink from Kobo.

It's not about resisting change but having choice reduced to an inferior product if you only want mono.

These are the same individuals who were hesitant to upgrade from a flip phone to a smartphone or complained about switching from traditional TV to streaming.

This is nonsense on two levels. Nothing to do with those changes, which are unrelated.
The demographic that wants flip phones and doesn't want streaming may have little overlap.
Flip phones still exist.
No-one is forced to only have streaming video. Broadcast cable, terrestrial, satellite, DVD and BD are still available. VHS is gone, but it was rubbish.
CDs are also still available.

The streaming video is subscription only for non-trivial content. Broadcast has Free to Air and can be recorded to play later. They are complementary.

We got colour broadcast in the early 1950s in USA and late 1960s to early 1970s elsewhere. Colour home video in late 1970s. Home color movies in 1940s!

Colour ebooks since at least 1998 on dedicated ereaders. Same year as 1st smartphone. Ebooks on PDAs are earlier.

The first eink was 2005 and first eink Kindle 2007.

The Amazon Fire (really a color Android tablet) was released as Kindle Fire in 2011.

Onyx first did eink in 2011 and their color Kaleido Plus was March 2021 (three years ago)


Most people read ebooks on phones and tablets, which are colour.

There are a small number of LCD based phones and tablets and a larger number of monitors (going back to flat-face CRTs over 30 years ago) that are almost as good to read on as mono eink, thus better than Kaleido eink, from under 6" up to 32" 4K.

We have not had mono LCD graphics panels (for laptops) for maybe 30 years and Smart phones all colour for over 20 years. Why? Because unlike Kaleido there is no disadvantage and only advantages for colour LCD. LCD and QLED still use mono LCD panels, but much higher resolution to allow true colour RGB, and higher resolution than early mono LCD computer panels.
The resolution of eink stopped increasing about 10 years ago. The speed improvements in 10 years are marginal and 100 times to 300 times slower than most other graphics panels.

I'm fine with Kaleido being offered, but it's inherently inferior to mono eink as it's a mono eink panel with coloured dots printed on it. It can never be as good. That's physics and mathematics, not opinion.
Only the very best mono eink are better than the best LCD for reading mono text.

The objection is not to Kaliedo, but there being no Kobo 7″ mono now.