Pocketbook color 633, need simple advice

[foreverconfused]

Hello. I am looking forward to getting my first e-reader. PB Color 633 is available in my country and affordable. I have very straightforward expectations of this e-reader.
I am mostly going to use it for reading textbooks in pdf format. I want my experience to look like as if I am reading from an an actual A4 paper. Since the device is not as wide as an A4 paper, I would turn it sideways (in landscape mode) and read it in 2 columns by zooming it in and panning around.
So, these are my main concerns:
1) I am getting mixed feedback about whether it is going to be acceptable for my expectations. I have heard that sometimes it takes minutes (or just very long) to turn a page/zoom/pan around. Is this true? I am fine with a reasonable delay of course.
2) It officially says that it supports SD cards up to 32 GB but I have heard people say that they can use 128 or even 512 GB SD cards, is this true? This is not an issue for me since I will have my laptop around and if I need to switch to another book, I can just take it from there.
3) I am also getting mixed stuff regarding its screen resolution. Wikipedia says it is 212 ppi. I have also read it is 100 ppi for color screens. I am only interested in color, to be honest.
4) Also, how do I protect its screen from scratches? Does it have a protective layer or should I buy it (I do hope it is offered)? I am sure that whatever material is it made of, is going to get scratched even with perfect care.
Please let me know if you have information about this.
Thank you in advance.

[Cyfranek]

ad 1. PocketBook InkPad Color 3 would be nice for A4 documents. It's quite hard to reproduce (readable) such big page size even in landscape mode on rather small screen. But yes. it's possible. Especially if it's text in two colums. Not as fast as on modern tablets but it's acceptable while reading page by page;

ad 2. According to user's manual, you can use up to 128 GB microSD card;

ad 3. Screen resolution is 300 ppi for bw and 100 pi for colors;

ad 4. You have to use a case. Any other protection like foil will downgrade brightness and contrast which already are quite low. I suggest case with stand function and silicone back, like in this article: http://cyfranek.booklikes.com/post/3...aliexpress-com

You can find some more info in this review: http://cyfranek.booklikes.com/post/3...tnik-w-europie

[foreverconfused]

Originally Posted by Cyfranek

ad 1. PocketBook InkPad Color 3 would be nice for A4 documents. It's quite hard to reproduce (readable) such big page size even in landscape mode on rather small screen. But yes. it's possible. Especially if it's text in two colums. Not as fast as on modern tablets but it's acceptable while reading page by page;

ad 2. According to user's manual, you can use up to 128 GB microSD card;

ad 3. Screen resolution is 300 ppi for bw and 100 pi for colors;

ad 4. You have to use a case. Any other protection like foil will downgrade brightness and contrast which already are quite low. I suggest case with stand function and silicone back, like in this article: http://cyfranek.booklikes.com/post/3...aliexpress-com



You can find some more info in this review: http://cyfranek.booklikes.com/post/3...tnik-w-europie

Thank you for your reply.
1) A4 paper is 21 cm wide and PB 633 is 15 cm wide. So, it should fit more than half of its width on landscape mode. The main thing is that I don't have to wait a minute or a long time to pan around, turn a page or zoom in/out, right? I am fine with a little bit of delay of course.
2) That's good to know. 128 GB is more than enough for me.

3) So, in color mode, it would be somewhat worse than large full HD laptop (DPI around 120), I guess this is alright.
4) Does the case protect its screen or just the body of the device? I am specifically looking to protect its screen as I am sure that there will be mysterious scratches on it out of nowhere. I was thinking that I could just tape over it with a translucent tape?

[rkomar]

The diagonal of the screen is 15 cm. The width is about 12.2 cm in landscape mode. The colour screen technology is also from two generations ago, and newer colour screens are much better (633 has speckles on the screen in grayscale mode). I think it would have to be a very good price to be worth it these days.

That said, I bought one four years ago and still use it for reading novels and manga. I don't use it for reading A4/letter sized documents very much. I have occasionally used it for that, but the text ends up being pretty small.

[foreverconfused]

Originally Posted by rkomar

The diagonal of the screen is 15 cm. The width is about 12.2 cm in landscape mode. The colour screen technology is also from two generations ago, and newer colour screens are much better (633 has speckles on the screen in grayscale mode). I think it would have to be a very good price to be worth it these days.

That said, I bought one four years ago and still use it for reading novels and manga. I don't use it for reading A4/letter sized documents very much. I have occasionally used it for that, but the text ends up being pretty small.

I know that if I view the whole A4 page, it is going to be small of course. But half of its width should fit, since you said its screen width is 12 cm.
I am also aware that there are newer generations color E-ink screens but I am not an artist or anything. It shows me 4096 colors and form youtube videos, they seem alright. Do newer screens just show better variety? It is not something I am really concerned about. As long as it is readable when zoomed in in a way I described, I wouldn't have issues with that. I might eventually buy a newer generation as well. For now I'd like a starter that would just provide a satisfactory reading experience. Now, I am concerned about how to protect its screen...

[rkomar]

I use mine regularly and the display doesn't have a single scratch on it even after four years. Scratching the display is probably the least of your worries. If you plan on jamming it into a full backpack often, then you should probably pack it in some kind of rigid case. Bending or twisting the ereader will break the display pretty easily (true for all ereaders that use a display with a glass substrate).

[foreverconfused]

Originally Posted by rkomar

I use mine regularly and the display doesn't have a single scratch on it even after four years. Scratching the display is probably the least of your worries. If you plan on jamming it into a full backpack often, then you should probably pack it in some kind of rigid case. Bending or twisting the ereader will break the display pretty easily (true for all ereaders that use a display with a glass substrate).

Do you have PB 633 by the way? If this one satisfies my expectations of just reading PDFs normally, I might by a better model. Some models should have styluses as well. How do they deal with scratches then?

[Cyfranek]

Originally Posted by foreverconfused

4) Does the case protect its screen or just the body of the device?

Yes it has screen cover as well, because screen is the most fragile part of the reader. You can check photos included in mentioned article.

[foreverconfused]

Originally Posted by Cyfranek

Yes it has screen cover as well, because screen is the most fragile part of the reader. You can check photos included in mentioned article.

That's awesome, so I will not need to tape over it then.
Long story short, If I am not going to use extra features like wifi-etc, don't mind reading A4 pages in 2 columns and don't get about extra colors (which are irrelevant anyway for most purposes), I won't really be benefitting from newer PB models, right?

[ab78727]

Regarding qs. 1, I have a PB 743 (Inkpad Color 3) and was reading comics in landscape mode in it - the transition from portrait to landscape on it happens within a second for my ebooks and was not a problem.

[Cyfranek]

Originally Posted by foreverconfused

Long story short, If I am not going to use extra features like wifi-etc, don't mind reading A4 pages in 2 columns and don't get about extra colors (which are irrelevant anyway for most purposes), I won't really be benefitting from newer PB models, right?

If colors are not important, You can choose cheaper or bigger b&W model as well. PocketBooks even olders have nice feature of sending files over wi-fi (Send-to-PocketBook), so wi-fi could be important anyway.

[foreverconfused]

Originally Posted by ab78727

Regarding qs. 1, I have a PB 743 (Inkpad Color 3) and was reading comics in landscape mode in it - the transition from portrait to landscape on it happens within a second for my ebooks and was not a problem.

I don't mean transition to landscape from portrait mode. I am referring to zooming and panning out, is it acceptable? I think waiting minutes to pan around sounds ridiculous. If it is a few seconds, I guess it is alright

[foreverconfused]

Originally Posted by Cyfranek

If colors are not important, You can choose cheaper or bigger b&W model as well. PocketBooks even olders have nice feature of sending files over wi-fi (Send-to-PocketBook), so wi-fi could be important anyway.

Colors are important in the sense that I don't want black and white readers. What I mean is that the difference between Kaleido and Kaledio + seems to be marginal for me to not make a difference. Are there cheaper and bigger models with colors, other than PB Color 633?

[ab78727]

Originally Posted by foreverconfused

I don't mean transition to landscape from portrait mode. I am referring to zooming and panning out, is it acceptable? I think waiting minutes to pan around sounds ridiculous. If it is a few seconds, I guess it is alright

I'm pleasantly surprised by the speed - seems to be less than 1 second on my PB 743 for anything I've tried so far (zoom in or out, switch from portrait to landscape).

[foreverconfused]

As I was searching around a little more. I also came across Kobo Libra Colour. It seems to be only a little more expensive, kaleido plus with better resolution (150 vs 100 PPI). The only downside is that it doesn't have SD card storage, which is fine since I can transfer files as needed. Is there an advantage PB 633 would offer except its SD card storage?