Pocketbook Inkpad Color 3

[kyôdai]

Yesterday PocketBook announced yet another new color E-Reader.

The Inkpad Color 3 boast E-Inks newest "Kalaido 3" color display, with a 50% improved (color) resolution. You can find the press release here:

-> Press Release: https://pocketbook.ch/en-ch/news/poc...olor-3-news-ch
-> Product Page: https://pocketbook.ch/en-ch/catalog/...pad-color-3-ch

Apart from the new screen the device appears to be absolutely identical to its predecessor, the Inkpad Color 2, which was released only a couple of month ago, in June 2023.

A representative for the company commented on the situation in another forum. According to him, the Inkpad Color 2 sold much better then expected, but unfortunately they could not continue its production, because E-Ink was not able to deliver more of the Kalaido Plus displays.

Instead they had to opt for the new Kalaido 3 color displays as an alternative. So in order to avoid confusion they renamed the device.

The Inkpad Color 3 can be ordered for €319 and is set to ship within 3 weeks.

[rcentros]

Ironically the InkPad Color 2 has just replaced the Era as the featured reader when you go to PocketBook's English website. I think the Era was in that position for about a year, despite several newer device releases.

[tomsem]

Nice. The InkPad Color 2 was already front runner for my first 8", first color e-Ink device. But it lacked Kaleido 3.

[kyôdai]

I guess, it is a matter of perspective.

Yeah, it is a nice spec bumb at no additional cost for potential buyers.

But also a bit of a bummer for everyone who already bought an Inkpad Color 2, not expecting there to be a significant better model just 4 month later.

[andyh2000]

As always, it looks nice in the marketing photos but they've probably got 1000W spotlights shining on the screen. I'll be interested to see real world reviews from people who live in grey, cloudy countries with one 60W lightbulb in their lounge.

Andrew

[ottischwenk]

Originally Posted by andyh2000

As always, it looks nice in the marketing photos but they've probably got 1000W spotlights shining on the screen. I'll be interested to see real world reviews from people who live in grey, cloudy countries with one 60W lightbulb in their lounge.

I can't imagine that the device doesn't have a built-in front light and if the screen is too dark, you just have to switch it on

[rkomar]

Originally Posted by kyôdai

I guess, it is a matter of perspective.

Yeah, it is a nice spec bumb at no additional cost for potential buyers.

But also a bit of a bummer for everyone who already bought an Inkpad Color 2, not expecting there to be a significant better model just 4 month later.

Apparently, the Color 2 model was very popular and sold out, but PocketBook cannot get anymore of the displays from E-Ink to produce more. They had to move to the newer technology. Maybe the Color 3 model will be out of date in six months, as well?

[cellaris]

I think people who bought the InkPad Color 2 knew they were buying a device with colour technology that was already outdated. It was their decision to buy that device. Shifting the responsibility to PocketBook for your own decisions is perhaps excessive (and I'm not at all convinced by PocketBook's explanation).

[Quoth]

I suspect that they got a deal on old stock of Kaleido plus and convinced themselves it was OK, or there was a huge delay between design and getting to market.

The Kaleido 3 seems to be the "best" compromise color eink. The Gallery panels (Advanced Color ePaper = ACeP) are not traditional eink at all, and while brighter and hugely better colour they are only suited for price labels, digital advertising and other largely static poster applications, maybe in bright ambient light without front-light.

I wonder did the InkPad Color 2 sell out simply because the panels were all used up?

Anyway, while I'm sceptical about color ink to read novels, it might suit some for color graphic novels/comics. Will various Android library apps like Libby, BorrowBox, KU borrows (or Kindle for Comixology) and Solar work on it?

Edit:
Kaleido 3 was only released earlier this year, according to Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E_Ink#...odels_of_E_Ink

[dmalinovsky]

Originally Posted by Quoth

Will various Android library apps like Libby, BorrowBox, KU borrows (or Kindle for Comixology) and Solar work on it?

They won't work on Pocketbook, but there are other Android based ereaders with Kaleido 3 screen, e.g., Onyx.

[Musicman]

I picked up the Onyx Tab Mini C, and the Libby, Kindle, and Barnes & Nobles app all run with no problem. I find reading novels on the device no different than my other e-ink devices. You can adjust the brightness and color temperature to your likeness.

[ChrisHistorian76]

I have never owned a color e-reader, nor have I even seen one in person.

Based on the reviews I've read of color e-readers released in the past year or so, the technology has improved for reading but it's still at the "you can watch a movie or surf the web on this device, but you wouldn't enjoy it" stage of development.

Since I don't read graphic novels or anything else that requires color, my interest in color e-ink is primarily focused on the, perhaps never ending, quest for a single "do it all" device.

How far do you all think we are from a color e-ink tablet that's advanced enough to make watching a movie a pretty good experience? Is it even a reasonable expectation (at a price point that's not thousands of dollars)?

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by ChrisHistorian76

How far do you all think we are from a color e-ink tablet that's advanced enough to make watching a movie a pretty good experience? Is it even a reasonable expectation (at a price point that's not thousands of dollars)?

No closer than mirasol, announced maybe 2008. Two Chinese booksellers used the same ereader with the panel. It's dead. A bistable mems device like Mirasol (but colour was poor) is best chance for video.

Basically a mechanical display (other than mem based) that maintains state with no power (all kinds of colour eink are) is going to be slow.

One kind of colour eink is simply the mono panel with a colour filter. You inherently lose mono resolution and brightness and contrast. Due to the 14 shades, white and black, there are less than 4096 shades/colours. Various Triton and Kaleido models. Colour is either 1/3 by 1 of mono panel or 1/2 by 1/2 resolution of mono panel.

There are also eink with white/ black /red for price labels. They seem to be quite low resolution. Now in Lidl, Aldi and Centra here.

The "Gallery Advanced Colour Electronic Paper" does use Cyan, Yellow and Magenta in each cell so has more colours and is brighter, but is even slower. About 1.5 seconds for full refresh. Signage, though one optimistic outfit is trying to make an ereader (nicer comics & graphic novels and picture books if the screen was 11" to 14").

We'll see less stressful to watch LCD, OLED and QLED (really LCD with quantum dots for red and green) sooner. My LG 23" 4K LCD is no more tiring than eink, and better even for mono. Then the only advantage of eink will be low power consumption when reading text. The colour eink has much higher consumption in practise than mono due to more often page turns with comics (those eat power) and much higher frontlight consumption. I don't actually use my front light much.

So colour eink is a niche now, and IMO likely to remain so.

[andyh2000]

Originally Posted by Quoth

...
The "Gallery Advanced Colour Electronic Paper" does use Cyan, Yellow and Magenta in each cell so has more colours and is brighter, but is even slower. About 1.5 seconds for full refresh. Signage, though one optimistic outfit is trying to make an ereader (nicer comics & graphic novels and picture books if the screen was 11" to 14").
...

That's what I'm still waiting for, at 13" diagonal or thereabouts. I've got a huge pile of digital comics and magazines (MagPi anyone?) but really don't like reading them on an LCD.

Andrew

[tomsem]

Now available for order on Amazon.com (in PocketBook Store) for $329. "Temporarily out of stock."