Kobo announces color e-readers • Hacker News Board

Re: Kobo announces color e-readers

#91

Post by mariusor » Wed, Apr 10, 2024, 6:43 PM UTC

tiltowait wrote: post #14

I've wanted a color Kobo for years, but I'm a bit disappointed. The main benefit of a color eReader is for (some) PDFs, comics, etc., all of which benefit hugely from a larger screen than the Libra's 7" display. I hoped Kobo's first color reader would be at least 8", and preferably 10.3". Carrying all my RPG PDFs on a color eInk display would be super cool, as I find reading on such a device much easier on my eyes th…

Their 10' model is already over 350EUR in price, adding a colour screen to it, it would make it too expensive to have mass appeal. I suspect the next models, which will probably be a Sage 2 and an Elipsa 3 will be what you want, after they whet the appetite of regular readers. Hopefully they'll have a next iteration of the colour screens also. :D

Re: Kobo announces color e-readers

#92

Post by quicksnap » Wed, Apr 10, 2024, 6:43 PM UTC

tsunamifury wrote: post #88

This is like optimizing a horse and carriage for modern era. The price is nearly that of an iPad mini with vastly fewer applications.

Here's a current-day horse carriage that costs as much as a cheap engine vehicle: https://www.carolinacarriagesuperstore.com/product-page/bran...

Same price, fewer applications.

Re: Kobo announces color e-readers

#93

Post by rvz » Wed, Apr 10, 2024, 6:44 PM UTC

EGreg wrote: post #61

So what? I went on Amazon and I see tons of color e-readers already

[flagged]

Re: Kobo announces color e-readers

#94

Post by gorky1 » Wed, Apr 10, 2024, 6:45 PM UTC

dustincoates wrote: post #25

I have very little to add about the color aspect, but I can say that I love my Kobo. I've had three Kindles before buying the Kobo, which I got because it has a "better" integration with my local library (better in quotes, because I still have to do with the Adobe DRM, which is so bad on Linux that I borrow my wife's computer just to transfer). The Pocket integration is fantastic, as are the physical page turn button…

There's an open source Adobe ADEPT DRM implementation that works well on Linux:

https://forge.soutade.fr/soutade/libgourou

Re: Kobo announces color e-readers

#95

Post by system2 » Wed, Apr 10, 2024, 6:48 PM UTC

I had major overchoice anxiety on their website. Why do they need to create 20 e-readers looking nearly identical? And why are color ones cheaper than the black and white ones?

https://us.kobobooks.com/collections/ereaders

Re: Kobo announces color e-readers

#96

Post by paulcole » Wed, Apr 10, 2024, 6:49 PM UTC

I've bought the Remarkable 2 and probably 10 Kindles over the past decade.

I have never once been like, "You know what this eink device needs? Color!"

I get that it might be a draw for some people but this just isn't appealing to me and I can't see the mass market use case for color besides color being neat.

Re: Kobo announces color e-readers

#97

Post by slim » Wed, Apr 10, 2024, 6:50 PM UTC

grep_name wrote: post #78

teroshan wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Have been using various Kobo's for years with KOReader now, it's basically as simple as copying files on the device to install it. There is no need to jailbreak it; it's an open device. Also, I haven't heard any mention of covert update to worry about. So yes, I would absolutely recommend a Kobo for your use case. A few months ago, I attempted to do install KOReader on a kindle, and the experience is definitely not f…

> it's an open device I actually also own a kobo and have been running KOReader on it for a couple years now, but my memory is that when I first got it I booted it up and it requested to be connected to the internet, then wouldn't allow me to progress without logging in through a 3rd party (there were many offered, walmart.com was the first option listed). I remember having to do something weird to bypass that (remov…

you had to connect it as a usb drive to insert a row for a fake user in it's sqlite database

Re: Kobo announces color e-readers

#98

Post by kstrauser » Wed, Apr 10, 2024, 6:51 PM UTC

fuzztester wrote: post #83

kstrauser wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have a Libra 2 for personal reading and an Elipsa 2E for journals. A couple of minor nits like you mentioned aside, I love them. They can read almost any format I throw at them, I can fetch books directly from my library, and if I add an article to Pocket on my laptop then it shows up on my Kobo next time I pick it up. I also read way more now that I've gotten the Libra, largely because it's so light and ergonomic…

Wow, interesting. Which Kobo model would you recommend for both reading and creating notes that can be saved as text? I am considering getting one for my software development work, so that I can read on the go, while sitting, or in bed, and also jot down short and medium length notes about my project ideas, during my daily walk (in the rest break). Walking helps me to think better. A laptop is too heavy to carry arou…

Disclaimer: Not a Kobo employee; don't have deep knowledge of their product line; just own and happily use a couple.

The Elipsa 2E is very nice for large format reading and note taking. I bought it recently and compared it to other options from Boox and reMarkable. I ended up with it because I already had and enjoyed my Libra 2, and "like the Libra 2 but bigger and with a stylus" was appealing.

That said, if I wanted something for your use case, I'd probably start with the Sage. The short version is it's a Libra 2 with a stylus, and that seems like it'd be a good combo.

Somewhat related, I tried some non-electronic options for such things before, like a Rocketbook. Clever idea but I didn't like the implementation at all. Its OCR couldn't deal with my handwriting at all. I now have 2 distinctly separate note taking systems:

- My Elipsa 2E for writing down meeting notes (while avoiding the distractions of an iPad or laptop, which is important for me personally but other people might not care about at all).

- A paper journal (Traveler's Notebook) I take everywhere and use for my personal thoughts.

- I lied. Number 3: "hey Siri, remind me ..." for capturing ideas while I'm out and about, and then I follow up with them when I get home. That works so well with AirPods, too. If I have an idea while I'm out jogging, I can ask Siri to remind me about it without breaking stride. First time I did that it felt like Star Trek.

Re: Kobo announces color e-readers

#99

Post by malfist » Wed, Apr 10, 2024, 6:59 PM UTC

teroshan wrote: post #4

Know that while useful in some scenarios, I'd avoid buying a color e-ink display if you're still going to primarily be using it for B&W colors. To quote the eBook Reader Blog [1]: > The main drawback with color E Ink screens is they look darker than regular B&W screens because of a color filter layer that is applied over the top of the screen, which makes the contrast appear lower. Kaleido color screens are really ju…

How can an article about the contrast issues and resolution of different e-readers not include any photos other than a single promo photo from a manufacturer of one device showing only one device?

"has lower contrast" means absolutely nothing without being able to quantify it.

Re: Kobo announces color e-readers

#100

Post by globular-toast » Wed, Apr 10, 2024, 7:04 PM UTC

dustincoates wrote: post #25

I have very little to add about the color aspect, but I can say that I love my Kobo. I've had three Kindles before buying the Kobo, which I got because it has a "better" integration with my local library (better in quotes, because I still have to do with the Adobe DRM, which is so bad on Linux that I borrow my wife's computer just to transfer). The Pocket integration is fantastic, as are the physical page turn button…

I have koreader on my Clara HD. Unfortunately it doesn't work well on Clara 2e and perhaps later devices too. Means I have to stick with Clara HD for now (which is fine). Hopefully there will be something available if/when I need to replace it.