Pocketbook Verse Questions

[Richwood]

I am considering obtaining a Pocketbook Verse reader via Amazon USA and have questions.

How does it compare with a current Kindle Basic as far as response speed is concerned?

I have 6" readers from Sony, Kindle, Kobo and Nook, accumulated over the years, and am attracted to the Verse by it's expandable memory and wide claimed files compatibility. Concerned though about it's support in the USA as the manual I downloaded does not list any USA support phone number. Not even a GB or Ireland number listed. Is there any USA or English language support at all?

The buttons along the bottom remind me of the Sony readers as I have all PRS T models including the T3. Any UI similarities?

Comments on reliability and warranty support, particularly in the USA?

[neil_swann80]

I didn't think the Verse has expandable (micro SD) storage, only the 16GB onboard storage. This tends to be the case with the IPX8 rated Pocketbooks.

EDIT: Apparently the Verse does have expandable storage. The Pro and lite versions do not however.

The devices do have extensive file type support:
CSM, AZW, AZW3, CBR, CBZ, CHM, DJVU, DOC, DOCX, EPUB (DRM), EPUB, FB2, FB2.ZIP, HTM, HTML, MOBI, PDF (DRM), PDF, PRC, RTF, TXT

The pro version has bluetooth and supports audiobook formats:
M4A, M4B, OGG, OGG.ZIP, MP3, MP3.ZIP

The built-in reader app supports text-to-speech.

I prefer to use Koreader for ebooks on my Pockertbook. The integration is seamless, you can still use the Pockebook Library app to view your collection and have it launch books directly into Koreader rather than their own app should you wish.

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by Richwood

How does it compare with a current Kindle Basic as far as response speed is concerned?

I think response time would be a bit sluggish compared to the Kindle. Also the Verse has a 212 dpi screen. (The Verse Pro has a 300 dpi screen.) Start time from completely off to on is about 3 to 4 seconds, though — this saves battery charge as it regularly turns off when not in use for a certain amount of time.

I primarily use a PocketBook Touch HD (basically a Verse Pro) because I like the battery life, screen, and the fact that it has ADE (or something like it) built in. So I can buy or borrow books directly by downloading the ACSM file via its built in browser, or by moving the ACSM file from my computer or smartphone.

I also like its advanced ePub "engine" and page turn buttons. (You can also turn off the touch screen, which I do sometimes.)

The built-in English dictionary isn't too impressive, so I use a Websters Unabridged dictionary I found, which works well. (You used to be able to buy the same Oxford dictionary that comes with the Kobo and Kindle, but I can't find a PocketBook version any more).

[Readirect]

IMO, if you're looking for a B&W ereader (regardless of price) choose the Basic Verse: I've been reading exclusively with ereaders now for the last 15 years or so and, despite most of those being high-end devices from Kindle & Kobo -- Forma & Oasis before I tried the BV -- the Basic Verse is my all-time favorite.

It's small & light enough to go anywhere, I can read for hours without fatigue & the UI is superb: It's bug-free (lookin' at you, Kobo & Kindle) & it offers a unique 9 tap zones on the screen, capable of assigning any operation (like setting a page-forward tap accessible with my left hand.)

It also easily deals with my large side-loaded library without complaining; unlike -- again -- Kobo & Kindle: Kindle is just a disaster with side-loaded books & my last Kobo bricked itself when I imported my library from Calibre. The Verse? No problems. Probably its best feature, though, is support for a 128GB sd-card so the space concern I had with 32GB-restrictions is gone.

The final benefit to me is how it handles PDF's; offering a lot of features only available with KoReader on other devices (like text-reflow, page-cropping, and various other viewing options. In fact, though it supports KoReader (with the easiest install of it on any device I've used) KoReader doesn't really offer any advantages over the native PB reader.

It doesn't have the greatest specs, on paper, but the 212 dpi display is completely fine & it's only occasionally slow on some infrequent operations: pages turn quickly and most books (under about 20MB) load immediately.

[DJUNGELSKOG]

Originally Posted by Richwood

I am considering obtaining a Pocketbook Verse reader via Amazon USA and have questions.

How does it compare with a current Kindle Basic as far as response speed is concerned?

I have 6" readers from Sony, Kindle, Kobo and Nook, accumulated over the years, and am attracted to the Verse by it's expandable memory and wide claimed files compatibility. Concerned though about it's support in the USA as the manual I downloaded does not list any USA support phone number. Not even a GB or Ireland number listed. Is there any USA or English language support at all?

The buttons along the bottom remind me of the Sony readers as I have all PRS T models including the T3. Any UI similarities?

Comments on reliability and warranty support, particularly in the USA?

Pocketbook built-in software is not known for it’s speed The built-in reading app is rather sluggish and it also lacks some of the basic customization options. You can’t make the font thinner or thicker and you can’t modify the text alignment (so you can’t justify it if that’s what you’re into). The sluggishness also makes the annotation feature unusable. I hate the built-in reading app with passion.

It does integrate beautifully with Koreader though (which is blazing fast) so I recommend installing Koreader unless you are going to read Adobe DRM infested books on it (like I do lol - that’s how our public library works).