PocketBook Color PB633 Released

[ps67]

Originally Posted by kyôdai

I found the attached pictures in another forum.
...
The display of the PB Color looks noticable darker. In the last, close-up picture you can see, that the background does not turn completely "white". (Small, grey dots remain.) Maybe this just a software issue?
...

I confirm that small, grey dots remain. I don't think it is a software problem: I fear that it is the Kaleido level for color that causes the issue but I am not so expert to really answer the question.

I need to use it at 50% level of light, of course the lighting preferences are pretty personal.

After all it is a good device but not excellent: the color level is better than anything before and this is the first time that there is a usable color device. It is good with comics, especially for the color, but the 6" screen sometime is not great enough. It is not suitable for books of art or books of photos, not only for the 6" screen but also because 4096 levels of color are not enough for that kind of books.

I have a few non fiction books with colored photos or design, In that cases I appreciate the color but the vast majority of my books don't have them. To see the colored covers is funny but when You read it is not so important. When You read You see the colored headings or sup notes or link.

I don't write a complete review because I should talk about text to speech, send to pocketbook ecc but that features are not peculiar of PB633 Color.

I say only that it is quite small and light. And it is not very fast.

In conclusion: I bought it because I wanted to take away a whim. I'm not sorry I did it but all in all I recommend it only for those who have money to spend and love this type of toys, as it costs almost twice as much as a normal 6" device.

If you like comics it can be an incentive to buy it.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by kyôdai

IThe display of the PB Color looks noticable darker. In the last, close-up picture you can see, that the background does not turn completely "white". (Small, grey dots remain.) Maybe this just a software issue?

The 'small, grey dots' are the colour filter. each 'dot' is a stripe of red, green, blue. It's by making the screen dark behind only some of each set of stripes that the colours are generated.

[sun surfer]

Originally Posted by Antartica

I've added some photos comparing purples and oranges in the pocketbook to plain old paper:

https://whereismybit.com/files/df78c...-066f0f8302ba/

About the color accuracy: the purples are good enough (fuchsias not so much), but oranges are a train wreck as they are almost converted into reds.

Thanks so much! I agree with your assessment from the pics. Personally I wouldn't mind since I think it's good enough and I'd just like to have colour e-ink, but it's good to know how the different colours do display.

[leebase]

I'm glad this device finally came to market. I sure hope they sell enough to fund further versions.

I don't see that happening. I think people want color....for PDF's, comics, school books. I don't think 6" is a good form factor for any of those.

I think people mostly read novels on 6" devices. Other than the book cover, there is no color to look at.

With color LCD tablets at 8" for $50, that have "all the colors", and support video...and not all that much more for larger tablets. I still don't see a big enough niche in the market of "those who want color, who think old-news-print quality 4096 color, no-video, 6 inches" to support the ongoing development. Not if your name isn't Amazon or some other large "makes plenty of money from other things" company.

Buy this one now, if you want such a device. It may not be on offer for very long.

[sun surfer]

Originally Posted by leebase

Buy this one now, if you want such a device. It may not be on offer for very long.

That's the safe thing to do, but I could see it going either way in the future. Now that the tech is there regardless how primitive and in a somewhat reasonable price frame, the hardest part (that took a decade) is over. I think it's inevitable Kindle will try a colour device now, but I'm not sure if it will be soon or until the tech improves even more.

If Onyx didn't have a sold-out version at the moment that I think I'd slightly prefer, I probably would've already bought the Pocketbook Colour. I really want a colour e-ink device. There's a small chance my enthusiasm could wane before I order, but I've been wanting this for years and this was the main ereader improvement I've been hoping for so I don't think. Right now for me, it's a question of if more pieces of the Onyx Boox Colour become available before I decide I don't want to wait anymore and order the Pocketbook instead. Or, if reviews of the Onyx come in that are too negative then that could sway me the other way as well since so far those with the Pocketbook seem happy enough.

[DuckieTigger]

Originally Posted by sun surfer

I think it's inevitable Kindle will try a colour device now, but I'm not sure if it will be soon or until the tech improves even more.

Yeah, maybe now they will be forced to increase resolution by putting a 400dpi, 500dpi, or 600dpi control layer behind eink. Maybe not 600dpi, but eink screens are capable of easily doing 500dpi without modification. Being able to print the color filter at a higher resolution might be an issue, though.

[leebase]

Originally Posted by DuckieTigger

Yeah, maybe now they will be forced to increase resolution by putting a 400dpi, 500dpi, or 600dpi control layer behind eink. Maybe not 600dpi, but eink screens are capable of easily doing 500dpi without modification. Being able to print the color filter at a higher resolution might be an issue, though.

I don't see Amazon coming out with a color LCD at this time. They already have Kindle Fire Tablets for their Comics.....and their Kindle books aren't color (except for the book cover). Amazon devices are all about selling amazon content.

Of course, I could be wrong. We will see. I think if Amazon were going to go this route, they would have bought up the early supply of screens.

[DuckieTigger]

Originally Posted by leebase

I don't see Amazon coming out with a color LCD at this time. They already have Kindle Fire Tablets for their Comics.....and their Kindle books aren't color (except for the book cover). Amazon devices are all about selling amazon content.

Of course, I could be wrong. We will see. I think if Amazon were going to go this route, they would have bought up the early supply of screens.

Not in a 6" device with low resolution in color. You have to think bigger. There is a whole education sector that is still exploitable. If Amazon can pull off a large screen high resolution color device (e.g a new DX with a 400dpi (*) Kaleido screen and flexible substrate). Right now with Covid-19 still a crisis, homeschooling on the rise, perfect time to try again.

(*) not sure how well Kaleido scales, but going from 300dpi to 400dpi might make the critical difference of no longer being able to see the color pattern with the naked eye.

[ilweran]

I imagine Amazon will watch how the Pocketbook Color and other color eink devices do to judge demand.

They do sell Kindle books with illustrations that are in color if you read them on a color device.

Maybe in a few years, if they judge the demand is there, they will release a premium (future Oasis, or it's successor perhaps?) color eink device.

[murraypaul]

Originally Posted by DuckieTigger

Not in a 6" device with low resolution in color. You have to think bigger. There is a whole education sector that is still exploitable. If Amazon can pull off a large screen high resolution color device

But large screen high resolution color devices already exist, and have for years, they are called tablets. Which the education sector already buy.
The question is what is the market for people who want that but insist on an eInk screen instead.

[DuckieTigger]

Originally Posted by murraypaul

But large screen high resolution color devices already exist, and have for years, they are called tablets. Which the education sector already buy.
The question is what is the market for people who want that but insist on an eInk screen instead.

Then please kick them tablet makers into gear to make reflective color lcd that can optionally be frontlit.

The way it is headed, we will see sunlight readable tablets before color electronic paper evolves enough.

[Quoth]

My Nokia E65 had a rear lit LCD that worked reflective in sunlight. That's maybe 12 years ago.

[leebase]

Originally Posted by DuckieTigger

Not in a 6" device with low resolution in color. You have to think bigger. There is a whole education sector that is still exploitable. If Amazon can pull off a large screen high resolution color device (e.g a new DX with a 400dpi (*) Kaleido screen and flexible substrate). Right now with Covid-19 still a crisis, homeschooling on the rise, perfect time to try again.

No it's not. There simply isn't a huge population of people that must have eInk. Color tablets are suitable for the vast majority of people. And, schools have settled on Chromebooks rather than tablets.

There is a whole industry including the publishers of text books that would need to be brought into alignment and participation.

I don't see it happening....and if it does happen....it will come on tablets.

[maddz]

How well are PDFs handled? I have a load of RPG PDFs, and while the majority are black on white text, some of the wackier ones are, say sepia on off-white and don’t look good in greyscale.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by mdp

I always supposed so on the basis of "little gain to have a revolution", but I have managed not to have a single device with the "C". So, happily, no experience. Would you care to substantiate with a little info about what makes it a "disaster"? To be sure there are no further sinister details I may have missed.

There are a lot of USB-C cables out there that do not follow the spec and some have been known to cause damage. Just look up Benson Leung and Nathan K.