Replace an InkPad3

spf · 03-05-2022, 10:38 AM

Hi,

The screen of my InkPad 3 just broke from inside, it's crazy !

As it is not fixable and because of the price of the parts, I will throw it and have another one.

Is there a model of that size which can display clear images in documents (mostly PDF), as a tablet would do but in B&W ?

The price, performances, size, weight, and handling of the IP3 are great but when I was reading technical documents, all the images and schemas were lacking definition and mostly unusable. Otherwise it was perfect for textbooks.

I don't have crazy requirements, only a sd slot (so internal storage is not a concern) so some models are excluded. And I have nothing against integrated display light :-)

Can you recommend me something ?

Regards

salamanderjuice · 03-05-2022, 11:01 AM

The only eInk devices still offered at that size that have an SD card slot to my knowledge is the InkPad 3 and the Likebook P78. There is no eInk device capable of perfectly handling all greyscales. Banding/dithering has to come into play somewhere as eInk screens are only capable of doing a small number of greys. I'm not sure what kinds of documents you are reading but on my Boox devices besides the banding images in PDFs display clear, at least in my opinion.

You might be better off hunting for a 8" 4:3 Android tablet.

spf · 03-07-2022, 05:53 AM

Thanks for your answer.

As I am working in IT, I am facing LCD screens all day long so I need to reduce the strain on my eyes the rest of the time. Thus a classic tablet is not really what I am looking for, even a top notch one.

I am mostly reading technical papers, scientific publications, ... and some musical theory for my personal interest.

The problem I had with PDF of that kind on the InkPad was all kind of schematics where blurred, just as when you zoom too much on a low-res gif file. Almost unusable !
The text itself was quite ok.

Boox products are impressive but I a

spf · 03-07-2022, 06:02 AM

Thanks for your answer.

As I am working in IT, I am facing LCD screens all day long so I need to reduce the strain on my eyes the rest of the time. Thus a classic tablet is not really what I am looking for, even a top notch one.

I am mostly reading technical papers, scientific publications, ... and some musical theory for my personal interest.

The problem I had with PDF of that kind on the InkPad was all kind of schematics where blurred, just as when you zoom too much on a low-res gif file. Almost unusable !
The text itself was quite ok.

Boox products look impressive but I am always reluctant to put money on Android based devices, because of the lack of support and cumbersomeness most of the time. Do you have a good feeling with yours ?

Or the other option I see all the time is the Libra2. It is very affordable and has very good reviews. Maybe I can live without sdcard slot, 32G capacity is what I use for sdcard.

Regards

salamanderjuice · 03-07-2022, 06:26 AM

There is some cumbersomeness when using 3rd party Android apps because they are typically designed with LCDs in mind so you do have to fiddle a little with the optimization settings to get them working well but once you do they work pretty well IMO. But it's well worth it to have the option to use 3rd party apps as they enable so much more than can be done on other readers. For stock apps it works fine out of the box like you'd expect.

I really like my Boox devices. PDF support is the best I've had on any eReader with the built in NeoReader app, the devices don't feel sluggish like my prior Kobos/Kindles. You can get pen support too if you want to annotate PDFs. It can autocrop margins to make the most of smaller screens and does a good job too. Boox has been updating my devices with new features for the year and a bit I've owned them. I doubt they will update the Android versions but considering most apps I use are still asking for Android 5/6 I'm really not too worried.

I wouldn't get the Libra 2 for PDFs. It's a 7" screen and that 0.8" makes a difference. The CPU is the same trash as what was in my Kobo Aura One and it struggles with them.

spf · 03-07-2022, 09:34 AM

By the ways, what Boox model are we talking about ? :-)

salamanderjuice · 03-07-2022, 09:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by spf

By the ways, what Boox model are we talking about ? :-)

I have a couple. One is a Nova 2 which is also a 7.8" device and is a few years old and a 10.3" Note Air. The software is essentially identical between them except one runs Android 9 and the other 10. Both feel about the same speed wise.

pondscum · 03-09-2022, 11:23 AM

When my Inkpad 3 died (battery issue) I replaced it with a Kobo Forma, which has the same size screen, but no SD slot. I was happy enough with the Inkpad 3 that I would've bought another one, though; it just seemed like the Forma was better-supported here in the US.

03-05-2022, 10:38 AM	#1
spf Junior Member Posts: 4 Karma: 10 Join Date: Mar 2022 Device: none yet	Replace an InkPad3 Hi, The screen of my InkPad 3 just broke from inside, it's crazy ! As it is not fixable and because of the price of the parts, I will throw it and have another one. Is there a model of that size which can display clear images in documents (mostly PDF), as a tablet would do but in B&W ? The price, performances, size, weight, and handling of the IP3 are great but when I was reading technical documents, all the images and schemas were lacking definition and mostly unusable. Otherwise it was perfect for textbooks. I don't have crazy requirements, only a sd slot (so internal storage is not a concern) so some models are excluded. And I have nothing against integrated display light :-) Can you recommend me something ? Regards

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03-05-2022, 11:01 AM	#2
salamanderjuice Guru Posts: 727 Karma: 10215666 Join Date: Jul 2017 Device: Boox Nova 2	The only eInk devices still offered at that size that have an SD card slot to my knowledge is the InkPad 3 and the Likebook P78. There is no eInk device capable of perfectly handling all greyscales. Banding/dithering has to come into play somewhere as eInk screens are only capable of doing a small number of greys. I'm not sure what kinds of documents you are reading but on my Boox devices besides the banding images in PDFs display clear, at least in my opinion. You might be better off hunting for a 8" 4:3 Android tablet.

03-07-2022, 05:53 AM	#3
spf Junior Member Posts: 4 Karma: 10 Join Date: Mar 2022 Device: none yet	Thanks for your answer. As I am working in IT, I am facing LCD screens all day long so I need to reduce the strain on my eyes the rest of the time. Thus a classic tablet is not really what I am looking for, even a top notch one. I am mostly reading technical papers, scientific publications, ... and some musical theory for my personal interest. The problem I had with PDF of that kind on the InkPad was all kind of schematics where blurred, just as when you zoom too much on a low-res gif file. Almost unusable ! The text itself was quite ok. Boox products are impressive but I a

03-07-2022, 06:02 AM	#4
spf Junior Member Posts: 4 Karma: 10 Join Date: Mar 2022 Device: none yet	Thanks for your answer. As I am working in IT, I am facing LCD screens all day long so I need to reduce the strain on my eyes the rest of the time. Thus a classic tablet is not really what I am looking for, even a top notch one. I am mostly reading technical papers, scientific publications, ... and some musical theory for my personal interest. The problem I had with PDF of that kind on the InkPad was all kind of schematics where blurred, just as when you zoom too much on a low-res gif file. Almost unusable ! The text itself was quite ok. Boox products look impressive but I am always reluctant to put money on Android based devices, because of the lack of support and cumbersomeness most of the time. Do you have a good feeling with yours ? Or the other option I see all the time is the Libra2. It is very affordable and has very good reviews. Maybe I can live without sdcard slot, 32G capacity is what I use for sdcard. Regards

03-07-2022, 06:26 AM	#5
salamanderjuice Guru Posts: 727 Karma: 10215666 Join Date: Jul 2017 Device: Boox Nova 2	There is some cumbersomeness when using 3rd party Android apps because they are typically designed with LCDs in mind so you do have to fiddle a little with the optimization settings to get them working well but once you do they work pretty well IMO. But it's well worth it to have the option to use 3rd party apps as they enable so much more than can be done on other readers. For stock apps it works fine out of the box like you'd expect. I really like my Boox devices. PDF support is the best I've had on any eReader with the built in NeoReader app, the devices don't feel sluggish like my prior Kobos/Kindles. You can get pen support too if you want to annotate PDFs. It can autocrop margins to make the most of smaller screens and does a good job too. Boox has been updating my devices with new features for the year and a bit I've owned them. I doubt they will update the Android versions but considering most apps I use are still asking for Android 5/6 I'm really not too worried. I wouldn't get the Libra 2 for PDFs. It's a 7" screen and that 0.8" makes a difference. The CPU is the same trash as what was in my Kobo Aura One and it struggles with them.

03-07-2022, 09:34 AM	#6
spf Junior Member Posts: 4 Karma: 10 Join Date: Mar 2022 Device: none yet	By the ways, what Boox model are we talking about ? :-)

03-09-2022, 11:23 AM	#8
pondscum Enthusiast Posts: 41 Karma: 7556 Join Date: Jan 2019 Device: none	When my Inkpad 3 died (battery issue) I replaced it with a Kobo Forma, which has the same size screen, but no SD slot. I was happy enough with the Inkpad 3 that I would've bought another one, though; it just seemed like the Forma was better-supported here in the US.

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