PocketBook Era Lite — 7" B/W on Amazon, $200

[rcentros]

If this has already been posted, my apologies, I haven't been able to find anything about this new PocketBook reader on MobileRead.

Amazon is now taking pre-orders for these and they're supposed to arrive between July 5th and 8th. This new BW Era has a warm screen, uses the Carta 1300 screen and doesn't have the glass front that dimmed the PocketBook Era. (It has the simpler recessed screen.) It also doesn't have speakers and is only "splash proof," so it is lighter. It has a built-in Libby app for borrowing Overdrive books. It has 1 GB of RAM and 16 GBs of storage.

PocketBook Era Lite on Amazon — $200.

It's probably about as close as your going to get to a Libra 3, at least for now. I may pick one of these up. I don't know yet. If I do I'll write a review here.

[Geese1]

I've had a preorder in on this since Amazon first started taking orders (back on June 7th). I was initially told delivery would be anywhere from July 1st to August 7th, so the fact that they're now saying July 5th through the 8th means I'll hopefully get it sooner rather than later.

The specs on this make it just about perfect for what I want out of an e-reader. I've never had anything from PocketBook though, so I'm hoping both the hardware and software are as good as they appear to be.

[ZodWallop]

How is the software on Pocketbook as compared to Kobo's Nickle? Can you manage collections and series for sideloaded books?

I won't be picking up an Era Lite as my experience with a Libra H2O showed me that a larger than 6" screen just really isn't for me. But the Era Lite does seem like a nice device at a decent price.

[Sirtel]

AFAIK you can manage collections and series with calibre. No idea how reliably, though.

But it's said to be slow, and the default software has no font weight adjustment, which is a dealbreaker for me. So I'm not buying this unless my current Kobos give up the ghost without anything new from Kobo. I might change my mind at that point.

[svenlind]

Well I am very tempted.
I have the Kobo Libra and also the Kobo BW with Carta 1300 screen. I prefer the Libra because of size and pageshift buttons.
But the Kobo BW screen is better than the Libra.
So the Era Lite seems to be the right choice.

Adjust of font weight is also very important to me. So I asked Rufus on Amazon DE this question:

Is it possible to adjust the weight of the fonts?
And I got this AI answer:

Yes, the PocketBook Era Lite offers extensive font customisation options including font weight adjustment:

Font Weight Options:

Multiple font weight settings from light to bold
Adjustable font darkness to improve readability
Custom font styles can be installed for different weights and appearances
Additional Text Customisation:

Font size adjustment with multiple sizing options
Line spacing control for comfortable reading
Margin settings to optimise text layout
Text alignment options (left, centre, justified)
The Era Lite's open system allows you to install custom fonts beyond the pre-installed options. You can add fonts with different weights (light, regular, medium, bold, extra bold) by copying font files to the device via USB-C connection.

One reviewer specifically mentions the display quality is "much clearer and not blurry/smudged at all", which suggests the font rendering handles different weights well.

[Martinoptic]

Bit expensive for me at around £270 on Amazon uk.

[Sirtel]

The AI was wrong. It's not possible to adjust font weight with the stock firmware on Pocketbooks.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Martinoptic

Bit expensive for me at around £270 on Amazon uk.

You can get the Era Lite for £175 at https://www.thomann.co.uk/pocketbook_era_lite.htm

[Martinoptic]

Good find. Thanks.

[Yapyap]

I wonder if the AI answer relied on someone using Koreader on the Era Lite.

I’d be very tempted by this (especially as I could send my old 2012 Kindle Paperwhite in as a trade-in on the PocketBook German site - they specifically mention that they accept all old e-readers regardless of brand, and from all of the EU countries they ship to, for a 20% discount on the new device), but two things are holding me back .. well, three: I’ve seen more than one person mention coil whine on the Era Lite (some say it’s not present on theirs but coil whine is also something some people are more sensitive to than others); after a full factory reset, my old Kindle Oasis battery is working better again than pre-reset and holds a charge well enough for at least two regular-sized novels; and when returning to the Oasis for one book, after 1.5 months of reading exclusively on the Go 10.3, I think I would really very much like an 8’’ device, not 7’’, as the Oasis screen felt really hard to adjust to again - almost impossibly small.

If PocketBook came out with an Era-shaped new device with a 7.8-8’’ Carta 1300 screen (as opposed to the Inkpad shape) … I’d get it. (Come on, PocketBook and Kobo! The inkBook Focus Plus claims it has a Carta 1300 screen so a 7.8’’ Carta 1300 screen appears to exist…)

[svenlind]

Originally Posted by Sirtel

The AI was wrong. It's not possible to adjust font weight with the stock firmware on Pocketbooks.

You are right you will have to install KoReader to obtain Weight control.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by svenlind

You are right you will have to install KoReader to obtain Weight control.

Or use a font editor to adjust the weight.

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Or use a font editor to adjust the weight.

It's difficult to get it right with a font editor. On the device you can select various degrees of weight, but with a font editor you have to edit, load the font on your ereader, find out you don't like the weight, delete the font, rinse and repeat. I tried this once. Not again. I was just never satisfied with the result.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Sirtel

It's difficult to get it right with a font editor. On the device you can select various degrees of weight, but with a font editor you have to edit, load the font on your ereader, find out you don't like the weight, delete the font, rinse and repeat. I tried this once. Not again. I was just never satisfied with the result.

I've done it and it didn't take too long to get it right.

I'm thinking of giving it a go with ChareInk7SP to see if I can get the extra weight good enough on my Libra 2 using a font editor.

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

I've done it and it didn't take too long to get it right.

Obviously you're less fussy than I am.