Tool Reviews

The appearance on the market of a new color pocketbook with characteristics that have shaken readers from readers was made possible thanks to the development of the E-Ink Kaleido screen by the company of the same name. The company PocketBook International not only bought new displays for its readers, but also spent months of hard work on developing software that allows you to squeeze out the highest quality picture from them.

As a result, it was possible to create a product that is significantly superior to a 6-inch color reader in terms of image clarity. Read the PocketBook 740 Color review, what else is a good innovative reader.

Six-inch humble: Pocketbook 632 Touch HD 3: review and 9 useful applications

The E-Ink Kaleido display is the main feature

Reader manufacturers position their products as safe to read. Indeed, in this regard, readers are an order of magnitude cooler than tablets. They do not flicker, the illumination does not hit the eyes. However, making a paper-like screen capable of displaying colors is not an easy task. An important step in this direction was the appearance in 2020 of Kaleido displays with 16 shades of gray and 4,000 colors. The characteristics are impressive, but Kaleido’s debut cannot be called 100% successful, as the image quality of monochrome texts began to decline.

In 2021, Kaleido New screens appeared. PocketBook and Onyx companies began to put them on their devices. The E-Ink company did not follow the path of increasing the color gamut, which is quite logical considering the features of paper-based image display technologies. Emphasis was placed on improving image quality:

• the company worked on an array of color light filters;
• colors became brighter;
• increased image rendering speed;
• the structure of the illumination has changed, it has become more comfortable to read in poor lighting conditions.

All these goodies are implemented in the PocketBook 740 reader with a color E Ink screen. The E-Ink company is counting on the commercial success of other readers with Kaleido displays. He predicts that manufacturers of devices with paper-like displays, intended for students and people whose work requires the presence of compact devices that display not only texts, but also graphics, will be interested in the technology.

Kaleido New has two drawbacks: relatively dull colors and a slightly grayish background. Pastel tones are a consequence of paper-like technologies, you should not expect the brightness of an iPad from a reader. Readers were invented for the most comfortable reading, not for games and entertainment. The presence of color is a nice bonus that will come in handy when viewing comics, studying diagrams, schemes and other non-monochrome content. With the new screen, the pocketbook began to arouse interest among children. As for the grayish background in low light, the issue is solved by turning on a delicate backlight. Fortunately, the manufacturer did not skimp on the high-capacity battery.

Super budget laptop with backlight: PocketBook 616 review: 5 features of the most affordable model with backlight

Functions and management

The pocketbook has a combined control: the touch screen did not cause rejection of the buttons lined up in a row under the display. With their help, you can turn pages, open a context menu. The user enters the settings after a light touch on the “tick” on the start screen. They have icons responsible for Bluetooth and Wi-Fi communication, synchronization, current tasks. There is also control of illumination and brightness. However, to turn off / turn on the backlight, it is not necessary to go to the settings – you can use the “Menu” button.

The hero of the review has exclusively white lighting. In monochrome models, you can adjust the color temperature by setting a yellow or orange background. It is believed that warm lighting calms the nervous system, it is better to fall asleep under it. The absence of this insignificant option in the 740th reader is quite logical, since the overlay of two technologies – color reflection and colored backlighting – would lead to a deterioration of the picture quality.

The following functions are implemented in the reader:

1. Text scaling.
2. Translation of foreign words.
3. Saving web pages in the form of books for further reading without an Internet connection.
4. Voiceover of the text. If necessary, the reader will translate the text into audio. Of course, you can’t count on perfect opportunities to improve quality. Machine translation after all. However, you can adjust the playback speed, choose the gender of the reader. The option can come in handy if you don’t want to tear yourself away from the book when your hands are busy, for example, driving.
5. For users who often listen to audiobooks, there is a suitable player. The sound quality with this approach is high.
6. Support for the pocketbook cloud and Dropbox with the possibility of synchronization. If you have the PocketBook application on your smartphone, you can read the book on two devices. For example, enjoy reading in a reader at home, in a smartphone on the way to work. Synchronization makes it possible to remember the page on which you finished reading. The pocket book application can be installed on any device running on Android or iOS.
7. The presence of the G-sensor allows the pocketbook to change the orientation of the text from portrait to landscape and vice versa.
8. You can make bookmarks and notes while reading. There is a choice of font size, line spacing, and field width. The translation of words is adjusted.

To implement audio capabilities, the pocketbook must be connected to speakers or headphones, it does not have its own speakers. This design is 100% justified, since the main purpose of the reader is reading.

Battle of the giants: Which is better: iPhone or Samsung – which of the 2 smartphones to choose?

PocketBook 740 Color: appearance and dimensions

The case of the pocket book is made in silver color, the screen is framed by a black frame. The reader is a solid brand. Durable matte plastic is non-greasy, scratch-resistant. The assembly is monolithic.

In terms of size and design, the color modification has practically not undergone any changes. The manufacturer pushed all the innovations into the format typical of other 740 models. Dimensions: 195x137x8 mm. The color pocketbook weighed 10 g compared to the PRO model and 15 g compared to the budget 740. The weight of the reader with E-Ink Kaleido is 225 g. The color reader added a little weight due to a more powerful battery, but this affected the ease of use.

Interesting article: What is the difference between AirPods 1 and AirPods 2: 8 arguments for the question “should I upgrade?”

Software

The operating system of the pocketbook is Linux. The system is nimble and undemanding to iron, a gigabyte of RAM is enough for it. The user does not have to wait a few seconds for the book to open, even if its size is 200 MB. Pages turn instantly. Another advantage of Linux is economical use of battery power.

The following programs work under the Linux OS:

• A library is a file manager that stores books. They can be sorted in different ways. The size of the covers is adjusted.
• Books by email.
• Browser.
• Calculator.
• On-screen keyboard.
• Scribble is a drawing program using colored lines.
• Coloring is another relevant application for a color pocketbook. A proven way to calm your nerves, kill time at boring events.
• The “Notes” application also uses the capabilities of the screen. It is convenient to highlight text fragments with colors.
• Music player.
• Audio books. You can adjust the sound pitch and the corresponding playback speed.
• Sudoku, Kosinka, chess.
• Calendar clock.
• RSS reader.

To make reading more fun, you can share your plans and achievements with friends through ReadReate. Pocketbook will send a message to the social network that you are going to read the book, are reading it or have already read it. There is an opportunity to share a quote, rate what you have read, and recommend your favorite work to your friends. For lovers of all things licensed, the functionality of the book store has been implemented.

We download music from YouTube: How to download music from YouTube: 12 good services for PC and smartphones

Battery and performance

Bright lighting helps to see juicy, saturated colors. Accordingly, a color pocketbook must have a powerful battery, otherwise autonomy will suffer from innovation. The manufacturer took this moment into account and chose a battery with a capacity of 1000 mAh more than the monochrome 740s. The 2900 mAh battery provides autonomy for a month with the backlight on. Without it, the reader will last 3 months without an outlet (up to 25,000 pages). If the battery drains much faster, check the automatic shutdown function in the settings. To do this, you need to go to the Date / time section.

The manufacturer suggests using a Type-C cable to charge the battery. The adapter is not included in the package. The manufacturer recommends charging the pocket book from a computer or buying a charger. If you turn on the included reader to the PC, a menu with 2 items will be displayed on the E-Ink Kaleido: charging, data transfer. The charging of the pocket book is accompanied by the glow of the indicator. Also included in the delivery set is a Type-C adapter to a 3.5 mm audio output for connecting headphones and speakers.

Reader performance is exceptional. It is provided by a harmonious combination of a 2-core chip, a gigabyte of RAM and a fast Linux OS.

We transfer photos to another smartphone: How to transfer data to a new phone: 5 ways to “recover”

Memory PocketBook 740 Color

The reader can record 16 GB of content. If you fill the device exclusively with text books, it will be problematic to go beyond this volume. 15,000 works in FB2 format can fit. Audiobooks, whose weight is measured in hundreds of megabytes, are another matter. Of course, you can fill the memory with them quite quickly. However, for this case there is a lifesaver — a MicroSD slot for cards up to 32 GB.

MicroSD cards are inexpensive, and 16 and 32 GB drives are not much different in price. If the average size of books is considered equal to 1 MB, then in the first case, 16,000 works will fit on the card, in the second – 32,000. This calculation is valid for files in EPUB, MOBI, FB2 format. If you save literary masterpieces, documents, comics or instructions in PDF or DJVU format, such books will fit 5-10 times less. But even 3000 pdf files is a solid library.

When choosing a memory card for a reader, you should pay attention to its class, which is displayed on it in the form of a number in an open circle. Class is the speed of information transfer in Mbit / s. For a pocket book, it is better to buy slow cards with 2 or 4 in a circle. The reader’s electronics may not keep up with the work of the 10th grade card.

Quality at an affordable price: Review and comparison of Samsung Galaxy M31, M21, M11 smartphones, or what distinguished 3 top budget users

Communication capabilities

Pocketbook communicates with the outside world via microSD cards, cable, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. The most popular way of downloading books is recording from a computer. There is a Type-C cable in the kit for this. When connected to a PC, the reader appears as a flash drive, if there is a MicroSD card in it, as two drives.

An alternative option for downloading books is Wi-Fi. The manufacturer recommends using them with the help of the “Books by email” attachment. After starting the service for the first time, you need to enter your email address and password. An email will be sent to the specified mail to activate the service. The user will receive a pocketbook email address such as name@pbsync.com. You can easily send books to this address from the e-mail address specified during registration.

A Send-to-PocketBook folder will appear in the “Library”, which will accept books sent to the reader. To apply, you need to create an email without a subject, attach files to it and send it to name@pbsync.com.

If you try to send the book from an address different from the electronic one specified during registration, the content will not be sent to the pocketbook. But a message will come to a familiar reader’s mail with an offer to confirm the legitimacy of the sender. After the user’s consent, the reader will receive books from the new confirmed address. Such technology can come in handy if you need to get a book or document from friends or from work, while on vacation or on a business trip.

Bluetooth may be needed, for example, to connect to wireless headphones. You can log in using the following algorithm:

1. Activate bluetooth in headphones.
2. On the pocketbook, go to Settings. Press Bluetooth, activate pairing.

Select headphones in the list of devices, if something else appears there. Nothing showing at all? Click “Find BT devices”.

Understanding the fashionable interface: What is Usb type Q: what 3 advantages will users appreciate after the introduction of USB4

Specifications

So that the color pocketbook is not boring in the table of characteristics, we will compare it with monochrome counterparts of the 740 series.

The color pocketbook differs from the monochrome models by the innovative E-Ink Kaleido New screen, although the E-Carta displays are also good in their own way. The Pro model in the line stands out with IPX8 water protection. As for the only non-flagship model in the table, its main advantage is a modest price.

Everyone decides for himself which of the 3 pocketbooks of the 740 series is better to buy. If a person has no negative feelings about the lack of a color picture and related advantages, it hardly makes sense to overpay about UAH 1,000 when buying a reader with a Kaleido screen. In any case, the novelty has already found its audience – family people with children, buyers who love to be the first to dive into the world of new technologies.

We solve the problem of the microSD connection with the smartphone: The phone does not see the memory card: 7 steps to fix it