Tool Reviews

Initially, InkPAD X was positioned by the manufacturer as a niche product designed for a narrow segment of consumers. However, considerable interest from buyers forced to revise the marketing concept.

Now the “ten” is served under the sauce of the flagship model. What is so interesting about it besides the large display?

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Body design and dimensions

In this case, size matters. Most readers are made in 6-inch cases. This allows stores that sell e-books to offer customers products at affordable prices. In addition, the reader with a classic diagonal is convenient to carry in your pocket. Regarding mobility, it is more attractive than paper books. However, this format imposes certain limitations: it is inconvenient to view pdf-files, comics, documents with tables filled with small fonts, etc.

The problem is partially solved by buying an 8-inch reader, completely by buying a 10-inch one. Only with an increase in the diagonal does the reader lose mobility. You can’t put it in your jacket pocket anymore. But here you have to choose one thing: maximum reading comfort or mobility. It is safe to say that the PocketBook 1040 InkPAD X is an excellent option for the home, as well as for people involved in narrow fields of activity – engineers who work with drawings, musicians who play notes, etc.

The manufacturer has done everything possible to insure users against breakage related to the fall of the pocketbook:

1. The grooved surface of the case cover provides a reliable grip. The device will not slip out of your hands.
2. The case is not only made of plastic: along the perimeter it is edged with a strip of magnesium-aluminum alloy — an innovative material used in the manufacture of premium laptops, cameras and other expensive digital equipment. The case of the reader is strong, it is problematic to bend it.
3. The low weight (300 g) will reduce the impact force if you do drop the pocketbook on the floor.
4. The screen is made using advanced technology, it is not as fragile as in younger models.

The pocketbook is comfortable to hold, it gives the impression of an expensive item. Dimensions: 249×174×5 mm.

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The 10.3-inch screen is the main feature of the PocketBook InkPAD X

The huge screen significantly expands the reader’s scope of use. In addition to the possibilities already mentioned, you can read electronic newspapers with a multi-lane layout. The manufacturer left the resolution the same as that of the 7.8-inch pocketbook — 1872×1404.

It was not possible to attempt more due to the lack of higher pixel options among 10-inch E-Ink displays. However, even with this resolution, the display pleases with image quality. No graininess is observed. The pixel density is at a decent level — 226 dpi.

The reader allows you to choose a suitable backlight: from white to orange. Cold white background invigorates, helps to concentrate. Warm yellow and orange have the opposite effect: it is good to fall asleep under them. The pocketbook has an auto-adjustment of the backlight. It works as follows: every hour the background heats up. If in the morning it is cold white, then in the evening it is warm orange.

Auto-tuning doesn’t work? Set the brightness and color temperature of the backlight for each hour at your discretion. You can do this in the backlight settings. The color temperature control algorithm was developed by the E-Ink company. Engineers managed to choose eye-friendly background options taking into account the economical consumption of battery charge.

The screen is called not just E Ink Carta, but E Ink Carta Mobius. The word “mobius” at the end means that the display is not made of glass, but of plastic. With such a coating, the screen has become even more reliable. Of course, it will not withstand the blow of a hammer, but the first fall from the table will not be fatal. For people who often carry a pocketbook in their bag, take it to the beach, etc., it makes sense to think about buying a cover.

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Multimedia capabilities

Pocketbook supports not only text, but also audio formats: MP3, M4B, OGG. You can listen to audiobooks. The reader does not have its own speakers, but the kit includes an adapter from Type-C to a 3.5 mm audio jack. If you have wired headphones, you can listen to audiobooks immediately after unpacking the reader. And if you have a Bluetooth headset, you won’t need an adapter at all. The reader is able to open audiobooks packed in zip archives. They can be sorted by author, title, date, length.

The next multimedia feature of the PocketBook InkPAD X 1040 model is an independent music player. Several classical compositions are recorded in the device’s memory for testing. The reader functionality allows you to read to music. The order of playing tracks has been adjusted. The album covers are reflected in the player, they also did not forget about the equalizer.

There are situations when reading is inconvenient or completely unrealistic, because the hands are busy, for example, driving a car. In such cases, you can use voiceover of books. This possibility is relevant for most supported formats, but there are exceptions, for example, DjVu. Pocketbooks have several “announcers” that voice the books in different languages. By default, Russian texts serve two voices: Maxim and Tatyana. The quality is similar to Google voiceover. Alternative voice packs are available for download.

When playing texts and playing audiobooks, the speed and pitch of the sound are adjusted. It is difficult for pocketbooks to compete with smartphones in terms of audio capabilities, but readers are good because they allow you to store and play text and sound files on the same device.

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PocketBook InkPAD X built-in memory

About 32 GB of free space is available for storing books and other content on board the pocketbook. Owners of readers who use InkPAD for reading in general, especially without being distracted by audiobooks, this volume is more than enough. The library of books without illustrations can exceed 15,000 copies. If you dilute it with comics and pdf files, the maximum number of copies will be reduced by about a third.

Another nice bonus is the ability to use the PocketBook Cloud. She has 2 GB free of charge for storing text books. The service is connected in readers that are officially sold in the countries of the post-Soviet space. If you bought a pocketbook imported to Ukraine not quite legally or purchased in the EU, there may be problems with access to the company’s cloud service. However, the manufacturer promises to help solve the problem to everyone who applies.

Books in PB Cloud can be downloaded from a reader, smartphone or PC. Literature purchased in the company’s official store is automatically placed in the cloud. Many keep books on the Internet for synchronization: you can read on different devices with automatic memory of the last page. The cost of literature for the pocket of ordinary users: bestsellers are often sold for 50-100 hryvnias.

Pocketbooks have a standard RAM of 1 GB. Readers, unlike tablets, are not characterized by a performance race. Their functionality is concentrated around one and only task – reading, and large memory is not needed to turn pages and maintain a paper-like display.

Games in pocketbooks are faster for ticking, you can’t call them resource-intensive. Hence the conservatism regarding the amount of RAM and processor power. The main task of the Wi-Fi module is not to read web pages, but to download books. Sites in the browser open quite cheerfully, but delving into the text in this format is not a pleasant activity, since the pages are drawn slowly.

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Hardware platform and software

The diagonal of the screen did not require drastic changes in the software. As before, the Linux OS scores points, the manufacturer did not radically change the hardware for Android. Linux, compared to the “green robot”, does not require a 4-core processor. 1-2 cores are enough for him and his head. And it also consumes battery power extremely economically. At the same time, the pocketbook settings are opened without slowing down.

At the bottom of the main screen there are 3 shortcuts for entering the library, store, settings. The rest of the programs are grouped in a window that opens after tapping the Application Bar icon. Main programs:

• A browser with simple settings. You can browse web pages, download files.
• Engineering calculator.
• Scribble is a simple drawing program.
• Gallery is a manager for viewing images.
• Music player.
• Audio books.
• Patchwork, Sudoku, chess.
• RSS news.
• Dropbox PocketBook is a service that allows you to quickly download files to the reader from the cloud. Automatic and manual synchronization is available in Dropbox.
• PocketBook Cloud is a similar but more advanced service.
• Books by email — sending to a pocket book, reading by email.

The hardware platform includes: a 2-core processor, 1 GB of RAM and 32 GB for storing books and other content. Nothing supernatural, but a standard set of iron copes with the tasks for which a pocketbook is designed without problems. Thanks to a competent selection of accessories, the reader practically does not heat up, and it consumes battery power sparingly.

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Autonomous operation and battery

The huge screen did not become a sentence for autonomy. The manufacturer did not skimp on battery capacity, equipping the pocketbook with a 2000 mAh battery. It is enough for 15 thousand pages. The maximum working time without recharging depends not only on the number of books read. Lighting, Internet activity and other factors contribute.

If you read 2-3 hours a day and occasionally use Wi-Fi, the battery will last for about a month. Charging from a PC takes about 4 hours. The first time, it is advisable to charge the battery to a full coil, leaving the pocketbook connected for 8-12 hours. After that, the battery will retain its capacity for as long as possible.

In order for the pocketbook to work longer without recharging, the reader blocking and shutdown time should be set in the settings. It is also worth keeping it from frost. Readers do not like negative temperatures, after staying in the cold there may be problems with the screen and battery.

Comparison of batteries on the pocketbook market:

Two patterns can be noted here:

1. In recent years, the manufacturer has decided to expand the range of products through new models with large diagonals. At the same time, the autonomy of the new configurations is provided by more capacious batteries. The time without recharging remains at the previous level.
2. There is no direct proportionality between battery capacities and autonomy. This is clearly visible when comparing two 740 pocketbooks. The color model works less without recharging, regardless of the more powerful battery.

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Basic and additional functions

First of all, the pocketbook is sharpened for reading. The manufacturer took care of comfortable page management. With a light touch you can:

• flip, scale pages;
• change the brightness of the screen, adjust the color temperature.

At the bottom of the page there is an icon for entering reading settings. A choice of fonts, line spacing, margin width, offsets is available. All this variety is relevant if the book is in DOC, FB2, etc. format. In the case of PDF or DjVu, it will work unless you adjust the scale. A layout mode is also provided for PDF.

Functions related to reading:

• Interaction with friends through social networks and the related ReadRate service. As you read, you can share quotes, add comments, leave feedback about what you read, and more. Feedback has also been implemented: the activity of friends in ReadRate is reflected in the event feed on the pocketbook. The ReadRate service helps readers choose new literary works. Top books from various fields are published on his website.
• Translation of words. Dictionaries open after tapping on the central part of the text. More precisely, the reading menu opens, one of the items of which is dictionaries. Choose a word – the translation is displayed. Another way to use the dictionary is to open it through the application menu and type a word using the on-screen keyboard.
• Notes are functional for amateurs, they are often used when studying textbooks and technical literature. You can highlight parts of the text with a marker, underline lines, circle formulas, put ticks in fields. Did something go wrong? Use the eraser. The mark will be erased, but the text of the book will remain.

Additional functions include: listening to audiobooks, voicing texts, playing music, games.

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Pros and cons of Pocketbook InkPAD X

Naturally, the pocketbook has more strengths:

1. Huge screen
It is convenient to read texts written in large and small fonts. A plastic coating is used, which is more resistant to mechanical damage compared to glass. The backlight is being adjusted. Book, landscape orientation.

2. Competitive price
InkPAD X is more expensive than pocketbooks with diagonals of 6 and 8 inches, but if you compare it with “dozens” of ONYX, the savings are significant.

3. Ergonomic case
The pocketbook is comfortable to hold, it is thin and light.

4. Presence of Type-C
A symmetrical connector provides a comfortable wired connection with a PC.

5. “Omnivory”
Pocketbook is the record holder for reading text formats, there are about 20 of them.

6. Cloud ecosystem
Which involves synchronizing books on pocketbooks and devices running iOS and Android. Bookmarks and notes are also synchronized.

7. Gorgeous autonomy
Charging the reader is enough for 30-50 days.

8. Detailed documentation
Availability of training videos on the manufacturer’s official website.

9. ReadRate
The service provides integration of reading and communication between users.

10. Button and touch controls
Several ways to download books to the reader

11. Via cable, Wi-Fi, e-mail.

12. Good assembly

13. Audio capabilities

A couple of disadvantages:

1. Lack of a slot for MicroSD cards
If you look at the 740th line of pocketbooks, 2 out of 3 models have this option. Accordingly, you can store twice as many books. Why the InkPAD X does not have a MicroSD slot is not clear. There will be plenty of seats on the border next to Type-C. And it would not affect the price much.

2. Weak button ergonomics
They are narrow and very elongated. It’s good, although in most cases you can do without them, using touch controls.

In general, Pocketbook InkPAD X Metallic Gray 1040 is impressive. Reviews and feedback on the Internet confirm the demand for the model. The reader was especially liked by those who previously did not have the opportunity to comfortably read small characters on devices with a smaller diagonal: musicians, programmers, engineers.

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