Pocketbook is going to release a new 9.7 inch e-reader this October and will cost $299. This device is geared towards people who want a large screen display to read ebooks and other types of digital content. This is also geared towards students who need something to make notes and bookmarks, highlight and save essential parts of the text, use a dictionary – makes InkPad Lite an indispensable gadget.
The Pocketbook InkPad Lite features a 9.7 E INK Carta HD with a resolution of 1200×825 with 150 PPI. It has a front-lit display with 24 white LED lights to read at night or in lowlight conditions. You will be able to interact with the capacitive touchscreen display with your fingers, to click on navigational elements or turn pages of an ebook or PDF files. This device is also compatible with a capacitive stylus, which is useful for highlighting or taking notes.
PocketBook InkPad Lite has a new restrained and pragmatic design, which will surely appeal to lovers of classics. But the main innovation of the model is the control buttons which have moved from the bottom part of the device to the right-side panel. For many users, the e-reader will become even more ergonomic and convenient, thanks to the ability to turn pages using the side buttons.
Underneath the hood is a dual core 1.0 GHZ processor, 512MB of RAM and 8 GB of internal storage. It has a MicroSD card, which should provide an additional 128 GB of additional storage. Thanks to G-sensor, which detects device screen orientation, InkPad Lite is equally well suited for both right-handed and left-handed readers. You can connect up the bookstore or surf the internet via WIFI. People will happy to know that there is a USB-C port for charging and transferring data. Battery life should be around 4 weeks, thanks to the 2200 mAh battery. The dimensions are 236.2x173x7.9mm and weighs 369g.
Pocketbook said that this e-reader does not have all of the bells and whistles that the Inkpad Pro provides, it does not have Bluetooth or speakers, so the Lite is not ideal for people who want to listen to audiobooks, music or podcasts, but many people use a smartphone for that sort of thing anyways, and not an e-reader.
It supports a multitude of ebook formats, such as ACSM, CBR, CBZ, CHM, DJVU, DOC, DOCX, EPUB, EPUB(DRM), FB2, FB2.ZIP, HTM, HTML, MOBI, PDF, PDF (DRM), PRC, RTF and TXT. There are a number of Abby Lingvo dictionaries, with support for 24 languages. Thanks to the PocketBook Cloud and PocketBook Reader app users can synchronize books (and entire libraries) between different devices. In addition, the Dropbox and Send-to-PocketBook services together with built-in Wi-Fi, allow transferring books to the e-reader in just a few clicks.
The Pocketbook InkPad Lite should be coming out in late September or early October and will retail for $299 USD. It is available for pre-order from the Good e-Reader Store. I am very sure that a dedicated e-reader with a large screen and an affordable price is going to make lots of people happy.
Michael Kozlowski is the editor-in-chief at Good e-Reader and has written about audiobooks and e-readers for the past fifteen years. Newspapers and websites such as the CBC, CNET, Engadget, Huffington Post and the New York Times have picked up his articles. He Lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
