PocketBook 740 Review: The first little big reader. With two cores, color illumination and cloud service
Greetings to all! Did you miss the reviews of new readers? I have them! And this time it will not be about any budget model, which by its characteristics corresponds to the flagships of the previous generation and with which for this reason everything is in principle understandable, but about a completely new flagship product. A product created from scratch.
Meet PocketBook 740 . The first large-format model, managing to be light and compact at the same time. The first little big poketbook. The first poketbuk with dual-core processor. The first 7.8-inch reader of the company. The first "cloud" reader PocketBook. The first model in two years in a completely new design. The first large-format model with adjustable backlight color temperature. The flagship of the flagships.A reader that surpasses the Kindle in all. All these definitions are correct. This is speaking as briefly as possible. Longer will be lower, so get ready - many bukaf will follow. And at the same time and photos.
++++ Tie Box for Kindle Fans ++++
PocketBook 740 costs 14,900 rubles, and the largest Amazon Kindle model today, the 7-inch Kindle Oasis, is estimated at $ 250 in the United States. This is 14 500 rubles. Plus delivery - boldly throw a couple of thousand more. And if you take Kindle Oasis in Russia from dealers, the reader will cost thousands of 20 rubles. This is to the question that, as some write, "Kindle readers are cheap, and PocketBook readers are expensive." And one moment. The previous large-format reader PocketBook - 8-inch PocketBook 840 Ink Pad 2 - cost 17,900 rubles. But the PocketBook 740, I recall, is already estimated at 14,900. So, the company systematically deals with lower prices for its devices. It is a fact.
++++ Tie end for Kindle fans ++++
As I said above, PocketBook 740 is the first 7.8-inch model of the company. Considering that the overwhelming majority of E Ink-readers are equipped with 6-inch displays, the novelty in theory can be attributed to the category of so-called large-format readers. This is so and not so.
The fact is that PocketBook transferred the most fashionable smartphone trend of 2017-2018 to the readers. Speech on the narrow frames around the screen. They really noticeably narrower than any 6-inch PocketBook reader. They didn’t clean up at all, although this possibility was for sure. Why? That it was convenient to hold the reader for a sidewall. Or wrapped his hand behind him. There would be no framework - the fingertips would touch the touch screen with known consequences (well, that is, there would be accidental clicks if someone did not understand). And so there is a framework, but narrow.
Due to this, as well as the most compact keyboard unit, PocketBook 740 is only slightly larger than 6-inch readers. Yes, it is wider and longer, but this increase in practice does not seem critical. With weight everything is altogether healthy: PocketBook 740 gives out on scales 210 g. Some 6-inch models are even heavier - 220-230 g. It’s difficult to compare 7.8-inch models because there are very few of them on the market. Well, except that Kobo Aura One comes to mind - it weighs 230 g. 9.7-inch models are the same (they still exist, but I'm not sure that someone is buying them) weighing around 450 g, that is, they are more than two times heavier than the PocketBook 740.
6-inch PocketBook 625 Limited Edition and 7.8-inch PocketBook 740
In general, PocketBook turned out such a small big reader. Aside from jokes: I personally did not notice any fundamental differences in convenience from 6-inch models. At the same time, PocketBook 740 offers a much (much!) Larger screen.
Well, now let's compare the PocketBook 740 with a really large-format model - PocketBook 840 Ink Pad 2 of the 2016 sample. This is an 8-inch reader in a case with wide frames. It is the same in height, but its width is much larger. You can’t wrap your hand behind it, if you are, of course, not a descendant of Freddy Krueger, who inherited the length of your fingers.
PocketBook 840 Ink Pad 2 weighs a third more than PocketBook 740, - 305 g against 210 g. In short, the new product seems thin and light compared to the old 8-inch model. And this is really a serious engineering achievement: to offer almost the same size screen in the case, which is a third lighter and three centimeters longer.
PocketBook 631 Plus (6 ''), PocketBook 740 (7.8 ''), PocketBook 840 Ink Pad 2 (8 '')
For order, a comparison of the characteristics of the three models mentioned in this subsection.
PocketBook does not often create a completely new design for its readers. For example, many current models of the brand still exploit the developments, first implemented in the PocketBook 622 Touch of the 2012 sample . I do not consider this a serious problem: if we managed to create a good and thoughtful design in terms of ergonomics, then why change something very often? This is not a smart phone: there the design should change all the time, so that people around you immediately realize that you have the latest model (which means you are cool, yeah). With the reader everything is different.
However, in the PocketBook 740, we just see a completely new design, which is likely to become the base for all 2018 sample books.
What has changed? Frames have become much thinner, as I mentioned above. Also note the new form of control keys. If in previous models they were, roughly speaking, square, now they are thin “rectangles”. It had no effect on ergonomics, but the keyboard unit was made much more compact. And due to this, install a larger screen. If the unit were larger in height, the display would be, say, 7-inch.
I like the new design - some kind of it is so fast. Less calm than previous models. And all because of the shape of the buttons.
++++ Tie Box for Kindle Fans ++++
Not once read in the comments that PocketBook, they say, "no design." It is clear that beauty is a very subjective concept, and yet: PocketBook 740 is much nicer than previous models, I believe that the company correctly chose a new corporate identity for its models. The same Amazon Kindle may be attractive in its own way. In my opinion, something is something, but there is no design in them at all, but - ok, everyone has different preferences. Someone likes - and fine.
However, if we regard the design not only as an appearance, but as a combination of attractiveness and convenience, I cannot praise the Kindle. Recently here is twisted in the hands of Kindle Oasis. Yes, the metal back panel is definitely a good solution. But only: the shape of the body, sorry, kind of weird. I personally keep the Kindle Oasis comfortable with only one hand - the right. That is, we are no longer talking about universality. The buttons are there (hurray, since in other Kindle there are usually no buttons at all), but only two, not four, like the PocketBook 740. So ... Some people like one, others like the other. For example, blondes and brunettes. So with readers. But, in my opinion, the arguments in the dispute "who has a more successful and convenient design" at this stage is still more for PocketBook models than for Kindle models.
++++ Tie end for Kindle fans ++++
Back to the ergonomics of PocketBook 740: buttons are pressed easily, but not so much that there are random clicks. Made of plastic keys with rubber-coated. There are traditionally four of them: two for page turning, “home” and a menu call. As in the previous pokutbukah, keys can be reassigned and set the function for a long press.
The case material is a slightly rough plastic of brown-golden color. I will pay special attention that, despite the large area of the hull, with all its toughness be healthy. I tried to twist the PocketBook 740 and bend it (within reasonable limits, of course), and nothing happened to it. Even there were no squeaks, not to mention some breakdowns.
The back panel is completely flat. That is, there is no protrusion under the finger, which was in almost all previous-generation software packages. I’m talking about it - see below (photo from the PocketBook 615 review).
In my opinion, the ledge could be left. On the other hand, even without it, there are no problems with holding the reader in your hand. You want to hold the sidewall, you want the corner of the case. PocketBook 740, I remind you, weighs 210 g, so that it does not delay the hand.
A cover sensor is integrated into the case. If you buy this accessory with the reader, then when you close the cover, the PocketBook 740 will automatically fall asleep, and when opened, wake up.
It remains to say that there is a microUSB port on the bottom, a power button with a backlight (if desired, the backlight can be deactivated in the settings) and a slot for MicroSD cards.
It seems something is missing? Correct: headphone jack. Because there are no audio features in PocketBook 740. This is perhaps his only "technological" minus. That is, everything else is implemented at the highest level, but without music. And, by the way, without water protection. For total water protection - to PocketBook 641 Aqua 2 (10 900 rubles), and for music and Text-to-Speech - to PocketBook 631 Plus (12 900 rubles), the flagship of the end of 2017. He can play MP3s and voice lyrics.
Personally, I find the lack of a player in PocketBook 740 a disadvantage, but in general there are quite a few people like me. This is evidenced by a survey conducted here - only 27.7% of respondents voted for audio capabilities, but 72.2% were in favor of the fact that they are redundant in the reader.
I have already spoken about the diagonal of the display of the PocketBook 740, but once again, 7.8 inches. Technology - E Ink Carta, that is, to date, the most recent. The resolution is 1872 x 1404 points. Is it a lot or a little? Let me remind you that the maximum for 6-inch E Ink screens is 1448 x 1072. The 8-inch PocketBook 840 Ink Pad 2 had 1600 x 1200. And the 9.7-inch readers, which are still produced by some companies, are usually 1200 x 825. So, PocketBook 740 has very, very high resolution by the standards of electronic ink readers.
And if so, then the display looks very good texts with a bunch of small elements - these very elements look neat, they can be easily viewed. What are we talking about? On technical, scientific, educational and business literature, which is full of diagrams, tables, diagrams, formulas and graphs.
In general, I can say this: the PocketBook 740 is generally the best E Ink screen I've ever seen. And it is very pleasant that it is large - 7.8 inches is definitely better than 6. Especially if you remember that the growth of the diagonal of the screen led only to a slight increase in the size of the reader.
The image on the screen is reoriented automatically by the G-sensor.
The display, of course, touch. Sensitivity, on sensations, higher than that of previous models of PocketBook. You can manage the reader from the screen, and you can use the buttons. What is convenient - the two control options are always better than the one and only. This is well known in the PocketBook and most often forgotten in the same Amazon.
And one moment. True, he is connected not only with the screen, but also with the software, and with the hardware platform. The bottom line is this: the new image rendering principle has been implemented in PocketBook 740, which reduces scrolling delays to almost zero. That is, for example, scrolling the site in the browser vertically is now carried out smoothly, without jerks. The same applies to the scrolling of documents that do not fit on the screen entirely - for example, PDF.
Like the PocketBook 631 Plus model, released in late 2017, the PocketBook 740 received a backlight with the ability to adjust the color temperature. What does this give? For a start, let's remember how the usual lights in the readers. When it is turned on, the screen starts to glow — in some models with pure white light, and sometimes with a slight bluish or lilac shade. But in general, the light is cold. Adjusting the color temperature makes it possible to make the light warmer, that is, roughly speaking, more yellow or even orange. Many options - the scale is long, almost the entire width of the screen:
As the slider moves, the backlight gets warmer and warmer, eventually turning into orange. I will emphasize three times: there are only six photos with options, but there may be shades ... Well, I don’t even know how many. Ten, twenty, thirty? Once again: the scale is long, and the intensity depends only on where you stop the slider.
What is all this necessary for? First of all, just for comfort - someone likes white lights more, and others like yellow ones. And PocketBook 740 gives you a choice. Secondly, to read in the dark. The warmer the light, the less so-called blue radiation, the less tired the eyes and the faster you want to fall asleep. This is especially true when reading without additional sources of lighting - the same chandeliers, lamps and so on.
The color temperature can be adjusted by the slider mentioned above, but there is an automatic mode in PocketBook 740 (in the screenshot below it is activated). In this case, the color of the backlight will depend on the time of day. For example, at 10 am, the highlight is white, and in the evening it automatically becomes yellower and yellower, in order to become almost orange at night. In the same way, the backlight brightness is adjusted automatically.
In addition, in PocketBook 740 there is a new feature associated with the backlight (in the same PocketBook 631 Plus, this feature is not available). It's about work patterns. For example, you can create a template so that by 5:00 pm the backlight turns yellow (well, or some other shade, you can choose a shade) and remain so until 9:00 pm, and then turn orange. In addition, for each hour you can set a certain brightness. You can create as many templates as you like (for example, for each day of the week) and switch between them. I'm not sure that this option is right here from the “mast hev” category, but it will certainly come in handy for perfectionists.
++++ Tie Box for Kindle Fans ++++
Please name at least one Kindle model with adjustable backlight color temperature. Model name can be specified in the comments. Thank!
++++ Tie end for Kindle fans ++++
And yes, an important point. Technology adjust the color temperature of the backlight is of two types. The first is the “proprietary” development of E Ink, that is, the company that offers the same name screens. This option was implemented in the PocketBook 631 Plus, it is also used in the PocketBook 740. The second option is the Chinese development, which increases the power consumption of percent by 30%. This option is implemented in the vast majority of readers from other manufacturers. That is, even the monotonous backlight of the screen "eats" energy very noticeably. And the Chinese version of the backlight with the color temperature adjustment is a third more voracious than the usual monochromatic backlight. For comparison: in the case of poketbooks, the adjustable backlight from E Ink is no different in terms of power consumption from monotonous.
Usually, I generally omit the description of the hardware platform in the pokerbook reviews. The processor on 1 GHz, 256 or 512 MB of RAM - nothing new about this can not be said. The filling of the readers does not change over the years, since, in principle, it seems to be enough.
However, in the PocketBook 740 over this very stuffing conjured so that ... In short, the thrill of operation is completely different. It's about how to move from iPhone 5s to iPhone X, or from Samsung Galaxy S5 to Galaxy S8. It seems that the iPhone 5s is not embracing the Galaxy S5 with frank brakes, but the new models are much faster and more pleasant. So with poketbukami.
First, the RAM in PocketBook 740 is already 1 GB - for the first time in the company's readers.
Secondly, the PocketBook 740 uses a completely new dual-core processor - against single-core in previous models. This solution is called Allwinner B288 (page on the manufacturer's website ).
Here is what the reader’s developers say about the capabilities of the chip:
We have not yet come up with benchmarks for readers, so I could only estimate the speed increase during testing by eye. And I must say that the developers do not lie. Indeed, the model is more responsive, faster, smoother, and so on - you can still write a pack of epithets, but I think everything is clear. Particularly pleased with the instant inclusion: pressed the key - and the device is ready to work in 3-4 seconds, showing the book. On other models, this requires 10-15 seconds, and in the most neglected cases - as many as 20.
However, this is not all. With the indicated significant increase in the speed of work, the new processor made it possible to very seriously optimize power consumption. We observed the same situation in smartphones - the first dual-core models were more powerful than single-core ones, but they spent less energy. So, the previous 6-inch readers allowed on one charge to read about 8 thousand pages (about a month of reading without backlight or up to three weeks with it). But the PocketBook 740, despite the larger 7.8-inch display, already gives 15 thousand pages. It is about two months without illumination, or about one and a half, if it is turned on. In fact, the record for readers is not only for pocketbooks, but in general for any readers of any brands.
I have already written about ten times about software poketbukov, so I’ll only remind you of its main features. First: PocketBook 740, like other models of the company, is running Linux, which is decorated in the style of Android. That is, with a desktop, a curtain, the main menu, etc. Anyone who has managed to master a modern smartphone, will easily understand the poketbook.
The main feature of PocketBook reader software, as I also repeatedly said in my reviews, is omnivorous: company models can work with the formats PDF, PDF (DRM), EPUB, EPUB (DRM), DJVU, FB2, FB2.ZIP, DOC, DOCX , RTF, PRC, TCR, TXT, CHM, HTM, HTML, MOBI, and ACSM. That is only 18 (against 5-10 at competitors). Everything that you upload to memory will open without problems. When reading a literary work, you can call dictionaries: highlighted the word in the text - and immediately translated.
However, access to dictionaries is also possible from the menu, that is, without opening the book. There are four dictionaries in the delivery: Webster's 1913, English-Russian by N. Korolev, as well as English-Russian and German-Russian, created by PocketBook.
Text settings abound. Renders, fonts, line spacing, typeface - that's all. In the PocketBook 740, a G-sensor is added to this: the image on the screen can automatically reorient (vertical and horizontal modes) depending on the position of the reader in space. Such a hello from the legendary PocketBook 360.
Network functions that work with Wi-Fi are presented by the ability to download books to the reader via Dropbox, by mail or from the company's online store BookLand.com (there are more than 2 million 500 thousand books, audio books and other content in 18 languages - This is the largest catalog of electronic books in Russia). There is also an RSS feed reader, browser and firmware upgrade.
However, there is a PocketBook 740 and one completely new software (or, more precisely, software and service) function. I decided to tell about it in a separate chapter.
I’ll say right away: there will be a separate post about PocketBook Cloud, in which I will describe its features in detail, with screenshots and other similar things. Now - the most basic.
PocketBook Cloud is a cloud service for comrades who literally live reading. And they read not only from the reader, but also from smartphones and tablets using the proprietary PocketBook application (this software reader is for iOS and Android ). It would seem, why read from LCD displays, if there is a reader with an E Ink screen that is pleasant and safe for eyes? But not so simple. For example, you came to the meeting to the chief, but the bosses are not late, but delayed. And you have 5-10 minutes of free time. You can stick on Facebook or in the news (which most people will do), or you can read a book. Такие товарищи тоже найдутся. Так вот с помощью PocketBook Cloud можно начать читать на смартфоне ровно с того же места, на котором вы остановились дома на ридере. А потом, когда вернётесь домой, начнёте читать на покетбуке уже с того места, до которого вы дочитали на смартфоне.
Вот типичный пример работы PocketBook Cloud — слева синхронизированные с облаком книги на ридере, а справа — на смартфоне. Ровно те же книги с пометками, где я остановил чтение.
PocketBook Cloud позволяет хранить в облаке данные о закладках и настройках чтения, а также сами электронные книги. Как купленные на BookLand.com, так и загруженные в ридеры, смартфоны и планшеты из любых источников. На первых порах владельцам покетбуков будет предоставляться пространство в облаке объемом 2 Гб. Но в будущем появится и возможность докупить дополнительное место — планируются тарифы с 5, 10 и 20 Гб.
Пока PocketBook Cloud доступен только владельцам PocketBook 740. Кроме того, этот сервис появится в одном из следующих обновлений прошивки для PocketBook 631 Touch HD и PocketBook 631 Plus. Другие старые модели PocketBook Cloud, к сожалению, не получат. Новые (грядущие) — обязательно. В том числе и читалки среднего класса, то есть не только флагманы.
Ну и об этой особенности покетбуков традиционно скажу пару слов в отельном разделе. Why? Потому что эта особенность покетбуков действительно достойна внимания. Гарантия на PocketBook 740 двухгодичная или даже трехгодичная, если покупать устройство в фирменном интернет-магазине PocketBook. Только в этом случае в подарок дают «лишний» третий год. В других магазинах будет два года, что тоже немало (обычно на гаджеты, включая ридеры, дают лишь год). Отмечу, что такой продолжительной гарантией обеспечиваются все покетбуки, даже самые дешевые ценой в 6 тысяч рублей, а не только премиальные вроде PocketBook 740.
Комплект поставки: кабель, инструкция, гарантийник
По итогам тестирования могу сказать следующее. В предыдущих моделях PocketBook неспеша «допиливала» концепцию ридера, постепенно совершенствуя её. С каждым новым поколением добавлялись некие важные функции, но таких вот прямо яростных прорывов, чтобы появилась сразу пачка новых функций и технологий, не было. Не было — до появления PocketBook 740. Потому что тут огромное количество нововведений. Перечислю их ещё раз списочком:
Так что PocketBook 740 — это уже скорее революция, чем эволюция. Ничего подобного на рынке нет. Этим новинка и интересна. Ну и в целом она весьма приятна — во всех смыслах. Быстрая, легкая, с хорошими материалами корпуса, экран отличный, опять же.
Цена PocketBook 740 — 14 900 рублей. Да, это заметно дороже даже самых-самых топовых 6-дюймовых покетбуков (тот же PocketBook 631 Plus стоит 12 900). Но и изюма в новом ридере столько, что о цене как-то и не думаешь. Он своих денег стоит. Те, кто хочет реально лучший ридер на рынке, купят не задумываясь. Остальные возьмут какие-нибудь покетбуки попроще.
PS И да, напоминаю, что предыдущий крупноформатный ридер компании — PocketBook 840 Ink Pad 2 — оценивался в 17 900 рублей. Так что теперь самый большой покетбук (но уже в маленьком корпусе) можно купить ощутимо дешевле, на три тысячи, — за 14 900.
Meet PocketBook 740 . The first large-format model, managing to be light and compact at the same time. The first little big poketbook. The first poketbuk with dual-core processor. The first 7.8-inch reader of the company. The first "cloud" reader PocketBook. The first model in two years in a completely new design. The first large-format model with adjustable backlight color temperature. The flagship of the flagships.
++++ Tie Box for Kindle Fans ++++
PocketBook 740 costs 14,900 rubles, and the largest Amazon Kindle model today, the 7-inch Kindle Oasis, is estimated at $ 250 in the United States. This is 14 500 rubles. Plus delivery - boldly throw a couple of thousand more. And if you take Kindle Oasis in Russia from dealers, the reader will cost thousands of 20 rubles. This is to the question that, as some write, "Kindle readers are cheap, and PocketBook readers are expensive." And one moment. The previous large-format reader PocketBook - 8-inch PocketBook 840 Ink Pad 2 - cost 17,900 rubles. But the PocketBook 740, I recall, is already estimated at 14,900. So, the company systematically deals with lower prices for its devices. It is a fact.
++++ Tie end for Kindle fans ++++
Little big reader - how to understand this?
As I said above, PocketBook 740 is the first 7.8-inch model of the company. Considering that the overwhelming majority of E Ink-readers are equipped with 6-inch displays, the novelty in theory can be attributed to the category of so-called large-format readers. This is so and not so.
The fact is that PocketBook transferred the most fashionable smartphone trend of 2017-2018 to the readers. Speech on the narrow frames around the screen. They really noticeably narrower than any 6-inch PocketBook reader. They didn’t clean up at all, although this possibility was for sure. Why? That it was convenient to hold the reader for a sidewall. Or wrapped his hand behind him. There would be no framework - the fingertips would touch the touch screen with known consequences (well, that is, there would be accidental clicks if someone did not understand). And so there is a framework, but narrow.
Due to this, as well as the most compact keyboard unit, PocketBook 740 is only slightly larger than 6-inch readers. Yes, it is wider and longer, but this increase in practice does not seem critical. With weight everything is altogether healthy: PocketBook 740 gives out on scales 210 g. Some 6-inch models are even heavier - 220-230 g. It’s difficult to compare 7.8-inch models because there are very few of them on the market. Well, except that Kobo Aura One comes to mind - it weighs 230 g. 9.7-inch models are the same (they still exist, but I'm not sure that someone is buying them) weighing around 450 g, that is, they are more than two times heavier than the PocketBook 740.
6-inch PocketBook 625 Limited Edition and 7.8-inch PocketBook 740
In general, PocketBook turned out such a small big reader. Aside from jokes: I personally did not notice any fundamental differences in convenience from 6-inch models. At the same time, PocketBook 740 offers a much (much!) Larger screen.
Well, now let's compare the PocketBook 740 with a really large-format model - PocketBook 840 Ink Pad 2 of the 2016 sample. This is an 8-inch reader in a case with wide frames. It is the same in height, but its width is much larger. You can’t wrap your hand behind it, if you are, of course, not a descendant of Freddy Krueger, who inherited the length of your fingers.
PocketBook 840 Ink Pad 2 weighs a third more than PocketBook 740, - 305 g against 210 g. In short, the new product seems thin and light compared to the old 8-inch model. And this is really a serious engineering achievement: to offer almost the same size screen in the case, which is a third lighter and three centimeters longer.
PocketBook 631 Plus (6 ''), PocketBook 740 (7.8 ''), PocketBook 840 Ink Pad 2 (8 '')
For order, a comparison of the characteristics of the three models mentioned in this subsection.
Design, construction and management
PocketBook does not often create a completely new design for its readers. For example, many current models of the brand still exploit the developments, first implemented in the PocketBook 622 Touch of the 2012 sample . I do not consider this a serious problem: if we managed to create a good and thoughtful design in terms of ergonomics, then why change something very often? This is not a smart phone: there the design should change all the time, so that people around you immediately realize that you have the latest model (which means you are cool, yeah). With the reader everything is different.
However, in the PocketBook 740, we just see a completely new design, which is likely to become the base for all 2018 sample books.
What has changed? Frames have become much thinner, as I mentioned above. Also note the new form of control keys. If in previous models they were, roughly speaking, square, now they are thin “rectangles”. It had no effect on ergonomics, but the keyboard unit was made much more compact. And due to this, install a larger screen. If the unit were larger in height, the display would be, say, 7-inch.
I like the new design - some kind of it is so fast. Less calm than previous models. And all because of the shape of the buttons.
++++ Tie Box for Kindle Fans ++++
Not once read in the comments that PocketBook, they say, "no design." It is clear that beauty is a very subjective concept, and yet: PocketBook 740 is much nicer than previous models, I believe that the company correctly chose a new corporate identity for its models. The same Amazon Kindle may be attractive in its own way. In my opinion, something is something, but there is no design in them at all, but - ok, everyone has different preferences. Someone likes - and fine.
However, if we regard the design not only as an appearance, but as a combination of attractiveness and convenience, I cannot praise the Kindle. Recently here is twisted in the hands of Kindle Oasis. Yes, the metal back panel is definitely a good solution. But only: the shape of the body, sorry, kind of weird. I personally keep the Kindle Oasis comfortable with only one hand - the right. That is, we are no longer talking about universality. The buttons are there (hurray, since in other Kindle there are usually no buttons at all), but only two, not four, like the PocketBook 740. So ... Some people like one, others like the other. For example, blondes and brunettes. So with readers. But, in my opinion, the arguments in the dispute "who has a more successful and convenient design" at this stage is still more for PocketBook models than for Kindle models.
++++ Tie end for Kindle fans ++++
Back to the ergonomics of PocketBook 740: buttons are pressed easily, but not so much that there are random clicks. Made of plastic keys with rubber-coated. There are traditionally four of them: two for page turning, “home” and a menu call. As in the previous pokutbukah, keys can be reassigned and set the function for a long press.
The case material is a slightly rough plastic of brown-golden color. I will pay special attention that, despite the large area of the hull, with all its toughness be healthy. I tried to twist the PocketBook 740 and bend it (within reasonable limits, of course), and nothing happened to it. Even there were no squeaks, not to mention some breakdowns.
The back panel is completely flat. That is, there is no protrusion under the finger, which was in almost all previous-generation software packages. I’m talking about it - see below (photo from the PocketBook 615 review).
In my opinion, the ledge could be left. On the other hand, even without it, there are no problems with holding the reader in your hand. You want to hold the sidewall, you want the corner of the case. PocketBook 740, I remind you, weighs 210 g, so that it does not delay the hand.
A cover sensor is integrated into the case. If you buy this accessory with the reader, then when you close the cover, the PocketBook 740 will automatically fall asleep, and when opened, wake up.
It remains to say that there is a microUSB port on the bottom, a power button with a backlight (if desired, the backlight can be deactivated in the settings) and a slot for MicroSD cards.
It seems something is missing? Correct: headphone jack. Because there are no audio features in PocketBook 740. This is perhaps his only "technological" minus. That is, everything else is implemented at the highest level, but without music. And, by the way, without water protection. For total water protection - to PocketBook 641 Aqua 2 (10 900 rubles), and for music and Text-to-Speech - to PocketBook 631 Plus (12 900 rubles), the flagship of the end of 2017. He can play MP3s and voice lyrics.
Personally, I find the lack of a player in PocketBook 740 a disadvantage, but in general there are quite a few people like me. This is evidenced by a survey conducted here - only 27.7% of respondents voted for audio capabilities, but 72.2% were in favor of the fact that they are redundant in the reader.
Screen
I have already spoken about the diagonal of the display of the PocketBook 740, but once again, 7.8 inches. Technology - E Ink Carta, that is, to date, the most recent. The resolution is 1872 x 1404 points. Is it a lot or a little? Let me remind you that the maximum for 6-inch E Ink screens is 1448 x 1072. The 8-inch PocketBook 840 Ink Pad 2 had 1600 x 1200. And the 9.7-inch readers, which are still produced by some companies, are usually 1200 x 825. So, PocketBook 740 has very, very high resolution by the standards of electronic ink readers.
And if so, then the display looks very good texts with a bunch of small elements - these very elements look neat, they can be easily viewed. What are we talking about? On technical, scientific, educational and business literature, which is full of diagrams, tables, diagrams, formulas and graphs.
In general, I can say this: the PocketBook 740 is generally the best E Ink screen I've ever seen. And it is very pleasant that it is large - 7.8 inches is definitely better than 6. Especially if you remember that the growth of the diagonal of the screen led only to a slight increase in the size of the reader.
The image on the screen is reoriented automatically by the G-sensor.
The display, of course, touch. Sensitivity, on sensations, higher than that of previous models of PocketBook. You can manage the reader from the screen, and you can use the buttons. What is convenient - the two control options are always better than the one and only. This is well known in the PocketBook and most often forgotten in the same Amazon.
And one moment. True, he is connected not only with the screen, but also with the software, and with the hardware platform. The bottom line is this: the new image rendering principle has been implemented in PocketBook 740, which reduces scrolling delays to almost zero. That is, for example, scrolling the site in the browser vertically is now carried out smoothly, without jerks. The same applies to the scrolling of documents that do not fit on the screen entirely - for example, PDF.
Backlight
Like the PocketBook 631 Plus model, released in late 2017, the PocketBook 740 received a backlight with the ability to adjust the color temperature. What does this give? For a start, let's remember how the usual lights in the readers. When it is turned on, the screen starts to glow — in some models with pure white light, and sometimes with a slight bluish or lilac shade. But in general, the light is cold. Adjusting the color temperature makes it possible to make the light warmer, that is, roughly speaking, more yellow or even orange. Many options - the scale is long, almost the entire width of the screen:
As the slider moves, the backlight gets warmer and warmer, eventually turning into orange. I will emphasize three times: there are only six photos with options, but there may be shades ... Well, I don’t even know how many. Ten, twenty, thirty? Once again: the scale is long, and the intensity depends only on where you stop the slider.
What is all this necessary for? First of all, just for comfort - someone likes white lights more, and others like yellow ones. And PocketBook 740 gives you a choice. Secondly, to read in the dark. The warmer the light, the less so-called blue radiation, the less tired the eyes and the faster you want to fall asleep. This is especially true when reading without additional sources of lighting - the same chandeliers, lamps and so on.
The color temperature can be adjusted by the slider mentioned above, but there is an automatic mode in PocketBook 740 (in the screenshot below it is activated). In this case, the color of the backlight will depend on the time of day. For example, at 10 am, the highlight is white, and in the evening it automatically becomes yellower and yellower, in order to become almost orange at night. In the same way, the backlight brightness is adjusted automatically.
In addition, in PocketBook 740 there is a new feature associated with the backlight (in the same PocketBook 631 Plus, this feature is not available). It's about work patterns. For example, you can create a template so that by 5:00 pm the backlight turns yellow (well, or some other shade, you can choose a shade) and remain so until 9:00 pm, and then turn orange. In addition, for each hour you can set a certain brightness. You can create as many templates as you like (for example, for each day of the week) and switch between them. I'm not sure that this option is right here from the “mast hev” category, but it will certainly come in handy for perfectionists.
++++ Tie Box for Kindle Fans ++++
Please name at least one Kindle model with adjustable backlight color temperature. Model name can be specified in the comments. Thank!
++++ Tie end for Kindle fans ++++
And yes, an important point. Technology adjust the color temperature of the backlight is of two types. The first is the “proprietary” development of E Ink, that is, the company that offers the same name screens. This option was implemented in the PocketBook 631 Plus, it is also used in the PocketBook 740. The second option is the Chinese development, which increases the power consumption of percent by 30%. This option is implemented in the vast majority of readers from other manufacturers. That is, even the monotonous backlight of the screen "eats" energy very noticeably. And the Chinese version of the backlight with the color temperature adjustment is a third more voracious than the usual monochromatic backlight. For comparison: in the case of poketbooks, the adjustable backlight from E Ink is no different in terms of power consumption from monotonous.
Hardware platform
Usually, I generally omit the description of the hardware platform in the pokerbook reviews. The processor on 1 GHz, 256 or 512 MB of RAM - nothing new about this can not be said. The filling of the readers does not change over the years, since, in principle, it seems to be enough.
However, in the PocketBook 740 over this very stuffing conjured so that ... In short, the thrill of operation is completely different. It's about how to move from iPhone 5s to iPhone X, or from Samsung Galaxy S5 to Galaxy S8. It seems that the iPhone 5s is not embracing the Galaxy S5 with frank brakes, but the new models are much faster and more pleasant. So with poketbukami.
First, the RAM in PocketBook 740 is already 1 GB - for the first time in the company's readers.
Secondly, the PocketBook 740 uses a completely new dual-core processor - against single-core in previous models. This solution is called Allwinner B288 (page on the manufacturer's website ).
Here is what the reader’s developers say about the capabilities of the chip:
- device speed (including page turning) increased by 40%;
- opening "heavy" files (for example, PDF weighing 20-30 MB) does not take 20 seconds, as before, but not more than 5 seconds;
- switching on with loading a book in 3-4 seconds, and not 15, as it was before;
- rendering is now smooth - long pages in the browser and files are now scrolled without friezes, as I mentioned above.
We have not yet come up with benchmarks for readers, so I could only estimate the speed increase during testing by eye. And I must say that the developers do not lie. Indeed, the model is more responsive, faster, smoother, and so on - you can still write a pack of epithets, but I think everything is clear. Particularly pleased with the instant inclusion: pressed the key - and the device is ready to work in 3-4 seconds, showing the book. On other models, this requires 10-15 seconds, and in the most neglected cases - as many as 20.
However, this is not all. With the indicated significant increase in the speed of work, the new processor made it possible to very seriously optimize power consumption. We observed the same situation in smartphones - the first dual-core models were more powerful than single-core ones, but they spent less energy. So, the previous 6-inch readers allowed on one charge to read about 8 thousand pages (about a month of reading without backlight or up to three weeks with it). But the PocketBook 740, despite the larger 7.8-inch display, already gives 15 thousand pages. It is about two months without illumination, or about one and a half, if it is turned on. In fact, the record for readers is not only for pocketbooks, but in general for any readers of any brands.
Software
I have already written about ten times about software poketbukov, so I’ll only remind you of its main features. First: PocketBook 740, like other models of the company, is running Linux, which is decorated in the style of Android. That is, with a desktop, a curtain, the main menu, etc. Anyone who has managed to master a modern smartphone, will easily understand the poketbook.
The main feature of PocketBook reader software, as I also repeatedly said in my reviews, is omnivorous: company models can work with the formats PDF, PDF (DRM), EPUB, EPUB (DRM), DJVU, FB2, FB2.ZIP, DOC, DOCX , RTF, PRC, TCR, TXT, CHM, HTM, HTML, MOBI, and ACSM. That is only 18 (against 5-10 at competitors). Everything that you upload to memory will open without problems. When reading a literary work, you can call dictionaries: highlighted the word in the text - and immediately translated.
However, access to dictionaries is also possible from the menu, that is, without opening the book. There are four dictionaries in the delivery: Webster's 1913, English-Russian by N. Korolev, as well as English-Russian and German-Russian, created by PocketBook.
Text settings abound. Renders, fonts, line spacing, typeface - that's all. In the PocketBook 740, a G-sensor is added to this: the image on the screen can automatically reorient (vertical and horizontal modes) depending on the position of the reader in space. Such a hello from the legendary PocketBook 360.
Network functions that work with Wi-Fi are presented by the ability to download books to the reader via Dropbox, by mail or from the company's online store BookLand.com (there are more than 2 million 500 thousand books, audio books and other content in 18 languages - This is the largest catalog of electronic books in Russia). There is also an RSS feed reader, browser and firmware upgrade.
However, there is a PocketBook 740 and one completely new software (or, more precisely, software and service) function. I decided to tell about it in a separate chapter.
PocketBook Cloud: what kind of animal is this?
I’ll say right away: there will be a separate post about PocketBook Cloud, in which I will describe its features in detail, with screenshots and other similar things. Now - the most basic.
PocketBook Cloud is a cloud service for comrades who literally live reading. And they read not only from the reader, but also from smartphones and tablets using the proprietary PocketBook application (this software reader is for iOS and Android ). It would seem, why read from LCD displays, if there is a reader with an E Ink screen that is pleasant and safe for eyes? But not so simple. For example, you came to the meeting to the chief, but the bosses are not late, but delayed. And you have 5-10 minutes of free time. You can stick on Facebook or in the news (which most people will do), or you can read a book. Такие товарищи тоже найдутся. Так вот с помощью PocketBook Cloud можно начать читать на смартфоне ровно с того же места, на котором вы остановились дома на ридере. А потом, когда вернётесь домой, начнёте читать на покетбуке уже с того места, до которого вы дочитали на смартфоне.
Вот типичный пример работы PocketBook Cloud — слева синхронизированные с облаком книги на ридере, а справа — на смартфоне. Ровно те же книги с пометками, где я остановил чтение.
PocketBook Cloud позволяет хранить в облаке данные о закладках и настройках чтения, а также сами электронные книги. Как купленные на BookLand.com, так и загруженные в ридеры, смартфоны и планшеты из любых источников. На первых порах владельцам покетбуков будет предоставляться пространство в облаке объемом 2 Гб. Но в будущем появится и возможность докупить дополнительное место — планируются тарифы с 5, 10 и 20 Гб.
Пока PocketBook Cloud доступен только владельцам PocketBook 740. Кроме того, этот сервис появится в одном из следующих обновлений прошивки для PocketBook 631 Touch HD и PocketBook 631 Plus. Другие старые модели PocketBook Cloud, к сожалению, не получат. Новые (грядущие) — обязательно. В том числе и читалки среднего класса, то есть не только флагманы.
Warranty
Ну и об этой особенности покетбуков традиционно скажу пару слов в отельном разделе. Why? Потому что эта особенность покетбуков действительно достойна внимания. Гарантия на PocketBook 740 двухгодичная или даже трехгодичная, если покупать устройство в фирменном интернет-магазине PocketBook. Только в этом случае в подарок дают «лишний» третий год. В других магазинах будет два года, что тоже немало (обычно на гаджеты, включая ридеры, дают лишь год). Отмечу, что такой продолжительной гарантией обеспечиваются все покетбуки, даже самые дешевые ценой в 6 тысяч рублей, а не только премиальные вроде PocketBook 740.
Комплект поставки: кабель, инструкция, гарантийник
Conclusion
По итогам тестирования могу сказать следующее. В предыдущих моделях PocketBook неспеша «допиливала» концепцию ридера, постепенно совершенствуя её. С каждым новым поколением добавлялись некие важные функции, но таких вот прямо яростных прорывов, чтобы появилась сразу пачка новых функций и технологий, не было. Не было — до появления PocketBook 740. Потому что тут огромное количество нововведений. Перечислю их ещё раз списочком:
- совершенно новый дизайн;
- новая концепция «маленького большого» ридера;
- двухъядерный процессор и радикальный рост скорости работы — в среднем на 40%;
- 7,8-дюймовый экран с очень высоким разрешением;
- облачный сервис PocketBook Cloud;
- в два раза более продолжительная автономка — до двух месяцев;
- регулировка цветовой температуры (второй покетбук с такой опцией).
Так что PocketBook 740 — это уже скорее революция, чем эволюция. Ничего подобного на рынке нет. Этим новинка и интересна. Ну и в целом она весьма приятна — во всех смыслах. Быстрая, легкая, с хорошими материалами корпуса, экран отличный, опять же.
Цена PocketBook 740 — 14 900 рублей. Да, это заметно дороже даже самых-самых топовых 6-дюймовых покетбуков (тот же PocketBook 631 Plus стоит 12 900). Но и изюма в новом ридере столько, что о цене как-то и не думаешь. Он своих денег стоит. Те, кто хочет реально лучший ридер на рынке, купят не задумываясь. Остальные возьмут какие-нибудь покетбуки попроще.
PS И да, напоминаю, что предыдущий крупноформатный ридер компании — PocketBook 840 Ink Pad 2 — оценивался в 17 900 рублей. Так что теперь самый большой покетбук (но уже в маленьком корпусе) можно купить ощутимо дешевле, на три тысячи, — за 14 900.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/410359/