A couple of weeks ago, Pocketbook announced the InkPad 4 e-reader. This device has a large screen, perfect for ebooks and manga. The device has respectable resolution and hardware specs, and it is running Linux, so it is fast, stable and has tremendous battery life. The Pocketbook InkPad 4 is now available from the Good e-Reader Store for $289.

The Pocketbook InkPad 4 features a 7.8-inch E INK Carta 1200 e-paper display. With this new technology, the electronic page has 15% more contrast, while the E Ink response time has increased by 20%. Its resolution is 1404×1872 with 300 PPI, so the fonts look razor-sharp. Thanks to the SMARTlight function, users can enjoy safe reading in any lighting. The adaptive front light allows you to adjust not only the brightness of the screen but also the colour temperature, choosing a warm or cool tone. Soft light from SMARTlight will enable you to read comfortably even in complete darkness while the e-reader’s screen remains eye-friendly.

The screen is completely flush with the bezel and protected by a layer of glass. The corners are nice and rounded on the bottom of the reader, making it easier to hold, whereas they are more squared at the top. The colour scheme is black on the front, surrounding the e-paper screen. This adds an excellent degree of contrast. Alongside the sides of the bezel is gunmetal silver. There are stereo speakers on the side of the bezel, which is perfect for listening to audiobooks, music or podcasts. However, there is a Bluetooth 4.0 chip for wireless headphones.

One of the benefits of buying the InkPad 4 is the manual page turn buttons. They are on the bottom of the device and are satisfying to press down on. There is a page forward, page back and home key. You can hold the reader in one hand while commuting or at an appointment and quickly turn the pages with the keys. Since the screen has capacitive touch, you can still elect to tap, swipe or gesture to turn pages or pinch and zoom on PDF documents.

Pocketbook has a small bookstore to download royalty-free titles and other paid content. The main reason you want to buy this is to sideload in EPUB or PDF books you have purchased at other bookstores and use Adobe Digital Editions to transfer them from your computer to the reader. You can also directly sideload books you downloaded from the internet; the InkPad supports a wide array of formats, including ACSM, AZW, AZW3, CBR, CBZ, CHM, DJVU, DOC, DOCX, EPUB(DRM), EPUB, FB2, FB2.ZIP, HTM, HTML, MOBI, PDF (DRM), PDF, PRC, RTF, and TEXT.

Underneath the hood are a Dual Core 1 GHz processor, 1GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage. There is a g-sensor for automatic screen rotation, USB-C, and WIFI,  and it is powered by a 2,000 mAh battery, which should be suitable for three weeks. Pocketbook has managed to preserve battery life by using a Linux operating system with great power-saving features.

The post First Look at the Pocketbook InkPad 4 e-Reader first appeared on Good e-Reader.