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Pocketbook Inkpad 2 8″ eReader – 199 Euros

pocketbook inkpad 2Pocketbook has just announced an updated version of the Inkpad, its 8″ ereader.

Launched in 2014, the Inkpad was arguably the best premium ereader of the year (and still one of the better ereaders two years later). With a large 8″ screen and a one-handed design which Amazon later copied for the Kindle Oasis, the Inkpad was the closest digital equivalent to reading a hardback book.

And now Pocketbook has brought it back.

The Inkpad 2 keeps the one-handed design, screen size, and most of the other specs from its predecessor, only it weighs less and comes with a slightly improved screen.

This ereader runs Pocketbook’s proprietary OS on a 1GHz CPU with 512MB RAM and 4GB of internal storage, and it also has Wifi, a microSD card slot, and a headphone jack.

It’s running the same software as the original Inkpad, and comes with a number of apps and supports a wide variety of ebook formats. The Inkpad has more formatting options than you can shake a stick at, and also supports TTS as well as mp3 playback.

The 8″ Pearl E-ink display has a screen resolution of 1600 x 1200 with a capacitive touchscreen, just like the first InkPad, but Pocketbook says in the press release that the screen on the Inkpad 2 has improved optical properties (we’ll have to wait to see it in person before we know what that means).

In terms of battery life, the Inkpad has a 2.5Ah battery with a projected runtime of "up to a month without recharging". It weighs 305 grams, or about 45 grams less than the first model.

All in all, the new Inkpad doesn’t present a compelling argument in favor of upgrading from the original model, but at 199 euros this ereader is still worth a look.

The Inkpad 2 is cheaper than the Kindle Oasis, and its only real competitors in the plus-sized ereader category are the 6.8″ Kobo Aura H2O, the Onyx Boox i86, and the Icarus Illumina XL.

Of the four, I am torn between the Inkpad  and the Aura H2O. I like them both, for different reasons. The Inkpad is bigger, but frankly Kobo has the better software. My Inkpad keeps freezing and refusing to reset (and yet I still like it – go figure).

In any case, your buying decision will likely come down to which one you can buy. The press release says that the PocketBook InkPad 2 is now available online for a suggested retail price of 199 euros, from www.pocketbook.de.

Pocketbook, however, won’t let me visit that site to confirm the news, and so I can’t buy the Inkpad 2.

But you might have better luck.

Pocketbook via eBook-Fieber.de

 

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Comments


Lila Phillips August 8, 2016 um 5:44 pm

Can it possibly surf print-based internet pages in a timely manner?

Nate Hoffelder August 8, 2016 um 6:34 pm

Not really.


Chris August 9, 2016 um 1:38 am

The German site just sends me back to the country chooser as well. Try the Swiss site.

http://www.pocketbook-int.com/ch/products/pocketbook-inkpad

Nate Hoffelder August 9, 2016 um 7:18 am

I had the same experience.


Louis August 9, 2016 um 4:28 am

Try going directly to their shop site : http://www.pocketbook-readers.de/e-reader/

Nate Hoffelder August 9, 2016 um 7:17 am

That worked!

Thanks!

Chris August 9, 2016 um 7:27 am

I chuckled at the "dark mist grey" description… Mist in German is dung. Is the case actually brown? 😉

Nate Hoffelder August 9, 2016 um 7:46 am

Mine is brown, yes.


vicente August 9, 2016 um 8:52 am

I think we had better wait the new Kobo’s reader release. It will be almost 8 inches too.

Nate Hoffelder August 9, 2016 um 9:05 am

*blush* I forgot that one.

Fjtorres August 9, 2016 um 11:35 am

And you picked a fine time to forget about it since Mobileread just posted the (translated) promo and specs. 🙂

Apparently it really is high res 7.8in.

Nate Hoffelder August 9, 2016 um 12:25 pm

I know. I’m working on a post.


PocketBook InkPad 2: 8-inch touch screen eReader | Evertech Corporation August 29, 2016 um 7:15 am

[…] Pocketbook Inkpad August 2 “eReader – 199 Euros | The Digital Reader – Pocketbook has just announced an updated version of the Inkpad, its 8″ ereader. […]


Roger November 24, 2016 um 5:54 am

Nate,

When it comes to text-only PDFs, which has a lighter background, which text looks sharper and darker and which has faster page-turns? The PocketBook InkPad 1, the PocketBook InkPad 2, or the Kobo Aura One?


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