While going back to the Pocketbook adventure, I came across some old models that were very interesting for their time. Here is a selection of e-reader models that had a short career and that have been sometimes forgotten.
Pocketbook Mini e-reader
Kobo had released a small format reader with a 5 inch screen, but the last one to be widely available was the Pocketbook Mini which was still available in 2013.
It had a small 5-inch screen and a small format for a price that was really affordable at the time of about $70.
Its small case made it easy to slip it in your pocket and carry it everywhere.
It was the only small e-reader with the Kobo Mini and the last one in this format to have been widely marketed in the world.
Pocketbook Color Lux e-reader
In 2013, Pocketbook marketed one of the first color readers with the Pocketbook Color Lux.
With its 8-inch e-ink screen capable of displaying 4096 different colors, it prefigured the more recent current e-readers based on a new generation of more powerful color screens.
It was a small success and many readers swore by this model since it was the only one to display colors for years.
Today, Pocketbook continues on this path and the Pocketbook Viva is the most recent evolution of this model.
Pocketbook Aqua e-reader
In 2014, Pocketbook launched the first waterproof e-reader with the Pocketbook Aqua.
With its 6-inch e-ink screen it was thus largely ahead of its time with its IP57 certification that made it resistant to water splashes and dust.
This feature has since been taken up by many brands who now all offer a waterproof model to allow reading in a bath, in the snow, by a pool or on the beach without fear for its reader.
A Pocketbook Aqua 2 reader has also been realsed.
Pocketbook Ultra e-reader
The Pocketbook Ultra was a very disconcerting e-reader.
It is a 6-inch e-reader with features that were way ahead of its time when it was released in 2015.
Thus, it was one of the first models to offer a screen with an embryonic blue light filter. At the time of the test, I was totally baffled by the yellowish lighting of this e-reader.
It should be noted that other manufacturers, such as Kindle, were pushing e-readers with ever-increasing contrast with machines like the Kindle Paperwhite that offered a more flattering display rendering with blacker text on an ever brighter screen.
The flaw of the Pocketbook Ultra was to impose this blue light filter without any adjustment.
But more than that, the Pocketbook Ultra offered another feature that was as original as it was revolutionary: a camera with a character recognition function.
In other words, it was possible to take a picture of a page of a paper book and have a digital transcription using an OCR tool.
Unfortunately, in practice the result was not up to expectations…
Current lineup of Pocketbook e-readers
You can see the current Pocketbook e-readers available on this page if you want to know wich is the best to buy.
