Canadian e-book maker Kobo has revealed an unexpected new weapon in its ongoing war against Amazon’s Kindle: a line of devices with colour E-ink screens.
However, when you compare it directly to the black-and-white model, it becomes apparent that the colour screen comes with some compromises. So, if you’re predominantly reading regular monochrome books, the new product isn’t necessarily a recommended upgrade.It’s hard to overstate how big a difference Libra Colour makes to the look of your virtual bookshelf or the Kobo store when it’s rendered in colour.
Of course, directly after that, I became absorbed in the book and stopped noticing the texture, but it is a distracting element that monochrome readers don’t have.Comparing the Libra Colour to the $320 Libra 2, it’s also obvious the new model has inferior contrast; the text is essentially black on the Libra 2, but it’s grey on the Colour.
Both products are waterproof and have backlights with adjustable brightness and colour – so you can read in any environment and limit blue light before bed – and are simple to use, with both touchscreens and page-turn buttons. However, the Libra Colour also includes the stylus compatibility of the $460 Libra Sage.With a sold-separately stylus, you can write directly onto your books to mark them up, handwrite notes to accompany your highlighted passages, or start your own notebooks from scratch.
The one thing that most separates Kobos from Kindles is their ability to source books from more places, and this remains true for the Libra Colour.