It looks like Pocketbook is now selling their ebook readers in the United States through Newegg, with three different models available to purchase.
This is good news for those looking for alternatives to Kindles, Kobos, and Nooks. Pocketbook is one of the oldest ebook reader companies, having been in business since 2007.
Pocketbook used to sell their ereaders in the US, but they haven’t had any US distributors for a long time.
According to the Pocketbook seller profile at Newegg, they are based in Switzerland.
The listings for their products say they are sold by Pocketbook and shipped by Newegg, and the listings specifically state they “Ship from United States”.
Not all Pocketbook models are being sold, but they are selling three of their current devices, along with a few covers.
Pocketbook’s ereaders support a wide variety of formats, including ePub, PDF, FB2, PRC, MOBI, DOC, HTML and others.
Here’s a summery of each model that’s available on Newegg:
PocketBook Touch HD 3 – Available in two colors, this is a 6-inch ebook reader with a 300 ppi E Ink screen and frontlight with color adjustment. It has 16GB of storage, a dual-core 1GHz processor, 1GB of RAM, a capacitive touchscreen, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, a rotation sensor, micro USB port, and 1500 mAh battery. It’s also waterproof and supports audio, and it’s one of the lighter 6-inch models at just 155 grams. It sells for $159 plus shipping.
PocketBook InkPad 3 Pro – This is their 7.8-inch model. It also has a 300 ppi E Ink screen and a frontlight with adjustable color temperature, along with 16GB of storage, a dual-core 1GHz processor, 1GB of RAM, and waterproofing. It has Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, a micro USB port, and it supports audio as well. It has a 1900 mAh battery. This model sells for $279 plus shipping.
PocketBook InkPad X – This is Pocketbook’s 10.3-inch model. It has 32GB of storage space, a 2000 mAh battery, and it weighs 300 grams. It also has an adjustable frontlight, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, audio support (including text-to-speech), but it’s not waterproof. Early reports of this model suggest that it is on the sluggish side. That’s a big screen to power with just a dual-core 1GHz processor and only 1GB of RAM, but at $449 it’s cheaper than the other 10.3-inch ereaders from Onyx and Likebook, which have octa-core processors and 4GB of RAM. It also lacks the Wacom touchscreen and stylus for note-taking, but it’s nice to have more choices when it comes to large-screen ebook readers.
via: Mobileread
I’m pretty excited about this. I’ve been interested in the the hd3 since it came out and would have bought one if the only place I could get one wasn’t well known for swindling.
I actually favor the Inkpad X. Just hoping Kindle or Kobo will somehow go large on a color e-reader. A 9″ or 10″ device from either of them might get my purchase.
The Inkpad X looks like a solid large device without a note taking function.
I hoped Inkpad X was a better ereader because it runs linux, but it seems to be too slow. I don’t know its cause: short RAM (1GB) or SOC (2 nuclei).
I’ve used both Inkpad 3 and Inkpad X for a while. Slowness, especially in menus, seem to be a design/coding issue. Parts of the screen is displayed, erased and redisplayed. They could perhaps hire some games programmers to optimize their code?
I also have an Inkpad X and really LOVE it. I don’t use my Kobo Aura One anymore for reading ebooks because the Inkpad X gives the feeling of a real hardcover book (due to its fomat). Some people are complaining that the Pocketbook is slow, but when you are reading an ebook (the main function of this ereader), that is not a problem .
Can you sideload fonts on you Inkpad X. Any issues with sideloaded content?
Is Google play store on the device?
No, Pocketbooks don’t run Android.
Thank you. That helped my decision.
Yes, I’ve added sideloaded fonts, the ones that Nathan recommended a long time ago (Charis Sil Modified Larger)
And I have no difficulties whith reading sideloaded epubs.
For the record: the inkpad X is slow indeed, but when you’re reading ebooks that doesn’t bother because turning the pages goes fast. And with the large screen, you don ‘t need to turn the pages too fast.
The front light is also great , that ‘s why this is my favorite ereader for reading ebooks (epubs).
But the price is high and if you want a device for other purposes ( note taking for example), this might not be the best option
But if it’s slow and that size you, sometimes can’t visualize the whole page and, in case you read a technical pdf with charts that clarifies the text, it will be annoying.
Depends, some people don’t read at a very high level but at the elementary school level. When reading at a high level, especially with non-fiction books, then taking notes is important. Typing notes on a pocketbook device seems extremely slow to me so I will never buy one over a Kobo.