Kobo recently launched two colored e-readers – Libra & Clara. Although I feel, they are the way to go, here are my two cents on their usefulness (or the lack of it) – and should you buy them? Note, this is not a technical review of the readers. For that, you will find a great review by Tech Radar here.
Benefits of color e-readers
I think color e-readers have two big pluses – first, when your book has lots of images which becomes a totally different experience viewing in color. And two, if you are someone who is in the habit of highlighting text a lot.
The first scenario is quite fitting for comics or for academic texts of students that include pictures. The second is more a question of habit – I for example highlight notable quotes & important points in a book a lot. Without it, it doesn’t feel I have read the book. It also is very useful in case of students with their academic texts. Highlighting parts in varying colors making them stand out is quite handy and useful.
Besides this, in general, it is quite an enriching experience to see your books lined up in your library with their colorful covers. So, a thumbs up for that!
Who should actually buy color e-readers?
With their benefits listed above, it still only makes sense to buy color e-readers if you read extensively every day. If you only will read a few pages a day, you can very well do so on your mobile or tablets with the apps for all popular e-readers – Kindle, Kobo & Google Play Books. All of them provide the color experience and benefits we talked about. The only downside being, strain on the eyes if you use them for too long at a stretch. That is where the anti-glare features & the wide screen of the e-readers come in handy.
Conclusion
In a nutshell, for students or avid readers who spend considerable time reading at a stretch, color e-readers are a boon and the way forward. For the rest of us, we can continue to enjoy reading on our phones/tablets or current e-readers till their colored counterparts come at par with them in pricing and take their place.