Lean, Ivory, Pocket-Fitting Machine. Hi, I'm the Pocketbook 360.
We love our literature, whether it be the Kama Sutra or anything by C.S. Lewis. There are those of us who prefer the smell of newly minted paperbacks and those of us who have opted to invest in an E-Reader (for those living under a rock, an electronic device that gives us our story without killing quite as many trees).
There are those that have been using E-readers for quite a while now; Kindle, Nook, Jetbook, the list could go on. We decided to see how the Pocketbook 360 stood up to some pretty stiff competition, and got some use out of our recently reviewed free audiobooks" in the process.
The 360 was small, damn good-looking, and easy on the eyes- as in we didnʻt have any eye strain at all while using it. We loved the detachable lid that protected the 5” screen and didn’t add much bulk, which is no small feat. However, in lieu of the versatile and weightlessness, it lacks a touchscreen and a wireless connection. We don’t feel this presented much as a problem, as the pros outweigh the cons. Namely, the easy to read screen. The 360 boasts a 5” E-Ink Vizplex 600×800 166dpi, with 16 grayscale levels.
What made the Pocketbook stand apart the most from its competitors is the customization options that are included. We were able to single-handedly personalize our 360 by dictating the menu layout and reconfiguring the button functions to suit our interests. The screen had great contrast and is glare free, perfect for reading books without eye strain. You can take it outdoors and read easily in direct sunlight-though you should still invest in some sunscreen. Lefties will swoon as this will feel natural to them instead of being stuck in the same corner as all the righties in the world. We enjoyed loading our own fonts, spacing, set margins, and could do multiple zooms.
Though we found this easy to use, the audible click when going through pages was a bit distracting. It could potentially be bothersome to those around you, especially in situations like a long flight or in bed next to a light sleeper. Page-turning was fast and large, wing-shaped forward/back buttons complemented the directional joypad.
The Pocketbook 360 runs nearly every format for text, including FB2, FB2.zip, TXT, PDF, RTF, HTML, PRC, CHM, DJVU, DOC, EPUB, TCR, JPG, BMP, PNG, and TIFF. We appreciated the fact that the 360 runs Linux, which allows software developers to develop their own programs, in turn making it possible for you to read DRM protected EPUBs and PDFs, as well as FREE library books, which most E-readers can’t brag about. It also supports a wide range of languages so if you feel like using your translator, you might be able to read in other languages.
The battery life is rated 8,000 page turns, so let’s engage in some mental math. If you use it 4 hours a day without sleeping or locking the keys, you’ll happily enjoy 2-3 weeks of reading the Scarlet Letter. You can still get a week’s worth of use with the accelerometer activated, long shut-off settings, and an SDcard inserted. The best part is that the battery is user-replaceable, so there is no need to send it in for a replacement as you must with the Kindle.
Sometimes you find a device that is worth the wait. We felt the E-Reader could tweak itself a little bit but are definitely pleased. You can purchase for around $260 on Amazon.
