Swiss e-reader maker PocketBook is launching the InkPad One, a 26.2 cm (10.3-inch) E Ink tablet with stylus support aimed at readers who also want to jot down notes and sketches. The device is now available for pre-order in Germany at $355 (€299), though it leans on some notably dated hardware under the hood.
The InkPad One features an E Ink Mobius display, a panel technology that originally debuted back in 2013, running at 1404 x 1872 pixels with 226 PPI and 16 shades of grey. It is not a color screen and it will not wow anyone with cutting-edge contrast ratios, but for primarily text-based reading and handwriting, the front-lit display should be perfectly serviceable. Powering the tablet is a Rockchip RK3566, a quad-core Arm Cortex-A55 chip from 2020 paired with 2GB of RAM and 32GB of onboard storage. There is no microSD slot for expansion.
Rather than Android, the InkPad One runs a Linux-based operating system, which means sideloading apps like Amazon Kindle is not an option. PocketBook's own software supports eBooks with Adobe DRM alongside a wide range of DRM-free formats, plus MP3, M4A, and OGG audio playback and basic image viewing. A handful of built-in extras round out the package, including an RSS reader, a web browser, and simple games like Sudoku and Chess. Connectivity comes via USB Type-C, and a 3,700 mAh battery keeps things running.
Because the InkPad One runs PocketBook's Linux-based OS, it is a natural fit for KOReader, the open-source reading application that can be sideloaded onto PocketBook devices by copying its application files to the device's root directory over USB. KOReader adds features the stock software lacks, including OPDS catalog browsing (useful for pulling books directly from a self-hosted Calibre-Web server), advanced typesetting controls, and progress sync across devices. A community-built Nextcloud client for PocketBook also exists for syncing documents from a personal cloud, and PocketBook publishes a C/C++ SDK that lets developers build and install native apps directly. The RK3566 SoC inside is the same chip used in the Pine64 PineNote, a hacker-oriented E Ink tablet that has driven meaningful progress on mainline Linux kernel support for Rockchip-based e-paper hardware, which could eventually benefit tinkerers who want to push the InkPad One further than PocketBook intended.
