Distributor: Standaard Boekhandel
Tolino Vision 4 HD – Hardware Review
We’ve had the chance to take a look at a few e-readers in the past, all of the Tolino brand, which is clearly occupied with updating its library of available products. Many of the previous reviews were updates of the early models we reviewed, often providing more storage room, increased speed and other minor changes that actually made said devices a lot more comfortable for the user to work with. This time it’s the Tolino Vision that gets an update with the release of the Tolinio Vision 4 HD, which is a revamped version of the Vision device.
Design
The Tolino Vision 4 HD looks exactly the same as the Vision 2, which means it’s a rather classy looking e-reader, with a fairly big screen, almost no borders, and a smooth surface on the front side of the device. The back side, and all the sides have been coated in a matte rubbery plastic, making sure the device not only looks good, but it also provides the necessary grip. Other than this the device has no whistles and bells, thus you’ll be treated to a fairly simple looking device.
Again all the buttons have been incorporated in the design, which presents you with two small and subtle buttons on the topside of the device, and one touch button on the front side. The latter lights up when you use it, showing it works.
Comfort
You’ll have ample grip thanks to the smooth coating on the backside and sides of the device. This makes sure the device will not slip out of your hands, even if your hands are a bit sweaty. The only downside is that fingerprints are easily shown on said coating, so a proper upkeep is advised if you don’t want you device to look too greasy after a certain amount of time. Other than that the comfort features are pretty simple, as the device is light, which means it will not strain your wrists easily and you can also read with one hand, as you can flip pages by tapping the back of the device with your finger, which causes the device to continue scrolling or flip the page, depending on the font size.
Specs
- 163 mm x 114 mm x 8,1 mm
- 174 grams
- 6 inch display
- E-Ink Carta monitor
- Waterproof coating (30 minutes, 1 meter depth)
- Powerful processor
- Built in shop
- 8GB storage (Only 6GB available for books)
- Supports ePub, PDF and txt
Overview
As always with the Tolino devices, you’ll have a plug and play e-reader, which can easily be connected to your PC with its reversible charging cable, the latter being a great asset, which can prevent a lot of annoyances trying to twist and turn the connector in the right direction. When the device is connected, it will automatically charge, but you’ll also be able to simply drag and drop your ebooks on the device, allowing you to further expand your digital library.
Just like the previous models, this one supports different file types, making sure you can read whatever you like, whenever you like. ePub, txt and PDF are supported, thus all the major file types are covered. As you can simply drag and drop said files from your PC to your device, you’ll be good to go in a matter of seconds.
Like many e-readers, the battery life has a duration of several weeks, depending on how much you read, and how much you use the backlight for the device. Even with the backlight on, the text still feels like it’s printed on the screen, rather than watching a normal tablet screen, thus it’s a lot more pleasant for the eyes. Notwithstanding the fact you can also browse the web on this device, is is at a slightly slower pace than a normal tablet, and of course, without any colors on the screen. It’s a nice extra, especially when you’re browsing to buy some new books for your collection.
The e-reader keeps track of where you are in whatever book that is stored on your device, or when having an active internet connection, it also keeps track of your books that are stored in the cloud. That being said, you won’t have to store that much in the cloud, as the device has a capacity of 8GB, of which 6GB can be used to store books, which is pretty much the equivalent of a couple of thousands books.
You’ll also have other basic functionalities like you’d have on a smartphone or tablet, such as taking screenshots, making notes, keeping tabs of your favorite websites and so on, and of course the built in shop, the latter being properly supported by the Standaard Boekhandel, who publishes said devices in Belgium.
Every device we tried out so far has been more responsive and faster than the previous one, and this is yet again true for the Vision 4 HD, and for us, this was the quickest device we tried out so far. The device responds immediately when you want to flip a page, the refresh rate is rather quick and even browsing through the menus is done rather fluently, which makes sure you don’t have to lose a lot of time finding your favorite book and/or booting the device from its standby mode. Of course, when you shut down the device completely, it will take somewhat longer for it to boot.
Conclusion
Even though Tolino’s Vision 4 HD outshines the Shine, it comes at a higher price, but reading aficionado’s will certainly enjoy this device a lot more as it’s comfortable, has a lot of storage room, responds extremely fast and refreshes properly and above all, is very light and soft for your hands. If you have a higher budget, you’re on the road a lot, or simply don’t have the room for a big bookshelf, the Vision 4 HD has a lot to offer, all enveloped in its tiny attractive case.
Tolino Vision 4 HD - Hardware Review,
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