Bookeen Diva Ereader Review
At the end of 2019, Bookeen released two new ereaders. The Bookeen Diva HD has already been tested on the site and it makes sense for this test to turn to the most affordable model: the Bookeen Diva reader.
First of all, a big thank you to the Bookeen company who sent me a test copy of this reader. This allows as many people as possible to have details of what this reader offers for readers.
See the Bookeen Diva reader on the Bookeen website.
Summary
Packaging and presentation of the Bookeen Diva Ereader
As for its big sister, the Bookeen Diva is supplied in a beautiful cardboard packaging which protects the ereader well.
The whole thing is more luxurious than at Amazon, which still packs its Kindle in very minimalist packaging.
But, in the end, it is above all the content that is interesting. The ereader is therefore supplied with a small manual and a micro-USB connection cable. This can be used to charge the ereader by plugging it into an AC adapter (not supplied) or a computer.
The cable will also be used to transfer ebooks to the ereader.
The ereader rediscovers the particular style adopted by Bookeen for several years. The idea is, therefore, to get rid of the codes of electronic devices to offer an e-reader with a style reminiscent of a paper book.
The angles are present but softened, the plastic used is entirely white and very pleasant to the touch. We find the same style as for the Diva HD and would not be without reminding also that of the Bookeen Saga.
Unsurprisingly, we are holding the reader well and there is no risk of it slipping from our hands.
We immediately notice a peculiarity with Bookeen and Vivlio: we have buttons on the front of the reader.
If the machine is well equipped with a touch screen, these buttons allow quick access to the menu, to turn pages, or even to adjust the light intensity (which means that there is indeed light on this ereader ).
Screen, touch, and lighting
The screen used in this reader is electronic ink and supplied by the market leader: E Ink. Its resolution is 1024 x 758 pixels for a diagonal of 6 inches which is a little more than the basic Kindle.
It offers a lower resolution than Diva HD or Kindle Paperwhite which offer 1448 x 1072 pixels.
I was pleasantly surprised by the screen which displayed the characters very correctly. We can clearly see that it is better than that of the basic Kindle and it does not seem too far behind that of its big sister.
The ereader also incorporates lighting that allows reading at night (or in difficult light conditions in public transport for example).
You can adjust the light intensity but no blue light filter is offered (unlike the Bookeen Diva HD which has this function).
On the other hand, Bookeen added a rather well-regarded night mode: by pressing the button on the left of the screen, the colors on the screen are inverted.
The text becomes white and the page black. What looks like a gadget at the start is actually very useful: once the colors are inverted, the screen is much less bright and the characters stand out very well.
This removes the small glare effect that can be seen when reading on an ereader in total darkness (at night in your bed in practice).
Wifi, USB, storage, and library
You can connect your reader to your computer with the USB cable.
This allows you to copy ebooks to the reader or use Caliber to do so (the reader is perfectly compatible with the EPUB format).
In addition to this type of connection, it is possible to use the Bookeen Diva reading light with a Wi-Fi connection.
Once the reader is connected to the Internet, it is possible to access the Bookeen bookstore to download and buy books. This will also update the Bookeen reader.
Bookeen offers a very generous storage capacity with 16 GB which should allow you to carry with you between 10,000 and 15,000 ebooks. What you need to build a beautiful library of digital books.
The interface ereader Bookeen Diva
The interface of Bookeen readers is always simple and well designed.
This new version goes a step further in simplicity with functions quickly accessible with the thumb at the touch of the round button placed on the right of the screen.
The reader offers support for ebooks in EPUB format, which means that you will not have to go through the conversion stage if you already have digital books in this format.
Regarding the supported formats, the Bookeen Diva natively manages the EPUB format (no need for conversion) and offers an important innovation with the management of the DRM LCP of the Readium consortium.
It is not yet activated but it will be activated later this year and you can then lend books to your loved ones who will have a reader compatible with this DRM.
The interface of the home screen contains the usual elements found on all e-readers: access to the library, display of the book being read, access to the bookstore (Bookeen Store), access to parameters, etc. .
The options are interesting and boil down to the essentials:
- WIFI connection
- General: update, storage space, date and time, language, old version, dictionaries, reset the device
- Brightness and display: to adjust the light intensity and the color temperature of the night reading mode (color inversion), manage the refresh, manage the rotation of the screen with the gyroscope.
- Library: parental control and management of recommendations.
- Tutorial: allows you to display the welcome tutorial again which explains how the reader works.
- FAQ and support: links to find help on the Internet
Reading an ebook on the Diva HD reader
Reading is very comfortable for the reader. Even if it does not have the best screen available in 6 inches (for obvious reasons of cost), I did not notice anything problematic.
The text is displayed accurately and reading is a pleasure. Having an option to display white characters on a black background is a real bonus. This is also an option available on Kindle, but it is not as accessible as on this Bookeen Diva.
There are obviously all the options that make the readers so nice:
- Font setting
- Changing the font size
- Margins around the text
- Text alignment (left, right, justified)
- Line spacing size
This generation of Bookeen reader also provides reading statistics which work very well. This lets you know how much time you have left to read in a chapter or in the book.
After testing the two Bookeen Diva and Diva HD e-readers, I even think that they are among the most accurate on all e-readers, at least in terms of statistics on Kindle.
The weight is between 230 g and 240 g which places this ereader in the upper range of the 6-inch ereaders. However, I find that comfort is not impacted by these additional 20 to 40 grams compared to the lightest 6-inch ereaders.
Reading PDF files and comics
As with all 6-inch e-readers, this Bookeen Diva is not designed for reading comics or PDF files.
The screen lacks a few pixels to provide adequate rendering for these types of files.
If you intend to read Pdf files that contain only text and no image that can still pass, but it is too variable for me to be able to pronounce for this type of use.
If you plan to read a lot of comics and PDF files, it is in your best interest to use a device with colors and good management of these files: tablet, a smartphone with a large screen, and a computer.
Technical specifications
Here are the complete technical characteristics of the Bookeen Diva reader:
- Screen: 6 ″ E lnk HD (type E ink Carta) Resolution 1024 x 758 px – dpi: 212 – REGAL mode (reduction of afterglow)
- Touch screen: Multi-point capability
- 16 GB storage + 15,000 ebooks and direct access to Bookeenstore
- Weeks of autonomy
- Adjustable lighting
- Dimensions: 121 x 155 x 11 mm
- Silicone shell
- Weight: <240g
- Buttons for turning pages, on & off, menu, lighting
- CPU: IMX6SLL (Cortex A9 1Ghz)
- RAM: 512 MB LPDDR2
- USB (Micro USB 2.0)
- Wi-Fi (802.11 b / g / n)
- Supported formats: ePub, PDF, HTML, TXT, FB2, JPEG, PNG, GIF, BMP, ICO, TIF and PSD
Conclusion of the test and note from the Bookeen Diva reader
Bookeen offers an excellent model with this reader.
Its placement is a little strange at first with its screen and its price located “in-between”. It is therefore not a low-end reader – like the Kindle – nor is it a “classic” reader with a very thin screen like the Diva HD, the Kindle Paperwhite, or the Kobo Clara HD.
The main competitor of the Bookeen Diva is finally the Vivlio Touch Lux 4. And, between the two, I think we should choose the Bookeen Diva which is faster and more intuitive.
So, with its good price although a bit too high (€ 109.99), its 16 GB of storage, it’s very accessible night mode and its ease of use, the reader is perfect if the budget suits you.
But, be aware that for 30 € more you can have a Bookeen Diva HD and for 20 € more a Kindle Paperwhite … If you can put a little budget one of these two reading lights will be more interesting.
The Bookeen Diva reader is, therefore, a very good reader.
See the Bookeen Diva reader on their website.
Advantages :
✔️ Support for Epub format
✔️ Ease of use
✔️ Night mode well is seen
✔️ 16 GB of storage
The inconvenient :
❗ The price maybe a little high
A final note for the test of this Bookeen Diva reader at € 109.99: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (add ⭐ a star if its price is less than € 100)
