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ZDNET’s key takeaways
- The DuRobo Krono is a smartphone-sized ePaper pill with a productiveness focus.
- The Android-based Krono is supposed to be a distraction-free machine for studying, note-taking, and productiveness.
- Following a profitable Kickstarter marketing campaign, the Krono is now out there for preorder, with transport scheduled for the tip of January.
As an avid guide lover, I am a sucker for an incredible e-reader. But many of those gadgets are means too restricted to essentially turn out to be a companion machine. Because of this I beloved the TCL Nxtpaper pill a lot; nevertheless, the brand new DuRobo Krono is right here to handle that pill’s single downfall: it is a pocket e-reader and productiveness machine that’s lastly out there for preorder.
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Admittedly, I’m biased. I have been utilizing a prototype of the DuRobo Krono for a few months, and it is performed what no e-reader has earlier than: it is the one one which has changed my Kindle throughout journey. As an grownup, I’ve by no means traveled with out my Kindle as a result of I like having the ability to learn on the aircraft and earlier than mattress.
But the DuRobo Krono is small and light-weight sufficient to make a compelling Kindle alternative, and its added options convey it excessive.
Describing the DuRobo Krono as a easy e-reader is a serious injustice. It is an e-paper Android pill that works as a smartphone-sized productiveness machine. Its lengthy battery life and Android-based OS make it extra dependable than your common e-reader, with out being as cumbersome or heavy as even a Kindle.
“Krono was created for thinkers and creators who crave psychological readability,” stated a DuRoBo spokesperson. “By combining considerate design, open software program, and clever help, we’re giving individuals a brand new sort of digital area—one which helps them focus, replicate, and create with out distractions.”
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The Krono incorporates a built-in AI assistant that permits simple observe recording by merely urgent a button, which then transcribes and summarizes the notes for you — which has turned out to be fairly handy for me as a author.
A 6.1-inch Carta 1200 HD show helps 300 PPI and shade temperature changes, and is flanked by a rotating dial on the left and a wake button on the appropriate. You’ll be able to rotate the Sensible Dial to regulate the show’s brightness or long-press it to rapidly report a voice observe.
The DuRobo Krono options 128GB of storage, permitting it to deal with a variety of paperwork, apps, voice recordings, and books. It is now commercially out there, with a preorder value of $280, and orders are transport in late January.
