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Kobo Libra Colour Review: A Color E Ink Screen

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If you save a lot of articles using Pocket, you can read them on Kobos. The Pocket integration was supposed to go away in 2023, but Kobo updated its system to enable them to work, and this is no longer an issue. You can’t write on Pocket articles no matter where you’re reading them, but you can import documents you want to mark up to the Libra as PDFs. As a writer, it’s fun to break out my old proofreading marks again.

I also tested Kobo’s SleepCover ($40), which can be folded into a stand. I usually go coverless when using e-readers because they’re pretty durable, but I liked this one too much. It keeps the device steady even when I write notes.

Right to Repair

Tablet on the left showing drawings of flowers and on the right just the flowers

How colors appear on the Libra screen versus how they appear when exported to a computer.

Photograph: Medea Giordano

Reading on the Libra Colour was a largely problem-free experience, but I had some “ghosting” (where you can see faint traces of menus or erased text) in the notebooks. This usually remedied itself after a few seconds, but it was more noticeable than other e-readers I’ve tested of late. Occasionally I’d have to turn the page and go back to fix it.

The Libra is waterproof and made from recycled plastics, and the battery should last a month or so, depending on how much you read and write. I am of the mind that the page-turn buttons included here should be standard across all e-readers. That said, the Libra Colour is expensive at $220. Add in the $70 stylus and it’s even more of a steep price for a color screen.

If it’s any consolation, the Kobo Libra Colour is repairable, so your money can go a long way. Kobo has partnered with iFixit to make kits for repairing the display, battery, and motherboard, plus the front and back covers. This extends to the Clara Colour and the original black-and-white Clara. More details on this are coming soon.

Kobo e-readers may lack the Amazon Kindle’s large library, but if you’ve been trying to move away from all things Amazon, it’s a perfectly great e-reader. And with this new Libra, reading and writing in color is just plain fun.

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The iPad Pro 2024 could have ‘by far’ the best OLED tablet screen and an M4 chipset

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For as much as Apple hyped up the mini-LED screen used by the iPad Pro 12.9 (2022), the fact is that in many ways this isn’t as good as the OLED displays that were already found on numerous rival tablets. But finally it looks like Apple won’t just catch up, but overtake the competition.

This is according to Ross Young, a leaker and display supply chain expert who claims (via 9to5Mac) that the iPad Pro 2024 will have “by far the best OLED tablet panels on the market with LTPO, 120Hz refresh, a tandem stack and glass thinning resulting in ultra-thin and light displays with high brightness, extended battery life and long lifetime.”

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Finally! After a 7-year wait, this monitor could well be the best pro-level 8K display ever — will Asus be able to break the curse of failed 8K monitor launches with the PA32KCX Mini LED pro screen?

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Mini LEDs are typically found in gaming monitors. Unlike LCD backlights, they offer a broad contrast range, with deeper, near-OLED quality levels of black, that enrich and enhance the dynamism of both SDR and HDR content.

Asus has brought Mini LED technology to the ultra-high-end business monitor market for the first time with its new 32-inch ProArt Display PA32KCX. The 8K screen (that’s a whopping 7,680 x 4,320 pixels – 275 PPI), is aimed at professional photographers, video editors and graphics artists.

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MacRumors Giveaway: Win an iPhone 15 and Blue Light Screen Protector From Ocushield

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For this week’s giveaway, we’ve teamed up with Ocushield to offer MacRumors readers a chance to win an iPhone 15 and one of Ocushield’s Blue Light Screen Protectors to go along with it.

ocushield iphone screen protector
Ocushield has a range of medically rated screen protectors that are designed for for the iPhone, iPad, and MacBook. Ocushield specializes in blue light reduction, so all of its screen protectors cut down on the amount of blue light that you’re exposed to when using your devices.

Blue light can cause eye strain, headaches, dry eyes, fatigue, and blurry vision in some people, and it is hard to avoid between work on the computer and day-to-day iPhone and iPad usage. Blue light can also impact sleep because it affects the production of melatonin and your body doesn’t naturally produce enough to tell you when to go to sleep.

ocushield ipad screen protector 2ocushield ipad screen protector 2
Ocushield’s iPhone Screen Protector comes in sizes that fit all devices dating back to the ‌iPhone‌ 5. It comes with a kit for cleaning the ‌iPhone‌ and an applicator tray for alignment purposes, both of which make for a no-flaw application process.

The iPad Screen Protector features a similar kit, and it is available for the ‌iPad‌, iPad mini, iPad Pro, and iPad Air. Each one comes with a screen cleaner, tray for application, sticker to remove dust, and a cleaning cloth.

The blue light filters block up to 99 percent of UV and blue light emissions between 300-400nm, and up to 54 percent of harmful blue light between 400 to 470nm. Ocushield says that its ‌iPhone‌ and ‌iPad‌ screen protectors are meant to preserve the natural colors of the device for a clear picture.

ocushield screen protector applicationocushield screen protector application
The ‌iPhone‌ and ‌iPad‌ Screen Protectors are both made of thin, tempered glass, which also offer screen protection. They come with an anti-bacterial coating, oil resistance, and an anti-reflection coating that cuts down on fingerprints. Ocushield says that the screen protectors are able to prevent eye strain, improve sleep, and protect the eyes and skin from harmful blue light.

While the ‌iPhone‌ and ‌iPad‌ Screen Protectors are permanent and attach with no-damage adhesive, Ocushield’s MacBook Anti-Blue Light Filter works a little differently. Apple does not recommend closing a MacBook with a screen protector attached, so the Blue Light Filter for Mac is removable.

ocushield mac screen protectorocushield mac screen protector
It adheres using silicone or magnets depending on your Mac model, and it can be put on when you’re using your Mac and then taken off when you need to close the display. It offers the same blue light protection as the ‌iPhone‌ and ‌iPad‌ Screen Protectors, but it also has a built-in privacy filter. When attached, the display of a Mac viewed from the side is near black, preserving privacy. It also has an anti-bacterial coating and an anti-glare coating that cut down on glare and reflections.

Ocushield recently acquired EyeJust, a company that creates blue light blocking glasses, so it is expanding its product lineup with stylish glasses that will work for all devices, and improving its presence in the United States (it is based in the UK).

It is worth noting that Apple has added built-in blue light reduction features to the ‌iPhone‌, ‌iPad‌, and Mac with Night Shift, but the functionality only works at night. It also has a greater impact on color accuracy because it uses display color temperature for blocking blue light. Ocushield also has a wider feature set, including anti-drop protection for the ‌iPhone‌ and side-angle viewing restrictions on the Mac, plus glare reduction across all devices. To celebrate spring, Ocushield has a 15 percent discount on all products right now with the promo code BLOOM2024.

We have an ‌iPhone 15‌ and Ocushield Screen Protector for a MacRumors reader. To enter to win, use the widget below and enter an email address. Email addresses will be used solely for contact purposes to reach the winner(s) and send the prize(s). You can earn additional entries by subscribing to our weekly newsletter, subscribing to our YouTube channel, following us on Twitter, following us on Instagram, following us on Threads, or visiting the MacRumors Facebook page.

Due to the complexities of international laws regarding giveaways, only U.S. residents who are 18 years or older, UK residents who are 18 years or older, and Canadian residents (excluding Quebec) who have reached the age of majority in their province or territory are eligible to enter. All federal, state, provincial, and/or local taxes, fees, and surcharges are the sole responsibility of the prize winner. To offer feedback or get more information on the giveaway restrictions, please refer to our Site Feedback section, as that is where discussion of the rules will be redirected.

The contest will run from today (April 26) at 9:00 a.m. Pacific Time through 9:00 a.m. Pacific Time on May 3. The winner will be chosen randomly on or shortly after May 3 and will be contacted by email. The winner will have 48 hours to respond and provide a shipping address before a new winner is chosen.



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How to Make Your iPhone Screen Less Bright in Bed

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Most of us stare at our iPhones for far too long, and this constant exposure to a bright screen can strain our eyes, especially in low-light conditions or during the twilight hours. That’s where the ability to dim your iPhone screen beyond the standard brightness settings becomes a game-changer.

iphone in bed
If the screen of your iPhone or iPad is too bright for comfort, the usual solution is to go to Settings ➝ Display & Brightness and drag the Brightness slider to the left, or open Control Center and adjust the corresponding setting from there. However, if the lowest setting offered by the Brightness level just isn’t dim enough for you, there’s another way to make your screen even darker.

This feature is particularly useful if you find yourself needing to use your device in dark environments, such as in a bedroom where a partner is sleeping, or in a dimly lit theater. It’s also a boon for anyone with light sensitivity, providing a more comfortable viewing experience that minimizes eye strain and fatigue. Let’s look at how to set it up below.

Reduce White Point

  1. Open Settings on your iPhone.
  2. Select Accessibility from the list of options.
  3. Scroll down and select Accessibility Shortcut.
  4. Tap Reduce White Point, then drag it up near the top of the list using the three lines icon.

settingssettings

Now that’s set up, simply triple-click your iPhone’s Side button to display the Accessibility Shortcut menu, then tap Reduce White Point.

reduce white pointreduce white point
Your iPhone display will now be dimmer than the dimmest setting offered by the standard Brightness level.

Reset White Point

To return the white point to its normal level, simply triple-click the Side button again and tap Reduce White Point to uncheck it.

Adjust White Point

If the White Point is still too bright (or too dim), you can adjust it manually: In Settings, go to Accessibility ➝ Display & Text Size, then scroll down and turn on the switch next to Reduce White Point.

settingssettings
This will reveal a slider that you can move left or right to change the brightness level.

Trigger Reduced White Point at Bedtime

It’s possible to make the Reduced White Point setting come on when Bedtime starts, or when your Sleep focus is enabled. This offers an automated approach to minimizing screen brightness, which is particularly beneficial for winding down before bedtime.

Blue light is known for its potential to disrupt natural sleep patterns by inhibiting the production of melatonin, a hormone crucial for sleep regulation. That makes an automation especially useful if you have a habit of reading or browsing on your iPhone as part of your nighttime routine, allowing you to do so without significantly impacting your sleep quality. Here’s how it’s done.

  1. Open the Shortcuts app, then tap the + icon in the top-right corner of the screen.
  2. Tap Add Action.
    shortcutsshortcuts
  3. Type “White Point” in the search field, then choose Set White Point when it appears below.
  4. Tap the blue “Turn” text, then choose Toggle from the dropdown menu.
  5. Tap Done in the top-right corner of the screen.
    shortcutsshortcuts

After following the above steps, you should see your new “Set White Point” shortcut in the Shortcuts menu.

shortcutsshortcuts
The Shortcut is now ready to use in a new custom automation. It’s easy to make, just follow these steps.

  1. In the Shortcuts app, select the Automation tab, then tap the + icon in the top-right corner of the screen.
  2. Under “Personal Automation,” choose Sleep.
    shortcutsshortcuts
  3. On the “When” screen, choose Bedtime Begins and Run Immediately, then tap Next.
  4. On the “When Bedtime Starts” screen, choose your custom Set White Point shortcut.
    shortcutsshortcuts

You’re all done. In the future, when Bedtime starts or when you enable the Sleep focus, your screen’s white point will be automatically reduced.

Trigger White Point When Bedtime Ends

To make sure the white point on your iPhone’s display is reset when bedtime ends in the morning, you just have to create an additional automation. This basically involves the same steps you just used to create the first custom automation, except instead of choosing Bedtime Begins in step 3, select Waking Up. Here are those steps again for your convenience, but with a modified step 3.

  1. In the Shortcuts app, select the Automation tab, then tap the + icon in the top-right corner of the screen.
  2. Under “Personal Automation,” choose Sleep.
  3. On the “When” screen, choose Waking Up and Run Immediately, then tap Next.
  4. On the “When Bedtime Starts” screen, choose your custom Set White Point shortcut.

That’s it! The white point on your iPhone display will now return to normal when your bedtime ends.

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Sonos Launches Redesigned App With Customizable Home Screen For More Personalized Listening

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Sonos today unveiled a redesigned Sonos app that is meant to unify an increasingly fragmented streaming market. The app is focused around a customizable home screen that supports more than 100 streaming services, so each user can set up a personalized listening experience.

sonos redesigned app
The home screen layout can be customized, and it displays the services that each user has set up along with controls for accessing content. There are quick access options for recently played songs, podcasts, and books, along with options to browse libraries and see recommendations from preferred services.

Favorite content and services can be pinned in rows to the home screen, and the rows are rearrangeable and customizable. A built-in always-visible search feature allows users to search for artists, songs, podcasts, audiobooks, and more across all of their preferred streaming apps.

Swiping up from the bottom of the home screen allows for a quick visual overview of everything that’s playing on connected devices, and there are tools for groping speakers and adjusting volume across the home.

The new Sonos app will be available globally on mobile and through the web on May 7.

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Some Samsung Galaxy owners are getting screen replacements to fix major issue

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Last week, several Galaxy owners took to the internet to complain about seeing a distracting green line going down their phone’s screen. It was unclear if Samsung would address this issue or ignore it. As it turns out, the tech giant is going to help people fix the problem, but it’s not making it easy.

Industry insider Tarun Vats on X (the platform formerly known as Twitter) recently spoke to an “official Samsung support channel” on WhatsApp. And they told Vats that the company will replace the display as well as the battery even if the “warranty has expired” – so long as you meet certain requirements.



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LG MyView Smart Monitor (32SR85U-W) Review: A Fun 2-In-1 Screen

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you might think a “smart monitor” might have some tie-in to the smart home, but it’s more akin to modern-day smart TVs. LG’s MyView 4K Smart Monitor has a smart TV built into it, complete with a homepage of apps, just like your Roku or Google TV.

“Can’t I just use a web browser?” you might ask. Yes, you can. This led me to wonder why I’d need a smart TV interface on a device that can typically surf any corner of the web, including directly accessing streaming services. To my surprise, I liked using my desktop monitor as both a normal PC monitor and a smart (albeit imperfect) TV. I often preferred the built-in streaming apps over a browser page. It created a nice separation between my work and relaxation time, offering some peace at the end of a long day.

Screen Time

The 32-inch MyView is fairly well rounded for its $600 price, considering it’s a 4K (3,840 x 2,160 resolution) monitor with a large and bright IPS screen. It has already dipped as low as $500, making it an even better value. It comes with a remote, which is how you navigate the TV interface.

There’s a selection of picture modes accessible through the remote’s Settings button, ranging from a dim power-saver mode to ones calibrated for watching movies and sports. They all do something different—Cinema and Sport modes both raise the brightness to 100 percent but choose different levels of contrast, while Auto Power Save cuts down on brightness but uses a high amount of local dimming to respond to your space. These modes are pretty standard fare on monitors and TVs.

The screen was bright enough that I usually chose the Power Save mode, and the local dimming usually landed on around 10 to 15 percent brightness. I also toggled on Eye Care Mode—which reduces blue light on the screen—whenever a yellow-toned screen wasn’t an issue for my tasks. All of this was so much easier to access via the remote compared to the usual buttons you’d find on some corner (or the back) of a monitor. No more guessing what button does what!

White flat screen monitor on desk with 2 speakers on either side neon lighting behind and picture of sky and leaves...

Photograph: Nena Farrell

You’ll see fewer options if you connect the monitor to your PC using a USB-C cord with display-out support instead of an HDMI—Vivid, Standard, Game Optimizer, and a couple of movie-related modes. There’s no Auto Power Save option, and I ended up manually dimming the brightness to replicate the mode I used when I was connected via HDMI.

The 60-Hz refresh rate is a bit of a bummer but unsurprising on monitors that don’t specifically cater to gamers. Whether you’ll notice it depends on what you play; Baldur’s Gate 3 still looked beautiful onscreen, particularly with the Game Optimizer picture mode. I also liked playing Stardew Valley on it, though I found it better to play with the Standard or Auto picture modes, since the art style isn’t as dynamic. If you have a hefty gaming PC and often play fast-paced games, you’ll want to look elsewhere for a monitor that can handle higher refresh rates.

Streaming is where this monitor shines. The large 32-inch screen feels immersive and cinematic when you’re perched right in front of it. It’s big enough that even if you’re sitting slightly farther away, it works OK, but sit more than 5 feet away and it’ll look too small. I spent a good amount of time watching Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, and the Cinema mode did a lovely job of improving the picture quality. (It looked good even on the Auto mode.)

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iPhone 17 Plus Rumored to Feature Smaller Screen Than iPhone 15 Plus

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While the iPhone 16 series is still months away from launching, another rumor has already surfaced about the two-generations-away iPhone 17 lineup.

iPhone 15 General Feature Blue
In a post shared today on social media platform X, oft-accurate display industry expert Ross Young said he heard that the “iPhone 17 Plus” will be equipped with a smaller screen than the current-generation iPhone 15 Plus, which has a 6.7-inch display. However, he did not reveal the exact screen size planned for the iPhone 17 Plus.

Currently, the iPhone 15 Plus has the same screen size as the iPhone 15 Pro Max. If this rumor is accurate, a smaller screen would further differentiate the Plus model from the Pro Max model, starting with the iPhone 17 lineup.

Meanwhile, it has been rumored that the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max will have larger 6.3-inch and 6.9-inch displays, which would be a 0.2-inch increase over each of the 6.1-inch iPhone 15 Pro and the 6.7-inch iPhone 15 Pro Max.

A summary of what to expect follows, but given the iPhone 17 lineup is still a year and a half away, keep in mind that details could change.

iPhone 15

  • iPhone 15: 6.1-inch display
  • iPhone 15 Plus: 6.7-inch display
  • iPhone 15 Pro: 6.1-inch display
  • iPhone 15 Pro Max: 6.7-inch display

iPhone 16

  • iPhone 16: 6.1-inch display
  • iPhone 16 Plus: 6.7-inch display
  • iPhone 16 Pro: 6.3-inch display
  • iPhone 16 Pro Max: 6.9-inch display

iPhone 17

  • iPhone 17: 6.1-inch display
  • iPhone 17 Plus: A smaller-than-6.7-inch display
  • iPhone 17 Pro: 6.3-inch display
  • iPhone 17 Pro Max: 6.9-inch display

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Browser Companies Criticize Apple’s EU Choice Screen in iOS 17.4

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Several third-party browser companies have experienced a spike in iPhone installs since Apple made major changes to iOS in order to comply with the Digital Markets Act in the European Union, but many are not happy with Apple’s implementation of its default browser choice screen.

alternative browser list eu
In iOS 17.4, released last month, Apple no longer limits EU users to the handful of browser options that iOS currently offers as alternatives in other parts of the world. Instead, users in the EU who open Safari for the first time are presented with a choice screen that allows them to opt for a new default browser from a list of popular alternatives in their country.

The change has led to a sharp increase in third-party browser usage, based on several reports. On Wednesday, Reuters reported that users of privacy-first browser Aloha had jumped 250% in March. The jump in users largely came in France, Belgium (3x growth), Germany, The Netherlands, Spain and Sweden (2.5x growth), and Denmark, Italy and Poland (2x growth).

Aloha browser markets itself as a privacy focused alternative to browsers that earns its money through paid subscriptions rather than selling ads by tracking users. The Cyprus-based company says it has 10 million monthly average users.

“Before, EU was our number four market, right now it’s number two,” Aloha CEO Andrew Frost Moroz said in an interview with Reuters.

Norway’s Vivaldi browser, Germany’s Ecosia and U.S.-based Brave have all seen user numbers rise following the new regulation. U.S.-based DuckDuckGo, which has about 100 million users, and its more popular rival, Norway-based Opera, have also reported substantial increases.

To be eligible for consideration in the alternative browsers list, companies must have the Default Browser Entitlement that is available to developers. Apple also requires that the app has been downloaded by at least 5,000 ‌iPhone‌ users‌ across all 27 EU countries in the prior calendar year. Apple selects up to 11 of these for the browser choice screen in addition to Safari, updating the list once per calendar year.

Google has also updated its Pixel software to show alternative browser choices, and says that new Android devices made by other companies will also display the choice screen in the coming months.

Despite users increasingly choosing alternative options, browser companies have criticized Apple and Google for the slow rollout of the change, and believe it is hampering the migration away from Safari and Chrome. Mozilla, which owns Firefox, estimates that only around a fifth of ‌iPhone‌ users in the EU have received the iOS update, and claims that the rollout is much slower than Apple’s previous software updates.

Some alternative browser makers are also concerned that the design of choice screens is sub-optimal at best. For example, Vivaldi CEO Jon Stephenson von Tetzchner notes that Apple’s choice screen only appears when ‌iPhone‌ users open Safari, while the list of browsers provides no additional information.

“The process is just so convoluted that it’s easiest for (users) to select Safari or potentially some other known name,” he told Reuters.

Vivaldi is also unhappy with the design. The list of browsers does not show additional information and that does not help users to make a meaningful choice,” a company spokesperson told TechCrunch. “If the user has already selected a browser of their own choice, the choice screen can actively try to push them away from it, and may not even include it in the list that it presents to the user.”

Ecosia has also been critical, and says Apple’s implementation involves an “overly complex installation process” and keeps Safari front and center on the user’s ‌iPhone‌ Home screen.

The European Commission is currently investigating Apple’s choice screen design for suspected noncompliance. The problem is being conducted in consultation with browser companies, who are likely to encourage regulators to push for a stronger implementation to level the competitive playing field.

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