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Review: Icarus Illumina HD E653 (Boyue T61) Android eReader

Icarus-Illumina-HD The Illumina HD E653 from Icarus is one of a handful of new ereaders which combine an E-ink screen with an open version of Android. Starting with the (hacked) Nook Touch and (hacked) Sony Reader PRS-T1, this type of ereader offers the opportunity to expand the ereader to support more features and functions that the manufacturer supplied.

This device is best known as the Illumina HD, but it was actually developed for Icarus by a Chinese OEM called Boyue. I ordered my unit from a Chinese retailer which sold the Boyue T61 without a retail box but with a hefty discount ($99 vs 119 euros). I was able to turn my unit into an Illumina HD by installing the official software update, thus saving a nice sum of money.

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A disappointing frontlight keeps the Illumina HD from having the best ereader hardware at the $99 price, but the open Android OS, graphics chip, and many other positive points make up for that in many ways.

Review Date: 12 September 2014, After owning it for 3 weeks

Pro & Con

Pro

  • Page turn buttons work with many 3rd-party reading apps
  • Runs Android 4.2
  • Solid construction quality
  • Fast page turns (equal to the Kindle Paperwhite)

Con

  • Battery Life
  • Frontlight
  • No Audio
  • No Google Play

Hardware

The Illumina HD is an unremarkable looking ebook reader with a 6″Pearl HD E-ink screen. It has a simple design with a black rubberized shell which makes it easy to hold. Cover the logo and its most noticeable feature are the page turn buttons on other side of the screen, and the addition back button on the right and the screen refresh button on the left (a long press on the refresh button turns the frontlight off or on).

This ereader runs Android 4.2 on a dual-core 1GHz Rockchip CPU with a Mali-400 MP GPU, 512MB RAM, and around 4GB accessible storage.  It has Wifi but no audio support. All of the ports and card slots are found on the bottom edge, including the microSD card slot, power button, reset port,and microUSB port.

The Illumina HD is nice to old in one hand, cover or no. The page turn buttons are position just right to rest under my thumb (with either hand).

Battery

Icarus claims that the Illumina HD has a month of battery life, but that’s not really true. In my experience, and this has been confirmed by a couple Illumina owners over at MobileRead Forums, the battery drains itself within 2 to 3 days.

That is a serious issue but luckily this is a common Android problem with an established solution. All i had to do to fix this issue was to install a power management app like Deep Sleep. This app forces all of the processes to go to sleep when you suspend your Android device, this saving battery life.

Screen

The Illumina HD is equipped with a 6″ E-ink display with a screen resolution of 1024 x 758. It has both a frontlight and two-point capacitive touchscreen.

I found the screen to be somewhat picky in responding to my input. I had to be careful when pressing any of the icons near the edge of the screen, otherwise it would ignore the contact. I also noticed that the Illumina HD was slower in responding after I installed the official firmware update; that could be a reason to avoid the update.

The frontlight offers a white color with a broad and highly granular range of settings from dim to almost bright enough to use as a flashlight. Alas, it is also rather splotchy.

As you can see in the following gallery, the bottom half of the screen visibly blotchy compared to most ebook readers which launched in 2013 or 2014.  It almost as if Boyue is using screens leftover from 2012; the first Paperwhite  showed a similar defect.

Cover

My unit came with a cover (if you buy an Illumina HD from Icarus it will cost extra) which consists of a hard black plastic back with a  stiff brown faux leather front. The Illumina HD is designed to snap into the rear of the cover and never leave it again (it took some effort, trust me). I think the cover may have been intended to work as a smartcover (there is a magnet to keep it closed) but my unit doesn’t work that way.

Software

icarus illumina hd blogThe Illumina HD ships with a minimum number of apps, including a very adequate reading app (I’m happy with it, anyway), a file manager, notepad, web browser, dictionary, and email. The basics are well-covered, and since this ebook reader runs an open version of Android it’s also possible to install additional apps.

My competitor notes in his review that Icarus ships the Illumina HD with several apps that I don’t have because I got the OEM model. His unit came with Greader, Kindle, and a bol.com bookstore app (my unit was tied to some bookstore in China).

The stock reading app, web browser, and email client all feel like they were tuned to work well with an E-ink screen. I don’t much care to do email on E-ink but it is possible.

There’s more detail on the stock reading app later in the post.

Installing Apps

icarus illumina hd appsThe Illumina HD does not have Google Play, but there is a workaround. You can use this site to download free apps from Google Play. Also, I successfully installed the Amazon Appstore (I had to install the Kindle app first).

I’ve tested an excess of apps, and found that quite a few will install and run on this device:

  • Web Browsers: Chrome, Opera, Maxthon, Dolphin, Firefox
  • PDF: Repligo, Adobe Reader
  • eBook Apps: Logos, Kindle, Nook, Kobo, CoolReader, Moon+ Reader, Aldiko, Scribd, Oyster, FBReader, Overdrive
  • Office Suites: Docs2Go, QuickOffice Pro HD for Tablets, OfficeSuite Pro 7, Jota+
  • RSS Feed Readers: Feedly, InoReader
  • Other Apps: Pocket, Instapaper, Dropbox, Evernote

Google Play Books and Opera Mini did install but would not run. On a related note, the Nook, AlReader, Moon+, and Coolreader apps were all able to interface with the page turn buttons.

Reading Experience

The Illumina HD has been my main ebook reading device this past week (I started and finished a couple books), and  I liked the stock reading app which shipped on the Illumina HD.

As I pointed out above, you can install any number of ebook apps, but I was happy to mainly use the original app. It doesn’t have as many features as some third-party apps, but the close integration with the main menu and the Books (library) menu made up for a lot.

It’s not fancy, but between the several dozen font choices, dozen margin options, and dozen line spacing options, it is workable app. It even has a separate menu for annotations, but it also lacks a functional dictionary (I can’t get it to work), so you might want to go with another app if that is important to you.

And since you are probably wondering, the stock reading app doesn’t quite have a full screen mode; the closest it comes is the option to have a mini status bar along the bottom of the screen. That is more screen than the Kindle and other reading apps get to use; the Kindle and Aldiko apps specifically can black out the taskbar at the bottom of the screen, but cannot remove or overwrite it.

I would rate the Illumina HD as having a more attractive reading experience than the T68. Yes, I know the screen is both smaller and lower resolution, and the frontlight is blotchy, but as I sit here typing I find that I have a greater desire to go back to the Illumina than I do  to use the T68 Lynx.

To be honest one of the features that kept me coming back were the page turn buttons. I’d forgotten just how much I had liked having them; I wish they were more common on ereaders (and tablets, for that matter).

Verdict

A subset of ereader owners have been interested in an Android  ebook reader ever since the first Nook Touch was released in 2011, and while the Illumina HD isn’t the perfect solution it is best option in its price range.

With a 2012-era frontlight and iffy battery life, the Illumina HD is at first glance far from being the best device on the market. But if you look past those issues then it quickly becomes clear that this ereader is, for a certain type of user, one of the best devices on the market and offers a great value.

The Illumina HD might not have the best screen, but it does has the fastest CPU of any of the ereaders currently – including other Android ereaders like the Onyx Boox T68 Lynx. That gives it a responsiveness  which none of its competitors can match.

It doesn’t have Google Play, but that hasn’t turned out to be as serious of an issue as I had expected. (See the workaround mentioned above.)

With page turn buttons, a recent version of Android, and a microSD card slot, this is IMO the device that Barnes & Noble should have released last year. This is what the Nook Glowlight should have been.

Where to Buy

Now, this is a complicated question. You can buy the Icarus Illumina HD from Icarus, or you can pay less and buy it from a Chinese retailer like BangGood (and then install the Illumina’s firmware update).

Icarus sells this device for 119 euros plus shipping. I got it from BangGood for $99, but they were charging $129 when I wrote this post. The BangGood price includes a case and free shipping but no retail box or – and this could be important – a  warranty.

Specs

  • Screen: 6″ Pearl HD E-ink screen, w\ frontlight and a
  • Capacitive touchscreen
  • Screen resolution: 1024 x 758
  • OS: Android 4.2 Jelly Bean
  • CPU: 1GHz dual-core Rockchip
  • GPU: Mali 400-MP
  • RAM: 512MB
  • Storage: 4GB internal, microSD card slot
  • Connectivity: Wifi
  • Weight: approximately 200 grams
  • Dimensions: 159 x 112 x 8.5 mm

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Comments


Gneisti September 13, 2014 um 5:32 am

Thanks for the review. My Boyue T61 will be here on Monday so I’ve been reading everything I can about it. Happy to hear that there is a fix for the battery issue. I am rather interested in what the real benefits there are in updating it with the Illumina software. I had decided to do the update but your comments make me think it might not be worth it.

Nate Hoffelder September 13, 2014 um 9:16 am

A couple improvements to the file manager and slightly different set of icons on the home screen. And the Amazon Appstore may have started working as a result of the update (but I could be wrong).

Gneisti September 16, 2014 um 5:03 pm

Decided to test it with the Boyue software. I could install Amazon App Store. Then I rooted it and managed to install Gapps (using the guide on Mobile Read forums – though I had to install Superuser manually) so that Google Play works (it did come up with a screen where I was supposed to answer a question about backups but there wasn’t a visible button to press to confirm – probably because of the e-ink).

Nate Hoffelder September 16, 2014 um 6:42 pm

Glad to hear that it works. TBH I haven’t tried it. It’s just too much work for me; I had already installed everything I needed so there was little reason to also add Google Play.


whateveragain September 13, 2014 um 7:47 am

How much was shipping? Glad you worked out the battery non-issue. Users need a higher level of knowledge to make these new android devices work well. Its not a kindle…
It has been the autumn of the eurasian android e-readers. Development has been dead as a doornail this side of the pond.

Nate Hoffelder September 13, 2014 um 8:53 am

Free.

TheGreatFilter September 14, 2014 um 9:56 am

Yikes. That’s a steal then.


whateveragain September 13, 2014 um 7:49 am

The lighted screen does look like a PW1. But that light is fine. Lots of owners told me so when the PW1 came out…


Boyue T62 6" Android eReader Now Available at Amazon – The Digital Reader September 23, 2014 um 9:12 am

[…] that 6″ Android ereader I reviewed a few weeks back (the one with Android 4.2 and a bad frontlight but otherwise appealing design)? My competitor […]


Alison October 5, 2014 um 10:58 pm

I was just wondering if the light can be turned off or if the lowest it goes is on but dim.
And with the library feature, does it allow for folders, sub folders, sub sub folders, etc?
Thank you

Nate Hoffelder October 5, 2014 um 11:12 pm

The light can be turned all the way off, yes.

And there are folders, yes.

Alison October 5, 2014 um 11:19 pm

Thank you so very much, Nate.

Alison October 5, 2014 um 11:20 pm

Oh, and do you know if it is basically the same as the T62?

Nate Hoffelder October 6, 2014 um 7:32 am

It looks like they arerunning the same software, yes.

Alison October 6, 2014 um 6:39 pm

Thank you very much.


First Impressions of the Boyue T62 Android eReader – The Digital Reader October 15, 2014 um 2:14 pm

[…] The T62 is on the left, aand on the right is the T61 which I reviewed last month. […]


judit October 20, 2014 um 4:42 pm

Hi,do you know how to set up the auto page turning option?on youtube video the book set up screen was different from the one i actually see


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[…] I've said before that I like the InkPad, and I still feel that way. As someone who has been a reading on tablets since they were called PDAs, this is one of the two ereaders I have reviewed this year which have tempted me to read on an ereader (the other is the Boyue T61, a Chinese Android ereader). […]


JOHN January 13, 2015 um 8:17 pm

The Boyue would not be a false version of Icarus? if so, the quality of your battery compared to the Icarus would be doubtful?

Nate Hoffelder January 13, 2015 um 10:43 pm

The Boyue is the original version, not a "false version".


JOHN January 14, 2015 um 10:47 am

There is a misconception about the use of batteria? The Icarus website says that the battery lasts for weeks with a use of 30 minutes per day.


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[…] the button placement (even the case is identical). In fact, the Inkbook looks like a clone of the T61, only with upgraded electronics. It doesn't quite have the same specs (no audio, for example) but […]


UnReview: Boyue T62 6" Android eReader | Ink, Bits, & Pixels July 4, 2015 um 4:26 pm

[…] second of the two Android ereaders, and it was released in September 2014 (several months after the T61). I had intended to post a review in the first few weeks but let my self be delayed by other […]


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[…] I'm still using my Kindle Fire HD as a media tablet, and yes it is the same buggy one I had in June, but my main reading device is the Boyue T61 Android ereader I reviewed a few weeks back. […]


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