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TeXet TB-578 8″ in Russia

With price tags around $250, the Pocketbook InkPad and the Onyx Boox i86 are two very expensive options should you want an ereader with a plus-sized screen, but they’re not the only options on the market. The Russian gadget maker Alkotel has unveiled the teXet TB-578 in Russia. This 8″ ereader only costs about half as much as the Inkpad or the i86, but it is also only half as good.

texet 578

The teXet TB-578 runs a proprietary firmware on an unknown CPU with 4GB storage and a microSD card slot, and it sports a lower resolution "knockoff" epaper screen from E-ink’s Chinese competitor Ghanzhou. That display has a screen resolution of 1024 x by 768, far lower than the InkPad’s screen (1,600 x 1,200).

The TB-578 is also lacking a frontlight or touchscreen (one was specifically left out; the other is simply not mentioned) and there’s no mention in the press release of Wifi.

But the TB-578 does make up for the hardware limitations. It launched today in Russia with a price tag of 7490 rubles, or about $128. So while it might not be able to do much, it also doesn’t cost much, either.

The TB-578 is the 3rd 8 inch ereader from Alkotel; they’re only available in Russia (which is why I forget to mention them when writing about the 8″ ereaders available in Europe or the US).

If I could get it, I would not. The screen resolution is not high enough, the software too limited, and I’ve heard that the knockoff screens are lower in quality than E-ink’s own screens.

But it is cheaper.

Specs

  • Screen: 8″ epaper display
  • Resolution: 768 x 1024, 16 shades of gray
  • Storage: 4GB internal, microSD card slot
  • No Touchscreen or Frontlight
  • Support text formats: DOC, DJVU, TXT, PDF, EPUB, PDB, FB2, HTML, RTF, MOBI, CHM, PRC
  • Dimensions: 211 x 152 x 9 mm
  • Weight: 265g

The-eBook.org

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Comments


Feda July 24, 2015 um 9:49 am

Banggood just listed the 8″ onyx e-reader. But it’s the one with no front light.
http://www.banggood.com/ONYX-BOOX-I86HD-4G-WIFI-8-Inch-Touch-E-ink-Screen-Ebook-Reader-p-987852.html

Nate Hoffelder July 24, 2015 um 10:39 am

$260 !?? Fuck that.

My frontlight model cost only a little more, and it has the finished firmware. The other model did not have usable software.

And thanks for the heads up!

Feda July 28, 2015 um 3:48 pm

I broke down and pre-ordered the onyx boox i86 HD ML Plus from ereader-store.de


Feda July 24, 2015 um 10:44 am

Where did you get the front light model?

Nate Hoffelder July 24, 2015 um 10:49 am

From ereader-store.de. I posted a comparison review last weekend, and will be posting a full review this weekend.

Supply is limited due to problems with the frontlight.


Reader July 24, 2015 um 12:32 pm

For a different perspective, compare the specs for the TeXet TB-578 8? and the Kindle Basic.

Screen size
TeXet TB-578 8″
Kindle Basic 6″

Resolution
TeXet TB-578 1024X768
Kindle Basic 800X600

Touchscreen
TeXet TB-578 No (?)
Kindle Basic Yes

Lighting
TeXet TB-578 No
Kindle Basic No

Price
TeXet TB-578 $128
Kindle Basic $79

Regarding touchscreen or not, I am agnostic- screen size would be more important to me.

As I have a lot of PDF documents, screen size is important for me.

It appears to me that in getting a bigger screen with better resolution and with EPUB with the TeXet TB-578 compared to the Kindle Basic, the argument could be made that the TeXet TB-578 is as good a value or a better value than the Kindle Basic.

One problem with the above argument is durability. The Kindle Basic has a brand with a reputation for durability and also good customer service. I have no idea how durable the TeXet TB 578 is. I would assume that customer service would be nonexistent for the TeXet TB-578, coming from thousands of miles away. If the durability is good, the quality of customer service would be irrelevant. Unfortunately I have read reviews of a number of "off-brand" 8″ e-readers where there have been numerous complaints about screen durability.


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