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InkBook Lumos Review: Buy Something Else

For the first time in a very long while, a new review unit has crossed my desk.

Update: This post combines both an introduction and first look, as well as a more in depth review posted on 11 September.

First Look

The  InkBook Lumos from Arta Tech is an odd little beast. With a price tag of $100 (at Amazon), the Lumos is intended to be a competitor to the basic Kindle, and it has its strengths. It runs Android 4.2 on a dual-core CPU, and it has a color-changing frontlight as well as a card slot, but it also has its weaknesses.

The Lumos has a low-resolution 800 x 600 E-ink screen and is limited to only 512 RAM, which means that even though you can install your own Android apps, they’re not going to run fast or look as god as they would on better Android ereaders. (There’s also no Google Play, but that was to be expected for low-cost device.)

I can live with the screen (it’s the same resolution as on the basic Kindle) but the RAM shortfall has proven to be a serious issue.

Arta Tech makes it easy to install the Kindle app (it takes just two clicks) but that doesn’t really help any because I can’t run the Kindle app. It crashes the first three times I ran it, and once I managed to log in, the app struggled to even show me my library.

I’m going to half to test this further, but what I have seen so far is not encouraging. Half the value of an Android ereader is installing Android apps, so if I can’t install apps then this might as well be a basic ereader that runs Linux rather than Android.

Review

If you read its specs you would think that the Lumos’s selling points include a color-shifting frontlight and the option of installing reading apps on Android 4.2.2, and that its chief weakness was an 800 x 600 screen resolution.

That’s what the specs would tell you, but real life use has shown me that the screen resolution isn’t a problem (I didn’t even notice) but the software is.

I spent a couple weeks reading on the Lumos. I really got into the first book in a series, so I kept reading the second and third installments on the Lumos. With most ereaders that would be a strong recommendation, but with the Lumos those 3 books instead gave me enough time to truly appreciate the ereader’s shortcomings.

The Lumos runs a buggy and unstable reading app that kept crashing when it wasn’t getting stuck in a feedback loop of phantom touchscreen presses. Furthermore, I found that I could not get apps to run due to limited RAM (512 MB).

I also found myself frequently frustrated by the page turn buttons. There’s a pair of buttons on either side of the screen, and they are too close together. I kept flipping back a page when I wanted to go forward. (To be fair, I realized while writing this review that I could have fixed this annoyance by changing the settings on the page turn buttons. Setting both buttons on the right to page forward would have been a good idea.)

The Lumos did have one small point in its favor, though; its frontlight was quite mild, and was actually nicer to use than the frontlight on Kobo devices. (I am still trying to get the frontlight on video; its range is so small that it’s really hard to pick up.)

Conclusion: Buy something else. The Kobo Clara HD would be a good choice; it costs a little more but it has solid software and hardware.

Pro

  • pleasantly mild frontlight color options ranging from blue-white to a soft yellow

Con

  • buggy and unstable
  • outdated OS
  • limited RAM, and limited support for Android apps

InkBook Lumos

Specs

  • CPU: 1GHz dual-core
  • RAM: 512MB
  • OS: Android 4.2
  • Storage: 8GB, microSD card slot
  • Screen: 800 x 600 E-ink display
  • Touchscreen: Capacitive
  • Frontlight: color-changing (but only to a light shade of orange)
  • Battery: 2Ah
  • Buttons: Home, Power,  Page Turn (4)
  • Connectivity: Wifi
  • Dimensions: 159×114×9 mm
  • Weight: 165 grams

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Comments


Xaver Basora September 4, 2018 um 1:12 am

Nate,

Android 4,4? C’mon at least go for version 6 or 7.
In any case with the back to school sales in North America you can pick up Acer and Asus tablets for just over 100$.
xavier


Gaba Ritter September 5, 2018 um 2:27 am

This is the last android version with E Ink drivers, but considering e-reader is not a tablet, it’s fair enough. For Explore inkBook has a brnad new soft, whatever called inkbook OS, and it looks that it’s only a matter of time other e-readers will have it also.

Nate Hoffelder September 5, 2018 um 7:48 am

Greetings Arta Tech employee (your IP gave you away).


Mateusz Dzielicki September 5, 2018 um 3:16 am

512 RAM is a disadvantage? Basic Kindle got 64 or 128 MB.

Nate Hoffelder September 5, 2018 um 7:57 am

The Kindle runs Linux. Your device, Arta Tech employee #2 (your IP gave you away), runs Android. Android is a memory hog, and many Android apps are almost as bad. There will be apps that just won’t run on the Lumos.

Adamkpl September 12, 2018 um 3:19 pm

Nate,

actually the 4.4 KitKat was optimized for devices with 512 MB – https://www.phonearena.com/news/Android-4.4-KitKat-to-run-comfortably-on-512MB-RAM-devices-heres-how_id49099

Adamkpl September 13, 2018 um 6:52 am

My bad! inkBOOK is powered by Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean.

Nate Hoffelder September 13, 2018 um 7:58 am

no worries – we were originally told it was running 4.4, but the device’s own settings menu said otherwise

penta October 18, 2018 um 3:18 am

Sorry, but you are miles away from Kindle. Especially when we speak about your "legendary" customer service or abandoned e-readers. Maybe it’s time to change or improve your business model. One stable OS for all e-readers + really good designed, ergonomic and tested hardware.


Scott Lewis September 5, 2018 um 11:11 am

By way of disclosure, I do not work for Arta Tech. (See how easy honesty in blog commenting is). Based on their lack of disclosure, and lack of honest debate, I’d certainly not consider their products. Also, if the Kindle app doesn’t run, it’s hardly a competitor, unless they happen to have some elegant, robust eBook shopping solution in mind?


Clyde Burns September 5, 2018 um 12:13 pm

InkBook Lumos Has a 6? E-ink Screen w\ Color-Changing Frotnlight

Whats worng with that titel? 😀

Feel free to delete this post post correction.


Adamkpl September 12, 2018 um 3:09 pm

Nate,

Are you going to make a video review?

Will you write something more about the reading app? Anything about user interface and general usability?


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