Your search for "android ereader" got 65 results

Dibuk Saga Android eReader Launches in Slovakia – 6″ 300ppi Screen, 139 Euros

23.02.2016 3 Comments

With little fanfare, the Dibuk ebook company launched its Saga ereader in Slovakia last year.

This ereader runs Android 4.0 on a 1GHz CPU with 512MB RAM. It doesn’t have audio, but it does have 4GB internal storage, Wifi, and a microSD card slot. The Saga also sports a 300ppi 6″ Carta E-ink screen with frontlight and touchscreen. Weighing in at 190 grams, it measures 9.5mm thin and packs in a 1.5Ah battery.

This ereader was originally developed by an unknown OEM, possibly the same one which made the Booq Cervantes, or the Tolino Shine 2HD. Based on its specs I would bet that this is the same hardware as the Shin 2HD, albeit with a different shell.

But that is just a guess, and if we went by the software we would reach a different conclusion. As you can see from the product images, it’s running different software from the Tolino models, and according to one of the user reviews on the Slovak Telecom website, the software on the Saga is far from complete. That owner reported that this ereader is running poorly configured software which can’t even support PDF (leaving Epub as the only supported format).

But there aren’t all that many reviews, so it’s hard to tell whether that is a software issue or a PEBKAC issue.

If you’d like to find out for yourself, you can get the Saga from the Dibuk website. It retails for 139 euros, or about 20 euros more than the Kindle Paperwhite.

Dibuk.eu

Thanks, kuzelnik, for the tip!

Energy Sistem Announced Three New eReaders, Including an Android eReader

08.02.2016 5 Comments

Spain’s Energy Sistem is starting the new year off with a bang with the release of three new ereaders. This company has been putting its brand on ereaders for several years now, and they’ve just added a trio of ereaders with medium-resolution Carta E-ink screens to their catalog.

The 3 ereaders range in price from 75 euros to 129 euros making them (roughly) competitors to the basic Kindle and the Kindle Paperwhite, which retail for 69 euros and 119 euros, respectively, in Europe.

The Energy eReader Slim HD is a cheap ereader that lacks a touchscreen or Wifi but makes up for it with page turn buttons, a 1024 x 758 resolution Carta E-ink screen, 8GB of storage, and a microSD card slot.

That’s an odd set of trade offs, one which might not appeal to everyone who can afford the 75 euro price tag. Do you think it’s a good value?

If not, the Energy eReader Screenlight HD is basically the same device, only with a frontlight and costing 95 euros. (For that price, I would want at least Wifi or a touchscreen.)

Neither of the cheaper models are worth it, IMO, but the Energy eReader Pro HD is a different case. This device costs considerably more, and it justifies the higher price tag by running Android 4.2 on a 1Ghz dual-core CPU with 512MB RAM, 8GB internal storage (and a microSD card slot).

The Pro HD has the frontlight, touchscreen, and Wifi I would expect from its 129 euro price tag, but it still has the same medium-resolution Carta E-ink screen (1024 x 758 resolution, which is far lower than the Paperwhite’s 300ppi screen).

The Pro HD even has page turn buttons:

So what do you think of the ereaders?

From what I can see, the design of the homescreen suggests that they were made by the Chinese OEM Boyue. This company has a good reputation for decent hardware and software, but I have only encountered their Android ereaders.

I haven’t tried their cheaper ereaders, or heard user reports, so it is impossible to say whether the budget models will be as good.

Icarus Illumina XL 8″ Android eReader Now Available on Amazon

13.01.2016 5 Comments

Following a partially successful Indiegogo campaign, Icarus started shipping their latest 8-inch ereader to customers last month, and they have now also started selling it through Amazon.com for $199.

The Illumina XL is an 8″ ereader that runs Android 4.2 Jelly Bean on a dual-core 1GHz CPU with 512MB RAM, 8GB internal storage, a microSD card slot, Wifi, and a headphone jack for audio.

It’s one of only a handful of 8″ ereaders to be released, and it’s one of an even smaller number of run Android on such a large epaper screen. Its 8″ screen has a relatively low resolution of 1024 x 768, and it has both a frontlight and a touchscreen.

Thanks to the high price tag there aren’t very many reviews yet, but if you head on over to MobileRead you will find a number of people who had bought one either through the Indiegogo campaign or direct from Icarus (one even posted a video). The reviews are generally positive, although pretty much everyone agreed that the so-called "app store" bundled with the device was useless (you’ll need to use a trick like this to get apps).

It’s not a bad ereader, and it comes originally from a Chinese company, Boyue, that has been making Android ereaders for several years now. But those were all smaller models with 6″ screens. Based on some of the complaints about the frontlight, I think Boyue is still figuring out how to make a large-screen ereader:

I notice quite a bit of white bleeding along the left and the bottom border. Is mine the only one showing this or is this considered to be normal? And at the top, on an empty page, 7 or 8 small whitish clouds, of the size of a child’s fingernail, can be seen

There are other complaints which suggest that the Illumina XL’s frontlight is about as good as the one on the original Kindle Paperwhite.

But on the plus side, several users reported that you can install apps like the Kindle Android app.

So if you do get one, the versatility of the large screen plus Android should outweigh the disappointing frontlight.

Icarus Illumina XL Specs

CPU: 1GHz dual-core
OS: Android 4.2 Jelly Bean
Screen: 8″ epaper display, frontlight, touchscreen
Screen resolution: 1024 x 768 pixels
Wifi
Storage: 8GB, microSD card Slot (supported up to 32GB)
Battery 2.8Ah
Supported formats: TXT, PDF, EPUB, PDF, FB2, HTML, RTF, MOBI, DJVU, CHM, IRC, JPG, BMP, MP3
Audio support via 3.5mm headphone jack
Dimensions: 145 x 200 x 9mm
Weight: 275 grams

source

First Look at the Icarus Illumina XL 8″ Android eReader (video)

20.12.2015 14 Comments

First introduced in October, the Icarus Illumina XL is an eight-inch ebook reader which runs Android 4.2.

It’s powered by a dual-core 1GHz CPU with 512MB RAM, and 8GB storage. It also has a microSD card slot, Wifi, and a headphone jack for audio. Its screen measures 8″, and includes both a touchscreen and a frontlight. It’s a "knockoff" epaper screen with a screen resolution of 1024 x 768.

It’s still not widely available, but the Illumina XL went up for pre-order in October before going through a failed crowd-funding campaign on Indiegogo. between one and the other, Icarus has gathered enough funding to place a small order from the Chinese manufacturer.

Those units are about to ship to customers, and in order to build more interest in the Illumina XL, Icarus has posted the following video. (Thanks, Joel, for the tip!)

The video looks like it was shot with someone’s smartphone, and it clearly shows that the software running on the Illumina XL was written by the Chinese OEM Boyue. It goes through all the basic features, and about three minutes in the video shows that you can install Android apps like Kobo, Dropbox, and Kindle (there’s no direct access to Google Play, however).

All in all it’s a great Android ereader, and if it had better screen I would heartily recommend it. But the screen is rather low-res, which is why I find it hard to justify the Illumina XL’s 200 euro price tag.

Icarus Illumina XL Specs

CPU: 1GHz dual-core
OS: Android 4.2 Jelly Bean
8″ ePaper Display
Screen resolution: 1024 x 768 pixels
Frontlight, touchscreen
Wifi
Storage: 8GB, microSD card Slot (supported up to 32GB)
Battery 2.8Ah
Supported formats: TXT, PDF, EPUB, PDF, FB2, HTML, RTF, MOBI, DJVU, CHM, IRC, JPG, BMP, MP3
Audio support via 3.5mm headphone jack
Dimensions: 145 x 200 x 9mm
Weight: 275 grams

Onyx Boox Darwin 2 Android eReader – 300 PPI Screen, $197

25.11.2015 13 Comments

Onyx has launched its first ereader with the latest generation hi-res Carta E-ink, and it’s going to be a pricy one.

The Onyx Boox Darwin 2 is an upgrade to the existing Darwin C67ML ereader, and in addition to the better screen it also has a higher price tag of 12,990 rubles (about $197 USD).

The Darwin 2 runs Android 4.2 on a dual-core 1GHz CPU with 512MB RAM, and Wifi. It has 8GB internal storage and a microSD card slot (32GB cards supported). The 6″ screen has a resolution of 1,440 x 1,080, as well as a frontlight and a capacitive touchscreen.

Weighing in at 160 grams, the Darwin 2 measures 8.7 mm thick and packs in a 1.7Ah battery. There’s no mention of audio support.

In terms of software, it has Google Play, and all that implies, and it also ships with support for Epub, PDF, FB2, Mobi, PDB, and DJVU ebook formats as well as marginal support for Doc, RTF, HTML, CHM, and TXT.

In short, the Darwin 2 is essentially the same ereader as the original Darwin, only with a screen that adds about $40 to the price tag. Given that both Amazon and Kobo have priced their equivalent ereaders, the Glo HD and the Paperwhite (2015), much cheaper, you have to wonder just how much they’re losing on each unit sold.

Onyx-Book.ru via The-eBook.org

Onyx Boox T68+ Android eReader Launched in Russia as the Cleopatra 2

19.11.2015 No Comments

Originally released last summer, the T68 sports a 6.8″ E-ink screen with frontlight, touchscreen, and Android 4.0. It first shipped in Europe, and was later released in Russia as the T76 Cleopatra.

Now new models have shown up on the site of a Chinese retailer (as the T68+), and in Russia (as the Cleopatra 2). I was initially planning to report this as a single product launch, but unless the Chinese retailer got the specs wrong we are actually looking at two distinct models.

Both models run Android 4.0 on a 1GHz Freescale CPU with 1GB RAM (twice as much as the predecessor). In terms of storage, they have 8GB internal storage and a microSD card slot (32GB cards supported). Under the hood you’ll find Wifi, Bluetooth, and a 1.7Ah battery.

Both models have a screen resolution of 1,440 x 1,080 (and a frontlight), but that is about where the similarities end.

The Cleopatra 2 has a capacitive touchscreen, while the T68+ lists an IR touchscreen. The Cleopatra 2 has a Carta E-ink screen, while the specs for the T68+ does not mention one. The Russian model is in many ways better, but on the plus side the T68+ does have a headphone jack and support for audio.

The T68+ can be ordered from Banggood in China for $178. The retail price in Russia is 14,990 rubles ($231 USD), and includes a cover.

All in all, it’s hard to say based on the specs whether the t68+ is actually better than its predecessor, but as you can see in the following hands on video the t68+ is faster and has a dimmer frontlight (this is a plus).

Thanks, Leonid, Sjeord!

Inkbook Obsidian Android eReader – Carta, Dual-Core CPU, 117 Euros

26.10.2015 5 Comments

ArtaTech used to be known as one of the two European distributors for Onyx branded ereaders (and that short-lived Onyx Midia smartphone), but earlier this year they started working with a new Chinese OEM, Boyue, and now ArtaTech is releasing its second rebranded Boyue ereader.

The Inkbook Obsidian is in many ways the same device as the Inkbook Onyx which was released earlier this year, only in a new shell with a new color.

Both devices run Android 4.2 on a 1GHz dual-core CPU with 512MB RAM. The 6″ screen has a resolution of 1024 x 758, for 212 ppi, topped by a frontlight and capacitive touchscreen. Under the hood you’ll find 8GB storage, a microSD card slot, and Wifi, but no audio support or Bluetooth.

But they’re not perfectly identical. The Inkbook Obsidian has a larger 2.8Ah battery and weighs a few grams less than its predecessor, and it also has page turns buttons which don’t stick out but are instead flush with the front bezel.

In terms of software, the Inkbook line doesn’t have Google Play but it does have access to ArtaTech’s own app store, and of course you can still sideload apps. The Inkbook Obsidian also ships with a very adequate reading app, web browser, and a suite of cloud services from ArtaTech (including free 2GB of cloud storage).

The Inkbook Obsidian can be had today from ArtaTech’s website, where it retails for 118 euros plus VAT and shipping. You can also find a basic cover for 15 euros.

All in all this is a pretty good ereader. Although it’s not a huge improvement on past Boyue models, it’s still an excellent alternative to the more mainstream ereaders at a competitive price. While it does not have the 300ppi screen found on the Kindle Voyage, the new Nook, or the Kobo Glo HD, the open Android makes up for the lack.

Icarus Illumina XL 8″ Android eReader Now Up for Pre-Order

22.10.2015 9 Comments

Icarus-Illumina-XL If you’re not happy with the 6″ screen on your ereader, then I have some good news for you. Icarus has recently and quietly updated its website with a new 8″ ereader.

The Illumina XL features an 8″ epaper screen and runs Android 4.2 Jelly Bean. In many ways, the Illumina XL is a bigger version of the 6″ Icarus Illumina ereader. Like the smaller models it has a frontlight, touchscreen, audio, and 8GB of storage, but unfortunately it also has the same screen resolution.

According to Icarus, the Illumina XL has a screen resolution of 1024 x 768, the same as on the Cybook Ocean. That screen comes not from E-ink but from its competitor, and is much lower resolution screen than found on either the Pocketbook Inkpad or Onyx Boox i86 (1,200 x 1,600).

With a sharpness of 160 ppi, it’s not a terrible screen, but the sharper 250ppi screens on the competing models also deserve your attention.

You can find more info on the Illumina XL is the spec sheet below, or on the Icarus website, where the Illumina XL is up for pre-order today for 199 euros.

It is expected to ship at the end of November.

Icarus Illumina XL Specs

8″ epaper Display
Screen resolution: 1024 x 768 pixels
Adjustable frontlight
Wifi
Storage: 8GB, microSD card Slot (supported up to 32GB)
Battery 2.8Ah
Supported formats: TXT, PDF, EPUB, PDF, FB2, HTML, RTF, MOBI, DJVU, CHM, IRC, JPG, BMP, MP3
Audio support via 3.5mm headphone jack
Dimensions: 145 x 200 x 9mm
Weight: 275 grams

Onyx Boox i86ML Moby Dick 8″ Android eReader Launches in Russia

19.08.2015 4 Comments

MacCentre, Onyx’s Russian retail partner, will soon be selling Onyx’s newest ereader, the i86ML Moby Dick.

The Moby Dick is a variant of the i86HDML Plus which launched earlier this year in Germany. Aside from the software, the devices are almost identical. The Moby Dick sports the same 8″ E-ink screen, frontlight, and touchscreen, and both models run Android on a 1GHz Freescale CPU.

The Moby Dick also has Wifi, Bluetooth, and it comes with 8GB internal storage and a microSD card slot. It’s equipped to work with a smartcover, which will be sold separately.

In terms of software, the Moby Dick comes with Google Play and the usual basic Android apps as well as an ABBYY Russian-English dictionary.

It’s going to retail for 15,490 rubles (about $234), but there’s no word on when it will be released. Y0u can find the complete specs below. Do note the lack of audio; there was no mention in the press release.

Specs

8” E-ink display
Screen Resolution: 1600 x 1200 (250 dpi)
Frontlight, IR touchscreen
CPU: 1GHz
RAM: 1GB
Storage: 8GB internal, microSD card slot
Connectivity: Wifi, Bluetooth
Battery: 1.7Ah
Dimensions: 210 x 160 x 9mm
Weight: 340 grams

The-eBook.org

UnReview: Boyue T62 6″ Android eReader

04.07.2015 20 Comments

Boyue might not be well-known outside of the hard-core ereader community, but in that sphere it is making a name for itself. Over the past several years it has released several ereaders, including (by mid-2015) several models which run Android.

The T62 is the 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 devices, more important issues, and life in general.

Then I just put it aside, before picking it up again in May 2015. I had planned to write a review as a way of prepping for the Onyx Boox i86ML, but then I put the T62 aside again.

As I sit here writing this post in July 2015, I’ve come to the conclusion that for some undefinable reason I don’t like this device. I can’t put it into words, but I really don’t care for it. I don’t hate it – that I would be able to express.

This is not a bad ereader. I can’t recommend buying one but if you got stuck with one then I would honestly say you could do worse.

In many ways the T62 is a much improved update to the T61 (which I liked). It is heavier and slightly larger, and it has a better frontlight and smoother design. And it runs Android 4.2 on a dual-core CPU, giving it a lot of power and the option to install 3rd-party reading apps.

But I don’t like it. I guess the best word to express my feeling would be meh, and so I am posting this incomplete unreview.

Maybe I’ll like it more after I hack it?

There’s a small community of Boyue hackers on MobileRead. They’ve put out several modified firmwares, and I’m sure there’s one for the T62.

I’m going to look into the possibility, and if I find something interesting I will post it.

Where to Buy

Last fall you could find the Boyue T62 at Banggood (China), but it is currently out of stock. Energy Sistem (Spain) has rebranded the T62 as the eReader Pro. And I think Icarus had this model for a time before they upgraded to the next model (with a Carta E-ink screen).

Specs

Screen – 6″ Pearl HD E-ink Display
Screen Resolution – 1024 x 758
Frontlight, Capacitive touchscreen
CPU: 1GHz dual-core Rockchip
GPU: Mali-400MP
RAM: 512MB
OS: Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean
Storage: 8GB (6.7GB available)
Wifi
Ports: microUSB, headphone
Dimensions: 160 x 123 x 8.5 mm

Hands On With Netronix 13.3″ Android eReader (video)

16.06.2015 14 Comments

Destined to be the perennial show floor demo but never the shipped product, Netronix’s 13.3″ Android-powered writing slate made another public appearance this week in Taipei.

Charbax caught up with Netronix at Computex a few days ago and shot a video of the latest pre-production model. Like the one I saw at CES 2015, this device is based on a 13.3″ Mobius screen (1600 x 1200 resolution). It has a dual touchscreen (capacitive and electromagnetic stylus) and runs Android 4.0.

It’s a nifty device and it would make a great competitor to the DPt-S1 from Sony, but as I pointed out before this device is no where close to landing on a store shelf. Netronix needs a customer before they can start production, and with a cost of over $600 per unit and a MoQ of 1,000, we’re looking at close to a million dollar investment.

Only a company like Sony, which cares as much about flagship products as profitable ones, can afford that kind of a boondoggle.

Netronix 13.3″ eReader Specs

Screen: 13.3″ Mobius E-ink
Resolution: 1200 x 1600
Touchscreen: Capacitive, electromagnetic stylus
OS: Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich
Formats supported: JPG, PNG, PDF, ePub, MOBI, FB2, HTML, TXT, RTF, Doc.
Print documents from your PC to Notepad
MicroSD card slot
Battery: 1.5 Ah Li-polymer
Connectivity: Wifi
Dimensions: 310 mm x 233 mm x 6.6 mm
Weight: approximately 400 grams

Arta Tech Partners With Boyue, Releases the Inkbook Onyx Android eReader

15.06.2015 12 Comments

Rarely do new product launches signal a shift in the market, but I think there’s more to this next device than meets the eye.

I just got an email from Arta Tech, an ereader seller in Poland. They’re announcing the release of their newest model, the Inkbook Onyx, a 6″ ereader that runs Android on a dual-core CPU.

The Inkbook Onyx sports a 6″ Carta E-ink screen (1024 x 758 resolution) with frontlight and capacitive touchscreen. It runs Android 4.2 Jelly Bean on a dual-core 1GHz CPU with 512MB RAM. It has 8GB internal storage, a microSD card slot, and Wifi, but there’s no mention in the listing of audio support or Bluetooth.

There’s also no mention of Google Play, which means you might have to put in extra effort to load Android apps. But on the plus side, you can install Android apps, and the Inkbook Onyx ships with a very adequate reading app, web browser, and a suite of cloud services from Arta Tech.

The Inkbook Onyx retails for about 100 euros plus VAT, and it was available early this month. For more details, check out the Arta Tech website.

Android ereaders are a dime a dozen these days, but this one caught my eye because this one clearly isn’t made by Onyx, Arta Tech’s long term hardware partner. No, in spite of the misleading name the Inkbook Onyx is actually made by Boyue.

The Inkbook Onyx shares the same design and even the same screen contents as Boyue’s other ereaders like the T62+ (aka the Energy Sistem Pro+ eReader), including 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 the similarities are to great for this too be a coincidence.

Update: And I’m not the only one to make the connection. Over at MobileRead this device has been identified as the Boyue T61D. They even found a download link for the Boyue firmware running on it.

Clearly Arta Tech has a new hardware partner. This blogger finds that detail newsworthy because I have been growing increasingly frustrated with Onyx repeatedly delaying the launch of their next devices. The i86 8″ model, which is due to arrive this week, was delayed for nearly a year and finally shipped with outdated specs (a single-core CPU, rather than dual-core).

I can’t say whether Arta Tech shares my frustrations but we do see that they have a new partner. At the least that is a sign that the more nimble Boyue is out-competing Onyx, and that is good for consumers.

Early Review: Onyx Boox i86 Android eReader

29.03.2015 8 Comments

Onyx is one of the better small ereader makers in China, so when I heard that they had an 8″ model in the works I know that I had to get one. Alas, I could have waited.

After teasing us for almost a year, Onyx finally released their new 8″ Android ereader in limited quantities in China. Onyx wouldn’t sell the device outside of its domestic market, and now that I have one I can see why.

A few weeks ago I came across a unauthorized distributor on Amazon which was selling the i86. I quickly bought one, and after owning it for two weeks I can see why Onyx wouldn’t sell me one directly.

Onyx said the 8″ Android ereader model which was being sold outside of China was an engineering prototype. I can believe that. This ereader is slow, runs poorly configured software, and feels like it has a rough and incomplete design.

Table of Contents
[—ATOC—] [—TAG:h2—]

Review Date: 29 March 2015, owned two weeks

Hardware

The i86 has a minimalist design which avoids frills . It’s a solid black ereader with a one-handed design. The rear is rubberized and has slightly curved edges, while on the front there is a back button below the screen and a pair of page turn buttons to the left. Along the lower edge you’ll find a power button, microSD card slot, USB port, and headphone jack.

When I hold it in my hands, I find that the i86 weighs about the same as the Pocketbook InkPad, my other 8″ ereader. Both obviously weigh more than a 6″ ereader, but not so much that it bothers me.

Both the InkPad and the i86 have similar lopsided designs, although for different hands.

I find that after two weeks I prefer the inkPad’s design; its page turn buttons are covered by a rubber strip, while the page turn buttons on the i86 are accentuated by ridged plastic. The latter is less pleasant under my fingers (workable, but less pleasant).

The i86 is built around an 8″ Pearl E-ink display (screen resolution of 1,200 x 1,600 – 250 ppi). There’s a touchscreen but no frontlight, which is unusual.

In terms of quality, the screen is ever so slightly grayer than the Carta screen on my Kindle Paperwhite (2013), and the i86’s screen is also slightly grayer than that of the Pocketbook InkPad. To be fair, I wouldn’t have noticed if I didn’t have all the units sitting on my desk.

But since I do have all 3 models on my desk, I should also point out that the screen on the i86 looks awfully gray once I turn on the frontlights on the other two ereaders. Even at the lowest settings, the frontlight makes the other screens look whiter.

I don’t really care about the frontlight for its own sake, but I do like the effect it has on E-ink screens, so much so that I wouldn’t recommend an ereader without one.

Software

This ereader runs Android 4.0 on a 1GHz CPU with 468MB RAM and around 2.7GB internal storage (both details according to the Antutu benchmarking app). It ships with a custom home screen and Onyx’s own reading app (4 reading apps, actually, including FBReader, OReader, Onyx Reader, Onyx Neo Reader) as well as Google Play and a few basic utilities (web browser, clock, email client, music player, etc).

I’m currently running the latest firmware (dated 18 December), and after playing with the settings menu I can confirm that this is an engineering prototype, just like Onyx said. There’s an option in the settings menu for factory tests, including IO, memory, screen, standby, and more.

But even if I hadn’t found that option, I would still think this was an unfinished device. The software is slow to an unacceptable degree. The i86 is not only slower at turning the page than my KPW, InkPad, and the Boox i68, it’s also slower at loading ebooks and at loading apps.

It also crashed a lot. The web browser never worked, and core Google services crashed while I was taking photos.

The interface gives the impression that it was designed for a smaller screen and then scaled up to fit the 8″ screen on the i86. This is by no means a serious issue but it does contribute to the feeling that the software isn’t finished.

What’s more, there’s something wrong with the storage. While I have been able to install apps from Google Play, there is hardly any space available for the apps. I ran out of space after installing only 3 apps, and that’s just not enough. (I’ve also tried and failed to move the apps to the SD card.)

But while the software is incomplete, I will say that I have noticed at least one interesting improvement. I accidentally discovered that if I press and hold on a ebook cover, I am prompted to choose an app to open the ebook. I’m also given the option of setting a default app.

Yes, I could if I liked set Aldiko, Moon+ Reader, or another app as the default for Epub ebooks.

It’s a small feature, but I do like it.

Reading Experience

I’ve been reading on the i86 for the past couple weeks without complaint, but I’ll be honest. With all of the software issues, I haven’t been able to really test how well the i86 supports various formats.

What I would have liked would be to install Comixology, ezPDF, Kindle, Kobo, and test them all, but the software issues stymied that.

I liked reading Epub, but the current native support for PDF is terrible to the point of being useless. I could not install ezPDF, and Adobe Reader kept crashing.

The Kindle app also crashed a couple times before I got it to load an ebook. it was slow to open the ebook, and also slow to turn the page. And then there is the horrible sliding page turn animation, and between one thing and another I just didn’t want to keep reading.

All in all, the reading experience reflects the software bugs.

Conclusion

I paid $300 for this ereader, and it frankly was not worth buying at that price. It’s slow and the software is buggy, and the lack of a frontlight makes it hard to justify the high price tag.

Nevertheless, I kinda like it, mostly for the screen. The i86 is to 6 inch ereaders what the hardback is to paperback books. The larger screen, combined with the one-handed usability, reminds me of reading thick huge books, only without the weight.

If Onyx fixed the software issues, dropped the price by $50, and added a frontlight, it would be worth buying.

But in its current state, this ereader takes a second place to the Pocketbook InkPad and the Kobo Aura H2O. Those ereaders are cheaper and have better software. Neither runs Android so they’re more limited in terms of features, but they work better.

Where to Buy

The Onyx Boox i86 has not been released yet, but a few prototypes have been floating around. Your best bet would be Ebay.

Specs

CPU: 1GHz
RAM: 468MB
Storage: 2.7GB, microSD card slot
OS: Android 4.0 Jelly Bean
Display: 8 Inch Pear E-ink, with IR touchscreen
Screen Resolution: 1600 x 1200 (250 dpi)
Connectivity: Wifi, Bluetooth
Battery: 1.7Ah
Supported ebook formats: PDF, TXT, HTML, EPUB, CHM, PDB, MOBI (Non-DRM), FB2, DJVU
Dimensions: 210 x 160 x 9mm
Weight: 340 grams

Boyue T62+ Android eReader Has a Carta E-ink Screen, Costs $118

28.03.2015 5 Comments

The Boyue t61 was a very adequate Android ereader when i reviewed it last September, and this Chinese ereader maker improved on it when they released the T62 a couple months later.

And now Boyue has released another new model, this time with a Carta E-ink screen. Banggood.com is now selling the Boyue T62+ for $118 with free shipping.

Like its immediate predecessor, the Boyue T62+ runs Android 4.2 Jelly bean on a dual-core 1GHz Rockchip CPU with 512MB RAM and 8GB internal storage. It sports a 6″ Carta E-ink screen with a touchscreen, frontlight, and a screen resolution of 1024 x 768. This ereader also has Wifi, a microSD card slot, and a headphone jack.

In fact, just about the only way that this ereader differs from the older T62 is in the screen. The plus model has the newer generation Carta screen, while the older model has a Pearl E-ink screen.

On a technical level the Carta screen is whiter and has a higher contrast, but on a practical level the quality of the screens can vary a lot. The Carta screen can be better, but as we saw with the Pocketbook Ultra it is possible for a device maker to screw things up and produce a Carta E-ink screen which is grayer, fuzzier, and noticeably lower quality than a Pearl E-ink screen.

You can find the Boyue T62+ on Banggood for $118. That’s the same price as what they were asking for the older T62, and given that you can install Android apps I think it’s a good value. This ereader does not have Google play, though.

If you don’t want to order from China, you can find the T62+ on eBay for $135 and on Amazon for a much higher price. The older T62 is also available in Europe under the Energy Sistems brand.

Hands On With Netronix 6.8″, 13.3″ E-ink Android eReaders (video)

08.01.2015 46 Comments

One of the high points for my trip to CES this year was finding the DaSung E-ink monitor hidden in the back of the E-ink booth, and the other high point for this trip was _finally_ finding the Netronix booth and getting some one on one time with their latest prototypes.

The above picture shows netronix’s 13.3″ prototype with my 8″ InkPad in front so you can see the difference in screen size.

Anyone who follows ereader news for long enough can tell you that Netronix is an old hand in the industry. They’ve been designing and building ereaders for years, and past and current partners include Kobo, B&N, Bookeen, and others.

Netronix was at CES 2015 to show off a couple new prototypes. They had a 13.3″ ereader and a 6.8″ ereader. Aside from the screen sizes, they had largely the same specs. Both ran Android 4.0.4 on a Freescale chip, and they had identical touchscreen tech: an IR touchscreen plus a stylus-friendly digitizer touchscreen. (For reference, the Sony Digital Paper DPT-S1 has a similar dual touchscreen.)

Update: There’s conflicting info on the touchscreens; I was told that there was an IR touchscreen, while Charbax was told that it was a capacitive touchscreen.

Both devices were also missing a silo for the stylus, which I see as a serious defect.

I found the Netronix booth via Charbax, who shot this video:

As you can see in the video, Charbax focuses on just the larger of the two devices. That’s okay; I got to play with them both.

The 13.3″ device has the same screen resolution as on the DPT-S1 (1,600 x 1,200). I’m told it is very much a prototype, and that it was assembled only last week. At 300 grams, it was surprisingly light.

Because Charbax focused on the larger unit in the video, I didn’t take very many photos.

The 6.8″ unit was also surprisingly light. As you can see in the photos at the end of the post, the smaller model bears a striking resemblance to the Kobo Aura H2O, only without the waterproofing and with a second touchscreen tech, Android 4.0.4, Google Play, and the stock apps (all of the apps were unfortunately inaccessible).

The accessible software included just a couple sketchpad apps, the reading app, and the settings menu. It was pretty basic. I thought the devices were a lot of fun to play with. I liked having two touchscreen options, although I am still bothered by the lack of a silo.

And BTW, I actually have quite a few photos of the settings menus; I’m not going to upload them right away (my mobile data plan isn’t very fast). Remind me later and I’ll get to it.