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.
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
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.