Should I get kindle?
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My Kindle Voyage refreshes the page in well under 1 second and only flashes about once every 10 pages. 300 dpi text looks excellent and the built-in backlight works great for low light conditions. It does cost $200 when not on sale, which is a lot unless you're a heavy reader.
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Ok
Doing some more looking around I think I will go with a Kobo. Kobos can invert color(white text on black) with a minor setting change to a config file. But with Kindles it looks like the Oasis 2 is the only one capable and $250 is a bit too much for me.I know e-ink screens all but eliminate the reasons for white on black, but now it's probably more just preference. (Earbuds vs Headphones?)
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Yeah, it's not really something that you need on an eInk display. I always use night mode when reading on my phone (or any other LCD), but never on an eInk display.
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Has anyone tried the Onyx ereaders (ONYX BOOX Monte Cristo 3). I know I said $250 was out of my price range but for a device running android to load whatever apps I want + microSD - it may just be worth it.
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@khaos said in Should I get kindle?:
Has anyone tried the Onyx ereaders (ONYX BOOX Monte Cristo 3). I know I said $250 was out of my price range but for a device running android to load whatever apps I want + microSD - it may just be worth it.
It's using an old version of Android (4.2) as the operating system, but that doesn't mean any particular Android app will be usable. it's still a 1(?) fps 16-(mono)color e-ink screen and only a 1 GHz CPU with who knows how much RAM.
Is there some specific app(s) you'd want to use? If so, you'd want to try to figure out if they'll really work before buying this.
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@harmlessdave said in Should I get kindle?:
@khaos said in Should I get kindle?:
Has anyone tried the Onyx ereaders (ONYX BOOX Monte Cristo 3). I know I said $250 was out of my price range but for a device running android to load whatever apps I want + microSD - it may just be worth it.
It's using an old version of Android (4.2) as the operating system, but that doesn't mean any particular Android app will be usable. it's still a 1(?) fps 16-(mono)color e-ink screen and only a 1 GHz CPU with who knows how much RAM.
Is there some specific app(s) you'd want to use? If so, you'd want to try to figure out if they'll really work before buying this.
I can't tell if you are criticizing or just stating specs...?
I can read specs just fine from their site. Also is a 16-level grey scale screen and 1ghz processor not the same specs as the Oasis 2? And ram is same as well at 512mb.
I can understand the apprehension concerning the old version of Android but from what I can tell - it uses it intentionally to be able to use the play services, I guess Android based e-readers can't get 'certified' so a newer version Android wouldn't run play store.
If some app from the play store won't run, it wouldn't be difficult to find the version that would and sideload it.Though it's not always about specs and what's on paper, and maybe the version android is just too old or its just a bug filled custom rom. But that's why I was asking if anyone had any hands on time with it.
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Keep in mind that most smartphone/tablet apps won't work well on an eInk display, since anything that involves any motion at all (like scrolling) is a no-go. It's why eInk readers are so heavily optimized for their displays, including things like settings for how many page turns between full screen refreshes and stuff. I don't think you're going to have a very good user experience on a device trying to be an eInk android tablet. Spending that much money on a device so niche that it has no Amazon reviews, from a company whose other products have generally mediocre reviews ("Onyx Boox is overwhelming the world with subpar e-readers" which comes from their business strategy of pumping out new hardware frequently and never releasing firmware updates)... I think it's a mistake. For that money, you can get a top of the line high-end ebook reader, or you can buy an overpriced poorly reviewed no-name brand tablet from Russia like that Onyx Boox.
EDIT: Sorry, they're Chinese, just targeting the Russian market.
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Specs are only half the equation - there's a reason iPhones are so slick with half the on paper specs of Android phones, the software is optimised as hell for the hardware. In this comparison, the Kindle is the iPhone and the shitty android tablet is, well, need I say it?
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@khaos I've have a few android based ereaders. I have two Oynx (7" & 10") and an Icarus 6".
Yes, they run an ancient version of android, but I've not had issues installing and running apps I want on them (i.e. Moon+ Reader) - heck, the Kindle app works just fine.Their battery life is no where near as good as a Kindle though - if you knock off the wifi, on standby they'll last just over a week without charge.
My daughter and son use them the 6" & 7" ones, the 10" is just too cumbersome, so that's just gathering dust.
I have a basic kindle, but... I just don't use it. I prefer to use my phone as I always have it on me and it can do TTS. If I turn to reading a kindle ebook, I will then reach for my Fire 7 as I can use the TTS on that when I want to and it isn't too cumbersome to carry around.
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@khaos said in Should I get kindle?:
@harmlessdave said in Should I get kindle?:
@khaos said in Should I get kindle?:
Has anyone tried the Onyx ereaders (ONYX BOOX Monte Cristo 3). I know I said $250 was out of my price range but for a device running android to load whatever apps I want + microSD - it may just be worth it.
It's using an old version of Android (4.2) as the operating system, but that doesn't mean any particular Android app will be usable. it's still a 1(?) fps 16-(mono)color e-ink screen and only a 1 GHz CPU with who knows how much RAM.
Is there some specific app(s) you'd want to use? If so, you'd want to try to figure out if they'll really work before buying this.
I can't tell if you are criticizing or just stating specs...?
I can read specs just fine from their site. Also is a 16-level grey scale screen and 1ghz processor not the same specs as the Oasis 2? And ram is same as well at 512mb.
I can understand the apprehension concerning the old version of Android but from what I can tell - it uses it intentionally to be able to use the play services, I guess Android based e-readers can't get 'certified' so a newer version Android wouldn't run play store.
If some app from the play store won't run, it wouldn't be difficult to find the version that would and sideload it.Though it's not always about specs and what's on paper, and maybe the version android is just too old or its just a bug filled custom rom. But that's why I was asking if anyone had any hands on time with it.
I'm saying you shouldn't expect anything other than a book app to work well on it. Games? No chance. Music players? Maybe, sort-of but the status and other animations may be messed up. Even for book apps, they might or might not work depending on whether they were written to use features of Android that were not added until versions 5-7. 4.2 is the 2012 version of Android.
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@guspaz said in Should I get kindle?:
Keep in mind that most smartphone/tablet apps won't work well on an eInk display, since anything that involves any motion at all (like scrolling) is a no-go. It's why eInk readers are so heavily optimized for their displays, including things like settings for how many page turns between full screen refreshes and stuff.
Understood - another reason why I was asking for any with experience using them.
("Onyx Boox is overwhelming the world with subpar e-readers" which comes from their business strategy of pumping out new hardware frequently and never releasing firmware updates)
This article was written by a member of a company developing and planning on releasing their own 10" android e-ink device. Direct competition and a conflict of interest, so should be taken with a grain of salt.
@smashman42 thanks, but I know this, and again that's why I was asking if anyone had any actual use with them.
@fozzedout thanks for the info sounds pretty good, and I don't mind battery life of devices as long as it can make it through a full day.
@HarmlessDave I did not mean apps such as those that would obviously be impossible to use on an eink display, but I did say 'whatever apps I want' so you are definitely correct.
I was mostly referring to apps like @fozzedout mentioned (moon reader/kindle/play books/calibre companion).
Yes we have already acknowledged lollipop is old.
@fozzedout I couldn't care less about TTS, but this seems to be be a main factor in your use. It sounds like you would, but considering this would you recommend it.
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@khaos Yes, for reading and other tasks (mail, calenders, etc), I can recommend wholeheartedly.
If you would like me to test a specific set of apps, I'll record a video and you can see for yourself
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@fozzedout that would be beyond helpful if you truly don't mind. I'll send you a chat.
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I have a Kindle and let me tell you if you decide to get it, will be the best decision you will ever make (if you are a bookworm). All LNs published on J-Novel club are available for digital purchase on Amazon and even if you become a Premium Member and download them from here, you will be able to convert them (using software Calibre) and send to your kindle. I read somewhere that J-Novel is working on "Send to Kindle" functionality and will make it available in near future.
Also, other publications like Yen press releases their LNs in Kindle format which you can buy and read.
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I got a Boyue likebook Mars from aliexpress about a week ago. It comes with Android 6 and handles JNC and manga apps work well. Not perfect, but also not headchace inducing like I was worried from seeing some of those screen refreshes on youtube.
The current stable JNC app has this quirk, where the tap for the next page stops working until you swipe the current page a little. A quick swipe gesture works well, but in general you don't want to scroll or swipe or anything that animates the screen when you're reading as it's painfull.
You can scroll decently, but for that you need to use the alternative screen refresh mode that tends to leave some faint artifacts on the screen. -
I use (and love) my Kindle Voyage for ebooks, but I also have a 10" Lenovo Tab 4 that I use for Android games, the daily newspaper, and reading the website version of JNC books I haven't bought. It works well for all of that, so if you want Android or are anti-Amazon then that is a good choice too. It costs $180 new from Amazon here in the US.
