Onyx Boox Kepler series

[Hrafn]

I emailed Onyx Boox about the Kepler Pro, and they are now stating:

Kepler Pro will launch in June, and we will modify our web.

Kepler webpage now states:

~June 2016 COMING SOON~

[khalleron]

So how are the capacitive screens on Boox readers? The last ereader I had with a capacitive screen, a Sony PRS-600, was practically unreadable.

I like the IR touch screens, if it has to have a touch screen. I'm a bit leery of adding a capacitive layer.

Otherwise, the Kepler Pro looks absolutely drool-worthy.

[Phogg]

I have the Onyx Boox I86ml, and it is fine (although it is pearl not Carta) so I am eager to replace my 1st generation Paperwhite with the Kepler Pro.

[Hrafn]

Thai eBook-store Hytexts.com has a 11 minutes video up of the Kepler Pro (hat-tip the-ebook-reader.com). No narration and the (occasional) subtitles and viewed documents are in Thai.

Looking further on their site they appear to have the Kepler Pro available for pre-order for BHT 7990 (US$224), for delivery mid-July.

Update 3: According to (an email from) Hytexts, the Kepler Pro comes with a protective case (I queried them because no mention of it had been made previously) -- free with pre-order, BHT 400 (US$11) thereafter.

Update: German video from Computex 2016, which seems to be a bit more 'hands on'. The accompanying article mentions that an update from Android 4.0 to 4.4 is being planned for it.

Update 2: Russian video, apparently also from Computex (the number stickers on the back seem the same) of the Kepler Pro taking a bath. This is the first confirmation that we have that the brief mention in a prior video that O-B were releasing a waterproof eReader, was in fact talking about the Kepler Pro.

[Phogg]

Wonderful.

I hope to figure out where to try and order from next week.

[O_mhtsos]

Originally Posted by Hrafn

Thai eBook-store Hytexts.com has a 11 minutes video up of the Kepler Pro (hat-tip the-ebook-reader.com). No narration and the (occasional) subtitles and viewed documents are in Thai.

Looking further on their site they appear to have the Kepler Pro available for pre-order for BHT 7990 (US$224), for delivery mid-July.

Update 3: According to (an email from) Hytexts, the Kepler Pro comes with a protective case (I queried them because no mention of it had been made previously) -- free with pre-order, BHT 400 (US$11) thereafter.

Update: German video from Computex 2016, which seems to be a bit more 'hands on'. The accompanying article mentions that an update from Android 4.0 to 4.4 is being planned for it.

Update 2: Russian video, apparently also from Computex (the number stickers on the back seem the same) of the Kepler Pro taking a bath. This is the first confirmation that we have that the brief mention in a prior video that O-B were releasing a waterproof eReader, was in fact talking about the Kepler Pro.

Mid-July!?
Damn, I hoped that at least I could have it by mid-end of June.
My PW2 needs replacement...

[Hrafn]

Originally Posted by Phogg

I hope to figure out where to try and order from next week.

If you come across anybody else offering it, please post the info here. I was hoping to order it directly from O-B's Tmall shop, but they don't have it yet (admittedly, I don't even know if Tmall allows pre-orders).

[muniek66]

I am looking for Android alternative to Bouye T62+, which think to buy. Onyx Kepler Pro seems to be an interesting device.

[Dr. Drib]

Originally Posted by Hrafn

Thai eBook-store Hytexts.com has a 11 minutes video up of the Kepler Pro (hat-tip the-ebook-reader.com). No narration and the (occasional) subtitles and viewed documents are in Thai.

Looking further on their site they appear to have the Kepler Pro available for pre-order for BHT 7990 (US$224), for delivery mid-July.

Update 3: According to (an email from) Hytexts, the Kepler Pro comes with a protective case (I queried them because no mention of it had been made previously) -- free with pre-order, BHT 400 (US$11) thereafter.

Update: German video from Computex 2016, which seems to be a bit more 'hands on'. The accompanying article mentions that an update from Android 4.0 to 4.4 is being planned for it.

Update 2: Russian video, apparently also from Computex (the number stickers on the back seem the same) of the Kepler Pro taking a bath. This is the first confirmation that we have that the brief mention in a prior video that O-B were releasing a waterproof eReader, was in fact talking about the Kepler Pro.

I'm distracted by that incredibly long fingernail on his thumb!

(Those sub-titles are also distracting, as well.)

[Hrafn]

After recent developments, I emailed Onyx Boox again, and received the following info:

1. Hytexts.com is their official Thailand distributor (they weren't on their distributors list on their website, so I asked for confirmation).
2. "Kepler Pro is still waiting for mass production."
3. The Kepler Pro will be available from their (Chinese mainland) onyx.tmall.com store for "around US$200 excluding freight cost and your side customs tariff." (Given that the Hytexts price is equivalent of US$224 + US$42 shipping to NZ, I think I'll go direct with Tmall.)

[DavidTC]

Do we have any word at all on the *other* Keplers, or what the difference is from the Pro besides 'no page turn buttons'? (Which can't possibly be worthwhile to have as the *only* difference. Hell, it's not worth redesigning the board for that, so the wiring for the switches would still be there...they'd just be saving pennies by not having inserted pieces of plastic.)

I'm having trouble figuring out how you get *two* lesser versions of the thing. About the only thing I can see them stripping out is the bluetooth. It's not like you can strip out the waterproofing.

And speaking of waterproofing...not having a headphone jack is an obvious step in that direction, and having a microUSB jack that can go underwater is possible as long as it isn't used underwater...but I'll be damned if I can figure out how that microSD is supposed to work underwater. Pretty certain that needs a rubber seal.

[khalleron]

The website now says only, 'Coming Soon' with no sign of a date.

So evidently not this month, either.

[Nelebh]

I'm also waiting for the Kepler Pro (and very impatiently I must add, since my currently and only ereader is a more-than-aging, first-generation ereader, the Hanlin V5) and I want to share with you a couple of things that hadn't been mentioned here before. This is my way to thank you for the follow-up of this ereader and other news I've read here before. This is truly the way to go to be informed of the latest news. Nothing escapes the watchful eye of the Mobileread community!

First, it's not as if it's news anymore, since everyone reading here must have seen the videos of the Kepler Pro and the official photos, but in May a Japanese's blog had both the Onyx Boox Kepler Pro and the Boyue T63/Shine/JDRead/whatever to review. And he wrote a little about both. I will post these links here, in case you want to go check them using Google Translate or any other. And what I could understand from it.

1) Onyx Boox Kepler Pro: Unboxing and first impressions, second impressions.

Not much to see, aside from a few close photos, and short impressions. In the first link, the facts we already know: 16GB of internal flash storage, Wifi b/g/n + Bluetooth 4.0, 3000 mAh battery, and that it is stated that it indeed weights less than 205 grams (and the casing box was indeed smaller than before and only 338 grams in total).

In the second link: It is said that the most significant change is indeed the screen, that now is flat (as well as 300ppp) and that the touch accuracy seems to be better than before. (Because of the increase of RAM?) The metallic finish on the back seems to have a similar feel like a Macbook Air. (And how's that? Pretty good, no? I'm a Surface girl myself, I haven't touched a Mac.)

And a thing I'm wondering about: The capacity of the internal storage is now 1GB. And it mentions apps and Google Play. Plus in the photo it does show a 875MB label as well as a 133MB, which I suppose is that it had 875MB free and around 133 occupied. But that means that the you only have 1GB of storage available for apps, and what? 15 GB to use for mass storage, books and such? Woah, why partition it at all and separate it, and why does Onyx limit the app storage so much? And if in the Kepler Pro it's 1GB, how much do you usually have in, say, a C67ML for app storage?

There's no back button. So it is complained that in some situations you can't return to the previous screen, which does seem pitiful and lacking. I wholeheartedly agree. It's a poor design decision. Why do you even bother making two buttons to change page when you can just tap on the screen, (I like choices, I do, but I could live without physical turn buttons) but you don't make a back button which is essential on any self-respecting Android device? There's also a mention later to it, which says something about software configuration, but for the life of me, the automatic translation is so bad I can't understand if there is indeed an option on the settings to configure a physical button as a back button, or not.

And oh, I've just realized that there is indeed something more, but not directly related to the Kepler Pro: Onyx must be preparing an upcoming update to the Boox launcher. It seems to be called Smart Launcher 3, and it has most importantly: 1) an app-switcher screen, as in stock Android with the recents button, 2) a fast reboot option which frees the memory (RAM in use, I suppose), 3) a screen rotation shortcut with automatic settings for each application, 4) a Fast Notepad? app, and 5) a Handwritten app that, attention, can be synchronized with Dropbox! It does mention the compatibility of the new launcher with the i86ML plus, so I assume it would be launched as a new software update available to almost all devices, not only the last ones.



2) Boyue T63: Unboxing and initial impressions, second impressions and third impressions.

I will post that part fully in the appropriate thread.

[downeaster59]

Speaking as someone who owned a T68 and a C67ML, 1 GB of app space is a huge improvement for an Onyx device. The C67ML had 350 MB for apps. Once you had Play Store and Play Services in there, you already lost about a third of the app partition! The T68 had maybe 450 MB for its app partition.

As a point of reference, the Boyue T62 has a 1 GB app partition.

Why have a separate app partition? I have no idea!

I'm interested in the Kepler Pro and the Boyue T63/Shine. Thanks for the info.

[Nelebh]

Originally Posted by downeaster59

Speaking as someone who owned a T68 and a C67ML, 1 GB of app space is a huge improvement for an Onyx device. The C67ML had 350 MB for apps. Once you had Play Store and Play Services in there, you already lost about a third of the app partition! The T68 had maybe 450 MB for its app partition.

As a point of reference, the Boyue T62 has a 1 GB app partition.

Why have a separate app partition? I have no idea!

I'm interested in the Kepler Pro and the Boyue T63/Shine. Thanks for the info.

So it is truly a huge change from older Onyx's ereaders. I have to admit I am accustomed to how Android works in phones, and I know little about the differences with having it on ereaders.

And oh, it seems that the Kepler Pro is finally out of limbo status and it's available for buying on Thailand. The local distributor, Hytexts, has changed today its preorder web and has it on stock, with shipping in 24 hours according to their previous Facebook's message. Price is the same as before, 7990 TBH (Thailand's Baht), so around 205€ or 226$.

I contacted Onyx via email the past week, and they did say that the Kepler Pro will be available in Thailand soon, but I wasn't expecting it this soon. Great news!

And as well as contacting Onyx, I sent a couple of emails more, one to the E-readerweb.nl and another to Ereader-store.de asking for plans to have available the Kepler Pro when it was released. The Netherlands distributor replied saying that they intent to have it for selling, around mid-July more or less, same as Hytexts said in their preorder web for shipping. I will keep you posted if they inform me of something more.