Velocity Micro Tablets

jhempel24 · 08-25-2010, 02:10 AM

Borders is advertising these, got an email about them, as well as discounted Sony and Libre e-Readers.

Don't know anything about them though, just that there are two versions, $199 and $299, and the $299 will have the Android OS.

http://www.borders.com/online/store/...id=SA_20100825

peitsao · 08-25-2010, 02:32 AM

I looked them up on the web, and they look interesting, but don't want to be bound up with only Borders/Kobo ebooks. Wonder if it will be open or closed to other sellers?

taming · 08-25-2010, 07:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by peitsao

I looked them up on the web, and they look interesting, but don't want to be bound up with only Borders/Kobo ebooks. Wonder if it will be open or closed to other sellers?

You aren't limited to Borders/Kobo with the Kobo Reader. EPub can be purchased from numerous vendors and the Kobo Reader can be used to read them (using ADE or side loading through programs like Calibre to get them on the Kobo).

The Velocity is an Android based device (actually there are several models). Kobo/borders software comes preloaded, but may not be the only choices usable on them. I'm doubting it will have access to Android Market as only the custom Cruz Market is mentioned in the promotional material.

http://www.cruzreader.com/

PS: I'm sticking to eInk for my reading pleasure

Effect · 09-17-2010, 10:07 AM

You can also load the Kindle for Android app on it as well if you can find a copy of the .apk file and put on the device. It's suppose to install normally. I wish Amazon would just let you download the file directly from their site. However searching the internet one should be able to find it I'm told.

Picked one (Cruz Reader) up last night after work. Pretty nice so far. Was talking with some of the workers in Borders when I got it and they all seemed to really like it. They had just gotten the devices in yesterday so they were still testing one out and got to handle their test unit before I bought mine. I've only had a limited experience with an Android phone but I looked right away for the app called Task Manager which seems to be the thing to install on all Android devices as the OS doesn't see to fully quit out of applications but has them running in the background taking up ram.

There is a market called SlideMe at SlideMe.org that has a lot of apps. There is a youtube app in SlideMe that allows you to view videos on Youtube. Can't other wise since there is no Flash on the device due to it running Android 2.0 and Flash was added with 2.2 I believe. The app lets you download the files in great quality it seems but and lets you stream them in a lower quality. Same for the AndAppStore which can be gotten from the Cruz Market itself. So far I have the Borders app on the device and Aldiko which is nice. Going to be looking for the Kindle for Android file tonight on some forums. If I can find it think I'll be keeping the device. It's more tablet then ereader which is interesting. I still have a Kindle 1 and really wanted something else instead of just buying another Kindle and the iPad is just way to expensive.

It's annoying though that the screen only rotates when you turn the device to the right 90 degrees from the normal vertical position. Have to go back the opposite direction. Won't rotate if you turn it left from the starting position. Took me a while to figure that out.

cfrizz · 09-17-2010, 10:33 AM

Are you able to read sideloaded books that are drm'd from ADE? I'm seriously considering this reader.

Effect · 09-17-2010, 04:51 PM

Sorry don't know. Haven't tried doing that.

MsAstoria · 09-17-2010, 06:07 PM

got UPS notice that mine is shipping. Should arrive by Sept 20th. Then will have to see which my hubby likes, the K3 or the Cruz Reader. One of them has to go back!

SensualPoet · 09-17-2010, 06:15 PM

As nice as the Cruz Android tablets are, it's just a little bit too early to buy one. Google hasn't yet authorized any shipping tablets to have access to the Android Market. That is expected with OS 3.0 (tablets are currently 1.6, 2.1 or 2.2). Until then, any software / apps you might want cannot be sourced from the App Market. Further, any existing tablet, that does not have a written guarantee from the vendor of being capable of upgrade to 3.0 should be considered an interim, temporary purchase.

So -- provided you are happy with what the tablet does TODAY (and you might be!), go ahead and buy one. Otherwise, proceed with caution and eyes wide open.

gastan · 09-17-2010, 06:25 PM

The Velocity Micro Cruz Reader --(not the tablet) -- is a clone of the Pandigital Novel. Or the Novel is a clone of the Cruz Reader, however you want to look at it --- but since the Novel came out well in advance of the Cruz Reader I consider the Novel the original.

The folks in the PD Novel forum at Slatedroid have been working the Cruz Reader hard. One guy even has a hacked Cruz firmware running on his Novel. Oh sure, there are some minor differences, but the photos show almost identical internals -- same board, same battery, same wifi card, same microSD card (well, the Cruz has a bigger one), same power supply, 98% identical layout, ad nauseum. Some of the developer types have hacked the Cruz firmware and in almost every instance the files are near duplicates. Several of them even have the same dates, e-mail addresses, version numbers, etc..

You can pay more for the Cruz but you aren't getting any better device than the PD Novel.

gastan · 09-17-2010, 06:28 PM

[QUOTE=SensualPoet;1114874]
Google hasn't yet authorized any shipping tablets to have access to the Android Market.
[QUOTE]

That is true. There is no official Google support for Market access by these devices. That didn't stop the tech types from creating a Google market hack. There has been a working Google market hack for the PD Novel for weeks already.

Effect · 09-17-2010, 06:57 PM

I've seen some those post. One of the key things for me is that it's said the Cruz weighs more and physically feels more solid. While they might be the same they're still significantly less than an iPad. Also to get the interface like the Cruz's (which allows more freedom to install things) requires some messing with the software which honestly I have no desire to do even though I could. Doing so wrongly I believe could brick your PD.

I didn't know about the PD until after I picked up a Cruz but see no reason to return it now to be honest. Reading is great so far from the apps (glare from light can be annoying at times) and having a decent browsing experience is nice. Everything else is extra. It would take some effort to alter the PD and paying a bit more to not have to do that might be worth the higher price to many others I think.

Really the internals isn't the only thing at play here I think. That outlook I think is being missed in some of the post I've read.

Effect · 09-17-2010, 07:25 PM

If anyone has the device the best way to view youtube is this. Go to Velocity's support site. You can bypass registering. In the knowledge section is a topic about their YouTube app. They explain how to get the replacement as the one on the device originally doesn't work correctly. Once installed use the browser to navigate YouTube like normal. When you click to play a video it will ask you to pick a program to play it. Select the youtube app form the list and it should. As long as not to many things are running in the background. Getting a video through the app directly doesn't seem to work to well.

Thought I'd say this as I can see this being a problem for those wanting to use the device this way. Getting youtube to work was the most annoying thing for me so far. However once I figured out what to do I'm good now. This way allows you to play what you want when you want while the other app I listed in the other post makes you scroll through videos and no way to really filter them. If you have the other installed you can pick it from the list as well and use it to download the youtube video instead though.

Ken401 · 09-17-2010, 09:59 PM

Stopped by the local Borders and played with the Cruz Reader. The resistive screen required a lot of pressure to activate choices and it runs rather slowly. It was amusing to operate the volume controls and have it display a "Ringer Volume" graphic.

I'll wait for the Tablet version with capacitive screen and hopefully more apps by then.

Effect · 09-17-2010, 10:05 PM

nm...

Smoser3039 · 09-18-2010, 11:30 AM

They support almost all types of files, so I don't think you would be limited.

08-25-2010, 02:10 AM	#1
jhempel24 Wizard Posts: 2,157 Karma: 7068605 Join Date: Dec 2007 Device: Amazon Kindle Paperwhite, B&N Nook Colro	Velocity Micro Tablets Borders is advertising these, got an email about them, as well as discounted Sony and Libre e-Readers. Don't know anything about them though, just that there are two versions, $199 and $299, and the $299 will have the Android OS. http://www.borders.com/online/store/...id=SA_20100825

09-17-2010, 10:07 AM	#4
Effect Member Posts: 21 Karma: 10 Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Pa, USA Device: Kindle 1 and Kindle 3	You can also load the Kindle for Android app on it as well if you can find a copy of the .apk file and put on the device. It's suppose to install normally. I wish Amazon would just let you download the file directly from their site. However searching the internet one should be able to find it I'm told. Picked one (Cruz Reader) up last night after work. Pretty nice so far. Was talking with some of the workers in Borders when I got it and they all seemed to really like it. They had just gotten the devices in yesterday so they were still testing one out and got to handle their test unit before I bought mine. I've only had a limited experience with an Android phone but I looked right away for the app called Task Manager which seems to be the thing to install on all Android devices as the OS doesn't see to fully quit out of applications but has them running in the background taking up ram. There is a market called SlideMe at SlideMe.org that has a lot of apps. There is a youtube app in SlideMe that allows you to view videos on Youtube. Can't other wise since there is no Flash on the device due to it running Android 2.0 and Flash was added with 2.2 I believe. The app lets you download the files in great quality it seems but and lets you stream them in a lower quality. Same for the AndAppStore which can be gotten from the Cruz Market itself. So far I have the Borders app on the device and Aldiko which is nice. Going to be looking for the Kindle for Android file tonight on some forums. If I can find it think I'll be keeping the device. It's more tablet then ereader which is interesting. I still have a Kindle 1 and really wanted something else instead of just buying another Kindle and the iPad is just way to expensive. It's annoying though that the screen only rotates when you turn the device to the right 90 degrees from the normal vertical position. Have to go back the opposite direction. Won't rotate if you turn it left from the starting position. Took me a while to figure that out. Last edited by Effect; 09-17-2010 at 07:29 PM.

09-17-2010, 06:25 PM	#9
gastan Addict Posts: 221 Karma: 801624 Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: US Pacific Northwest Device: LePan II, Kobo Aura	The Velocity Micro Cruz Reader --(not the tablet) -- is a clone of the Pandigital Novel. Or the Novel is a clone of the Cruz Reader, however you want to look at it --- but since the Novel came out well in advance of the Cruz Reader I consider the Novel the original. The folks in the PD Novel forum at Slatedroid have been working the Cruz Reader hard. One guy even has a hacked Cruz firmware running on his Novel. Oh sure, there are some minor differences, but the photos show almost identical internals -- same board, same battery, same wifi card, same microSD card (well, the Cruz has a bigger one), same power supply, 98% identical layout, ad nauseum. Some of the developer types have hacked the Cruz firmware and in almost every instance the files are near duplicates. Several of them even have the same dates, e-mail addresses, version numbers, etc.. You can pay more for the Cruz but you aren't getting any better device than the PD Novel. Last edited by gastan; 09-17-2010 at 06:41 PM.

09-17-2010, 06:28 PM	#10
gastan Addict Posts: 221 Karma: 801624 Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: US Pacific Northwest Device: LePan II, Kobo Aura	[QUOTE=SensualPoet;1114874] Google hasn't yet authorized any shipping tablets to have access to the Android Market. [QUOTE] That is true. There is no official Google support for Market access by these devices. That didn't stop the tech types from creating a Google market hack. There has been a working Google market hack for the PD Novel for weeks already. Last edited by gastan; 09-17-2010 at 06:31 PM.

09-17-2010, 06:57 PM	#11
Effect Member Posts: 21 Karma: 10 Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Pa, USA Device: Kindle 1 and Kindle 3	I've seen some those post. One of the key things for me is that it's said the Cruz weighs more and physically feels more solid. While they might be the same they're still significantly less than an iPad. Also to get the interface like the Cruz's (which allows more freedom to install things) requires some messing with the software which honestly I have no desire to do even though I could. Doing so wrongly I believe could brick your PD. I didn't know about the PD until after I picked up a Cruz but see no reason to return it now to be honest. Reading is great so far from the apps (glare from light can be annoying at times) and having a decent browsing experience is nice. Everything else is extra. It would take some effort to alter the PD and paying a bit more to not have to do that might be worth the higher price to many others I think. Really the internals isn't the only thing at play here I think. That outlook I think is being missed in some of the post I've read. Last edited by Effect; 09-17-2010 at 07:09 PM.

08-25-2010, 02:32 AM	#2
peitsao Addict Posts: 211 Karma: 32760 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Allegheny Mountains Device: Kobo mini, PW3,NookST	I looked them up on the web, and they look interesting, but don't want to be bound up with only Borders/Kobo ebooks. Wonder if it will be open or closed to other sellers?

09-17-2010, 10:33 AM	#5
cfrizz Wizard Posts: 1,531 Karma: 34583358 Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Quincy, MA Device: Samsung 54A, Kobo Libra H2O, Samsung S6 Lite	Are you able to read sideloaded books that are drm'd from ADE? I'm seriously considering this reader.

09-17-2010, 04:51 PM	#6
Effect Member Posts: 21 Karma: 10 Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Pa, USA Device: Kindle 1 and Kindle 3	Sorry don't know. Haven't tried doing that.

09-17-2010, 06:07 PM	#7
MsAstoria Evangelist Posts: 423 Karma: 47344 Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Astoria, Oregon, USA Device: Kindle Fire HDX, iPhone (yes, I read on my phone)	got UPS notice that mine is shipping. Should arrive by Sept 20th. Then will have to see which my hubby likes, the K3 or the Cruz Reader. One of them has to go back!

09-17-2010, 06:15 PM	#8
SensualPoet Wizard Posts: 2,302 Karma: 2607151 Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Toronto Device: Kobo Aura HD, Kindle Paperwhite, Asus ZenPad 3, Kobo Glo	As nice as the Cruz Android tablets are, it's just a little bit too early to buy one. Google hasn't yet authorized any shipping tablets to have access to the Android Market. That is expected with OS 3.0 (tablets are currently 1.6, 2.1 or 2.2). Until then, any software / apps you might want cannot be sourced from the App Market. Further, any existing tablet, that does not have a written guarantee from the vendor of being capable of upgrade to 3.0 should be considered an interim, temporary purchase. So -- provided you are happy with what the tablet does TODAY (and you might be!), go ahead and buy one. Otherwise, proceed with caution and eyes wide open.

09-17-2010, 07:25 PM	#12
Effect Member Posts: 21 Karma: 10 Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Pa, USA Device: Kindle 1 and Kindle 3	If anyone has the device the best way to view youtube is this. Go to Velocity's support site. You can bypass registering. In the knowledge section is a topic about their YouTube app. They explain how to get the replacement as the one on the device originally doesn't work correctly. Once installed use the browser to navigate YouTube like normal. When you click to play a video it will ask you to pick a program to play it. Select the youtube app form the list and it should. As long as not to many things are running in the background. Getting a video through the app directly doesn't seem to work to well. Thought I'd say this as I can see this being a problem for those wanting to use the device this way. Getting youtube to work was the most annoying thing for me so far. However once I figured out what to do I'm good now. This way allows you to play what you want when you want while the other app I listed in the other post makes you scroll through videos and no way to really filter them. If you have the other installed you can pick it from the list as well and use it to download the youtube video instead though. Last edited by Effect; 09-17-2010 at 07:30 PM.

09-17-2010, 09:59 PM	#13
Ken401 Addict Posts: 218 Karma: 417978 Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: St. Louis, MO USA Device: PRS-T1, PRS-950, PRS-505, Nexus 10, Xoom	Stopped by the local Borders and played with the Cruz Reader. The resistive screen required a lot of pressure to activate choices and it runs rather slowly. It was amusing to operate the volume controls and have it display a "Ringer Volume" graphic. I'll wait for the Tablet version with capacitive screen and hopefully more apps by then.

09-17-2010, 10:05 PM	#14
Effect Member Posts: 21 Karma: 10 Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Pa, USA Device: Kindle 1 and Kindle 3	nm... Last edited by Effect; 09-17-2010 at 10:10 PM.

09-18-2010, 11:30 AM	#15
Smoser3039 Junior Member Posts: 1 Karma: 10 Join Date: Sep 2010 Device: Cooler	They support almost all types of files, so I don't think you would be limited.

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