Boox 60 after a few hours

GyGeek · 01-08-2010, 11:02 PM

I bought an Onyx boox 60 from Mike Hu and promised to review it. It arrived today and I messed with it a little while it was charging.
Very solid design, doesn’t feel cheap when you hold it. Startup was quick, as was screen changing. My wife has a Sony reader, and the refresh is much quicker with this machine. It doesn’t matter what I am doing on the machine, the display responds quickly.

The controls work well for the most part. The power button is on the bottom along with the headphone jack, usb connection and SD card slot. It is flush with the case, and requires just a little too much indentation to get it to click. This I think is something one can get accustomed to with practice. The SD card also needs to be pushed in a lot to click into place. This will be slightly more bothersome, as it is also flush with the case. I imagine this is true for all SD card slots that need cards to be clicked into place, which is why they usually stick out slightly in other devices.

I calibrated the pen to the screen right away. The interface is intuitive and easy to use. I was apprehensive about the wacom pen on a book reader, but it looks like a lot of the navigation can be done with the button at the bottom.

I bought this reader because it sports a wifi connection and browser, because I want to be able to do a lot of my web reading on it along with book reading. This initial review will focus on the web access aspects of the thing, but first a little about books.

The reader interface is very satisfying. I tried it with a PDF file and RTF file. The font choices for an rtf file are great. You have a choice of font, size, with or without bold, and advancing through the text is uniform no matter what is used. With PDFs the choices are limited of course, but there are still five sizes available though not all display well. There are two choices for page layout, single and scroll page. Single is just that, shows a single page on the screen, sized to fit. In scroll mode is where the font sizes are available (changing between single and scroll page defaults the font size to small) and the reader wraps the words if the font is too large, it doesn’t scroll it off the edge of the screen, and advancing works through the text as it should. The book loaded has diagrams and pictures and display nicely along with the text no matter the font size. Zooming and annotation is also available, but I haven’t messed with those yet. All in all, the PDF interface is nice so far. I thought I might have to format with a word processor and convert to PDF, but that isn’t the case, at least for the book I used. All in all, I predict a pleasant and non-irritating experience reading these two formats.

The web browser. This is the reason I bought this machine. The device found my wifi just fine, and connection was fast and simple. There are four options available to start out, Onyx website, Adobe, Google and Wikipedia. They display as icons, and I am hoping I will be able to add to what is already there. I accessed all except the Onyx page, as well as a few blogs I read and CNN.com. The page display is surprisingly fast. Scrolling is available right away, before the page is fully loaded, and is accomplished with swishing the page up with the pen on the screen or using the button at the bottom. The fonts available with the browser are just as diverse as they are with rtf documents, which gives one a lot of versatility displaying web pages. It isn’t your typical laptop screen, but it has exceeded my expectations for e-ink.

That said, one very big disappointment is the fact that the wifi automatically disables itself if you leave and go back to the Websites menu. This is very annoying because, although it finds the access and connects quickly, doing so every time you go back to this page is irritating beyond measure. I wouldn’t mind so much if I could access my iGoolge page, with all my links available, but the browser on this device will not display the sign-on page, at least for iGoolge. Still, I imagine I can come up with something that will make my browsing to the sites I want to read manageable, so that I am spending my time with it reading and not navigating.

Other observations; I’ve had the device for 5 hours now, have charged it fully already, and the charge seems to be holding as far as I can tell. The device came with a nice leather-like flip cover, with a Velcro strap for securing it in place. There is nice power management, which allows for automatic standby and shutdown. I made two ‘notes’, to check out how the annotation feels. I don’t have a use for this function really, but I could see where it would come in handy for someone that makes notes on text. It allows for individual notes, as well as annotating PDF files. It handles surprisingly well. Annotations are saved automatically, and response is adequate. I used a Gateway tablet with a dual touch/wacom screen in school, and although the response doesn’t compare with that of course, I think it would have suited classroom use for annotating documents, but not for general note taking.

That’s about all I’ve been able to check out so far. A few more days with the thing and I will probably have more to say about it.

MikeOnyx · 01-09-2010, 01:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GyGeek

I bought an Onyx boox 60 from Mike Hu. It arrived today and I messed with it a little while it was charging.
Very solid design, doesn’t feel cheap when you hold it. Startup was quick, as was screen changing. My wife has a Sony reader, and the refresh is much quicker with this machine. It doesn’t matter what I am doing on the machine, the display responds quickly.

The controls work well for the most part. The power button is on the bottom along with the headphone jack, usb connection and SD card slot. It is flush with the case, and requires just a little too much indentation to get it to click. This I think is something one can get accustomed to with practice. The SD card also needs to be pushed in a lot to click into place. This will be slightly more bothersome, as it is also flush with the case. I imagine this is true for all SD card slots that need cards to be clicked into place, which is why they usually stick out slightly in other devices.

I calibrated the pen to the screen right away. The interface is intuitive and easy to use. I was apprehensive about the wacom pen on a book reader, but it looks like a lot of the navigation can be done with the button at the bottom.

I bought this reader because it sports a wifi connection and browser, because I want to be able to do a lot of my web reading on it along with book reading. This initial review will focus on the web access aspects of the thing, but first a little about books.

The reader interface is very satisfying. I tried it with a PDF file and RTF file. The font choices for an rtf file are great. You have a choice of font, size, with or without bold, and advancing through the text is uniform no matter what is used. With PDFs the choices are limited of course, but there are still five sizes available though not all display well. There are two choices for page layout, single and scroll page. Single is just that, shows a single page on the screen, sized to fit. In scroll mode is where the font sizes are available (changing between single and scroll page defaults the font size to small) and the reader wraps the words if the font is too large, it doesn’t scroll it off the edge of the screen, and advancing works through the text as it should. The book loaded has diagrams and pictures and display nicely along with the text no matter the font size. Zooming and annotation is also available, but I haven’t messed with those yet. All in all, the PDF interface is nice so far. I thought I might have to format with a word processor and convert to PDF, but that isn’t the case, at least for the book I used. All in all, I predict a pleasant and non-irritating experience reading these two formats.

The web browser. This is the reason I bought this machine. The device found my wifi just fine, and connection was fast and simple. There are four options available to start out, Onyx website, Adobe, Google and Wikipedia. They display as icons, and I am hoping I will be able to add to what is already there. I accessed all except the Onyx page, as well as a few blogs I read and CNN.com. The page display is surprisingly fast. Scrolling is available right away, before the page is fully loaded, and is accomplished with swishing the page up with the pen on the screen or using the button at the bottom. The fonts available with the browser are just as diverse as they are with rtf documents, which gives one a lot of versatility displaying web pages. It isn’t your typical laptop screen, but it has exceeded my expectations for e-ink.

That said, one very big disappointment is the fact that the wifi automatically disables itself if you leave and go back to the Websites menu. This is very annoying because, although it finds the access and connects quickly, doing so every time you go back to this page is irritating beyond measure. I wouldn’t mind so much if I could access my iGoolge page, with all my links available, but the browser on this device will not display the sign-on page, at least for iGoolge. Still, I imagine I can come up with something that will make my browsing to the sites I want to read manageable, so that I am spending my time with it reading and not navigating.

Other observations; I’ve had the device for 5 hours now, have charged it fully already, and the charge seems to be holding as far as I can tell. The device came with a nice leather-like flip cover, with a Velcro strap for securing it in place. There is nice power management, which allows for automatic standby and shutdown. I made two ‘notes’, to check out how the annotation feels. I don’t have a use for this function really, but I could see where it would come in handy for someone that makes notes on text. It allows for individual notes, as well as annotating PDF files. It handles surprisingly well. Annotations are saved automatically, and response is adequate. I used a Gateway tablet with a dual touch/wacom screen in school, and although the response doesn’t compare with that of course, I think it would have suited classroom use for annotating documents, but not for general note taking.

That’s about all I’ve been able to check out so far. A few more days with the thing and I will probably have more to say about it.

Thank you GuyGeek for your review. I have also noticed it annoying with the wifi continuously opening up when going to websites. The development team is also aware and we will fix it. Thanks again.

GyGeek · 01-09-2010, 01:58 AM

I played with it a few more hours.

I was able to sign in to iGoogle, Facebook and Yahoo email, but it seemed the device had a hard time distinguishing between my pen taps and swipes. Since I can access my iGoogle page, the disconnecting wifi isn't as big a deal. With a little practice it will not seem such a hassle, and I can use this device for basic Internet access in public places such as airport terminals and coffee shops, rather drag out a bulkier netbook or laptop.

The battery has started to fade. I will put it on standby over night and see what it's like in the morning. It leaves an image on the display in standby.

The control on the face of the device is nice. There is an 'OK' button, surrounded by two rings. The inner ring is useful for navigating around the screen in lieu of the pen. The outer ring navigates inside the documents, and provides instant access to the home menu.

I'm starting to really like this thing.

m-reader · 01-09-2010, 01:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GyGeek

I bought an Onyx boox 60 from Mike Hu, reduced $50 if I promised to review it. It arrived today and I messed with it a little while it was charging.
Very solid design, doesn’t feel cheap when you hold it. Startup was quick, as was screen changing. My wife has a Sony reader, and the refresh is much quicker with this machine. It doesn’t matter what I am doing on the machine, the display responds quickly.

Thanks for the review, so far it sounds good. I have a question regarding your screen refresh comparison. Which Sony eReader did you compare it to?

Cheers

GyGeek · 01-09-2010, 02:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by m-reader

Which Sony eReader did you compare it to?

The PRS-505.

MikeOnyx · 01-09-2010, 02:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GyGeek

I played with it a few more hours.

I was able to sign in to iGoogle, Facebook and Yahoo email, but it seemed the device had a hard time distinguishing between my pen taps and swipes. Since I can access my iGoogle page, the disconnecting wifi isn't as big a deal. With a little practice it will not seem such a hassle, and I can use this device for basic Internet access in public places such as airport terminals and coffee shops, rather drag out a bulkier netbook or laptop.

The battery has started to fade. I will put it on standby over night and see what it's like in the morning. It leaves an image on the display in standby.

The control on the face of the device is nice. There is an 'OK' button, surrounded by two rings. The inner ring is useful for navigating around the screen in lieu of the pen. The outer ring navigates inside the documents, and provides instant access to the home menu.

I'm starting to really like this thing.

Try not to leave the wireless button on while you're not using it, it does drain the battery more.

01-08-2010, 11:02 PM	#1
GyGeek Connoisseur Posts: 52 Karma: 74 Join Date: May 2008 Device: Samsung Q1 Ultra, Boox 60, Droid	Boox 60 after a few hours I bought an Onyx boox 60 from Mike Hu and promised to review it. It arrived today and I messed with it a little while it was charging. Very solid design, doesn’t feel cheap when you hold it. Startup was quick, as was screen changing. My wife has a Sony reader, and the refresh is much quicker with this machine. It doesn’t matter what I am doing on the machine, the display responds quickly. The controls work well for the most part. The power button is on the bottom along with the headphone jack, usb connection and SD card slot. It is flush with the case, and requires just a little too much indentation to get it to click. This I think is something one can get accustomed to with practice. The SD card also needs to be pushed in a lot to click into place. This will be slightly more bothersome, as it is also flush with the case. I imagine this is true for all SD card slots that need cards to be clicked into place, which is why they usually stick out slightly in other devices. I calibrated the pen to the screen right away. The interface is intuitive and easy to use. I was apprehensive about the wacom pen on a book reader, but it looks like a lot of the navigation can be done with the button at the bottom. I bought this reader because it sports a wifi connection and browser, because I want to be able to do a lot of my web reading on it along with book reading. This initial review will focus on the web access aspects of the thing, but first a little about books. The reader interface is very satisfying. I tried it with a PDF file and RTF file. The font choices for an rtf file are great. You have a choice of font, size, with or without bold, and advancing through the text is uniform no matter what is used. With PDFs the choices are limited of course, but there are still five sizes available though not all display well. There are two choices for page layout, single and scroll page. Single is just that, shows a single page on the screen, sized to fit. In scroll mode is where the font sizes are available (changing between single and scroll page defaults the font size to small) and the reader wraps the words if the font is too large, it doesn’t scroll it off the edge of the screen, and advancing works through the text as it should. The book loaded has diagrams and pictures and display nicely along with the text no matter the font size. Zooming and annotation is also available, but I haven’t messed with those yet. All in all, the PDF interface is nice so far. I thought I might have to format with a word processor and convert to PDF, but that isn’t the case, at least for the book I used. All in all, I predict a pleasant and non-irritating experience reading these two formats. The web browser. This is the reason I bought this machine. The device found my wifi just fine, and connection was fast and simple. There are four options available to start out, Onyx website, Adobe, Google and Wikipedia. They display as icons, and I am hoping I will be able to add to what is already there. I accessed all except the Onyx page, as well as a few blogs I read and CNN.com. The page display is surprisingly fast. Scrolling is available right away, before the page is fully loaded, and is accomplished with swishing the page up with the pen on the screen or using the button at the bottom. The fonts available with the browser are just as diverse as they are with rtf documents, which gives one a lot of versatility displaying web pages. It isn’t your typical laptop screen, but it has exceeded my expectations for e-ink. That said, one very big disappointment is the fact that the wifi automatically disables itself if you leave and go back to the Websites menu. This is very annoying because, although it finds the access and connects quickly, doing so every time you go back to this page is irritating beyond measure. I wouldn’t mind so much if I could access my iGoolge page, with all my links available, but the browser on this device will not display the sign-on page, at least for iGoolge. Still, I imagine I can come up with something that will make my browsing to the sites I want to read manageable, so that I am spending my time with it reading and not navigating. Other observations; I’ve had the device for 5 hours now, have charged it fully already, and the charge seems to be holding as far as I can tell. The device came with a nice leather-like flip cover, with a Velcro strap for securing it in place. There is nice power management, which allows for automatic standby and shutdown. I made two ‘notes’, to check out how the annotation feels. I don’t have a use for this function really, but I could see where it would come in handy for someone that makes notes on text. It allows for individual notes, as well as annotating PDF files. It handles surprisingly well. Annotations are saved automatically, and response is adequate. I used a Gateway tablet with a dual touch/wacom screen in school, and although the response doesn’t compare with that of course, I think it would have suited classroom use for annotating documents, but not for general note taking. That’s about all I’ve been able to check out so far. A few more days with the thing and I will probably have more to say about it. Last edited by GyGeek; 01-09-2010 at 02:01 AM.

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01-09-2010, 01:58 AM	#3
GyGeek Connoisseur Posts: 52 Karma: 74 Join Date: May 2008 Device: Samsung Q1 Ultra, Boox 60, Droid	I played with it a few more hours. I was able to sign in to iGoogle, Facebook and Yahoo email, but it seemed the device had a hard time distinguishing between my pen taps and swipes. Since I can access my iGoogle page, the disconnecting wifi isn't as big a deal. With a little practice it will not seem such a hassle, and I can use this device for basic Internet access in public places such as airport terminals and coffee shops, rather drag out a bulkier netbook or laptop. The battery has started to fade. I will put it on standby over night and see what it's like in the morning. It leaves an image on the display in standby. The control on the face of the device is nice. There is an 'OK' button, surrounded by two rings. The inner ring is useful for navigating around the screen in lieu of the pen. The outer ring navigates inside the documents, and provides instant access to the home menu. I'm starting to really like this thing.

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