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Old 07-14-2009, 05:45 PM   #1
exvaxman
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another media player with ebook - ONDA 545

ONDA 545hd sub-$200 32GB device, 800x480 display, displays TXT files and a pdf ebook reader is in beta. Very bright display for text. It does support bookmarks.
5" screen, comes with a remote, you can connect to your TV in high-def (720p) and takes microSDHC cards. I use it for reading at night now as opposed to my Jetbook and PRS-505. (though now that I found a couple of spare batteries I'm going to get the reb1200 up and running again).

Only issue is that as it came, it did not have a black background - there were a couple of hoops to jump through to make it a black background for ease of reading. Another difficulty is that I need a travel case for it - it is slightly smaller than the jetbook and not able to fit into pockets.

I bought mine from bigboxstore - looks like they are out of the 32GB model right now.

http://www.digitalkingz.com/onvx545ihide.html
http://www.bigboxstore.com/portable-...creen-8gb.html
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Old 07-14-2009, 07:20 PM   #2
ColdSun
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I almost bought one of these, but the support of only TXT files made me change my mind. The device is capable of being modded though, and as you say they have a PDF reader in development. There is also an ebook reading mod out there that lets you boot directly into just an ebook reader instead of the PMP OS. Still, I felt the SmartQ 7 was a better deal for overall capability and price. On the flip side, the screens on these Onda devices are really nice and the build quality looks very solid.

Onda just released a 7" version of the device as well. You can find it here:

http://mp4nation.net/catalog/index.p...roducts_id=318

Myself, I'll stick with my Q7 until something better for my needs comes out. That Onda is really nice though.
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Old 07-14-2009, 07:30 PM   #3
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Darn you - I might have to order the 7" unit. I just gave my MyVu display glasses to the kid with an ipod classic for movies/tv shows, sold one of my classic transoceanics and am gadget looking.

How is the screen on the q7 in your opinion? Have you tried mp4 movies on it?
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Old 07-14-2009, 07:55 PM   #4
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Honestly, I think the Onda screen is nicer than the Q7. The Q7 is alright, not as good as my Nokia N770 screen, but of course a lot bigger. If Onda had an actual OS like Linux or WinCE on it I would be all over that device. I'm definately not saying the Q7 screen is bad though - it really is awesome for an ebook reader.

As far as movies go, MP4 or AVI, the Q7 is quite capable hardware-wise of running it at 800x480 at 30fps, but for some reason the OS that comes standard with the Q7 is totally NOT optimized to play video. Another reason many of us are waiting for Mer or WinCE to take over from the default OS on the Q7. Trust me though, this is totally a software/OS thing - the specs of the hardware are definately capable of handling more.

Here is my suggestion as far as shopping for a device right now. It depends on what you want to do. If you want primarily a PMP for video and music - grab one of those awesome Ondas and just deal with reading TXT files and using it as a secondary ebook reader. If you want a really good eBook reader/multi-function LCD backlit device with many possibilities for the future - AND pretty darn fast and good internet browsing, get the Q7. Last but definately worth suggesting, especially if your device budget is limited, is to wait a couple/few months to see what is released. Now that the SmartQ 7 was sold out during its first production run and is selling quite well, I'm betting we will see more of these larger form-factor devices being released.

I chose to pick up the Q7 and I'm loving it. I do more reading and web surfing on my device than video. I do use it to listen to music though, and I find that to work quite well. The battery life is VERY good, much better than any LCD device I've used other than my ebookwise-1150. I go into quite a bit of detail in my review of the Q7 if you haven't looked at it yet. https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=48934

Also, I really like those Onda players. I might get one of the 7" versions for watching movies. The chipset CC1600, I think, is a very powerful PMP chipset - the best on the market right now I think. Capable of playing HD movies at 30fps. The build on those things is solid too. It looks like a giant iPod Touch.
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Old 07-14-2009, 09:08 PM   #5
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Thanks for your input! I take young scouts on trips, so I will probably pick up the 7" player - keep kids occupied in the back and no worries about DVDs being lost/scratched. The 12" $300 tablet coming in a couple of months I will wait for in the hopes that there will be a way to load ebooks on it.
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Old 07-18-2009, 09:49 PM   #6
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new software update (v2.2 beta) drops bookmarks, but gives you a blank background by default.
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