Icarus Pocket vs. Kindle?

[EloquentPeasant]

Hi, all.

Not new to the forum, but new to posting here. I usually just lurk and absorb the amazing knowledge.

Has anyone tried the Icarus Pocket? It's the only non-mainstream brand e-reader I've seen with a Pearl screen.

I have an Astak EZReader Pocket Pro I've been more or less happy with for a few years. I bought my 10-year-old daughter a Kindle Wi-Fi a few months ago, and I fell in love with its beautiful screen. The contrast is wonderful and makes my poor EZReader look dim and blurry in comparison. So, I decided I'd probably buy myself a Kindle, but after a bit of searching, I found the Icarus Pocket, which also boasts a Pearl screen, more format support and some extra features, such as custom font loading.

As far as what I want out of an e-reader: I don't buy DRMed media, I use Calibre to manage my e-books, my PC runs Linux, and my current library is mostly in ePub format, so the Kindle has some disadvantages compared to the Icarus Pocket for me.

On the other hand, I'm hesitant to purchase sight unseen with no reviews or anything.

Any help you can offer would be appreciated.

Thank you.

[mbovenka]

Originally Posted by EloquentPeasant

Hi, all.

Not new to the forum, but new to posting here. I usually just lurk and absorb the amazing knowledge.

Has anyone tried the Icarus Pocket? It's the only non-mainstream brand e-reader I've seen with a Pearl screen.

AFAIK, it's an OEM of the Onyx Boox M92

[Zetmolm]

Originally Posted by mbovenka

AFAIK, it's an OEM of the Onyx Boox M92

No it's not. The Icarus Excel is.

The Icarus Pocket is not a rebranded Onyx reader but comes from another factory in the Far East. It's just out, and there are not many user reviews yet.

[mbovenka]

Originally Posted by Zetmolm

No it's not. The Icarus Excel is.

The Icarus Pocket is not a rebranded Onyx reader but comes from another factory in the Far East. It's just out, and there are not many user reviews yet.

You're right, of course.

That'll teach me to actually *read* the posts I respond to . I just saw 'Icarus' and immediately thought of the Excel.

Sorry for the confusion...

[HarryT]

I would be wary of these obscure makes. They often have decent hardware, but are let down by poor-quality, buggy, firmware, because the company doesn't have the software development resources to produce good firmware. It's a lot safer to stick with the well-known brands. Consider also the issue of customer service in the event of a problem. Do you want to have to send a device back to China for a replacement?

I wouldn't take the risk, if it were me.

[mbovenka]

Originally Posted by HarryT

I would be wary of these obscure makes. They often have decent hardware, but are let down by poor-quality, buggy, firmware, because the company doesn't have the software development resources to produce good firmware. It's a lot safer to stick with the well-known brands. Consider also the issue of customer service in the event of a problem. Do you want to have to send a device back to China for a replacement?

I wouldn't take the risk, if it were me.

Icarus happens to be Dutch. One of the reasons I looked at the Excel a while ago; I can go bang on their door in person if there is anything wrong

[HarryT]

Thanks for the information, but the argument still applies. Does Icarus (wherever they are ) have the resources to develop decent firmware?

[mbovenka]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Thanks for the information, but the argument still applies. Does Icarus (wherever they are ) have the resources to develop decent firmware?

Sure, I wasn't disputing that. I have no idea about their capabilities in that regard; but then again, I have a Kindle DXG at the moment, so *any* firmware updates would probably mean an improvement

[EloquentPeasant]

Originally Posted by HarryT

I would be wary of these obscure makes. They often have decent hardware, but are let down by poor-quality, buggy, firmware, because the company doesn't have the software development resources to produce good firmware. It's a lot safer to stick with the well-known brands. Consider also the issue of customer service in the event of a problem. Do you want to have to send a device back to China for a replacement?

I wouldn't take the risk, if it were me.

Thanks for the advice. I tried a couple of different firmware versions for my EZReader before I was happy with it, so that is a concern, and of course the possibility of the device needing repair. Sometimes I forget that embedded devices are not like PCs; when they break you could be out of luck.