Thread: Kindle and Nook app on same e-reader, plus color: does Pocketbook IQ fits the bill?
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Old 01-12-2011, 05:08 PM   #8
fjtorres
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jocampo View Post
Hmm root,root,root... lol ... so a similar situation like Nook Color? thought IQ was more open. It's not that I can't root it but was looking for an "out of the box" ready device. Still sounds like a cheap and nice tablet.

If I don't root apps will reside on SD card, right? and then moved to RAM each time we call them?

No demo stores in USA right?
Compared to some other Android tablets, the IQ *is* more open.
Rooting isn't about installing apps (like on Nook or the early Pandigitals) but about hacking the OS itself. Making the IQ more of a PC and less of an appliance.

"Out of the box ready" can mean different things to different people so you may have to be a bit more specific about your needs.

If you want an affordable Android webpad that lets you install compatible apps as you see fit, within the limits of the OS and the hardware, then the IQ might serve. But it is up to you to find, test, and evaluate those apps.

Out of the box it only comes with the Pocketbook reader and Dictionary apps loaded. Both are promising but unfinished.

As for apps, they are technically loaded into a portion of onboard RAM that (apparently) gets mirrored into RAM at bootup. This is a "feature" of Android 2.0 so, while you get 2GB of internal flash, in addition to whatever SD card you add to the system, you only get about 60-80MB of app space before getting "out-of-memory" warnings. That is good for about 30 installed apps.
(That is where rooting comes in as the apps2sd application patches the OS to allow apps to reside on the SD card and be mirrored to RA only when launched. This behavior is supposed to be inherent in Android 2.2. Can't vouch for it, though.)

During testing, I had all the reading apps I listed above installed at once (except for the Nook app--it is "enormous" for an Android app, 2-3X the size of the Kindle app) plus the Dolphin HD browser, several games and a dozen news applets. The only issue I encountered was that the Dolphin Browser got unstable after the "low on memory" warning popped up.

Once I figured which apps I wanted to keep, I restored to factory spec, reinstalled the working config, and I've been spending my IQ time using the device rather than hacking it. I haven't rooted or even swapped out the obnoxiously bright boot page.

So, no, it is not out-of-the box usable as a Color Kindle or multi-format reader, not yet. It isn't a pure appliance like a Pocketbook 360 or a Kindle, either. It needs setup, much as a PC.

But if you know what the device is and what your needs are, it might be a match.

As for demo stores, Pocketbook has Kiosks in Kansas City and Seattle.
Other than that its a matter of web video.
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