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rogue_ronin · 06-14-2009, 10:59 AM

This whole thread feels like a combination of FUD and ignorance.

The Q7 is a small tablet with an ARM based chipset. It uses far less battery power than even recent tablets like the Nokia 770-800-810. It can easily last, well, more than a day without recharge. In fact I've had mine near a week now, and I've recharged it once. It performs adequately, and that is without any of the hardware acceleration that it is capable of -- no one has activated that yet. Yet.

The Q7 has FBReader, Evince, etc. It can read just about any format you wish. You can change OS, as well, so if you want to use WinCE 6.0, that you can do. So that opens up things like LIT files, etc.

It has a backlit color screen, wireless, SD, two USB ports (keyboard can be attached) and it is a fantastic size. The company that manufactures it has shared the source files for the bootloader, and they have put out a recent OS overhaul. It's fun to hack on, play with and use. And it's going to keep getting better, for the near future at least. The limitations are not those of the device, but the software -- and that is limited only by imagination and dedication.

(And not limited by power-dominance by large companies, such as a shall-not-be-named cough corporation that has a history of attempted format lock-down.)

It's a device that seems like the future to me, even though it's made entirely of the recent past. It suggests a possible future of flexibility and function and openness.

While eInk has a fantastic advantage in energy savings and paper-like surface, it is not the only game in town -- in fact it is probably a dead-end. It updates too slowly for other uses, and I personally find the flashing of the screen distracting and, frankly, ugly.

(Ugliness is an important consideration. Aside from the PocketBook from Russia that's coming out, (and the old REB1100) there have been no attractive readers at all. The JetBook is alright. The Q7 is just lovely to look at, and to hold.)

Nonetheless, the Q7 is not the be-all and end-all. It's a very good combination of good-enough hardware. The future is in technology like PixelQi. People are going to look back on eInk like they do on cassette tapes. (Regular LCDs like the Q7's too...)

dedicated reader : small tablet :: transistor radio : portable media player

m a r

ps: SmartQ7 guy -- enough with the unsubtle plugs for your reselling, mkay?

06-14-2009, 10:59 AM	#11
rogue_ronin Banned Posts: 475 Karma: 796 Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Honolulu Device: Nokia 770 (fbreader)	This whole thread feels like a combination of FUD and ignorance. The Q7 is a small tablet with an ARM based chipset. It uses far less battery power than even recent tablets like the Nokia 770-800-810. It can easily last, well, more than a day without recharge. In fact I've had mine near a week now, and I've recharged it once. It performs adequately, and that is without any of the hardware acceleration that it is capable of -- no one has activated that yet. Yet. The Q7 has FBReader, Evince, etc. It can read just about any format you wish. You can change OS, as well, so if you want to use WinCE 6.0, that you can do. So that opens up things like LIT files, etc. It has a backlit color screen, wireless, SD, two USB ports (keyboard can be attached) and it is a fantastic size. The company that manufactures it has shared the source files for the bootloader, and they have put out a recent OS overhaul. It's fun to hack on, play with and use. And it's going to keep getting better, for the near future at least. The limitations are not those of the device, but the software -- and that is limited only by imagination and dedication. (And not limited by power-dominance by large companies, such as a shall-not-be-named cough corporation that has a history of attempted format lock-down.) It's a device that seems like the future to me, even though it's made entirely of the recent past. It suggests a possible future of flexibility and function and openness. While eInk has a fantastic advantage in energy savings and paper-like surface, it is not the only game in town -- in fact it is probably a dead-end. It updates too slowly for other uses, and I personally find the flashing of the screen distracting and, frankly, ugly. (Ugliness is an important consideration. Aside from the PocketBook from Russia that's coming out, (and the old REB1100) there have been no attractive readers at all. The JetBook is alright. The Q7 is just lovely to look at, and to hold.) Nonetheless, the Q7 is not the be-all and end-all. It's a very good combination of good-enough hardware. The future is in technology like PixelQi. People are going to look back on eInk like they do on cassette tapes. (Regular LCDs like the Q7's too...) dedicated reader : small tablet :: transistor radio : portable media player m a r ps: SmartQ7 guy -- enough with the unsubtle plugs for your reselling, mkay?