Low-end vendor Kogan launching new eReader in Australia

Bookbee · 07-20-2010, 09:51 PM

Got a press release from Kogan today - they do cheaper Audio-visual gear in Asia and Australasia.
Now they do eReaders, apparently - you can pre-order the Kogan "Reader" (imaginative!) now for free delivery about August 20.
At $A189, it looks like it could be competition for the Kobo Reader: 6-inch e-ink screen, Linux OS, ePUB, PDF and lots of other formats, 2GB onboard memory with extra SD card slot and a ridiculous 1500 pre-loaded titles! Don't get too excited though - most of them are dodgy, even in the world of public domain ebooks! You can pre-order
[Promotional links deleted - MODERATOR]

PKFFW · 07-20-2010, 11:20 PM

I wonder what a "4 bit, 6" e-ink screen" is? I'm assuming 4 shades of grey?

Anyone have an idea of what this is a rebrand of?

Cheers,
PKFFW

davidspitzer · 07-20-2010, 11:46 PM

4 bit would be 16 shades of grey.

2 to the 4th power=16

sabredog · 07-21-2010, 01:06 AM

Very interesting. I would hope that they approach the Kobo side of functionality and not the more expensive and less capable ereaders that Officeworks are currently spruiking.

Competition is a good thing. I wonder if Sony are going to be selling their ereaders at a comparable price come this August.

roguefan99 · 07-21-2010, 01:24 AM

[QUOTE=Bookbee;1018012]
At $A189, it looks like it could be competition for the Kobo Reader: [QUOTE]

Could be apart from the problem is that 90% of the Australian public have no idea of the Kogan brand and because they have no store fronts no one will see it. I think the success of the kobo in Australia is the fact that people can play with it. When I've been in Borders there is always someone trying to get one to work (either touching the screen or pressing the side buttons).

I had a laugh when I looked at their book list, just a huge bank of .txt files. Hopefully it will be better than the officeworks and JB Hifi ones that are out there. Hmm Its not a Jetbook is it? The buttons on the side remind me of them.

sabredog · 07-21-2010, 01:39 AM

[QUOTE=roguefan99;1018176]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bookbee

Hmm Its not a Jetbook is it? The buttons on the side remind me of them.

No, it is not a Jetbook. I am not sure of it's ancestry. someone is bound to know!

I remember the big fanfare about Kogan several years ago. They were touted to be the biggest thing since sliced bread but that never eventuated.

PKFFW · 07-21-2010, 02:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sabredog

No, it is not a Jetbook. I am not sure of it's ancestry. someone is bound to know!

I remember the big fanfare about Kogan several years ago. They were touted to be the biggest thing since sliced bread but that never eventuated.

I think that is because people quickly realised that to a large extent you do get what you pay for when it comes to LCD and plasma tv's and things of that nature. Kogan basically took old model panels, put them together with low end processors and sold them cheap. The results are ok for a cheap tv but they are still a cheap tv.

Hopefully if this is just a rebranding of another ereader that kind of problem can be avoided. Assuming of course that the reader is decent itself. It might make a nice one for my wifes birthday in a couple of weeks.

Cheers,
PKFFW

PKFFW · 07-21-2010, 04:29 AM

Having now had time to search through the wiki, this looks like the Oaxis Digibook ADB-106 reader.

Anyone had a test drive of one? Know of any reviews?

Cheers,
PKFFW

sabredog · 07-21-2010, 05:16 AM

Here

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=64209

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...ighlight=OAXIS

and here

https://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/OAXIS

No review that I can find though

Metal Mick · 07-21-2010, 06:16 AM

Hi all,

it seems to have a lot to offer, but I know nothing about the quality.

For our trans-Pacific cousins, the Aussie dollar is worth about 15% less than the USD - allowing for fluctuations, exchange rate fees and so forth. So at around say USD$160, it isn't too bad. Bear in mind that there is a mob that sells the Sony PRS-600 locally for AUD$550-ish, so something coming in at around a third of that has its attractions to the locals.

I note that the Oaxis referred-to earlier has wi-fi, but the Kogan does not. Not sure if the display can be rotated, either. I have other questions about it too. But the range of formats is appealing.

I'm still looking for a reader...

Cheers,

ajaynaidu · 07-24-2010, 04:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Metal Mick

Hi all,

it seems to have a lot to offer, but I know nothing about the quality.

For our trans-Pacific cousins, the Aussie dollar is worth about 15% less than the USD - allowing for fluctuations, exchange rate fees and so forth. So at around say USD$160, it isn't too bad. Bear in mind that there is a mob that sells the Sony PRS-600 locally for AUD$550-ish, so something coming in at around a third of that has its attractions to the locals.

I note that the Oaxis referred-to earlier has wi-fi, but the Kogan does not. Not sure if the display can be rotated, either. I have other questions about it too. But the range of formats is appealing.

I'm still looking for a reader...

Cheers,

From the Kogan website, there seems to be a rotate option. the nook wifi does not have that option.
And it does look a lot like the oaxis reader sans the wifi which was a decent ereader. At AUD 189 and freebies like free shipping, a case and headphones, it seems like a deal.

PKFFW · 07-25-2010, 08:07 AM

I don't care about the lack of wi-fi and at $189 it does look like a good deal.

I'd like to know more about the processor speed(is an Arm 9 core good? Fast?) and the software functionality before I think about buying one though. As most of us know, poor reader software functionality can really kill an ereader.

Hopefully Kogan offers some sort of money back guarantee so you can have a play with it and if you don't like it can send it back.

Cheers,
PKFFW

Metal Mick · 07-26-2010, 03:10 AM

Hi all,

did I miss info about DRM support for the device? I've checked several times, but that doesn't mean the information isn't there.

Cheers,

Lush · 07-26-2010, 04:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Metal Mick

Hi all,

did I miss info about DRM support for the device? I've checked several times, but that doesn't mean the information isn't there.

Cheers,

Hi Mick,

I too couldn't find any info about DRM support & wondered about deleting the preloaded ebooks, so emailed some questions last week.
See below for Kogan's response,

Lush

We have tested the Kogan eBook Reader with a number of DRM-protected
eBooks from various online stores.
Our results have shown that through the use of Adobe Digital Editions,
the Kogan eBook Reader is able display these files in their correct
format.

When the Kogan eBook Reader is connected to Adobe Digital Editions,
the software will connect to the Adobe servers and authorise the
device.

The Kogan eBook Reader will work with eBooks which can be loaded
through Adobe Digital Editions or directly to the device (if the book
is DRM free).

You will indeed be able to delete the pre-loaded books.

Kindest Regards,
Charleen

Worldwalker · 07-26-2010, 05:25 AM

Non-Australians want to know: What is "spruiking"?

07-20-2010, 09:51 PM	#1
Bookbee Member Posts: 11 Karma: 10 Join Date: Oct 2009 Device: jasondavis	Low-end vendor Kogan launching new eReader in Australia Got a press release from Kogan today - they do cheaper Audio-visual gear in Asia and Australasia. Now they do eReaders, apparently - you can pre-order the Kogan "Reader" (imaginative!) now for free delivery about August 20. At $A189, it looks like it could be competition for the Kobo Reader: 6-inch e-ink screen, Linux OS, ePUB, PDF and lots of other formats, 2GB onboard memory with extra SD card slot and a ridiculous 1500 pre-loaded titles! Don't get too excited though - most of them are dodgy, even in the world of public domain ebooks! You can pre-order [Promotional links deleted - MODERATOR] Last edited by Dr. Drib; 01-14-2015 at 05:18 PM.

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07-20-2010, 11:20 PM	#2
PKFFW Wizard Posts: 3,775 Karma: 31487152 Join Date: Dec 2008 Device: BeBook, Sony PRS-T1, Kobo H2O	I wonder what a "4 bit, 6" e-ink screen" is? I'm assuming 4 shades of grey? Anyone have an idea of what this is a rebrand of? Cheers, PKFFW

07-20-2010, 11:46 PM	#3
davidspitzer So Many Words to Read! Posts: 411 Karma: 125665 Join Date: Aug 2006 Device: Kindle	4 bit would be 16 shades of grey. 2 to the 4th power=16

07-21-2010, 01:06 AM	#4
sabredog Geographically Restricted Posts: 2,629 Karma: 14933353 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Perth, Australia Device: Sony PRS-T3, Kindle Voyage, iPad Air2, Nexus7v2	Very interesting. I would hope that they approach the Kobo side of functionality and not the more expensive and less capable ereaders that Officeworks are currently spruiking. Competition is a good thing. I wonder if Sony are going to be selling their ereaders at a comparable price come this August.

07-21-2010, 01:24 AM	#5
roguefan99 Zealot Posts: 106 Karma: 16 Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Adelaide, Australia Device: Smart Q7, and Kobo	[QUOTE=Bookbee;1018012] At $A189, it looks like it could be competition for the Kobo Reader: [QUOTE] Could be apart from the problem is that 90% of the Australian public have no idea of the Kogan brand and because they have no store fronts no one will see it. I think the success of the kobo in Australia is the fact that people can play with it. When I've been in Borders there is always someone trying to get one to work (either touching the screen or pressing the side buttons). I had a laugh when I looked at their book list, just a huge bank of .txt files. Hopefully it will be better than the officeworks and JB Hifi ones that are out there. Hmm Its not a Jetbook is it? The buttons on the side remind me of them.

07-21-2010, 04:29 AM	#8
PKFFW Wizard Posts: 3,775 Karma: 31487152 Join Date: Dec 2008 Device: BeBook, Sony PRS-T1, Kobo H2O	Having now had time to search through the wiki, this looks like the Oaxis Digibook ADB-106 reader. Anyone had a test drive of one? Know of any reviews? Cheers, PKFFW

07-21-2010, 05:16 AM	#9
sabredog Geographically Restricted Posts: 2,629 Karma: 14933353 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Perth, Australia Device: Sony PRS-T3, Kindle Voyage, iPad Air2, Nexus7v2	Here https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=64209 https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...ighlight=OAXIS and here https://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/OAXIS No review that I can find though

07-21-2010, 06:16 AM	#10
Metal Mick Addict Posts: 253 Karma: 2383254 Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Melbourne, Australia Device: The Book, PB 302, IQ	Hi all, it seems to have a lot to offer, but I know nothing about the quality. For our trans-Pacific cousins, the Aussie dollar is worth about 15% less than the USD - allowing for fluctuations, exchange rate fees and so forth. So at around say USD$160, it isn't too bad. Bear in mind that there is a mob that sells the Sony PRS-600 locally for AUD$550-ish, so something coming in at around a third of that has its attractions to the locals. I note that the Oaxis referred-to earlier has wi-fi, but the Kogan does not. Not sure if the display can be rotated, either. I have other questions about it too. But the range of formats is appealing. I'm still looking for a reader... Cheers,

07-25-2010, 08:07 AM	#12
PKFFW Wizard Posts: 3,775 Karma: 31487152 Join Date: Dec 2008 Device: BeBook, Sony PRS-T1, Kobo H2O	I don't care about the lack of wi-fi and at $189 it does look like a good deal. I'd like to know more about the processor speed(is an Arm 9 core good? Fast?) and the software functionality before I think about buying one though. As most of us know, poor reader software functionality can really kill an ereader. Hopefully Kogan offers some sort of money back guarantee so you can have a play with it and if you don't like it can send it back. Cheers, PKFFW

07-26-2010, 03:10 AM	#13
Metal Mick Addict Posts: 253 Karma: 2383254 Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Melbourne, Australia Device: The Book, PB 302, IQ	Hi all, did I miss info about DRM support for the device? I've checked several times, but that doesn't mean the information isn't there. Cheers,

07-26-2010, 05:25 AM	#15
Worldwalker Curmudgeon Posts: 3,085 Karma: 722357 Join Date: Feb 2010 Device: PRS-505	Non-Australians want to know: What is "spruiking"?

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