Boyue T61/T62 / Icarus Illumina E653 review and Onyx T68 comparison

[wardamnjake]

Hello all-

I have decided and made full commitment to buying at T62+. A classmate of mine will be going home to Beijing for three weeks in May, and has agreed to pick one up for me locally. I am fine with this wait because it seems to on par with average Chinese shipping, and it gives me more time to plan for its arrival! I've never owned my own ereader, or Android device at all, so this will be a huge learning experience for me!

In the mean time, my questions about this reader are such:

1. (a curious question) Does the microUSB port open the device to compatibility with USB peripherals (specifically a small keyboard)? I know there's no bluetooth, so USB would be my only here option, but an ereader turned plain-text editing terminal would be bad ass!!

2. (a serious question) What are thoughts/suggestions on cases, screen protectors, other accessories for this reader. There's a package my classmate and I looked at with case and screen protector included, and I might opt for it as they had the same price as other sellers, but I am interested in the options that might exist elsewhere. I've thought about the slim case/stylish sleeve combo, but again I've never owned one of these devices, so that might be over kill!

Thanks for any help guys! Can't wait to join the club!

[atonement]

I hv decided to buy this just need a few clarifications.
1. I plan to use this for a long time 3-4 years maybe. So battery is very important. How easy is it to take it apart to replace the battery? More importantly is there any replacement battery available in the first place?
2. Is there any case/cover to make the reader standup on its own? Will any Kindle specific one suffice?
Just curious whats the CPU model? CPU-Z can be used to glean the above info. If its RockChip based an appropriate app can be used to further optimise power consumption.

[atonement]

Originally Posted by wardamnjake

Hello all-

I have decided and made full commitment to buying at T62+. A classmate of mine will be going home to Beijing for three weeks in May, and has agreed to pick one up for me locally. I am fine with this wait because it seems to on par with average Chinese shipping, and it gives me more time to plan for its arrival! I've never owned my own ereader, or Android device at all, so this will be a huge learning experience for me!

In the mean time, my questions about this reader are such:

1. (a curious question) Does the microUSB port open the device to compatibility with USB peripherals (specifically a small keyboard)? I know there's no bluetooth, so USB would be my only here option, but an ereader turned plain-text editing terminal would be bad ass!!

2. (a serious question) What are thoughts/suggestions on cases, screen protectors, other accessories for this reader. There's a package my classmate and I looked at with case and screen protector included, and I might opt for it as they had the same price as other sellers, but I am interested in the options that might exist elsewhere. I've thought about the slim case/stylish sleeve combo, but again I've never owned one of these devices, so that might be over kill!

Thanks for any help guys! Can't wait to join the club!

Seconded. Would love it if anyone can spare the time to check whether the USB port can be used as such. But I cant find anywhere any mention of USB OTG support. Looks unlikely.

[blue_skies]

Originally Posted by wardamnjake

I've never owned my own ereader, or Android device at all, so this will be a huge learning experience for me!

I had mine shipped and it is supposed to be delivered today. (It's been three weeks since I ordered it.) I have a Kindle Keyboard, but I have never used any kind of Android device... so that aspect will be a huge learning experience for me too. I'm a little nervous since their isn't much in the way of English documentation.

Originally Posted by atonement

2. Is there any case/cover to make the reader standup on its own? Will any Kindle specific one suffice?

I am still hoping to find something like this too. If anyone finds a case/stand combo, please post a link here.

[delph]

Originally Posted by wardamnjake

Hello all-
1. (a curious question) Does the microUSB port open the device to compatibility with USB peripherals (specifically a small keyboard)? I know there's no bluetooth, so USB would be my only here option, but an ereader turned plain-text editing terminal would be bad ass!!

I didn't test extensively, just grabbed the OTG cable for my phone and a regular USB desktop keyboard. I first verified that I can type in a text editor on the regular USB keyboard on my phone using the cable. Then I plugged the same combo into the ereader and tried typing in a text editor. The ereader failed to recognize the attached physical keyboard.

Originally Posted by atonement

Just curious whats the CPU model? CPU-Z can be used to glean the above info. If its RockChip based an appropriate app can be used to further optimise power consumption.

Rockchip RK3066. There's actually a Rockchip DeviceTest app pre-loaded on the device that shows up if you use a launcher other than the default launcher loaded on the device.

Regarding screen protectors, mine came with a Kindle screen protector that wasn't mentioned in the item description. It doesn't say what model of Kindle it's for, just that it's for a Kindle. I didn't apply it, but I did take it out and set it on the screen. It fit perfectly. It may be worth waiting to see if they throw one in with yours too.

[blue_skies]

Originally Posted by delph

Regarding screen protectors, mine came with a Kindle screen protector that wasn't mentioned in the item description. It doesn't say what model of Kindle it's for, just that it's for a Kindle. I didn't apply it, but I did take it out and set it on the screen. It fit perfectly. It may be worth waiting to see if they throw one in with yours too.

My T62+ has arrived! Mine also came with a Kindle screen protector which fits perfectly. (It had been mentioned in the Banggood description, so I was expecting to receive it.) I applied mine, but I don't think I smoothed it out well enough and there were very faint circles on my screen. At first I was afraid it was a screen defect, but thankfully it disappeared when I removed it. I never used a screen protector before. I am wondering if I should try reapplying it - if that would even work.

I was surprised it arrived with the battery pretty much fully charged. I am totally confused with how to add my books, music, and a music playing app (and any other apps.) Can someone please advise me? Do I put my music files in a particular folder? Can I organize them in subfolders? How do I install an app?

I was also wondering if I can use my Kindle USB cable that has the electrical outlet plug? I don't want to damage the T62+, and have no idea whether those things are interchangeable.

Thanks so much for any help!

[blue_skies]

First impressions - the screen is beautiful, and the LED front light is very even and nice.

But boy is this device buggy. Some of it may be user error since I'm a newb with android. I may be clicking the wrong areas or something. I'm not used to a touch screen.

When I got the device, I added just 1 epub which my PC's Calibre sent to the books folder. I also added my MP3 folder with subfolders directly to the root menu.

The book looks okay with the default reader, but the formatting is not as nice as it is on the Kindle. For example, there are sections which have extra line breaks which disappear on this device, so the text from different sections is not delineated.

I went to file manager and clicked on the internal folder and found my MP3 folder... and was able to play a single MP3. I wanted to make sure it went to sleep after it finished and expected to see it switch to sleep mode with the screen saver image after 2 minutes of inactivity when the MP3 was finished... but it never switched over to that.

Then I had a ton of trouble trying to adjust the font, and having the font suddenly change to either super tiny or really huge - usually when trying to bring up either the home button or the font settings.

And it seems like every time I close the font settings now, it goes back to the screen image for the MP3 I had previously played. It doesn't start playing it again, but it keeps going back to it like it is still an open priority.

I powered it off hoping that would help, but it hasn't really made a difference.

Well... I thought I would download the new firmware before trying any other apps to see if that would help. So I connected the WiFi and got the update downloading. It was slow so I turned off the LED light. It eventually said it was 100% downloaded, but I made the mistake of turning the light back on with the light bulb icon so I could see what I was doing... and then it went back to saying the download was at 0%. I tried to get it going again - I went back to update, and click it and then it says "Downloading... 0%" with the start button - I click the start button and nothing happens. So if it's already downloaded, how do I get it to install?

After clicking on update several more times with it still saying "Downloading 0%" ... it finally said "Downloading 24%" and then after a short time it rebooted... so I think the firmware was/is being installed.

I am also wondering about browsing books in my book folder. The home page shows a few recently read and recently added, but I can only see a few with the covers displayed. If I browse through the book folder, I only see them listed by authors, which is mostly meaningless to me. I really want to be able to browse the book folder by covers. How do I do that?


ETA: The new firmware installed, and at least now I am able to scroll the recently added books to see about a dozen more covers. It seems like the firmware update fixed that particular touchscreen issue, so I'm very happy about that.

[blue_skies]

Update:

I am happy to say that at least one thing that I thought was a software bug was user error - when I was trying to exit the font screen and kept going back to the mp3 page - because the touchscreen wasn't working consistently before the FW update - I tended to click the arrow to escape that screen, and it turns out that is a short cut to the Music app.

I also realized that the reason I couldn't browse my books by their covers was because Calibre transferred them into author folders. So I connected the T62 to my computer and sorted the 40 books I had added into fiction and subfiction folders (without the author folders) and now I can browse them by covers. Which is soooo nice compared to all these years with the Kindle listing the titles without any cover photos.

The FW also fixed something I had noticed before but hadn't mentioned. All contractions were displaying incorrectly in the default reading app. For example I've looked like I 've and can't looked like can 't. That was very annoying, but seems to be fixed now.

And also, the device finally went to sleep and switched to the screen saver after inactivity... so that seems to be fixed also.

One thing with which I am still struggling though... it seems like I have to reset the font, to the larger size I prefer, every time I open a book. Is there some way to set it for the device?

Thanks in advance for any advice!

[downeaster59]

I have a T62B, but I decided to take a chance and buy the T62+ in hopes that the Carta display would be an improvement. After the usual wait from Banggood, and some misadventures (DHL delivering to the wrong place), my T62+ finally arrived.

The outward appearance has slightly changed. At the bottom, you have "Boyue Technology" instead of "Boyue" and the Chinese characters. Physical buttons are the same, but no longer have the white markings on them. The overall size and shape and weight all appear to be the same.

The Carta display is an improvement, taking a good display and improving the contrast and sharpness.

As soon as i received it, I attempted to upgrade to the latest update. It took several attempts to get the new firmware to download completely. When it installed, there was one rather obvious bug: the backlight is too bright, even at its lowest setting. It's so bright that it almost destroys the very reason I want an eInk display in the first place. I can certainly use the T62+ with the backlight off, but turning the light off does limit how and where I can use the device. It may be better for me to stick with my T62B until Boyue fixes the backlight problem. The light was not so bright before the April update.

[blue_skies]

Originally Posted by atonement

2. Is there any case/cover to make the reader standup on its own? Will any Kindle specific one suffice?

I don't know about covers for the other Kindle models, but my cover/stand that I have used with my Kindle Keyboard doesn't fit the T62. I was hoping I would be able to use it until I found something better. Even though obviously the T62 doesn't have the area at the bottom where the KK has the keyboard, it seemed like the openings for the page turn buttons and the screen would line up well. But it was just a tiny bit too tight and I didn't want to damage the screen by forcing it in there. I am not at all crafty, but I think I may try to make a cover/stand if I can't find one to buy.

Originally Posted by blue_skies

But boy is this device buggy. Some of it may be user error since I'm a newb with android. I may be clicking the wrong areas or something. I'm not used to a touch screen.

...Then I had a ton of trouble trying to adjust the font, and having the font suddenly change to either super tiny or really huge - usually when trying to bring up either the home button or the font settings.

I finally realized that the T62 had another built-in reading app, and since I switched from Adobe to the FBReader, these annoying problems seem to have disappeared.

With Adobe I had a terrible time trying to bring up the menu to change the font or access the light control. Most of the time when I tapped at the top of the screen it either made the font HUGE or scrolled to the previous page. And sometimes the text would just get really tiny instead, plus when I would reopen a book it would open back at the start instead of where I left off, and with a very small font size instead of the larger font it had when I closed it. That was very frustrating!

I am happy to report that I don't seem to have any of those problems with FBReader, and I am really loving this device.

The built-in music app is working great for my needs, and the device goes into sleep mode, like it's supposed to, after my recording finishes playing. At least as long as the light is turned off. I tested it this morning after reading with the frontlight on, and after leaving it inactive for a few minutes, it still hadn't gone to sleep. Is there any way to set it to sleep after 2 minutes of inactivity even if the light is on? That would probably be useful if I actually fall asleep reading in bed.

Downeaster59 - thank you for your review. I'm sorry the lowest level is too bright for you. I think Delph found the same thing. Can you restore the previous firmware until they fix the issue? I hope you are able to resolve it.

[downeaster59]

Originally Posted by blue_skies

Downeaster59 - thank you for your review. I'm sorry the lowest level is too bright for you. I think Delph found the same thing. Can you restore the previous firmware until they fix the issue? I hope you are able to resolve it.

Going back to the previous firmware is a bit of a hassle. For the time being, I'll work with my home lighting and do what I did with my old Nook Simple Touch - go without the backlight! Much better than that headlight they have in there now!

I mentioned the backlight problem in a little review I did on the Banggood site, too. Maybe someone at Boyue will get the message. If someone else wants a bright light, that's fine. But the whole point of E-Ink, for me, is to have less light coming at my eyes!

[nhedgehog]

Originally Posted by downeaster59

Going back to the previous firmware is a bit of a hassle. For the time being, I'll work with my home lighting and do what I did with my old Nook Simple Touch - go without the backlight! Much better than that headlight they have in there now!

I mentioned the backlight problem in a little review I did on the Banggood site, too. Maybe someone at Boyue will get the message. If someone else wants a bright light, that's fine. But the whole point of E-Ink, for me, is to have less light coming at my eyes!

A temporary solution to your problem, at least while reading books, could be using AlReader (the last eInk version from Mike Sinkovsky. It has full support for the Boyue T62 devices (even backlight intensity) and it has this nice inverted mode (black background-white text) which helps overcoming massive light attacks from the device. To find that inverted mode you have to switch to 4 profiles.

[downeaster59]

Originally Posted by nhedgehog

A temporary solution to your problem, at least while reading books, could be using AlReader (the last eInk version from Mike Sinkovsky. It has full support for the Boyue T62 devices (even backlight intensity) and it has this nice inverted mode (black background-white text) which helps overcoming massive light attacks from the device. To find that inverted mode you have to switch to 4 profiles.

Thanks! I will check it out. I have AIReader installed already from Play Store, but I take it that this is a different version. I'll try it.

Edit: I went to the link, translated the page, but I can't download it. When I click the link, I get another Russian page (that my browser can't translate) that looks like some kind of warning or error.

[nhedgehog]

Since there is no other option around registering with 4pda I uploaded the version created by Mike Sinkovsky to Mediafire.

[downeaster59]

Originally Posted by nhedgehog

Since there is no other option around registering with 4pda I uploaded the version created by Mike Sinkovsky to Mediafire.

Thanks! I didn't want to register. Now I'll check this out.