New 13.3" Onyx Boox. Rumours, prototype specs, first pictures

[Nate the great]

Originally Posted by machinogodzilla

Excellent find. In this part of the video they explain that there is more to it than just plug and play. From what it says on the "About" page it's not just a couple of guys putting their logo on an existing product but a bunch of clever folks who actually work on the development. I'd love to have a screen like this but sadly there is no Linux support at the moment. (P.S. Apparently the stand isn't too good.)

The appearance of this product on the market also made me think how the world made this distorted circle. There were perfectly usable and affordable matte displays back in the long gone days, the genre deliberately killed by the industry in favour of the shiny, glossy, horrible displays, and now we have indie developers trying to kind of rectify the situation with largely overpriced, slow, monochrome eink displays. On the other hand, maybe this artificially created usability problem of glossy displays accelerated the development of eink displays that can now act as a remedy to the problem. The introduction of the devices of mass eye destruction led to the start of eye friendly revolution...

If Dasung is successful with their screen then who knows, maybe Onyx will enter this field too. I gather that the 13.3" screen is all the same, and it's just a matter of having a better controller, firmware etc.

They've been working on it for at least a couple years now.

As I said in my post, I really like the one I have.

[JensKa]

Hey folks,

about 2 months before getting hands on the Onyx Boox Max, I was able to acquire a Sony DPT-S1. Nevertheless I wanted to order a Onyx Boox Max to see which device I actually do like better and report of my experience here.

As one of the first pre-orderers of the Max at ereader-store.de I got the device at the beginning of May. Unfortunately the device was flawed - in an area of about 1 cm width spanning the screen vertically from top to bottom, the handwriting did not work. So I sent the device back (at ereader-store's expense!) and one week ago I got a new and working device of the second batch.

Today I finally had a chance to test both devices side by side.

As for the speed of opening PDF-files, there is not really much difference between the two devices although sometimes the Onyx Boox Max seems to be a bit slower. However page turns seem to be equally fast on both devices.

The depiction of pictures embedded in PDFs is better on the Sony DPT-S1. I tried several settings of contrast on the Max and the quality never was as good as with the DPT-S1. See the picture below as an example. I also tried it with a different document - the result was the same.

As for the contrast of the text, it is almost the same on both devices - maybe the Max even is a little bit better here. And of course on the Max you can easily have the font's boldness changed for the entire PDF-document, which can also improve the reading experience (depending on the font of course).

What I found the be rather annoying on the Max is the ghosting. While in a document, you can set the screen refresh rate as you like it, so you can pretty get rid of the ghosting. This however isn't true for navigating through the menus. The DPT-S1 handles this better and seems to generally have a bit less of ghosting effects. Why that is I wouldn't know.

Something else I tested was the browsing experience. The Max is definitely better here - it loads the site correctly including ads and does so significantly quicker. Nevertheless I still wouldn't really want to browse the web a lot with it.

As for doing a lot of handwriting, I cannot really recommend any of the two devices - it's simply not nearly the same as writing on paper with a ballpen. Doing some small annotations and taking little notes in a PDF-document is okay - but at least in my opinion you certainly wouldn't want to trade your notebook for any of the two devices: Your movements simply will not be registered as good as with pen on paper no matter what you do or how slowly you write. You can see a comparison of my normal handwriting on both devices (DPT-S1 on the left, Max on the right) below. As you see, it's horrible on both devices. My handwriting is also bad using pen and paper but it's still more readable.

However what most keeps me liking the Sony DPT-S1 better is the considerably less weight and the touchscreen. Maybe I wouldn't miss the touch (turning pages, pinch&zoom) so much if I never have had it in the first place, but I guess we will never know.

Actually I think that the Sony DPT-S1 and the Onyx Boox Max are a lot like the iPhone 1 and Windows Mobile Devices back in 2007: The iPhone 1 really had good handling and design, but the Windows Mobile Devices back then were a lot more powerful (remember, back then the original iPhone did not even have a copy and paste-function, lol) and cheaper. And with the two readers it's in my opinion just a similar thing. The Play Store on the Onyx Boox Max, the multi-format support, the built-in speaker (which does a better job than I expected) and the bluetooth ability make it much more versatile than the DPT-S1. However if limited functionality in the sense of just reading and editing PDF-files is all you need, you'll most likely find the DPT-S1 to be the superior device.

Personally I really hope for a multi-format colored 13,3 inch eReader to show up some day. But that certainly won't happen anytime soon. Until then I'll be happy with the DPT-S1. But I can also understand anyone who would rather go for the Max.

Kind regards,
Jens

[allochi]

@JensKa Thanks for the review, I recently got the DPT-S1, I don't have the Max but I have the M96 plus.

I agree with you on many of your points, I just disagree when it comes to hand writing, I find the hand writing on the DPT-S1 more natural, the feeling with the wooden nibs is almost like paper for me, the note taking software in the DPT-S1 is much more useful, and the PDF annotation is great, can't say the same thing about the Onyx software.

On the other hand, I do find myself missing the contrast and cropping functions from the Onyx, I had to crop few PDFs on my computer and copy them to DPT-S1.

I'm really happy reading your review, I was always wondering if the Max would have been more responsive and faster than DPT-S1, since the M96 feels a little bit snappier sometime, but the M96 has a smaller screen. Also, I was wondering if the text quality would drop because of the capacitive screen on DPT-S1, and now I know it's not the case.

DPT-S1 is just a well designed device, weight, thickness, touch screen and software.

Thanks again!

[Aurinko]

@JensKa

Thanks for the review.

A little request: Would it be possible to get larger size versions of the images?

Three tips regarding the handwriting experience on Sony DPT-S1:

1. You will want to manually calibrate the screen. This made a huge difference for me to the extent that I don't use my paper notebooks anymore. Remember that the calibration is not very smart - the stylus input is not quite as enabling as pen on paper. When calibrating try to figure out the angle at which you hold the stylus while writing. Unlike with pen on paper, you have much less room to deviate from the angle you calibrated the stylus input in. Also maintain the same angle while calibrating. Decide the calibration angle according to what is the best compromise between mobility and comfort, and how easy it is to create reference points; hand position, grip, posture, stylus direction relative to the edges, visual cues (my stylus is calibrated at approx. 40 degrees to the surface). When writing, learn to adapt your hand movements to accommodate this angle and I believe you can handle this limitation.

2. Use the hard felt tip, it has the highest friction and in my opinion best simulates the experience of pencil on paper. It may feel a bit odd at first, but as you break it in the contact starts to feel slightly more linear. However, this tip wears out fastest, which brings me to the third point.

3. As the tip is gradually consumed, it will form a flat angled edge. Once it has taken shape, you may need to calibrate it again, but you should only be required to do this once if you are consistent with the angle. As the material of the tip degrades, you may feel tempted to rotate the stylus around its length axis to have a sharper contact with the screen, but shouldn't do this for two reasons: It will become misaligned relative to the calibration due to the altered dimensions in electrical sensing, and you are going to play hunt and seek with the stylus button. So you should let the tip material grind down at the same consistent angle determined by the angle that you calibrated the stylus for and the optimal relative position of the stylus button.

Hope this helps.

[por]

Hi guys, do you know if there is a place where one could post bugs for the ONYX MAX. I believe it might be a bug in the ONYX-NEO-reader across all devices:

After scribbling something on a PDF document you cannot turn pages with the hardware buttons.

[viceant]

I am wondering these days if is it worth to buy such an expensive device to a little dealer who doesn't provide enough warranty or after sale service. I'll explain myself: an M92 broke its screen without much aid and, after asking the dealer to repair it - paying, of course - a month ago, I haven't received any sort of response, despite have bought it four years ago.
I think it is a risky business to buy these expensive devices without much people interested, only a bunch of freakies like us...

[rkomar]

Originally Posted by viceant

I am wondering these days if is it worth to buy such an expensive device to a little dealer who doesn't provide enough warranty or after sale service. I'll explain myself: an M92 broke its screen without much aid and, after asking the dealer to repair it - paying, of course - a month ago, I haven't received any sort of response, despite have bought it four years ago.
I think it is a risky business to buy these expensive devices without much people interested, only a bunch of freakies like us...

True, it is risky. However, it doesn't sound fair to complain about the warranty for a four year old device. Also, replacement screens may be hard to find now. Perhaps the dealer is still trying to figure out if a replacement can be found.

[enosder]

I am disappointed by the Onyx Boox Max I just bought. It appears to not have undergone serious usability design or quality control.
The single core processor runs from slow (PDF opening, navigation) to unbearably slow when it waits for all graphic rendering to occur instead of buffering (browser, email, on-screen keyboard). Rendering quality is barely acceptable, with various aberrations due to menu ghosting and poor dithering algorithms. Errors are often not reported and the affected functions simply do not work. The English manual is hard to read as it is not translated by a mother-tongue. The physical design is stupid: the power button protrudes from the bottom and is pressed when the device sits vertically. Build quality is weak: after one trip in a backpack, the case of mine formed a big bump on the back and now it wobbles when resting on a flat surface. Resting the pen horizontally on the screen causes writing to be registered. Pen precision is low compared to ordinary Wacom tables. The factory battery charge lasted only a day of sustained use. I have not yet found a way to lock the screen with a pin code, so note-taking is limited to public data.

[viceant]

Originally Posted by rkomar

True, it is risky. However, it doesn't sound fair to complain about the warranty for a four year old device. Also, replacement screens may be hard to find now. Perhaps the dealer is still trying to figure out if a replacement can be found.

I thought a device ought to have replacement pieces until five years after it is made. I know it is out of warranty time, but it is not out of "repair time". Aside, the dealer could have responded or show "a proof of life"...

I amb considering to buy my next device to a well established company like Sony. May be its DPT-S1 has less features than Max, but its quality seems much better.

[viceant]

Originally Posted by enosder

... Build quality is weak: after one trip in a backpack, the case of mine formed a big bump on the back and now it wobbles when resting on a flat surface....

At least, yours works. My M-92 died... unless I could use it like a computer...without screen...

[desk7]

Dear Onyx Boox Max owners, after a long search, I finally think to have found the right app to manage multitasking and app shortcut on the Max:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...b.sidebar.lite
I suggest to set the animation speed to the max in order to avoid the animation effect. I'm using the lite version but there also a pro version.

[Icey]

What do you think, wait or not wait the onyx max 2?

[joblack]

Originally Posted by Icey

What do you think, wait or not wait the onyx max 2?

I am very satisfied with my device.

[Icey]

You not'sufered so luch of the 150dpi ?
Also the fact that you cannot use ur'fingers ?
Also can'you open lore than one pdf in the same times and have "tabs"

I m almost ready to buy'it but i want to be suuure because its super expensive

[joblack]

Originally Posted by Icey

You not'sufered so luch of the 150dpi ?
Also the fact that you cannot use ur'fingers ?
Also can'you open lore than one pdf in the same times and have "tabs"

I m almost ready to buy'it but i want to be suuure because its super expensive

No 150 dpi is fine for me. I am happy with the pen. Haven't tried the tabs, yet.

I use it primarily for e-books and the included browser to read online software documentation.

You could wait for a 300 dpi device but in my estimation it will take another 3 to 5 years to make that possible.

And yes, it is expensive and of course it's like any other device not 'perfect' but I have waited for such a device for over 10 years.

If you have the money and like / love big e-ink reader I would go for it ...