Likebook Alita

[ottischwenk]

Originally Posted by shak3800

Thanks for the info. So which date was it exactly? My main concern is if my device has problems receiving the update. I just want to confirm that there others like me who cant get the 2.2.0 update

The version date is 2020 01 14.
I think, I got it on 16th or 17th January - I am sure it was not later, perhaps it was the 15th.
I have an Ares too, but i didnt remember which of the devices got it earlier, but both around the mentioned time.

[shak3800]

Originally Posted by ottischwenk

The version date is 2020 01 14.
I think, I got it on 16th or 17th January - I am sure it was not later, perhaps it was the 15th.

Ahh yeah i remember now. It was that time i made the huge mistake of choosing download later because i have not enough battery left.

[Zeat]

My case was same as shak3800s. I also chose update later because I was busy for other business. Then the firmware of my Alita was longer to be updated. I sent an email to Boyue today and expected it could solve my problem.

[phaupt]

Can someone be so kind to provide the latest update.zip for the Likebook Alita K103. Im still on 1.1.5 amd got the device in January. No OTA possible, servers are shut down they said. Thank you!

[Zeat]

Boyue replied that the server has been stopped until end of March. In one word, the quality of Alita is acceptable (especially the handwriting function), but their support and software are extreme terrible.

[notimp]

Originally Posted by Zeat

Boyue replied that the server has been stopped until end of March. In one word, the quality of Alita is acceptable (especially the handwriting function), but their support and software are extreme terrible.

I have to interject.

I own a Mars, so no Alita no 1:1 pdf handling with overlays and notes layer and pdf export and.. none of those are things that I do daily.

And software is finally - well - perfect. Likebook does so many things and so many things right, that no other vendor would even care to implement or make user facing that I find it entirely unfair to characterize them in that way.

What they do instead is, that they develop their platform, while releasing products. Probably to fund development. For that - at least with the mars you got two years of software updates so far, that actually made things "better" (decisions of in what direction to go with development were always good/reasonable). Leading up to this point, where I personally don't miss anything on this eReader anymore.

The issue for Likebook is, that their competitors (Onyx especially) try to "featurecruft" innovate so hard, that when they try to replicate 'all' features, which they do - they dont quite get there on the first release.

Dont know if they will get there on the fifth either but from what I've seen on the mars, they eventually got there.

The thing is -- they are not the company most users these days would want them to be. "Easy - with features and - support" - in fact, they are the opposite (no true support infrastructure (at least easily accessible), but that also costs money to provide.).

But every single feature, and user accessible tidbit, is thought through - and gives users a benefit for having it, and they give them more than other manufacturers do (higher complexity - which they hide under layers so normal users dont get confused). Whoever does their software conceptualization is actually properly good.

Design wise, they are good as well.

Their usability experience on some features is just sometimes "early" - and they actually need/take time to fix stuff.

Its the perfect "tinkerers device" in more than one sense, and I would actually hate for them to go away - because they couldnt finance their production model anymore - but you really, really have to give them credit for the products they made.

Stuff that I like (on the Mars):

Layout handling (highly customizable), open implementation of fonts (users can provide any), open implementation of dictionaries, good diffusion layer now good frontlight mixing (red and blue leds), good wordspacing/kerning options, great contrast options (down to very faint, different refresh algoritms, ...), customizable (standby screens, ..), really usable with many android apps because of said contrast features and even user accessable refresh delays (so android animations (f.e. pageturns) get filtered out), really pretty much perfect (as perfect as can be - users that are complaining that certain syllables are too closely grouped dont understand the first thing about what Boyue is doing, and what its limitations are) pdf reflow, Kindle style navigation (optionally) in their reader app, free choice between a reader environment that pretty much filters out all of the epub formating, and on that stick to it more closely (good for 'missformated' epubs, which you come across occasionally), and the list goes on, and on, and on...

It makes me anxious, that people "testing" their readers on youtube (first of have a resale deal with Onyx to act as their 'american store'), always seem to pick out one of their "features", dont take the time to understand it properly, show a default setting that might be "different", but entirely configurable - then do nothing about it, and say how bad it is.

So while you might be experiencing some bugs with the pdf "features" they just picked up, because their competition also had them, what ever they do - in the end they usually get right.

I understand that that might be a tough sale for someone that would like something that 'just works' (Kindle is the other way, pal.. ), but 'bad software' is not their issue in most of what they present.

So if you have an issue with one of a dozen features not working, name that specifically, and dont just blame it on "bad software".

But then again, agreed, they have no real general user support in the west (the kind where you would bother a person to tell you how to do a thing.. ).

Know what you are buying - basically.

Handwriting recognition is probably a feature that marketing forced in there and none of their competitors even remotely does - reliably either. If you are caught off guard by stuff like that, you probably could blame marketing, not software development. ("Wäääh their AI algorithms for pattern recognition on "every handwriting int he world" not perfect? (Or too slow?) Thats a high level of complaining.. Show me anyone whos is - first. )

I also read, that they had problems with pdf notes export (which I dont use), apart from that, I really haven't read much negative stuff about their software implementation, and I personally don't experience bugs for maybe a year now, in daily use.

[phaupt]

Not thats my intension to sound rude, but we are here in the Alita section, the software and especialy the delivery of it is quite awful. Wich company shuts down the OTA server?? If you buy a device from a reseller youll be stuck with the factory delivered firmware. In this case 1.1.5, and its far from beeing good. So again, if anyone had the ability to download the update.zip of 2.2.0 please provide via megaupload or similar.

[ottischwenk]

Originally Posted by Zeat

Boyue replied that the server has been stopped until end of March. In one word, the quality of Alita is acceptable (especially the handwriting function), but their support and software are extreme terrible.

I have received the information that the 2.2 update for the Note devices has been withdrawn - there is therefore no current update option.
A friend told me about a Mars update yesterday, which would be very difficult with a non-running server.

[ottischwenk]

Originally Posted by phaupt

Not thats my intension to sound rude, but we are here in the Alita section, the software and especialy the delivery of it is quite awful. Wich company shuts down the OTA server?? If you buy a device from a reseller youll be stuck with the factory delivered firmware. In this case 1.1.5, and its far from beeing good. So again, if anyone had the ability to download the update.zip of 2.2.0 please provide via megaupload or similar.

Why do you insist in a buggy update?

[hcdoro]

I don't think likebook alita is best, through my bad experiences with ebay. I bought this device since June 2019 from ebay, I got the device in Sept. 2019, but there were an error on the stylus pen where it was writing without touch to the screen as the youtube link below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZpGRAWNlSI
Because it was within 30 days money guaranty from paypal and ebay, I sent back and got the replacement in ending of Oct. 2019. I used for a while, it was an errors on the screen where it can't open my book and file even I try the original application or moon reader. They recommend me to fix in store where applicable in Australia; however, there were no any stores can fix. Then, I sent it back to the supplier before Christmas. Through that time until current (March 2020), I always contact to the supplier, but there were no any beside wait and wait. I don't have any device to use recently.

My bad experiences in both ebay or likebooks. Anyone can commend whether what should I do beside waiting.

There is a new update available for Alita now too (2.3).

[Cozy-T]

Originally Posted by Merithyn

There is a new update available for Alita now too (2.3).

Doesn't seemed to be published in Germany already. At least I haven't got it yet. I'll update as soon as I get it.

[mitra1]

Some problems persisted in new firmaware
-the info for health invisible
-the eraser that works bad
New functions
-search words in notepad, very nice. I texted it in italian but work good but is performable.

[ottischwenk]

I have an Alita and an Ares.
How can I export a PDF file with handwritten markings and comments that I have created in Alita and bring it to the Ares.
Or is that impossible?

[mitra1]

with a file manager ≠ of the default search the images of notes in png, collect them and convert in pdf