Is it time to dump Onyx?

[Renate]

I've been mostly happy with my Poke3, but it's still at the 3.3.1 update from last November. The battery died and there is no replacement through Onyx. I have a Poke5 and I can see some improvements, but also some of the same old warts. Without EDL Firehose loaders it's dangerous to try rooting or alterations.

The product range seems to be based on buying a new device every 18 months.

You may say, "Yeah, but all the other manufacturers are just as bad."

[Sirtel]

I don't know about other manufacturers, but Kobo and Amazon don't upgrade their ereaders every 18 months; every 3 years seems to be average for them. Even longer sometimes.

[cellaris]

Originally Posted by Renate

The product range seems to be based on buying a new device every 18 months.

I'm very satisfied with the Onyx devices I've bought this year (Leaf 2 and Tab Mini C) and have no intention of buying any new ones (although I'm looking forward to something as curious as a new Palma), but I don't think it's wrong for them to bring out new devices. Every month, if they want to. Whether I buy them or not is up to me, not them. I also have a Poke 2 and I haven't felt the need or the interest to upgrade to Poke 3, Poke 4 or Poke 5. If they offer me something that interests me I'll buy them and if not I'll let them go.

[SleepWithMachine]

actually Onyx helps me save money

I'm always on the verge of buying their latest product, but then I don't do it because I know that they'll be releasing something more current shortly.

[kandwo]

I have a problem with their hardware decisions. But in the Android realm there is nothing to change to.

My Nova 3 works really well, but I can't really read on it as the glass screen makes the text ever so slightly blurry, which seems to irritate my eyes. I get tired much quicker than when reading on any other device. I do use it as a note taker for work, though. And it works great for that.

The white Leaf 2 is extremely slow, and feels very fragile. My unit developed screen discoloration (yellow borders) after some months. I got it exchanged on warranty. But now I'm worried it might happen again since it doesn't feel very sturdy. The page turn buttons also aren't that good. Often when I press on of them the reader creaks and there's even a sort of click. The screen is gorgeous, though.

I'm now waiting for a 300 PPI 10" device and hopefully a phone.

[Renate]

It's also things like strong-arming us with arbitrary system fonts.
That's trivial to fix if you're rooted, but difficult if not.

    <family name="sans-serif">
        <font weight="100" style="normal">Roboto-Thin.ttf</font>
        <font weight="100" style="italic">Roboto-ThinItalic.ttf</font>
        <font weight="300" style="normal">Roboto-Light.ttf</font>
        <font weight="300" style="italic">Roboto-LightItalic.ttf</font>
        <font weight="400" style="normal">OnyxCustomFont-EN-Regular.ttf</font>
        <font weight="400" style="italic">Roboto-MediumItalic.ttf</font>
        <font weight="500" style="normal">Roboto-Medium.ttf</font>
        <font weight="500" style="italic">Roboto-MediumItalic.ttf</font>
        <font weight="900" style="normal">Roboto-Black.ttf</font>
        <font weight="900" style="italic">Roboto-BlackItalic.ttf</font>
        <font weight="700" style="normal">OnyxCustomFont-EN-Bold.ttf</font>
        <font weight="700" style="italic">Roboto-BoldItalic.ttf</font>
    </family>

Why are you replacing two font weights???

[HLS]

Originally Posted by Renate

I've been mostly happy with my Poke3, but it's still at the 3.3.1 update from last November. The battery died and there is no replacement through Onyx. I have a Poke5 and I can see some improvements, but also some of the same old warts. Without EDL Firehose loaders it's dangerous to try rooting or alterations.

The product range seems to be based on buying a new device every 18 months.

You may say, "Yeah, but all the other manufacturers are just as bad."

I have Boox Note Air 2 Plus and like it a lot

[Hrafn]

I'm relatively happy with my relatively ancient Poke2. I've also become increasingly wary of OS updates -- 'if it ain't broken, don't fix it'. I tend to favor stability in a device, once I've got it working to my satisfaction, over new features.

I've little interest in Onyx's Leaf, phone-like, or large-format offerings, but will probably go with whatever the latest Poke model is when my Poke2 dies.

Is there any other manufacturer that makes a comparable light and thin-bezel 6-7" Android-based eReader?

[Renate]

Originally Posted by Hrafn

I'm relatively happy with my relatively ancient Poke2.

You may have to deal with a battery replacement some time. I'm not sure how similar the Poke2 is to the Poke3, but if you do replace the battery, I'd advice you to remove the two screws holding the power switch board and letting it flop so that when removing the battery you do not apply any tension to the flex cable/power switch board junction. Then you won't have to bypass broken connections like I did.

For thin bezel the Poke5 is pretty good.
OTOH, I haven't been able to root mine yet.

You're right, for those of us using these things as ereaders there is very little that Android 14 can offer us.

[denisuu]

Originally Posted by kandwo

I have a problem with their hardware decisions. But in the Android realm there is nothing to change to.

My Nova 3 works really well, but I can't really read on it as the glass screen makes the text ever so slightly blurry, which seems to irritate my eyes. I get tired much quicker than when reading on any other device. I do use it as a note taker for work, though. And it works great for that.

The white Leaf 2 is extremely slow, and feels very fragile. My unit developed screen discoloration (yellow borders) after some months. I got it exchanged on warranty. But now I'm worried it might happen again since it doesn't feel very sturdy. The page turn buttons also aren't that good. Often when I press on of them the reader creaks and there's even a sort of click. The screen is gorgeous, though.

I'm now waiting for a 300 PPI 10" device and hopefully a phone.

I agree, I avoid taking my white Leaf2 with me because I worry about accidentally damaging it. Also, there's a small crack on the top bezel, but I have never dropped the device or anything. However, it's hard to find a better alternative for an Android E-reader at the moment, especially within this price range.

[Pajamaman]

Originally Posted by kandwo

My Nova 3 works really well, but I can't really read on it as the glass screen makes the text ever so slightly blurry, which seems to irritate my eyes. I get tired much quicker than when reading on any other device. I do use it as a note taker for work, though. And it works great for that.

Still using a first gen Nova Pro. It's slow but fine for reading epubs. The screen is not glossy, at least to my eyes. Does anyone know if the Nova range screens have gotten more shiny?

[kandwo]

Originally Posted by Pajamaman

Still using a first gen Nova Pro. It's slow but fine for reading epubs. The screen is not glossy, at least to my eyes. Does anyone know if the Nova range screens have gotten more shiny?

Glossy? No, it's matte, which is great for dealing with reflections, but they've gone overboard with it making the text a bit blurry.

The Nova Air series is even worse due to the factory applied screen protector that apparently makes the surface better for writing.

[HLS]

I am enjoying my Onyx Note Air 2 Plus