PocketBook Q - new small / phone-shaped PocketBook

[Yapyap]

Just saw something about this posted on Reddit and went to check the PocketBook website - I guess this makes them the first “mainstream” dedicated e-reader company to come out with one of those currently popular form factor devices?

https://pocketbook.de/en/pocketbook-q

5.84’’ Carta 1300 screen, Linux, buttons on the sides, 32 GB of storage.

199 € isn’t exactly cheap though - not when the Xteink devices cost half of that or less. But then again you’d get Adobe DRM epub support, probably Libby etc, I assume also Readium LCP, and this might be just what some people want.

[Quoth]

Are they really popular?

[Yapyap]

Originally Posted by Quoth

Are they really popular?

I’ve got that impression at least - I mean, depends on the target group, but both the phone form factor devices (which so far have been Android-only) as well as the even smaller Xteinks seem to be all the rage.

I don’t think they’re nearly as popular among people who like to settle down comfortably at home with a book, but among people who do a lot of their reading while commuting or in short breaks here and there during the day, they do seem to be gaining more and more interest.

I’ve seen a fair bit of lamenting about the cost of the Android ones though, so while this one is considerably more expensive than the Xteinks, it’s still less so than any of the Boox or DuRoBo or ViWoods or Bigme devices in a similar shape, plus it offers a longer battery life (I assume), so there’s certainly a niche there - PocketBook releasing it seems to indicate they’re seeing an opportunity to get some of that market, too.

[cellaris]

Indeed, they are not going to compete with Xteink, which offers very different devices, but rather with Android e-readers featuring a smartphone-style design. There are plenty of people who don’t want to hear a word about Android. Their price is high compared to e-readers with a more traditional design (although the gap is narrowing), but they are cheaper than the Palma, Hibreak and other similar models, which enjoy a certain degree of popularity.

[salamanderjuice]

Originally Posted by Yapyap

Just saw something about this posted on Reddit and went to check the PocketBook website - I guess this makes them the first “mainstream” dedicated e-reader company to come out with one of those currently popular form factor devices?

https://pocketbook.de/en/pocketbook-q

5.84’’ Carta 1300 screen, Linux, buttons on the sides, 32 GB of storage.

199 € isn’t exactly cheap though - not when the Xteink devices cost half of that or less. But then again you’d get Adobe DRM epub support, probably Libby etc, I assume also Readium LCP, and this might be just what some people want.

Not "official" but the Xteink CrossPoint firmware is getting support for Libby/Kobo, potentially others.

https://www.theverge.com/tech/976390...sspoint-reader

[Gormagon]

Wow, generous 1 GB of RAM and even more abundant internal storage of 32 GB from which one has to substract the amount for the OS. And all this for only 199 Euros. Such a cheap offer.
Who will buy this way to expensive crap?
It looks like the power button is on the bottom side. And I don't like the hole for a lanyard.

With this form factor I'd rather buy a Boox Palma, a Bigme Highbreak or a Durobo but I already have the Viwoods AI Paper Reader which let's me install my favourite Android apps for reading plus I can use it as a phone and for other things.

[cellaris]

I imagine that those who prefer the PocketBook Era Lite to the Onyx Boox Go 7, or the PocketBook Verse Pro to the Onyx Boox Go 6, will prefer the PocketBook Q to the Onyx Boox Palma ‘X’. The reasons are the same. What differs is the format.

[Frogm4n]

1GB of RAM is fine on a dedicated ereader that isn't running Android. And, at component prices right now that should keep the costs lower than stuffing 4GB+ into it when it doesn't need it.

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by Frogm4n

1GB of RAM is fine on a dedicated ereader that isn't running Android. And, at component prices right now that should keep the costs lower than stuffing 4GB+ into it when it doesn't need it.

I don't see anything wrong with the specs, I like that it's not a battery guzzling Android device -- but I'm not paying over $200 for one. If I was going to spend $200 on an eReader now, it would be for the PocketBook Era Lite.

[Dr. Drib]

It's probably wonderful for people who fit any one of these choices:

while working in mines
swim all the time
live in an arctic region
frequently visit any doctor
are independently wealthy
killers constantly on the move
astronauts currently on a mission
are currently in The Tour de France
while working at a nuclear reactor power plant
pilots who want to kick back and relax - while working