Smart Q7 Tablet

[Faenad]

I don't understand all this buzz for this device.

Sure, it's seem cheap, but when you add shipping, Paypal fee and the eventual import taxes it's end in the 240-300$ range, ie more or less the same than the other readers.

And it's coming directly from China, meaning that if someday you need support/warranty it will be as best costly, at worse nonexistent.
Not to mention that the website selling the devices also sell fake Iphone and HTC devices, coming complete with pirated software and Apple/HTC logo. Cheap too. Hardly the kind of website where I would do my shopping.



And it's not like it's the only LCD device fit to serve as a reader.
If you are not convinced by E-ink, there are a lot of LCD device on the market.

If you want only an LCD ebook reader, there is the Jetbook.
If you need a multi-purpose devices, there are offerings in all screen sizes : 3.5" Ipod, 4" to 5" PDA, 7" to 11" Netbook, etc.
There are regularly good promotions on Netbooks, recently CompUSA had refurbished 9" Acer netbook with XP at 199$.

[Sweetpea]

Originally Posted by ruskie

I'm speaking of non-transflective LCDs only as transflective ones aren't really all that common yet.

And as the talk here is about the Q7 and comparing that to an eInk it's fair to compare the Q7's display to a similar LCD display.

And yes I would assume a transflective LCD would be on-par with an eInk display in all but power usage. Which no matter how one goes about will most likely still be eInks greatest strength.

As I don't have an e-ink screen (yet) to compare to my transflective TFT, I've no idea how they would compare.

And, the same as with ColdSun, I've been reading on my TFT for a long time now (first on a non-transflective, now on a transflective) and I've no problems at all. I've not even problems reading on my computer monitor (CRT), except it's very hard to take to bed

[ColdSun]

Originally Posted by Faenad

I don't understand all this buzz for this device.

Sure, it's seem cheap, but when you add shipping, Paypal fee and the eventual import taxes it's end in the 240-300$ range, ie more or less the same than the other readers.

And it's coming directly from China, meaning that if you need support/warranty it will be as best costly, at worse nonexistent.
Not to mention the website selling the devices also sell fake Iphone and HTC devices, coming complete with pirated software and Apple/HTC logo.



And it's not like it's the only LCD device fit to serve as a reader.
If you are not convinced by E-ink, there are a lot of LCD device on the market.

If you want only an LCD ebook reader, there is the Jetbook.
If you need a multi-purpose devices, there are offerings in all screen sizes : 3.5" Ipod, 4" to 5" PDA, 7" to 11" Netbook, etc.
There are regularly good promotions on Netbooks, recently CompUSA had refurbished 9" Acer netbook with XP at 199$.

So, your point that it is about the same price with shipping and the paypal charge as an eInk ebook device... Well yeah, that's our point too. Except it does alot more than a reader device. Its also an LCD and some of us prefer it over eInk for reasons stated before.

I don't see any pirated software on their site. I see devices that emulate an Apple device - and there are a lot of them - but nothing that is pirated. That is simply misinformation.

There is no doubt that the warranty situation could be a problem. Then again, it may not be as bad as you make it out to be either. I'll let you know if I need to do something with it.

Who said it was the only device fit to serve as a reader? I have quite a few devices that do the trick. The interesting thing about this device is that it does all the things those other devices do and is the form factor/size I'm looking for. It also does far more than just a single function device does. It runs a version of Linux and is hackable to modify even more excellent and free (totally legal) software. Have you ever owned a Nokia Internet Tablet? If you have, you know exactly what I'm talking about and you know its a pretty nifty and fun device to have.

I have an iPhone sitting right next to me right now. Its not too bad to read on, but my Nokia N770 is better. Still, I want something a bit bigger. The Nokia is great for travel and I'll continue using it for that, but this SmartQ 7 will be used around the house. I can remote into a desktop and do some cool things. I can surf the net, and I can read. Sounds perfect, and its big enough that it feels like a paperback. I like that.

As far as netbooks and notebooks - I don't want one. If I wanted a laptop or something with a keyboard sticking out I would buy one. I have a Macbook Pro and a Dell XPS laptop sitting next to me already. I don't really need a device with a teeny little keyboard. Basically, the form factor is not what I'm looking for.

I know exactly what I'm looking for. This device is a very good step in the right direction. I've studied countless devices and purchased enough of them to make my wife hate them with a passion. So now you know why *I* feel this is so cool and so useful.

Regards,
Cold

[mobelby]

Hi Coldsun,

Trying real hard to decide and I've been struggling with the "e-ink is so much better than lcd" for a while now and playing with a 505 in waterstones did not make me feel that e-ink was paper.

Could you list exactly what apps/functions you'll be using your smartq for. That will help me quite a bit.

Thanks in advance

[pathfinderca]

Does anybody know how much Do I need to pay to clear the customs? Thanks in advance.

[Faenad]

I don't see any pirated software on their site. I see devices that emulate an Apple device - and there are a lot of them - but nothing that is pirated. That is simply misinformation.

Looks closer then at their WM phone products.

Their "HTO" phone are using HTC Touchflo software, for example. I doubt HTC licensed their software to a company cloning their products -they never licensed it to other regular manufacturer-.
Windows Mobile is not free either. They don't appear on Microsoft list of licensee, and anyway I doubt MS would approve to have Windows Mobile ships on an Iphone clone

If you see a reputable website selling "device that emulate an Apple device" where I see a website selling cheap Iphone or HTC fake, your choice.

My main point is that i don't understand all the excitement around this product.
As we both agree, this is hardly the only device able to read ebook.

Even it's it the only one having a small 7" tablet form factor, there are many other device that have their own unique form factor, are not really more expensive, and are manufactured by serious company.
Many of them running on more established platform than ARM + Linux, with already many ebook reader software available.

If you know your way around Linux on ARM devices and know how to hacks it to run other distri/sotware, it probably a good choice. But for anyone else just looking for a non-eink reader/Multipurpose device, my guess is that they are going to be disappointed in the end.

[ilovejedd]

Originally Posted by Faenad

I don't understand all this buzz for this device.

Sure, it's seem cheap, but when you add shipping, Paypal fee and the eventual import taxes it's end in the 240-300$ range, ie more or less the same than the other readers.

So? It's still cheaper than tablets of the same size.

Originally Posted by Faenad

And it's not like it's the only LCD device fit to serve as a reader. If you are not convinced by E-ink, there are a lot of LCD device on the market.

If you want only an LCD ebook reader, there is the Jetbook.
If you need a multi-purpose devices, there are offerings in all screen sizes : 3.5" Ipod, 4" to 5" PDA, 7" to 11" Netbook, etc.
There are regularly good promotions on Netbooks, recently CompUSA had refurbished 9" Acer netbook with XP at 199$.

Like ColdSun, I own a bunch of gadgets. I have a 3.5" iPhone, 4.3" PSP, 8.9" netbook, and 13.3~15.1" laptops. Also have an 8.9" Fujitsu tablet which costs more than three times the Smart Q7 on sale. I'm really liking the Fujitsu tablet a lot for use as ebook and comic reader, but it's a bit too expensive to be roughing up. I'd feel more comfortable "abusing" the Smart Q7 than I would my Fujitsu.

[ColdSun]

Emulate according to Dictionary.com:

"to imitate (a particular computer system) by using a software system, often including a microprogram or another computer that enables it to do the same work, run the same programs, etc., as the first."

All they are saying is that it is copying the HTC or iPhone software. There are many clones out there that do this. Check out some of the touchscreen Personal Media Players on ebay. Many of them use an OS that resembles the iPhone or Ipod Touch. This does not mean they use the exact OS and have copied it - it just means they emulated it.

Now, my biggest worry is the shipping and responsiveness of this seller. They seem to have done Chippy right, and delivered it quickly. I took a chance and ordered mine from the same place. If anyone has any doubts about it, wait until I get mine and do my review and then make your decision. I promise to be very active on the forum and answer all the questions I can.

The form factor is one of the biggest reasons to go for a product like this. I've not seen another product with this form factor and size for this type of price. Chippy from UMPC has one and seems quite impressed. Mine is on the way and I'll be doing a review for it asap. One thing I want to stress, and I think Chippy also said this, is that this isn't going to replace your UMPC or Laptop.

I was on the chat when Chippy was doing the live unboxing of the SmartQ 7. He was actually answering some of the questions I was asking. Because of his help, I was able to see this thing live and being used. Other than having it sitting in my own lap, I don't think it could be any better than that. He answered questions that were very important to me in order to feel like I could use it.

So, if you are looking for an LCD device, with a decent battery life, a possible community from Mer, Plays MP3s while reading and has the battery to do it without dying in an hour, surfs the net, with some tweaking can remote to your PC and more - well this seems like a great deal to me. If you can find a better deal on a device like this in this form factor - please let me know.

EDIT: If you have a Nokia N770/8x0 Internet Tablet and like reading on it but wanted a bigger screen - this is a great device. Someone above mentioned the Jetbook. I hear the Jetbook is a great ebook device, but again its a single purpose device. I could live with that, because it is LCD, but what I can't live without is a backlight. The Jetbook does not have a backlight.

[ColdSun]

Originally Posted by mobelby

Hi Coldsun,

Trying real hard to decide and I've been struggling with the "e-ink is so much better than lcd" for a while now and playing with a 505 in waterstones did not make me feel that e-ink was paper.

Could you list exactly what apps/functions you'll be using your smartq for. That will help me quite a bit.

Thanks in advance

Sure! Below is what I'll be using the device for, in order of highest priority to lowest:

1. Reading Ebooks
First and foremost I'll be using the FBReader application to read ebooks on the device.

2. Viewing PDFs
I'll use the device to view PDF files. Check this thread for some screenshots from Chippy showing it doing this quite nicely.

3. Internet
I'll use this in bed or when I watch TV to surf forums, twitter, chatting and other internet related tasks. By no means do I expect some super-duper web browser on this thing, and without flash I won't be seeing some pages I would like to see on my desktop/laptop, but honestly I'm not using this device for this.

4. Remote PC Access
Run Firefox and other internet applications remotely. Run mobipocket for DRMed books. There are many possibilities here. This might get technical for some folks so if you have an issue getting into techy part of things, you might want to bypass this.

5. Hacking the Device's OS
Replace the OS with Mer or another Linux distro and see what I can get running on this thing.

6. Possibly Buy a 2nd Device for Physical Modding
I like to custom paint my devices and do other cool mods. If I like the device enough I might buy a 2nd one to take apart and see what I can do to make it cooler.

Just to let you know, if I want a truly rich browser experience, I would just take my Macbook Pro or Dell XPS instead. So just to make it very clear - my main reason for buying this device is the form factor/backlight/screen size so I can read comfortably from home. The other things are just icing on the cake.

[mobelby]

Thanks Coldsun.

Your post encouraged me to find out more about the Nokia 810 that's been out for a year and that I always figured was very expensive. I like that its got a transreflective lcd screen, standard nokia batteries (easy to get loads of replacements), has a big community and is backed by a company that care about their products and reputation.
I found one for AUD329, which ain't bad (approx USD250), which is a heck of a lot cheaper than other places around here (approx AUD600). It's a brand new import from HK but something I'm seriously looking at because of the price, flexibility and importantly the screen. One thing that really worries me about the smartq is if something goes wrong there's pretty much no fallback and you're AUD 310 out of pocket. I love the idea of the 7 inch but hate reflective screens.

Coldsun, would you recommend the N810 as a starter ebook reader at AUD329 ??

[ColdSun]

Mobelby,

I don't blame you at all for being weary of the warranty. Also, the Nokia N810 is a fantastic little device. If you don't mind reading from a 4.1" screen, it does everything this device does with a community that stands behind it and is actively developing for.

You can find out a lot more information about the 810 here:

http://talk.maemo.org/forumdisplay.php?f=7

Also, they sell them on buy.com (not sure if you can order from there):

http://www.buy.com/prod/nokia-n810-i...92&dcaid=17992

Good luck!

Cold

[wallcraft]

Originally Posted by Faenad

Even it's it the only one having a small 7" tablet form factor, there are many other device that have their own unique form factor, are not really more expensive, and are manufactured by serious company.
Many of them running on more established platform than ARM + Linux, with already many ebook reader software available.

The 7" tablet form factor is good for web browsing and for ebook reading. This is the only device anywhere close to this price with this form factor. Obviously, a similar device could be made with WinMobile and it would then in some ways be more "mainstream". It would read MS Office documents for example and might support ebook readers with DRM. However, if someone is making such a device I am not aware of it. Similarly, there will soon be devices with this form factor running Windows XP but at a much higher price and probably with a shorter battery life.

All current dedicated ebook readers are running Linux. So this could be made into a Kindle-like ebook reader with the addition of the right software. It would not be much different from now, except that it would include a pre-loaded mobile Adobe Digital Editions or eReader (or MobiPocket Java Reader). I don't see this as likely for this particular device, but it does indicate that there is perhaps an unfilled niche here.

[Nate the great]

Originally Posted by pathfinderca

Does anybody know how much Do I need to pay to clear the customs? Thanks in advance.

What country? What shipping method?

I can say that if you have them ship it "EMS"(I think that's what it is), custom dues shouldn't cost you anything in the US. You'll pick up the package at the post office.

If you use Fedex or UPS you will be charged by them. I don't know how much.

[wallcraft]

Originally Posted by mobelby

Coldsun, would you recommend the N810 as a starter ebook reader at AUD329 ??

I used a Nokia 770 with FBReader as my primary ebook reader for a year. The screen was great and the N810 adds a transflective screen for outside viewing and an actual keyboard. The N810 screen is almost exactly half the size of a 6" EInk screen and I used the 770 in landscape mode (same width as a portrait mode 6" EInk, but half the height), so two page flips to one under EInk. However, there is no page flip delay. Overall I prefer an EInk screen for extended reading, and the battery life of a N810 is probably 4-6 hrs when reading, but I do miss the color screen for SciFi Magazines and other content with color illustrations.

[tompe]

Originally Posted by Sonist

Cheap? Yes, but you'll pay for it when you buy your first pair of prescription glasses.

This is a myth. For example reading in bad lightning conditions will not hurt your eyes so you have to buy glasses.