Smart Q7 Tablet - Page 15

rogue_ronin · 05-31-2009, 05:55 AM

Cool, Gibbo, thanks. Found that after I posted -- I was hoping for a secret stash!

On that note, is there anyone reading this that would be interested in working with me on getting Jaunty and GPE/Matchbox onto this? I'm okay with stuff, no programmer -- just not intimidated, but not sure about ARM at all.

I want to use this as a super-PIM, sketchbook, notepad, etc. as well as eBook reader (Gotta get FBReader 10!) The lightweight embedded apps should make the interface a lot more snappy, plus they do what I want, and they talk to each other. Having a full distribution underneath will let me add anything at all -- won't be as dependent on a single group of developers. It oughta be the best of both worlds. GPE has some great-looking apps that are very hard to find in Ubuntu/Debian (although lots of them are available, of course.

Eventually, I hope I get it to the point where I walk into my home, and everything syncs wirelessly without any action on my part -- ebooks, schedules, everything. If I get really good, and get an always-on server, anytime I'm in wifi range, I'll be synced.

Pop me a PM if you care to collaborate, or even have some good advice.

m a r

Project · 05-31-2009, 05:56 AM

I've ordered the Smartq 7 from Eletroworld. I looked at the A700, but it's a little bit too heavvy (700 g). The Viliv (or however is called) look faboulus, but it's too expensive for me. The things I'm looking for are reading pdf files and reading blog posts.
I'll let you know when the thing arrives.

Regards

Project

rogue_ronin · 05-31-2009, 07:36 AM

Okay, so it's ARMv6. Which may or may not be good.

Jaunty straight from Ubuntu is for the v7 chips, I've read. But the fellow over here, claims that Canonical has been asking for his efforts, which are for v5 and v6 machines.

We'll see, I guess. I'd also be pretty happy if mojo.handhelds.org did their mojo on Intrepid.

m a r

elmoglick · 05-31-2009, 08:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tompe

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

Sorry, that's not true. Reading in bad lighting can most definitely cause eye strain and ultimately hurt your eyes. Give your opthamologist a call and learn about it.

El

Lanx · 05-31-2009, 09:44 PM

This device looks interesting can't wait to see the comparison between this and the always innovating touchbook.

I'd like to touch upon this wierd e-ink vs lcd myth. I'll also harken that i've been staring in front of a 12in computer crt monitor since i was 10 for the commodore 64, then a 14in screen for my firs pc, then 19in crt and later 22/24in lcds. I'm not blind and i've been doing this for 20years. I work in front of my 24in lcd for 8hours a day and then i browse the web or whatever for another odd 4-6 hours maybe play a game, whatever i'm a computer geek, my retina's have not been burned out from the evil LCD!

I'm pretty sure the only ppl saying e-ink won't cause eystrain are ppl who have astigmatism or ppl who jumped on the e-ink bandwagon and don't want to be left behind.

Alslayer · 05-31-2009, 09:56 PM

I wish there was a community site for the Smart Q7. I guess this device is a little too obscure.

bjkel · 06-01-2009, 05:00 AM

I am very interested in this device. I am another who prefers lcd over e-ink.

I've never used Linux Ubuntu before. Got a question, is it possible to get rid of the mouse pointer from the screen, maybe in the system settings or something?

markbond1007 · 06-01-2009, 05:59 AM

<sigh> if one of these were to come out with a transflective display, I would snap it up. I have the bookeen cybook Gen3, and am NOT happy with it to be honest.

tompe · 06-01-2009, 06:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by elmoglick

Sorry, that's not true. Reading in bad lighting can most definitely cause eye strain and ultimately hurt your eyes. Give your opthamologist a call and learn about it.

Why trust somebody that want t sell something to you?

I you look at the net you see that there is different opinions about it and it is a bit hard to know what to trust if you are not a researcher in the area. When I wrote what I wrote I was thinking about some web pages that claimed that. I have now seen web pages that claim other thing.

Here is a link

http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=159098

that shows that the situation is unclear.

rogue_ronin · 06-01-2009, 06:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bjkel

I am very interested in this device. I am another who prefers lcd over e-ink.

I've never used Linux Ubuntu before. Got a question, is it possible to get rid of the mouse pointer from the screen, maybe in the system settings or something?

I cannot answer you definitively, but I read somewhere (in the last week, I think) that you can simply make it transparent.

But I don't remember how; when mine arrives, I'll give it a try.

BTW, more support that Jaunty will run on ARMv5 or better...

m a r

TuxMeister · 06-01-2009, 08:52 AM

@bjkel: in the old days, to change the cursor you would have to look for the gliph in the file system and then change it's share/color/transparency. I'm pretty sure that you would want at least something to come up, like a fairly thick dot, but not the pointer. Or the hand cursor.

gerraldo · 06-01-2009, 09:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alslayer

I wish there was a community site for the Smart Q7. I guess this device is a little too obscure.

At the moment yes, but my guess is there will be. This is the perfect little gadget for the geek!

bjkel · 06-01-2009, 09:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rogue_ronin

I cannot answer you definitively, but I read somewhere (in the last week, I think) that you can simply make it transparent.

But I don't remember how; when mine arrives, I'll give it a try.

BTW, more support that Jaunty will run on ARMv5 or better...

m a r

Quote:

Originally Posted by TuxMeister

@bjkel: in the old days, to change the cursor you would have to look for the gliph in the file system and then change it's share/color/transparency. I'm pretty sure that you would want at least something to come up, like a fairly thick dot, but not the pointer. Or the hand cursor.

Thanks for the replies. Making it transparent would be good. I disagree about wanting something to come up though. I don't plan on attaching a mouse to it so I don't feel the need for a mouse cursor. At least I don't think I do. Hard to say till I play with it.

However I think the cursor could start to annoy me in fbreader. I know you could move it down the corner out of the way, but would rather just get rid of it.

rogue_ronin · 06-01-2009, 10:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gerraldo

At the moment yes, but my guess is there will be. This is the perfect little gadget for the geek!

I emailed the chinese suppliers today, and suggested they host a forum for english speakers.

I do not expect either a positive reply, or a reply. But you never know.

A forum will open somewhere, I'm sure -- it did for the EEE.

m a r

gchuang · 06-01-2009, 12:11 PM

Since I import electronic goods from China and I love reading eBooks, this piqued my interest so I asked my sourcing agent to take a look to see if he can get me an unit to play with. Here is the deal...

Eletoworld is just a reseller.

The manufacturer of this product is a company in Beijing call "ZhiQi". Its website is www.smartdevices.com.cn. The entire website is in Chinese but here's some info that my agent gathered:

1) The device is really meant to be used as a PMP in China. It is pitched as a iPod Touch competitor by the manufacturer. The ebook functionality is strictly an add on. It comes with a PDF reader in the Chinese version.
2) The current English Ubuntu is done by a third party, possibly eletroworld. The manufacturer's own English version won't be ready until end of June.
3) They do not plan to have an American distributor. The device is not approved by UL nor FCC. And they don't plan to in the short term. So that probably means limited distribution in the US.
4) They are willing to sell me 10 units at a significant discount relative to eletoworld's prices. Email me if you want one. If enough people want it I can bring a shipment in via UPS and you guys can have it at cost plus your pro-rata piece of the shipping cost. But all the documentation will be in Chinese, so you need to savvy enough to do hack it without manual. No matter what I have already asked to have one Q7 and one Q5 sent to me for evaluation.

When I find out more I will post more data.

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05-31-2009, 05:55 AM	#211
rogue_ronin Banned Posts: 475 Karma: 796 Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Honolulu Device: Nokia 770 (fbreader)	Cool, Gibbo, thanks. Found that after I posted -- I was hoping for a secret stash! On that note, is there anyone reading this that would be interested in working with me on getting Jaunty and GPE/Matchbox onto this? I'm okay with stuff, no programmer -- just not intimidated, but not sure about ARM at all. I want to use this as a super-PIM, sketchbook, notepad, etc. as well as eBook reader (Gotta get FBReader 10!) The lightweight embedded apps should make the interface a lot more snappy, plus they do what I want, and they talk to each other. Having a full distribution underneath will let me add anything at all -- won't be as dependent on a single group of developers. It oughta be the best of both worlds. GPE has some great-looking apps that are very hard to find in Ubuntu/Debian (although lots of them are available, of course. Eventually, I hope I get it to the point where I walk into my home, and everything syncs wirelessly without any action on my part -- ebooks, schedules, everything. If I get really good, and get an always-on server, anytime I'm in wifi range, I'll be synced. Pop me a PM if you care to collaborate, or even have some good advice. m a r

05-31-2009, 05:56 AM	#212
Project Enthusiast Posts: 27 Karma: 10 Join Date: May 2009 Device: none	I've ordered the Smartq 7 from Eletroworld. I looked at the A700, but it's a little bit too heavvy (700 g). The Viliv (or however is called) look faboulus, but it's too expensive for me. The things I'm looking for are reading pdf files and reading blog posts. I'll let you know when the thing arrives. Regards Project

05-31-2009, 07:36 AM	#213
rogue_ronin Banned Posts: 475 Karma: 796 Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Honolulu Device: Nokia 770 (fbreader)	Okay, so it's ARMv6. Which may or may not be good. Jaunty straight from Ubuntu is for the v7 chips, I've read. But the fellow over here, claims that Canonical has been asking for his efforts, which are for v5 and v6 machines. We'll see, I guess. I'd also be pretty happy if mojo.handhelds.org did their mojo on Intrepid. m a r

05-31-2009, 09:44 PM	#215
Lanx Enthusiast Posts: 30 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jun 2008 Device: none	This device looks interesting can't wait to see the comparison between this and the always innovating touchbook. I'd like to touch upon this wierd e-ink vs lcd myth. I'll also harken that i've been staring in front of a 12in computer crt monitor since i was 10 for the commodore 64, then a 14in screen for my firs pc, then 19in crt and later 22/24in lcds. I'm not blind and i've been doing this for 20years. I work in front of my 24in lcd for 8hours a day and then i browse the web or whatever for another odd 4-6 hours maybe play a game, whatever i'm a computer geek, my retina's have not been burned out from the evil LCD! I'm pretty sure the only ppl saying e-ink won't cause eystrain are ppl who have astigmatism or ppl who jumped on the e-ink bandwagon and don't want to be left behind.

05-31-2009, 09:56 PM	#216
Alslayer Member Posts: 17 Karma: 10 Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Silicon Valley	I wish there was a community site for the Smart Q7. I guess this device is a little too obscure.

06-01-2009, 05:00 AM	#217
bjkel Connoisseur Posts: 89 Karma: 8826 Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Melbourne, Australia Device: Sony PRS-T1, Nook Color, Kobo, Kindle Voyage, Kobo Forma	I am very interested in this device. I am another who prefers lcd over e-ink. I've never used Linux Ubuntu before. Got a question, is it possible to get rid of the mouse pointer from the screen, maybe in the system settings or something?

06-01-2009, 05:59 AM	#218
markbond1007 Connoisseur Posts: 57 Karma: 122 Join Date: Jul 2008 Device: CyBook Gen3, Sony PRS-600	<sigh> if one of these were to come out with a transflective display, I would snap it up. I have the bookeen cybook Gen3, and am NOT happy with it to be honest.

06-01-2009, 08:52 AM	#221
TuxMeister Member Posts: 13 Karma: 10 Join Date: May 2009 Location: Barcelona Device: SmartQ7	@bjkel: in the old days, to change the cursor you would have to look for the gliph in the file system and then change it's share/color/transparency. I'm pretty sure that you would want at least something to come up, like a fairly thick dot, but not the pointer. Or the hand cursor.

06-01-2009, 12:11 PM	#225
gchuang Junior Member Posts: 2 Karma: 10 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: NY Device: Sony 505	Since I import electronic goods from China and I love reading eBooks, this piqued my interest so I asked my sourcing agent to take a look to see if he can get me an unit to play with. Here is the deal... Eletoworld is just a reseller. The manufacturer of this product is a company in Beijing call "ZhiQi". Its website is www.smartdevices.com.cn. The entire website is in Chinese but here's some info that my agent gathered: 1) The device is really meant to be used as a PMP in China. It is pitched as a iPod Touch competitor by the manufacturer. The ebook functionality is strictly an add on. It comes with a PDF reader in the Chinese version. 2) The current English Ubuntu is done by a third party, possibly eletroworld. The manufacturer's own English version won't be ready until end of June. 3) They do not plan to have an American distributor. The device is not approved by UL nor FCC. And they don't plan to in the short term. So that probably means limited distribution in the US. 4) They are willing to sell me 10 units at a significant discount relative to eletoworld's prices. Email me if you want one. If enough people want it I can bring a shipment in via UPS and you guys can have it at cost plus your pro-rata piece of the shipping cost. But all the documentation will be in Chinese, so you need to savvy enough to do hack it without manual. No matter what I have already asked to have one Q7 and one Q5 sent to me for evaluation. When I find out more I will post more data.