Boyue T61/T62 / Icarus Illumina E653 review and Onyx T68 comparison

[downeaster59]

The difference isn't just in terms of Pearl to Carta. I had the chance to compare the T62 to the Onyx Boox C67 ML (both Pearl screens, same resolution, same size screen), and the Onyx had better contrast than the Boyue. It was the only advantage the Onyx had! My T62 has always looked like it was in the sun a bit too long - graphics seem a bit faded, though the effect is less noticeable with text. Whether that is just my T62 or whether that's typical, I don't know. It's the only "con" I have on the T62. In every other way, it's been great.

[DarKHawK]

I've seen the video comparing the T62 to the Kindle Voyage, for some reason I felt the reviewers a little biased toward the Kindle.

I hate the closed systems/ecosystems. But I also have in mind that this device is mainly for reading.

I want to ask:

1- How's the 300 ppi on the Voyage compare to the 212ppi on the Buyoe
I have the opinion that when you reach a "golden" resolution you're set, adding more is just adding more strain to the processor and the battery, Like for example on smartphones, I believe that anything more than 1920x1080 is just a waste.

2- How's the kindle reading application compared to those of Android, Moon+ Reader and my favorite cool reader?

3- I really like those X-Ray and quick clicks to access Wikipedia and translation and Dictionary as English is not my first language I stumble a bit reading books with a wide range of vocabulary. Also that feature which tells you how long it will take to finish the chapter. How does those features compare to the existing Android readers?

4- Is that flush screen and the haptic feedback button a really good addition or is it just a gimmick you can live without?

[hob]

Originally Posted by blue_skies

I was wondering about that also. I found this video comparison, but I think they are comparing the Kindle Voyage with the Boyue T62 and not the plus one with the Carta screen. At least I hope so, because I was kind of shocked how much better and sharper the Kindle screen looked, side by side with the T62:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WkKiUo1xUZI

I went ahead and ordered the T62+... so I guess I will see for my self in a couple weeks.


Screencap from the Video - Kindle Voyage on left and Boyue T62 on right:

The device GoodeReader is using in their recent videos is a Boyue T62+ with upgraded/improved screen, front-light, and software.

Both use E-Ink Carta panels but the resolutions are different (1430x1080 pixels on Voyage compared to 1024x758 pixels on T62+). Also in the video they're comparing Kindle Voyage's software, which is completely tweaked to display the few file-formats that it "can" in the best way possible, but the preloaded apps on Boyue T62+ (like most other Android devices) in one word "SUCK"! They're just there to show that this device is capable of doing all these stuff and opening numerous eBook file-formats!

You'd get many more font/visual options, much higher qualities, and faster response through better Apps like Moon+ Reader Pro, Manatano Premium, Aldiko, Adobe Reader and many others.

I uninstalled/disabled most of the preloaded apps in the first few days of using this device and have been using the apps i mentioned since; all work great almost all the time and the text/image quality is very much better on them compared to the preloaded apps!

[hob]

Originally Posted by DarKHawK

3- I really like those X-Ray and quick clicks to access Wikipedia and translation and Dictionary as English is not my first language I stumble a bit reading books with a wide range of vocabulary. Also that feature which tells you how long it will take to finish the chapter. How does those features compare to the existing Android readers?

4- Is that flush screen and the haptic feedback button a really good addition or is it just a gimmick you can live without?

3- I'm not a pro in android apps and don't know many of them, but Moon+ Reader Pro works great with ColorDict in which you can add many dictionaries, indexes, places/websites to search and show search results from, and so on! You should tell Moon+Reader Pro to use ColorDict as the default Dictionary in its settings. I prefer ColorDict because it won't open another page and Moon+ Reader totally supports its pop-up nice window which shows all the results in an instant (in the order you set in ColorDict's own settings)!

4. Boyue T62+ has physical page-turn buttons and a screen-refresh button (also a back button) which do the same thing. Long-pressing the refresh button turns front-light ON and OFF.

[blue_skies]

Originally Posted by hob

The device GoodeReader is using in their recent videos is a Boyue T62+ with upgraded/improved screen, front-light, and software.

Both use E-Ink Carta panels but the resolutions are different (1430x1080 pixels on Voyage compared to 1024x758 pixels on T62+). Also in the video they're comparing Kindle Voyage's software, which is completely tweaked to display the few file-formats that it "can" in the best way possible, but the preloaded apps on Boyue T62+ (like most other Android devices) in one word "SUCK"! They're just there to show that this device is capable of doing all these stuff and opening numerous eBook file-formats!

You'd get many more font/visual options, much higher qualities, and faster response through better Apps like Moon+ Reader Pro, Manatano Premium, Aldiko, Adobe Reader and many others.

I uninstalled/disabled most of the preloaded apps in the first few days of using this device and have been using the apps i mentioned since; all work great almost all the time and the text/image quality is very much better on them compared to the preloaded apps!

I just assumed they received their T62 before they started shipping the T62+... which I thought was very recent. In their written review, they write that their T62 has a Pearl screen. Perhaps they just didn't realize it's the T62+ with the Carta screen? I was really hoping it was the Pearl, and that mine will look sharper.

So, the reading app can make a big difference as far as the sharpness of the text? Which reading app looks sharpest in your opinion?

I did not realize there was such a huge difference in resolution between the two devices. It's very important for me to have good contrast on my reading device. The T62 looks so washed out next to the Voyage. The front light should help though. In another video review of the T62, the front light looked amazing, and the text looked very sharp to me.

It should at least be a big step up from my old Kindle Keyboard.

[downeaster59]

I'd like to see a comparison between the T62 and T62+ screens. My T62 has a slightly "washed out" look. That's my only complaint, or anything close to a complaint. If I saw an improvement in contrast on the T62+, I might be tempted to upgrade - now that I have a tax refund to play with!

I actually like the Adobe stock reader on the T62. Of all the third party reading apps, I like Moon Reader Pro the best. I start with the outdoor theme (maximizes contrast), change the default font to one of my favorites, and adjust the font size.

As for the Voyage, I look at it this way. If all I wanted from an eInk device was to read eBooks, then a Voyage with a computer that had Calibre would be a pretty good setup. I could buy my eBooks from wherever I wanted, then process them through Calibre, and then transfer any non-Amazon ones to the Voyage. Setting it all up takes a little time, but once set up, it should work well. However, I wanted an Android eInk device so that I could also use apps that aren't reading apps per se, but basically involve reading, like Instapaper and Logos Bible Software. If you want that kind of freedom, neither a Kindle nor a Kobo will do. You need to go Android. And, out of the Android eInk devices I have seen so far, the T62 looks like the best fit for me.

If you put the T62 side-by-side with the Voyage, the Voyage will look better overall. But, the T62 looks (and is) good enough for what it's made to do. You can put a Honda Accord side-by-side with a BMW 3-series, and the BMW looks better. But if you get the Accord and don't worry about the BMW, you have a perfectly fine car at a lower price. Same principle here.

[Hrafn]

Originally Posted by downeaster59

As for the Voyage, I look at it this way. If all I wanted from an eInk device was to read eBooks, then a Voyage with a computer that had Calibre would be a pretty good setup. I could buy my eBooks from wherever I wanted, then process them through Calibre, and then transfer any non-Amazon ones to the Voyage. Setting it all up takes a little time, but once set up, it should work well. However, I wanted an Android eInk device so that I could also use apps that aren't reading apps per se, but basically involve reading, like Instapaper and Logos Bible Software. If you want that kind of freedom, neither a Kindle nor a Kobo will do. You need to go Android. And, out of the Android eInk devices I have seen so far, the T62 looks like the best fit for me.

If you put the T62 side-by-side with the Voyage, the Voyage will look better overall. But, the T62 looks (and is) good enough for what it's made to do. You can put a Honda Accord side-by-side with a BMW 3-series, and the BMW looks better. But if you get the Accord and don't worry about the BMW, you have a perfectly fine car at a lower price. Same principle here.

Oddly enough, I come to the same conclusion as you do, from some polar opposite starting points. I use my eReader solely for eReading, and sufficiently frequently that the price differential between the T62 and the Voyage doesn't concern me too much. What does concern me is the freedom to structure my book collection the way that I choose (for which directory-based hierarchies suit me perfectly), and the freedom to choose whatever reading app that I find most comfortable. This level of customisation appears to be impossible with newer Kindles (Amazon is going to increasing lengths to render them unrootable). This for me makes the T62 (and better yet, the T62+) superior to the Voyage, regardless of price.

[downeaster59]

Originally Posted by Hrafn

Oddly enough, I come to the same conclusion as you do, from some polar opposite starting points. I use my eReader solely for eReading, and sufficiently frequently that the price differential between the T62 and the Voyage doesn't concern me too much. What does concern me is the freedom to structure my book collection the way that I choose (for which directory-based hierarchies suit me perfectly), and the freedom to choose whatever reading app that I find most comfortable. This level of customisation appears to be impossible with newer Kindles (Amazon is going to increasing lengths to render them unrootable). This for me makes the T62 (and better yet, the T62+) superior to the Voyage, regardless of price.

Yes. Rooted or not, the T62 is far more customizable than the Voyage (or other Kindles) would be. It's much easier to set up the T62 to suit the needs of each user, whatever they may be.

It's too bad that eInk devices based on a relatively recent version of Android are hard to come by in the USA. Ordering from Banggood or something similar is the only option now. If I were an executive at Nook, I'd revise the Glowlight. I'd give it the physical buttons and microSD card slot it used to have, give it firmware based on KitKat (at least), and make it open or at least easy to root. Then the Nook would have something to offer versus Kindle.

[blue_skies]

Originally Posted by downeaster59

I'd like to see a comparison between the T62 and T62+ screens.

I would really love to see that too!

[brainycat]

Thanks to Hrafn, I'm thinking about getting a T62+ (T62D). My concern, and the reason I went with the Onxy AfterGlow2 a few weeks ago, is the button layout.

Are the button actions configurable on the T62+? It's important to me that I can reach the "next page" action no matter how I'm holding the device.

Thanks!

[downeaster59]

Originally Posted by brainycat

Thanks to Hrafn, I'm thinking about getting a T62+ (T62D). My concern, and the reason I went with the Onxy AfterGlow2 a few weeks ago, is the button layout.

Are the button actions configurable on the T62+? It's important to me that I can reach the "next page" action no matter how I'm holding the device.

Thanks!

My guess is that the buttons are configurable (others can speak to that). However, the T62 and T62+ have the same page turn buttons on the left and right sides of the screen. You can turn your page either way from either side.

[nhedgehog]

Install AlReader and use the 9 tapable regions to define nextpage event. This will help you more, since those pageturn buttons are the first that will break.
If you insist on using the buttons and device is rooted you can define the buttons by thirdparty software:
Look in to this thread.

[brainycat]

Thanks for the info. I've gone ahead and gotten myself a Kobo H20, but I think your post will be helpful for other users.

[Hrafn]

Banggood has a cover available for the T62(+), but it's received fairly mediocre reviews on that site in terms of quality-of-fit. Has anybody tried it? Can anybody recommend a better comparable cover?

Speaking of Banggood, the T62+ is "Sold Out Currently!" there. The listing states that they've sold 440 of this model (compared with 78 for the competing Onyx Boox C67ML, which I suspect has been around for longer).

[milk]

Case for T62

http://store.energysistem.com/en/pro...eader_case_pro

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Energy-eRead.../dp/B00Q6FQO76