Smart Q7 Tablet

[jgray]

I was also interested in this device. I had a Nokia N800 that I used for a few years. The N800 was a very good ebook reader, but I wanted a larger screen. I also have a netbook and read on it, and although it is smaller than a laptop, it is still a bit too large and heavy as an ebook reader.

I have detailed elsewhere my very recent encounter with eInk (PRS-505). It just isn't there yet for me.

Something like the Q7 does appeal to many of us. It certainly would make a nicer reader than the N800 was. I ultimately ordered a Jetbook, based on size, battery life and price. The Q7 screen size would be preferable, but the overall device size looks to be bulkier and heavier than I want.

I haven't yet seen my "ideal" ebook reader, but it is encouraging that we are seeing more and more low-priced devices on the market. I suspect that in a few years, I will see something that I would consider ideal, or close to it.

[jgray]

As far as the "fake" products, I don't know anything for certain, but I would imagine that if these devices were actually infringing on Apple and HTC copyrights, trademarks and patents, that they would be quickly seized at the dock when imported. The larger companies police this type of thing quite vigorously.

[Faenad]

Originally Posted by jgray

As far as the "fake" products, I don't know anything for certain, but I would imagine that if these devices were actually infringing on Apple and HTC copyrights, trademarks and patents, that they would be quickly seized at the dock when imported. The larger companies police this type of thing quite vigorously.

Such an offering in the US or in Western Europe would not last a month. In theory in China it's illegal too, but in fact their law enforcement on counterfeit product is very "relaxed". There are some occasional crackdown when there are some international events or an important presidential visit or the like, but not much.
Anyway I would not order their Apple or HTC fake, as if the customs open your package I guess it will be kept. But the Smart Q7 seems OK on this point, as it's ship with Linux and do not have any Apple logo or the like.

[Faenad]

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.

Actually, they are not claiming to "emulate" the Iphone or Windows Mobile OS. You are the only one using this term.

Their website clearly states that these smartphones runs on Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional, with an added HTC Touchflo interface on top.

Ie : pirated software, on devices that have the exact same design as current HTC/Apple products and use the official HTC & Apple Logo.
Sometimes, you have to call a spade a spade. These are fake. Eletroworld may have a good product in the Smart Q7, but why do you feel the need to defend them or find excuse for them for other dubious offerings?

[ColdSun]

I believe you actually said the word emulation before I defined it. Although, I'm looking at the phones you speak of and I'm definately not going to defend those products. On the other hand, I'm not going to call them pirates either. As you said, the device I ordered has a linux OS. I'll let everyone know how their sales service was for the SmartQ 7.

EDIT: They are also starting to show up on eBay. http://cgi.ebay.com/New-smart-Q7-Mob...lenotsupported

[rdelfin]

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.

I suggest being cautious when saying "This is a myth" so lightly when dealing with health issues.

Using an LCD screen for READING purposes for prolonged periods of time throughout the course of a few days (let alone weeks or months) WILL place serious strain to your eyes which MAY cause eye problems in the long run (e-Ink does not cause eye strain since the eye is not exposed to a source of light). Reading under dark conditions is a whole different thing that has nothing to do with e-ink technology (if you read a good'ol paper book with no light, you would also be neglecting your eyes, so as with books, get a good bedside night lamp when using your e-ink reader). Be smart when weighing the facts and presenting the arguments (and that's no myth).

So please be careful people (and remember, as has been pointed out before, reading an LCD screen and doing stuff in an LCD screen are two complete different things). Please document your selves about e-ink technology (mobileread.com is a great place to start). I'm not a detractor of this device, I'm a detractor of what some are trying to do with it (it's almost like huge lawsuit-bomb waiting to happen). Don't play with your health.

[ColdSun]

I think most of us here are already educated on e-Ink technology and some of us have chosen to look at something else. So basically, you are telling me if I spend 10 hours a day looking at my LCD desktop screen I WILL place serious strain on my eyes. I've been looking at some form of computer screen since age 11. I'm 41. I still have 20/20 and I've been staring at some sort of light for more years than I can remember and for countless hours.

What exactly are some people trying to do and how is there a huge lawsuit involved? I mean seriously, it almost sounds like a government scare policy to scare me into using e-Ink technology. "Do this or go blind!" The last time I checked, this site was called "mobileread.com" not "eInk.com." Let us talk about LCD devices without us having the e-Ink crowd constantly coming in here and bring up the same arguments about why e-Ink is better!

Since 2001 I've been reading on LCD devices. Why have I not seen any of these problems? There is no doubt that there are a majority of eInk supporters on this site as compared to other mobile device sites. The large majority of users on other sites read with devices other than eInk. These devices are getting more popular and functionality is being combined. The iPhone. Personal Media Players. UMPCs. Tablet PCs. MIDs. Zune. Many more. The number of ebook reading users is growing daily.

Tell me something - if reading with LCD is so bad because it is backlit, why did Sony just release a new reader that has a built in light (that is blurry by comparison to my Nokia N770)?

All I know is the experience I myself have had. I know my own opinion and I'm always interested in hearing other opinions. I prefer LCD over e-Ink. I want to see more LCD devices with multi-purpose in a tablet/ebook form factor. I had an e-Ink device for over six months and it wasn't for me at all.

Please, stop scaring these poor folks into thinking LCD will laser their eyes out or something.

P.S. All of the above is my opinion and none of it is meant to be inflammatory or argumentative. On the other hand - I'm going to FIGHT for the technology I love!

[maqsudbd]

Hi Guys

I am very interested in the product as netbook. Have anybody bought from the website ? Are they reliable ? How long do they take to deliver ?

Regards

Maqsud

[ColdSun]

Maqsud,

The only person who has received a product from this company is Chippy. I ordered mine last week and I'll be posting a review on it as soon as it arrives. If it doesn't arrive, I'll be sure to let everyone here know that too! There are some others who have ordered it who might speak up here as well.

Good luck!

Cold

[rgeorg]

@maqsudbd,
Chippy and others (ColdSun) have explained quite well why the Q7 is not a netbook replacement. I'm just a bit sad that I already have a 7" netbook and can't justify (yet!) buying one of these new devices. I've ordered a 5" jetBook as I am also a LCD-reading fan (with the backlight turned way low), and it is sufficiently different from my Eee in terms of size and battery to justify the cost to myself. Since I basically use the Eee for reading at home (at night), the Q7 would be for similar use with the same size screen (battery life is a non-issue at home).

Perhaps there can be a comparison between the jetBook and the Q7 screen clarity at some point? I wonder if touch-enabled screens are generally less usable (reflective/glare), or if it is just coincidence that the Sony 700 and the Classmate tablet screens are less than optimal?

[Sweetpea]

Originally Posted by rgeorg

Perhaps there can be a comparison between the jetBook and the Q7 screen clarity at some point? I wonder if touch-enabled screens are generally less usable (reflective/glare), or if it is just coincidence that the Sony 700 and the Classmate tablet screens are less than optimal?

I think that depends on the screen quality I think. I've two Loox's, a 600 and a 720. The 600 does have some glare, the 720 not. Both are TFT, both are touchscreen. One is transflective, the other not.



I've been looking in to this device, and even though I do like it, there are some points which I don't like enough to probably not buy it. The lack of a transflective screen is one, the Linux OS is another.

[Sonist]

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.

I am hardly an expert on this, and I am willing to listen, but from what I've read, LCDs have their issues.

Compared to CRTs, LCDs are certainly much easier on the eyes. But, while the image itself may not flicker, the fluorescent backlight does, and your eye may experience fatigue because of it.

Very hight brightness can also contribute to eye fatigue. O the other hand, some LCDs are stable at their maximum brightness, while modulation may be introduced at lowered brightness levels. Power-saving features can also introduce such modulation.

These may, or may not be issues for this particular screen, but for long-term reading, I personally would probably stay away from LCD, and particularly one designed for cost and power savings.

[ruskie]

I used good high quality CRTs, and then high quality LCDs. The strain from CRT to LCD is significantly lower that is true. But my eyes got whacked in less than 6 months of using a crap CRT @work. Due to that I need to wear glasses now so I'm a bit more careful about how I treat my eyes.

I was waiting for years for an eInk reader to try it locally before buying. Suffice it to say once I got my hands on one and played with it at the store I bought in within a week.

Before that I tried:

Palm m105, nokia 5140i, nokia n95, eeepc 701, various other PDAs I borrowed from friends and so on.

As for having multi-function devices I believe in the Unix philosophy of doing one thing and doing it well so I'll take a dedicated reader over a multifunction device always.

I often find myself relaxing my eyes consciously when working on LCDs. So that tells me LCDs aren't there yet for eye safety.

Anyway to each his own and my advice to everyone try-before-buy if you can else buy at a place with a good return policy so you can test it. And always take the time to test it since that will reduce issues. Be aware of your body while testing. It helps a lot to know what's going wrong.

[Jim-Beam]

To those who are interested in the Q7 but are worried about Eletroworld: please remember that Eletroworld is only a website selling the device. The device itself is made by Smart Devices (http://www.smartdevices.com.cn). They make PMP's and MID's but not phones. AFAIK at the moment the only places outside mainland China where they have authorized dealers or resellers are Hong Kong and Singapore. As ColdSun has mentioned, the Q7 has started to show up on ebay, so if you don't feel comfortable buying from Eletroworld you don't have to, and the business practice of Eletroworld doesn't seem to have any direct relation to the quality (built, etc) of this device. I myself am still quite excited to hear what other owners have to say about it.

[mobelby]

Coldsun,
I've researched a fair bit today and it looks like a maemo port is essential to making the most of this device. I'll watch to see how you and chippy get on. Should be plenty of news to follow with this, iphone next gen, cooler reader etc.

My ideal is a device like the iphone with OLED to read wherever and a larger device at home, whether it be eink or a really good lcd