Xiaomi launches the InkPalm 5 mini e-reader for 599 yuan (~$91)

[Question Mark]

Originally Posted by salamanderjuice

Complexity of some Chinese characters really benefit from higher PPIs. If you're familiar with the characters its still readable but it IS nice to easily see every stroke at standard book font sizes.

Very true. Both Japanese and Chinese render very well on my Hisense A5 and A5 Pro CC. Wish such devices had been around when I was first learning Chinese.

Originally Posted by salamanderjuice

Android is fine with eInk reading. My Oynx stuff works great. Scrolling/page turn animations is a bigger issue than color palette but Oynx at least has modes to deal with it and most apps let you turn off page turn animations.

I love both my Onyx and my Hisense devices. They work incredibly well for reading. However, it can sometimes be a bit of a challenge initially setting up a reading app for a grayscale screen. Sometimes it is very difficult to see the options and where to tap. Had that problem just today playing around with my Nova 3 Color. Thought I'd see what nighttime mode on Moon+ Reader looked like. It was beautiful. The only problem was that I could then not see the icon to switch it back to regular mode. It took a few attempts.

The user interface on both Onyx and Hisense also takes some getting used to. Personally, I think the benefits which these devices provide are well worth the investment in time necessary in learning to use them. However, I could see how many people who just want a simple reading device might become frustrated. Especially when instruction manuals are not well translated or written.

[Question Mark]

Originally Posted by salamanderjuice

The only thing I miss from a dedicated Kindle is the better Japanese dictionary support.

Try using the Moon+ Reader app to open Japanese books. Although any Japanese text will be displayed horizontally, it renders furigana correctly. You can then customize the dictionary lookup response.

When reading in Japanese, I set a short press to look up selected text in a Japanese language app that I like. I use a long press to have the selected text looked up in the dictionaries which I have installed in the Goldendict app. Works a treat.

[positively4th]

Originally Posted by Quoth

It's Android based, so may also have English?

Sadly it does not. But perhaps someone will figure out a way to enable it. Such instructions exist for a different model of these and I’m curious if the process is the same or similar...

https://www.reddit.com/r/eink/commen...nglish_solved/

[salamanderjuice]

Originally Posted by Question Mark

Very true. Both Japanese and Chinese render very well on my Hisense A5 and A5 Pro CC. Wish such devices had been around when I was first learning Chinese.



I love both my Onyx and my Hisense devices. They work incredibly well for reading. However, it can sometimes be a bit of a challenge initially setting up a reading app for a grayscale screen. Sometimes it is very difficult to see the options and where to tap. Had that problem just today playing around with my Nova 3 Color. Thought I'd see what nighttime mode on Moon+ Reader looked like. It was beautiful. The only problem was that I could then not see the icon to switch it back to regular mode. It took a few attempts.

The user interface on both Onyx and Hisense also takes some getting used to. Personally, I think the benefits which these devices provide are well worth the investment in time necessary in learning to use them. However, I could see how many people who just want a simple reading device might become frustrated. Especially when instruction manuals are not well translated or written.

I find the culprit is usually Oynx's "Whiten App Background". It does more harm than good IMO. I turn it off in apps. Agreed that manuals could be better.

Responding to your other post, it is more so that the Kindle Android app dictionary doesn't seem to do as good a job deconjugating verbs than the eInk Kindles for some reason. At least from what I recall. I much prefer reading it vertically. More fun that way.

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by positively4th

Sadly it does not.

So we wait for a Western release, or Asian release for English speakers.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Quoth

PW3 and Kobo Libra are clearer than the PW4. The original H2O is better contrast with no frontlight than all, because it's IR rather than extra layers of capacitive.

They should have kept selling the PW3 and discontinued the Basic instead of adding LED front light.

The Kobo Aura H2O Edition 1 does have a front light.

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by Quoth

PW3 and Kobo Libra are clearer than the PW4. The original H2O is better contrast with no frontlight than all, because it's IR rather than extra layers of capacitive.

Originally Posted by JSWolf

The Kobo Aura H2O Edition 1 does have a front light.

Jon, as I read the sentence, @Quoth was saying that the original H2O had better contrast with it's frontlight off than any of the capacitive touch devices that were referenced.

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by DNSB

Jon, as I read the sentence, @Quoth was saying that the original H2O had better contrast with it's frontlight off than any of the capacitive touch devices that were referenced.

Indeed I wrote in a hurry and thus my meaning wasn't clear. I have the original H2O, so I've used the front light.

It's better to use sufficient ambient light than a front light. I do have a reading lamp in bed and my library-study desk is almost under the room lamp.

[positively4th]

FYI - this doesn’t have English as a built in option (the description at this link saying it does is wrong I believe), but I noticed it’s up for order at a different store now... https://www.cect-shop.com/en/xiaomi-...inkpalm-5.html I ordered one hoping I can figure out how to get English on it using instructions like this.. https://github.com/epodegrid/epd106-...ster/README.md

I can’t vouch for that store as it’s my first time using them but it seems legit and has fast shipping options for cheap.

[Question Mark]

Originally Posted by positively4th

FYI - this doesn’t have English as a built in option (the description at this link saying it does is wrong I believe), but I noticed it’s up for order at a different store now... https://www.cect-shop.com/en/xiaomi-...inkpalm-5.html I ordered one hoping I can figure out how to get English on it using instructions like this.. https://github.com/epodegrid/epd106-...ster/README.md

I can’t vouch for that store as it’s my first time using them but it seems legit and has fast shipping options for cheap.

I bought my Hisense A5 and A5 Pro CC from Cect Shop. If I were in the market for another such device, I would happily buy from them again.

[rowe]

Thanks for the Cect link. I’ve ordered from them before.

Just bought one, interested to see how it compares to my A5.

From the Cect description ‘It has an English option that you can use the E-Ink screen device to read English e-books, PDF files or Android applications.’

If not, I’ll try replacing the launcher but I’ll only be using Moonreader on it day to day.

[positively4th]

Originally Posted by rowe

Thanks for the Cect link. I’ve ordered from them before.

Just bought one, interested to see how it compares to my A5.

From the Cect description ‘It has an English option that you can use the E-Ink screen device to read English e-books, PDF files or Android applications.’

If not, I’ll try replacing the launcher but I’ll only be using Moonreader on it day to day.

I think that bit might be a copy/paste from a different Xiaomi ereader.. we will see. I personally know someone who bought / returned one in China for the sole reason of checking this for me as Xiaomi has no pre sales support available... they checked for the English option and it isn’t there, but I am hoping that apps can still be side loaded or that the launcher can be changed. Crossing my fingers.

[rowe]

Yes, last resort I’ll just use a camera translate app to setup, then leave it in Moonreader (I’m hardly ever outside of Moonreader on my A5 so it may as well be Chinese otherwise).

[Noobien]

Eagerly following this thread. I'm super keen on the idea of a small modern device.

[positively4th]

I see cect shop updated the item description to now say this: “Please note, that the Xiaomi Moaan InkPalm 5 is produced primarily for the Chinese language market. Only Chinese language is supported.”

Mine still hasn’t shipped after a week...