Icarus Illumina or Illumina Pro 9.7" or is there a better option for me?

BoonTheMoon · 03-20-2017, 04:25 PM

I'm interested in buying an e-ink device that I can use for reading news, ebooks and certain websites.
I'm sick of the Amazon closed software universe. I think it's rediculus that I can't have access to both a digital subscription to a news site, and read their articles on my kindle (I would have to pay for a kindle-only subscription additionally,

and if it's available, it only gives me access to whatever went out at print-time and so news is always a bit outdated.
My thought is that I could get an e-ink device that runs android and use various native android apps to access my content, but before I spend the money on what seems like a fairly niche item, I'd like to know if anyone else has experience with this.

The Illumina series might just be what I'm looking for. TBH, I really wish they had an Illumina pro in a 6" size, I just want the pro for the stylus support. If you have insite into the Illumina 6" on the following questions, Please share that as well. If the stylus is not up to the task, I may just settle for the 6" anyway

Please tell me about support for the following use cases if you have experience with the Lumina Pro. If there's another device that will fit my needs, I'm happy to take alternate suggestions or feedback.

Kindle reading app- This is important. As a long time kindle user, I have a lot of DRM protected books that I have paid for, but not yet read (or that I plan to reread)

Web Browser- I prefer chrome in my android and linux life, but if it's not possible, I can survive with another browser as long as it supports mobile friendly mode. Any feedback people have of reading text based websites in 'mobile' mode would be great. I

Washington Post App- This may be unnecessary if the browser works well for reading, but I pay for a digital subscription and I'd like to be able to read it on my ereader!

RSS aggregaters- I can make my own RSS feed with articles I want to read later, and access them this way. I hate reading on a computer screen, I'd love to be able to access my pinterest feed this way or whatever.

taking notes- The reason I like the looks of the Pro version of the illumina is that I think I can use it for note taking. What is it like handwriting on the screen with the stylus? can you write or draw like you would on paper? is the hardware responsive enough for this?

keyboard- Additional to the responsiveness of stylus writing, I'm curious if people have experience using the google keyboard slide function. I love slide typing, and while I'm not planning on using this for primary communication, It would be nice to be able to fire off a quick email or PM

email App- does the gmail app work on this device? if not, is there another email client that will work that can support multiple email accounts?

Thanks so much for your answers, insights and advice in advance!

harray · 03-30-2017, 04:54 PM

A few months ago I purchased the newest 6" Icarus Illumina and found myself disappointed. Storage room is limited so you would probably need to pick and choose the Kindle titles you download.
There is a built in browser and I have only used it to download purchases from a particular store. I cannot download ADE. This appears to be a result of the inability to change time zones to North American time zones. The only zones available are eastern hemisphere ones. You can set local time. I use Instapaper and Pocket to read articles but Instapaper will not work due to the time zone issue.
I have been able to download the Washington Post app but have not been able to read content. I cannot determine if the difficulty arises because of the device or my location in Canada.
Because I cannot download ADE I cannot access Overdrive. The 6" Illumina will not take Libby.
I cannot speak to taking notes, keyboard, or the email app.
I do the bulk of my reading on my Kindle as I do not experience storage issues with it - I use the 2013 paper white. I read articles I've saved in Pocket and books in an app called "Ebook Reader."
I hope this helps.

03-20-2017, 04:25 PM	#1
BoonTheMoon Junior Member Posts: 2 Karma: 10 Join Date: Mar 2017 Device: Kindle Paperwhite 3rd Gen	Icarus Illumina or Illumina Pro 9.7" or is there a better option for me? I'm interested in buying an e-ink device that I can use for reading news, ebooks and certain websites. I'm sick of the Amazon closed software universe. I think it's rediculus that I can't have access to both a digital subscription to a news site, and read their articles on my kindle (I would have to pay for a kindle-only subscription additionally, and if it's available, it only gives me access to whatever went out at print-time and so news is always a bit outdated. My thought is that I could get an e-ink device that runs android and use various native android apps to access my content, but before I spend the money on what seems like a fairly niche item, I'd like to know if anyone else has experience with this. The Illumina series might just be what I'm looking for. TBH, I really wish they had an Illumina pro in a 6" size, I just want the pro for the stylus support. If you have insite into the Illumina 6" on the following questions, Please share that as well. If the stylus is not up to the task, I may just settle for the 6" anyway Please tell me about support for the following use cases if you have experience with the Lumina Pro. If there's another device that will fit my needs, I'm happy to take alternate suggestions or feedback. Kindle reading app- This is important. As a long time kindle user, I have a lot of DRM protected books that I have paid for, but not yet read (or that I plan to reread) Web Browser- I prefer chrome in my android and linux life, but if it's not possible, I can survive with another browser as long as it supports mobile friendly mode. Any feedback people have of reading text based websites in 'mobile' mode would be great. I Washington Post App- This may be unnecessary if the browser works well for reading, but I pay for a digital subscription and I'd like to be able to read it on my ereader! RSS aggregaters- I can make my own RSS feed with articles I want to read later, and access them this way. I hate reading on a computer screen, I'd love to be able to access my pinterest feed this way or whatever. taking notes- The reason I like the looks of the Pro version of the illumina is that I think I can use it for note taking. What is it like handwriting on the screen with the stylus? can you write or draw like you would on paper? is the hardware responsive enough for this? keyboard- Additional to the responsiveness of stylus writing, I'm curious if people have experience using the google keyboard slide function. I love slide typing, and while I'm not planning on using this for primary communication, It would be nice to be able to fire off a quick email or PM email App- does the gmail app work on this device? if not, is there another email client that will work that can support multiple email accounts? Thanks so much for your answers, insights and advice in advance!

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03-30-2017, 04:54 PM	#2
harray Junior Member Posts: 1 Karma: 10 Join Date: Mar 2017 Location: Ontario, Canada Device: Kindle Paperwhite	A few months ago I purchased the newest 6" Icarus Illumina and found myself disappointed. Storage room is limited so you would probably need to pick and choose the Kindle titles you download. There is a built in browser and I have only used it to download purchases from a particular store. I cannot download ADE. This appears to be a result of the inability to change time zones to North American time zones. The only zones available are eastern hemisphere ones. You can set local time. I use Instapaper and Pocket to read articles but Instapaper will not work due to the time zone issue. I have been able to download the Washington Post app but have not been able to read content. I cannot determine if the difficulty arises because of the device or my location in Canada. Because I cannot download ADE I cannot access Overdrive. The 6" Illumina will not take Libby. I cannot speak to taking notes, keyboard, or the email app. I do the bulk of my reading on my Kindle as I do not experience storage issues with it - I use the 2013 paper white. I read articles I've saved in Pocket and books in an app called "Ebook Reader." I hope this helps.