Onyx Boox Max vs. GoodEreader 13.3" (no name)

[medwatt]

Originally Posted by Dan23

A loosely related question - is it possible to navigate and read books entirely without the pen (using controls only) on Boox Max and is the pen holder removable? If it is possible, for me at least- it makes me care a lot less about the touch screen. Thanks.

I think you might consider the requirement of a pen as a pro if you're into speed reading. When I read I like my fingers to follow my eyes. It makes you read much faster and reduces the need to backtrack.

[AnemicOak]

Originally Posted by Feher

1) Since Netronix is involved, there are chances that project will be successful, i.e., they will deliver the hardware.

No doubt they will as long as there are enough supporters and the order gets placed. Netronix is just an OEM as long as they're paid I'd expect they'd deliver. I don't know what kind of warranties and support they offer their vendors after the sale.

I read the comments on Goodereader page and they are out-rightly lying about Boox Max and its capabilities. For example : They wrote that the page turn buttons on Boox Max won't work with apps downloaded from Play Store etc. Writing such flagrant lies doesn't suit a reviewer.

Not that it makes it right, but it could be an honest mistake. They've sure made them in their reviews and articles in the past. The problem comes in that they aren't talking as a reviewer here, but as a direct competitor.

[joblack]

Originally Posted by AnemicOak

Not that it makes it right, but it could be an honest mistake. They've sure made them in their reviews and articles in the past. The problem comes in that they aren't talking as a reviewer here, but as a direct competitor.

I see another problem. How can they write objective reviews, especially with the Onyx Boox Max, if they are themselves involed in the E-Book Reader selling business?

It looks to me at least a little bit shady as well. I think I have enough positive experience with Booxter to know what I can and will expect.

In Germany there is a proverb ("Nicht die Katze im Sack kaufen" - 'Don't buy the cat in the sack').

It translates roughly to 'Don't buy a pig in a poke.'

[Feher]

Originally Posted by espinosa00011

I will wait to see the devide before saying anything. I have only seem a video of Netronix and I did not have your same impresions.

I just checked youtube videos of Netronix 13.3" device and it is looking very promising indeed. In the first video, we can see the page turn speed and screen refresh rate.





As an end user, i am feeling happy that there is competition

Originally Posted by espinosa00011

I think this is just an error because they can not test the Onyx Boox Max. In fact the unique person at the moment seems to be Booxtor with a pre-realese sample. But been dual touch the physical buttons are not very important in my opinion.

I was just giving an example to prove my earlier point. I felt that they are deliberately trying to undermine Boox Max now that they are in competition. They have written reviews about M96, M96C, i86 earlier. Boox Max is the same device with larger screen, so they need not have Boox Max in their hands to compare or check this feature. They don't need to undermine another device, they are already winning on paper since they have a device with Dual-Touch.

[Feher]

These are the basic specifications that i look at when choosing an eReader in order of their priority


A2 mode or Fast refresh mode
High Screen Resolution (necessary for implementing A2 mode)
Dual Touch
Front-Light
Electromagnetic Touch (Stylus)
Hand Touch
Faster RAM and Processor
Battery Life
After sales support



Fast refresh mode is very important to me and i read exclusively in that mode. Average users don't even know about this mode. I thank mobileread user Rizla for introducing me to that mode.

If given an option to choose one type of touch only (Stylus or Hand touch) : I will choose Stylus touch for large sized eReaders and Hand touch for smaller eReaders. We buy large display eReaders for academic reading where note-taking is very essential and stylus will be needed. But i like to use my hands for basic tasks, so dual-touch will be the ideal combination.

New users think that Ram and processor matter, but they matter very less in eReaders. Battery life doesn't affect my core reading experience.


My final verdict : Goodereader device has Dual touch and they are doing better publicity, they will attract more users.
My personal choice will still be Boox Max since i cannot forego fast refresh mode and i like their software (Neo Reader). But i may wait for next version of Boox Max with dual touch.

[medwatt]

Originally Posted by Feher

Fast refresh mode is very important to me and i read exclusively in that mode. Average users don't even know about this mode. I thank mobileread user Rizla for introducing me to that mode.

So, in what way do you used the fast refresh mode that we don't know about ?

[allochi]

I just found out that my comments on GoodEreader has been deleted and I was blocked

This is quite a shock coming from a website that claim to be a place where people can read/watch reviews about different products and "Disqus" about them.

These are my comments from my "Disqus" account:

Sorry I have to jump in here as an Onyx M96 user, Onyx reader shine with it's reader software, the setting to zoom, navigate and text flow is unmatched in my opinion, even with my 9" reader I don't find myself zooming and changing the setting once it's there. seriously, unless you use their software, you don't know what you are missing.
Now, I do miss a side turn button on the 13", I admit that, and I do like that Netronix is lighter, but the quality of the readers I got from Ereader Store and their service has proven to be great, they even compensated me on and extra pen when it got lost by the post.
Your Netronix is a good product, on paper and videos, unfortunately I won't be able to order one because of the price + shipment will be too much for me since I live in Europe, so I'm going with the Onyx 13".
The Onyx has the advantage for people in Europe as a price, warranty and service, and has the advantage when it comes to internal components, yours have the advantage in weight and capacitive screen, don't forget that also the capacitive screen layer reduce the sharpness of the text usually, which I hope you guys are overcoming this.
Finally, both are good products, and I commend you both and wish you success, the market need 13" readers, and both are making us happy by providing them.
Thanks for both.

A commenter named "Frank Higgins" said he want the Max, and said that Onyx is not making it easy to buy in the US, so I tell him

I ordered my M96 (and the Max in the future) from Ereader Store, they seem to ship everywhere, good service too.

They are over 90% of their fund raising there is nothing that should scary for them, they claim to be subjective and honest about their reviews

Now, don't get me wrong, but I feel much better not ordering their reader, because if in the future I have a problem with their reader and I need service I will be "BLOCKED"!!!

This compared to Booxter shop, which in December when the post lost my shipment, Ereader Store resent me a replacement without charging me anything!

[DuckieTigger]

A question for the Max. How is Kindle support? I seen one video and they kinda didn't have the buttons working for it (probably not using volume button to turn page enabled) and the transitions look horrible. Is that any better with the buttons?

[fgdas]

Originally Posted by Booxtor

:
This product is still a typical niche product. This is why other big companies (except of SONY) just ignore it.

What do you think about guys?

I think your post is ridiculous. I understand you want to desperately grab the market share. It is only your little world.

Even if there would be Onyx Max, Netronix's 13'3, Sony's 2nd gen Digital Paper, Pocketbook Flex or any other device the main problem still remains:
PVI/E-ink is the only maker of digital paper.
They acquired nearly all the competition and that's why 13.3 inch epaper is so overpriced.

If such a device would be much cheaper and accessible they would be selling like crazy and you would not talk so absurdly.

[Lbooker]

Originally Posted by fgdas

I think your post is ridiculous. I understand you want to desperately grab the market share. It is only your little world.

Even if there would be Onyx Max, Netronix's 13'3, Sony's 2nd gen Digital Paper, Pocketbook Flex or any other device the main problem still remains:
PVI/E-ink is the only maker of digital paper.
They acquired nearly all the competition and that's why 13.3 inch epaper is so overpriced.

If such a device would be much cheaper and accessible they would be selling like crazy and you would not talk so absurdly.

E-ink is not Apple. They are not swimming in money. It is a miracle they did not go bankrupt. So no, their screens are not overpriced.

Last published results :
http://www.e-ink-info.com/tags/market-reports
For the whole of 2014, E Ink's net profit dropped to $NT13 million ($420,000 USD) - down from $NT29 million ($930,000 USD) in 2013.

[fgdas]

Originally Posted by Lbooker

It is a miracle they (PVI/E ink Holdings) did not go bankrupt.

You are right, it is time to move on. To sell the whole Eink business/technology again.
Prime View International is not able to develop the digital paper technology and to bring it to masses like Apple did.

[Dr. Drib]

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[eschwartz]

Originally Posted by fgdas

Prime View International is not able to develop the digital paper technology and to bring it to masses like Apple did.

The difference between E-Ink and Apple is that E-Ink makes a niche product, and Apple doesn't attempt to go into markets that they don't think are high-profit.

You've got it all backwards -- there is nothing to "bring to masses", which is why Apple won't bring it to them and instead leaves the market to niche players.

[Jmirko]

Now that the Goodereader device has reached its funding goal, this is getting interesting... My thoughts:

Competition in a niche market: I hope Booxtor is wrong and the market is large enough to support both models - time will tell. I think the bottleneck is PVI, they really need some competition. Failing that, higher volumes should allow manufacturing costs to come down. Having different variations of the product should increase demand and eventually conribute to lower prices. Fingers crossed, as I am not buying either one at these prices.

Reliability: now that Goodereader has hit its funding target, I think they will deliver the devices on time, or with a small delay. However, Booxtor raises good points with warranty and service - Goodereader should disclose these conditions, otherwise it's a bit of a gamble. In any case, Booxtor's experience and good track record in after-sales support is certainly a plus.

Software support: as we are talking about Android, I am not worried. In fact, I would happily buy a device with nothing but the OS and Google Play on it. There are so many apps for any purpose that I think sw support from the manufacturer is not a factor.

Hardware differences:
- I could live with the Netronix device's smaller RAM and storage - it's similar to my M96 and that works well, although the space allocated for apps is marginal.
- I also don't mind the Netronix' smaller battery, as it contributes to the lighter weight (350g vs 530g). Whether I need to charge it daily or weekly doesn't make a difference for me (with Android you can forget about weeks on a charge if you actually use the device).
- Dual touch is nice, and although the pen is the most crucial input method for me, I prefer touch to physical buttons.
- The lack of physical buttons also allows the Netronix device to be more symmetrical and therefore nicer looking in my opinion, especially in landscape view.
- What really bothers me about the Netronix is the lack of bluetooth and audio. At this price point I expect the device to have those basic utilities, even if I don't know exactly how I will use them. If the device does not support USB host mode (which is more than likely), then it will be problematic to add a wireless keyboard/mouse, for example.

It will be interesting to see people's experiences once the devices are delivered and reviews/opinions become available. I also wonder whether Sony will respond by marketing an updated version of the DPT-S1 (with Android)?

[rkomar]

Originally Posted by Jmirko

...
Competition in a niche market: I hope Booxtor is wrong and the market is large enough to support both models - time will tell. I think the bottleneck is PVI, they really need some competition. Failing that, higher volumes should allow manufacturing costs to come down. Having different variations of the product should increase demand and eventually conribute to lower prices. Fingers crossed, as I am not buying either one at these prices.
...

It's a chicken and egg problem (which comes first, the high volume or the low price). The answer is neither; small evolutionary changes lead to the final surviving ecosystem. If there aren't enough early adopters to allow the product class to survive, then it dies away. So, there is a good chance that those holding on to their money waiting for the ultimate device at 6" reader prices are going to be disappointed.

The 6" market started at high prices (I paid $350 for my Sony PRS-505), and the prices gradually came down over time as the current products/market bootstrapped themselves. $100 6" readers didn't just show up out of the blue.