Smart Q7 Tablet - Page 5

mobelby · 05-25-2009, 03:22 AM

Ruskie and Andybaby,

Perfectly good and valid points.

I'm weighing up between getting this and a netronix 6 inch eink reader at the moment (eg cooler reader). In terms of bang for buck this would be approx AUD300 delivered against AUD400 for a cooler.

What would I use them for ?
The cooler reader - only reading novels and nothing else
The MID tablet - reading novels, pdfs (eg economist and other magazines), web browsing and maybe as a photo viewer

A lot of what coldsun says above strikes a chord with me and I am also a firm believer that single function eink devices (based on vizplex or something very similar) will be less than $100 within two years so I'm very tempted by the MID. It's just a question of whether I believe I can read a whole novel on it.

Chippy · 05-25-2009, 04:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SpiderMatt

I do have one question: is there an on-screen keyboard to allow us to search the text of ebooks?

Yes, there is an on-screen keyboard.

Sweetpea · 05-25-2009, 04:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gideon

I look forward to hearing one of our regulars around here talk about it after they've played with it some.

I really want to think this is a good option, but I need more feedback first.

Same here.

I like the look of this device, it's just a large PDA! But as I've never used any form of linux, I'm a bit wary of that. Also, I don't know this FBreader, so I've no idea how it differs from my current app, MobiPocket (windows mobile).

The price is right though, and I love the form factor!

Chippy · 05-25-2009, 04:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mobelby

Two obvious points I forgot to say:

1. a linux (ARM) port of calibre would be great for this as a library tool - I'll ask Kovid how hard it is to make his linux version work on the ARM processor
2. Calibre has an inbuilt viewer for non-drm EPUB

There is an arm port in Ubuntu's repository but it's not quite the right build for the Q7. http://repository.handhelds.org/ubun...rse/c/calibre/
It shouldn't be too much work to get a correct build done.

ruskie · 05-25-2009, 04:50 AM

Well my mom likes it so she asked if it's good to read on it. I told her... try reading large amounts of text on an LCD screen. If you're fine with that then sure. That aside I'll probably buy her this as a gift. She really likes it. I do as well but might not get is as I already have an eeepc 701 which works fine.

Chippy · 05-25-2009, 04:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rgeorg

Will this support video playback without skipping (VLC?)?

I'm having some success with Divx files but it's not perfect. Maybe someone can tweak mplayer to make this work 100%.

Quote:

Originally Posted by rgeorg

And how fast will pages turn with PDF? Will Open Office or some other word-processor run on it? Will it play mp3?

PDF page turning is quick once the pages have been built (i haven't seen any major delays yet) and it will play most audio formats including streaming from the internet.

As for replacing an EeePC 701, be careful as it's aimed at a completely different usage scenario - consumption, and is a much slower device in terms of running desktop apps. No flash on web browser either.

rgeorg · 05-25-2009, 05:31 AM

@Chippy
I appreciate the answers to my questions. Thanks for all your info!

Sweetpea · 05-25-2009, 05:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ruskie

Well my mom likes it so she asked if it's good to read on it. I told her... try reading large amounts of text on an LCD screen. If you're fine with that then sure. That aside I'll probably buy her this as a gift. She really likes it. I do as well but might not get is as I already have an eeepc 701 which works fine.

I don't find that a fair way to check if find reading from a LCD screen handy or not.

I have a PDA, with a Transflective VGA TFT screen. This image says more than I ever could...

Besides, I find reading at my PDA much more comfortable than reading on my computer monitor... (which isn't transflective).

mobelby · 05-25-2009, 06:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sweetpea

I don't find that a fair way to check if find reading from a LCD screen handy or not.

I have a PDA, with a Transflective VGA TFT screen. This image says more than I ever could...

Besides, I find reading at my PDA much more comfortable than reading on my computer monitor... (which isn't transflective).

So ... is the smartq7 transflective ????

Chippy · 05-25-2009, 07:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mobelby

So ... is the smartq7 transflective ????

No, not transflective. Outdoor readability with the Q7 is poor.

Steve

klikklak · 05-25-2009, 07:32 AM

Meh, here I was getting ready to buy the cool-er reader and now I have to make a choice! damn it all to .. !

wallcraft · 05-25-2009, 07:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rgeorg

Even though my Eee weighs in at double (1kg vs 480gr) and has only about a 4,5 hour battery life - it does all of the above very nicely.

What does all this is the Viliv S5, which has a 4.8" screen and costs $600. There will be a Viliv X70 with a 7" screen, but this will presumably be more expensive still.

The Q7 is a less capable device for less money, and overall perhaps better value for the money (although the Viliv's are very good if you need their capabilities in a handheld). It is also showing what a color Reader should look like - good for ebooks, good for PDFs, WiFi with mainstream web browser (no flash player).

Sweetpea · 05-25-2009, 08:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chippy

No, not transflective. Outdoor readability with the Q7 is poor.

Steve

Hmm, I presume it has a glossy screen too? I don't like those...

ruskie · 05-25-2009, 08:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sweetpea

I don't find that a fair way to check if find reading from a LCD screen handy or not.

I have a PDA, with a Transflective VGA TFT screen. This image says more than I ever could...

Besides, I find reading at my PDA much more comfortable than reading on my computer monitor... (which isn't transflective).

I'm speaking of non-transflective LCDs only as transflective ones aren't really all that common yet.

And as the talk here is about the Q7 and comparing that to an eInk it's fair to compare the Q7's display to a similar LCD display.

And yes I would assume a transflective LCD would be on-par with an eInk display in all but power usage. Which no matter how one goes about will most likely still be eInks greatest strength.

ColdSun · 05-25-2009, 11:05 AM

I've been reading on LCD devices since I bought my RCA ebook reader back near 2001. I go to the eye doctor once a year with my son (my son has a stigmatism) and get a checkup myself. I have no problems with my eyes and as I stated, I read mostly in low light or totally dark situations. I'm not saying this is true for everyone, but I will say that most of us here stare at LCD screens all day anyhow. So for the few hours you are going to read, you are going to get a device that basically only works in well-lighted situations (unless you buy a wedge light which in my opinion makes it far more if a strain on my eyes than LCD, or buy a attached LED light that isn't much better). The only advantage - for me - to buy a kindle would be battery life.

I've purchased so many devices to read from over the years, because I love playing around with them. From my own experience, the best devices were LCD devices. For good reading experience the eBookwise-1150 is right up there. The DT375 Tablet PC was awesome for multi-purpose use but the form factor was a little big and it was heavy. The Nokia N770 was the best of all. I could do so much with that device! It has a fantastic quality LCD screen with great DPI and resolution.

The Smart Q7 is very much the child of the Nokia Internet Tablet. It is slightly faster than the N8x0 series, completely hackable and matches the ebook reading form factor that I've been looking for. I'm not looking for a UMPC - if I was I would be paying a lot more for it, although not much more than an over-priced Kindle that can only do one thing. I just can't justify spending the money on eInk, especially the Kindle, when I can get so much more for the price. At the same time, I'm just not sold on eInk at all. I never have been. I gave it a 6 month shot with my Sony PRS-505 so it isn't like I didn't try the technology.

One thing is a fact - eInk just can't do some of the things I want to do on my MID/ebook tablet. If Apple does come out with a new tablet device I am so there. I'm willing to bet it won't be eInk.

In the meantime, I'll use my Nokia 770 and my Smart Q7 which I paid a fraction of the price for a Kindle to do a ton more with and I'll start saving for my Apple tablet...

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05-25-2009, 03:22 AM	#61
mobelby Zealot Posts: 107 Karma: 224 Join Date: Sep 2008 Device: eeepc 901	Ruskie and Andybaby, Perfectly good and valid points. I'm weighing up between getting this and a netronix 6 inch eink reader at the moment (eg cooler reader). In terms of bang for buck this would be approx AUD300 delivered against AUD400 for a cooler. What would I use them for ? The cooler reader - only reading novels and nothing else The MID tablet - reading novels, pdfs (eg economist and other magazines), web browsing and maybe as a photo viewer A lot of what coldsun says above strikes a chord with me and I am also a firm believer that single function eink devices (based on vizplex or something very similar) will be less than $100 within two years so I'm very tempted by the MID. It's just a question of whether I believe I can read a whole novel on it.

05-25-2009, 04:50 AM	#65
ruskie Shade Posts: 100 Karma: 546 Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: U.LC.MW.Sol.Earth.EE.SI.LJ Device: Hanlin Jinke V3ext running OpenInkPot	Well my mom likes it so she asked if it's good to read on it. I told her... try reading large amounts of text on an LCD screen. If you're fine with that then sure. That aside I'll probably buy her this as a gift. She really likes it. I do as well but might not get is as I already have an eeepc 701 which works fine.

05-25-2009, 05:31 AM	#67
rgeorg Guru Posts: 675 Karma: 3314796 Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Europe & USA Device: K3/3G(2x), Glo HD, Amazon Voyage	@Chippy I appreciate the answers to my questions. Thanks for all your info!

05-25-2009, 07:32 AM	#71
klikklak Connoisseur Posts: 86 Karma: 124 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: helsinki Device: nokia 770, PRS-500	Meh, here I was getting ready to buy the cool-er reader and now I have to make a choice! damn it all to .. !

05-25-2009, 11:05 AM	#75
ColdSun Developer/Device Reviews Posts: 588 Karma: 22183 Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Phoenix, AZ Device: Sony Xperia Tablet Z, Kindle Paperwhite 2, Lenovo Yoga 8, IPad 3	I've been reading on LCD devices since I bought my RCA ebook reader back near 2001. I go to the eye doctor once a year with my son (my son has a stigmatism) and get a checkup myself. I have no problems with my eyes and as I stated, I read mostly in low light or totally dark situations. I'm not saying this is true for everyone, but I will say that most of us here stare at LCD screens all day anyhow. So for the few hours you are going to read, you are going to get a device that basically only works in well-lighted situations (unless you buy a wedge light which in my opinion makes it far more if a strain on my eyes than LCD, or buy a attached LED light that isn't much better). The only advantage - for me - to buy a kindle would be battery life. I've purchased so many devices to read from over the years, because I love playing around with them. From my own experience, the best devices were LCD devices. For good reading experience the eBookwise-1150 is right up there. The DT375 Tablet PC was awesome for multi-purpose use but the form factor was a little big and it was heavy. The Nokia N770 was the best of all. I could do so much with that device! It has a fantastic quality LCD screen with great DPI and resolution. The Smart Q7 is very much the child of the Nokia Internet Tablet. It is slightly faster than the N8x0 series, completely hackable and matches the ebook reading form factor that I've been looking for. I'm not looking for a UMPC - if I was I would be paying a lot more for it, although not much more than an over-priced Kindle that can only do one thing. I just can't justify spending the money on eInk, especially the Kindle, when I can get so much more for the price. At the same time, I'm just not sold on eInk at all. I never have been. I gave it a 6 month shot with my Sony PRS-505 so it isn't like I didn't try the technology. One thing is a fact - eInk just can't do some of the things I want to do on my MID/ebook tablet. If Apple does come out with a new tablet device I am so there. I'm willing to bet it won't be eInk. In the meantime, I'll use my Nokia 770 and my Smart Q7 which I paid a fraction of the price for a Kindle to do a ton more with and I'll start saving for my Apple tablet...

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