Kingrow K1

[cartz]

With the Kingrow K1 now shipping I'd love to hear opinions from anyone who has this device.

Specifically I'm wondering if there is a smooth scrolling / a2 mode.

[underscore]

I'm still waiting mine,
would be cool to have a dedicated forum here

[cartz]

Originally Posted by underscore

I'm still waiting mine,
would be cool to have a dedicated forum here

No need for a dedicated forum. Just use this common thread in the Android Devices forum.

[underscore]

#50 contrib here
Let's hope the company start to speak a little bit more in terms of website, manuals, support, ticketing system.

I tried to browse their http://kingrow.net/ to see if a manual or some further spec was present but no luck.

Why on indiegogo they put Sunnyvale, US if the company is Chinese ?

[pata]

Mine arrived today. There was no shipping notification it just showed up at my door.

There is smooth scrolling (i.e. it doesn't refresh each time you move the page) but, well, it's still eink. At first glance K1 screen just doesn't seem as nice as the A6 even though it's the same DPI. It's noticeable smaller, temperature isnt as nice... I can't find any settings to mess around yet.

It's nicer in hand — especially for those of us who champion one-handed use. The volume button is unsegmented; it's still a question mark if I'll miss having discrete buttons for paging.

The Android software setup is more basic than the A6. No Google Play services* but none of the Baidu/Chinese default apps either. I easily got F-Droid installed and will quickly migrate over.

[cartz]

Originally Posted by pata

...I easily got F-Droid installed and will quickly migrate over.

That's great that you have both the Hisense A6 and the Kingrow K1. As you get more time with the K1 I'd love to hear your thoughts comparing the 2 devices. I didn't order a K1 and don't know if they will make more for sale or if it was a once off. But even if it was a once off then I suspect I may be able to pick one up second hand given it seems to have not met the expectations of some users.

I currently have a Hisense A2 Pro and have been on the verge of upgrading to the A6. But I do like the smaller size of the K1 (and I assume lighter - I find my A2 Pro a little heavy) and I'd prefer a device that was purely e-ink. I'll be particularly interested to hear how you find the speed of the device compared to the A6, the comparative smoothness of smooth scrolling, comparisons in typing and comparing the frontlight of each device.

Cheers.

[pata]

Originally Posted by cartz

Specifically I'm wondering if there is a smooth scrolling / a2 mode.

Originally Posted by cartz

(I find my A2 Pro a little heavy) and I'd prefer a device that was purely e-ink. I'll be particularly interested to hear how you find the speed of the device compared to the A6, the comparative smoothness of smooth scrolling, comparisons in typing and comparing the frontlight of each device.

Cheers.

There is no 'a2 mode' that I have found yet; you can't watch smooth video on this. It's smoother scrolling than a Kindle browsing the web but very obviously not like smooth scrolling mode on the A6. Even when configuring the volume buttons to turn pages in Libby (I use a app to simulate a gesture swipe) the difference is quite noticeable. The K1 hitches and lags more

Typing is about equal performance on both. The A6 frontlight is brighter/warmer than the K1 frontlight.

The only reasons to choose the K1 are for the handfeel or if you can't use an backlit display at all. It's lighter and easier to hold. The flatter edges and back ensure a nicer grip. I wish the A6 was smaller; perhaps Hisense would put the eink screen in the front and toss a smaller OLED screen in the back for the next generation... but the A6 is still clearly the better ereader device.

[cartz]

Originally Posted by pata

... but the A6 is still clearly the better ereader device.

Thanks very much for that. It makes it clear to me that the A6 is the best option for me. Fingers crossed we eventually get a quality smaller device, but in the age of big big phones I doubt it will be anytime soon.

[jlynton]

Originally Posted by pata

No Google Play services*

Does anyone know if it is possible to install Google Play services?

[pata]

Originally Posted by jlynton

Does anyone know if it is possible to install Google Play services?

No for the K1. Yes for the A6 (albeit with some bugs)

[pata]

Originally Posted by pata

No for the K1. Yes for the A6 (albeit with some bugs)

I really should clarify: it's not possible to Google Play Services right out-of-box for both the K1 and the A6. To get it on the A6 you either have to buy the Russian edition or install a custom ROM that hacks together features from the Russian and Chinese editions (details on XDA forum).

There’s no such path for the K1. Initial attempts to dig deeper into the firmware seem unnecessarily difficult (there are already some reports of bricked devices in the Indiegogo comments).

However, the K1 build is much closer to stock android than the A6 and I was pleasantly surprised to find that Google Maps installed successfully via Aurora store. I had been unable to get that on my A6. Maps is the only irreplaceable part of the GSuite for me so K1 actually has the edge here.

Originally Posted by cartz

Thanks very much for that. It makes it clear to me that the A6 is the best option for me. Fingers crossed we eventually get a quality smaller device, but in the age of big big phones I doubt it will be anytime soon.

The Light Phone II has finally been released which is closer to my ideal size for a small eink phone/reader. Both the K1 and LPII are $350 but one runs Android while the other... doesn’t. After I got over the disappointment about the lack of a display ‘fast mode', and started configuring my settings to optimize for refresh, the K1 has its charms. It's certainly good value compared to the LPII and decent value compared to the A6 (~$500).

p.s. be sure to double check that the K1’s LTE bands are compatible with your cellular provider if you want to use it as a phone

[underscore]

Originally Posted by pata

However, the K1 build is much closer to stock android than the A6 and I was pleasantly surprised to find that Google Maps installed successfully via Aurora store. I had been unable to get that on my A6. Maps is the only irreplaceable part of the GSuite for me so K1 actually has the edge here.

that's super news for me, if only they deliver mine soon
I was wondering if we can have/start a wiki page on mobileread to track down those things like what does work and how.
I learned lot of tricks from Onyx mobileread wiki pages

[DaleDe]

Originally Posted by underscore

that's super news for me, if only they deliver mine soon
I was wondering if we can have/start a wiki page on mobileread to track down those things like what does work and how.
I learned lot of tricks from Onyx mobileread wiki pages

Anyone can make a Wiki page. I have been watching this and will probably start one today if no one else does. I have been looking for a good reference site for specs and a place to refer people.

Dale

[DaleDe]

I have created the wiki page Kingrow K1

Dale

[pata]

Thanks!