Despite the variety of e-book formats (readers), readers with a 6-inch screen remain the most popular. Compactness remains the main factor here, and an additional one is the relative democratic price, which allows these devices to remain at the level of average and even “budget” smartphones in the price range.
In this review, we will get acquainted with the new ONYX reader, named ONYX BOOX Livingstone in honor of the great African explorer David Livingstone:
(image from the official website of the manufacturer)
The main features of the reviewed reader are a high-resolution touch screen, flicker-free backlighting with adjustable color temperature and unusual design.
Now let's move from the general to the specific and consider the technical characteristics.
Specifications of the ONYX BOOX Livingstone Reader
So what's inside it:
- screen size: 6 inches;
- screen resolution: 1072 × 1448 (~3:4);
- screen type: E Ink Carta Plus, with SNOW Field function;
- backlight: MOON Light 2 (with adjustable color temperature, flicker-free);
- touch sensitivity: yes, capacitive;
- processor: 4-core, 1.2 GHz;
- RAM: 1 GB;
- built-in memory: 8 GB (available 5.18 GB, optional - slot for micro-SD card up to 32 GB);
- wired interface: micro-USB;
- wireless interface: Wi-Fi IEEE 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.1;
- supported file formats (out of the box)*: TXT, HTML, RTF, FB2, FB2.zip, FB3, MOBI, CHM, PDB, DOC, DOCX, PRC, EPUB, CBR, CBZ, PDF, DjVu, JPG, PNG , GIF, BMP;
- operating system: Android 4.4.
* Thanks to the Android operating system, it is possible to open any type of file for which there are applications working with them in this OS.
Full specifications can be viewed at (tab "Characteristics").
In the characteristics, we note that the operating system used is not the most recent today (Android 4.4). From the point of view of reading books, this will not matter, but from the point of view of installing external applications, this will create some restrictions: today, a significant part of Android applications require version 5.0 and higher on devices. To some extent, this problem can be solved by installing older versions of applications in which Android 4.4 was still supported.
It would be possible to criticize the obsolete micro-USB connector, but you can not criticize: you have to recharge e-books so rarely that it is unlikely that this type of connector can create any inconvenience.
It would not be superfluous to recall that one of the features of the screens of modern readers based on "electronic ink" (E ink) is work on reflected light. Due to this, the higher the ambient light, the better the image can be seen (for smartphones and tablets - on the contrary). Reading on e-books (readers) is possible even in direct sunlight, and it will be quite pleasant reading: you won’t have to look hard at the text to distinguish familiar letters.
This reader also has a built-in flicker-free backlight, which will make it convenient to read in low light or even in its absence (however, doctors do not recommend the latter option; and they (medics) will still be mentioned in the course of the review).
Packaging, packaging and design of the ONYX BOOX Livingstone e-book
The e-book is packed in a snow-white box made of thick and durable cardboard:
The top cover of the box is fixed on the side with a magnetic "clasp". In general, the box has a real "gift" look.
The name of the reader and the emblem with a lion are made with “mirror” paint.
The technical parameters of the reader are detailed on the back of the box:
This is very useful because the buyer will know what he is buying, not a pig in a poke. Especially if he more or less understands these parameters.
Let's open the box and see what's in there:
Here lies the reader itself in the cover, a micro-USB cable and a charger. The latter could not have been put - there are more than enough of them in every house.
There are also traditional “papers” there - a user manual and a warranty card (stowed under the reader).
Now let's take up the reader itself - there is something to look at and what to pay close attention to.
The cover-cover of the reader looks so beautiful:
On the cover there is still the same emblem with a lion, symbolizing the nickname "Great Lion", received by Livingston from Africans. However, Livingston's meeting with a living lion turned out to be very unpleasant for Livingston, although not tragic.
The cover is made of very high quality leatherette, almost indistinguishable from real leather (nevertheless, animal advocates can be calm and not forbidden to buy this book).
The edges of the cover are stitched with real threads a little "antique".
Now let's open the cover:
Here you need to pay attention that the two buttons on the right are not on the reader, but outside it - on the cover. True, due to the dark color of both the reader and the cover, this is not very noticeable, but we will definitely dwell on this moment in more detail.
This is what the cover looks like with the reader removed:
The cover here performs not only an aesthetic and protective function, it also has a technical role. Thanks to the built-in magnet and the response Hall sensor in the reader itself, it “falls asleep” when the cover is closed and automatically “wakes up” when it is opened.
The desired maximum duration of “sleep” before automatic shutdown is set in the settings, it is advisable not to make it infinite: the Hall sensor and the accompanying “strapping” do not sleep and therefore continue to consume energy even in “sleep” (even if it is not enough).
Let's look at the part of the cover with buttons and contacts in an enlarged view:
The contacts are spring-loaded and “contact” very well.
The main purpose of these buttons is to turn pages; with a simultaneous long press - a screenshot.
On the back of the e-book, there are also corresponding response contacts for this:
Now - let's inspect the reader without a cover in other angles.
On the bottom edge there is a micro-USB connector (for charging and communication with a computer) and a micro-SD card slot.
On the top edge there is only an on/off/sleep button:
The button has an LED indicator that glows red when the reader is charging and blue when it is loaded.
And finally, let's look at the front side of the reader without the cover:
There is another mechanical button at the bottom of the reader. Its main purpose is "Return"; with a long press - turn on / off the backlight.
And here it must be said that the two mechanical buttons on the cover mentioned above are an additional control element (for convenience), and not a mandatory one. Thanks to the touch screen, the reader can be used without the cover and these buttons.
Another issue is that it's best to never take the reader out of the cover.
The fact is that due to the large screen area, it is not very difficult to damage it; so let it be better under the cover.
In general, I think that selling "readers" without a complete cover is a provocation. As a result, the price of the product seems to be reduced, but in fact the user can pay double the price for such “savings”.
By the way, back to the last picture.
It shows the top Android status bar. If the user wishes, it can be hidden when reading books (there is a corresponding setting), or left "as is".
Now, after studying the appearance of the reader, it's time to deal with its insides.
Hardware and software ONYX BOOX Livingstone
To study the electronic "stuffing" of the reader, the Device Info HW application was installed on it. By the way, this is also the first test - for the possibility of installing external applications.
And here, before presenting the test result, let me make a small "lyrical digression" about installing external applications on this reader.
There is no Google app store on this ebook, apps can be installed from APK files or alternative app stores.
But, as for the app stores, both from Google and alternative ones, this is the way of experimentation, since not every application will work correctly on e-books. Therefore, if you do not need to install something specific, then it is better to use a ready-made selection of applications from (and its previous parts).
This test application (Device Info HW) was installed from the APK file, ran without problems, and this is what it showed regarding the hardware structure of the reader:
This and many subsequent screenshots will be in color, although the reader screen is monochrome; because that is the internal representation of the image.
Of the sensors listed in the first screenshot, only the one whose type is specified specifically exists; this is the accelerometer that is used in the book to automatically rotate the image when the book is rotated.
Fine-tuning of this function is carried out by the user himself:
Taking this opportunity, let's look at the rest of the settings:
There are no settings related to the reading process (except for setting the operation of the orientation sensor). These settings for are in the reading applications themselves.
Let's look at the full list of applications pre-installed on the reader:
It is interesting that the actual applications for reading books are not visible here (they are hidden), although there are two of them in the book: OReader and Neo Reader 3.0.
The Internet via Wi-Fi on the device works, although not very fast, but it is quite suitable for reading mail or news:
But basically, of course, the Internet on the reader is for getting books; including through the built-in Transfer application. This application allows you to conveniently send files to the reader from the local network or via the "big" Internet.
By default, the Transfer application starts in the mode of transferring files over the local network, it looks like this:
Next, you need to go to the network address indicated on the reader screen from the computer or smartphone from which you are going to send the file to the reader. The picture for sending files looks like this (example from a smartphone):
File transfer is very fast, at the speed of a local network.
If the devices are not on the same subnet, then the task becomes somewhat more complicated: you need to switch to the “Push file” mode, and transfer files through an intermediate stage - the send2boox.com website. This site can be considered a specialized cloud storage.
To transfer files through it, you need to log in to it with the same registration data (e-mail) from the application on the reader and from the browser on the second device:
At the same time, when entering through a browser from a second device, the user will encounter a language problem: the site, unfortunately, cannot automatically determine the country or language of the user and initially shows everything in Chinese. Do not be afraid of this, but you need to click on the button in the upper right corner, select the correct language, and then log in using exactly the same e-mail:
Then everything is easy and simple: we upload the file to the site through the browser from one device, and we accept it on the reader through the Transfer application in the Push File section.
Such a system is slower than hopping over a local subnet; therefore, when devices are located on the same subnet, it is still better to use "direct" file transfer.
As for the hardware part of the reader, its screen turned out to be so interesting that it had to be separated into a separate chapter.
ONYX BOOX Livingstone e-book screen
Let's start with the screen resolution: it is 1072*1448. With a screen diagonal of 6 inches, this gives us a pixel density of almost exactly 300 per inch. This is a very good value, roughly corresponding to smartphones with a Full HD screen (about 360 ppi).
The quality of the texts on the screen is quite comparable with the typographic one. Pixelation can only be seen with a magnifying glass, and nothing else.
An additional improvement to the screen is its matte surface, which brings it closer to real paper (it is also matte); and at the same time eliminating the “mirror effect”, when all surrounding objects are reflected on the screen.
The screen is touch, the reaction to pressing is normal. The only slight inconvenience is the location of a pair of touch buttons on the Android status bar near the corners of the reader. To click on them, you need to “aim” well.
To combat artifacts on the screen in the form of residual manifestations of the previous image, SNOW Field technology works. It completely suppresses artifacts when reading texts, but, unfortunately, it cannot cope with images (forced screen redrawing may be required).
And, finally, one of the most important features of the screen is the flicker-free backlight with the ability to adjust the color temperature.
Flicker-free backlighting is organized by supplying constant current to power the LEDs instead of traditional pulses with PWM (pulse width modulation).
In ONYX readers, PWM was not noticeable before. This was achieved by increasing the PWM frequency to several kHz; but now the backlight system has been brought to the ideal (I apologize for such words).
Let's now analyze the adjustment of the brightness of the backlight and its color temperature.
The backlight is organized using five pairs of "warm" and "cold" LEDs located at the bottom of the screen.
The brightness of "warm" and "cold" LEDs is regulated separately in 32 levels:
You can put a “tick” in the “Synchronization” checkbox, then when you move one engine, the second one will automatically move as well.
When checking, it turned out that only about the top 10 levels of "thermometers" for both color tones have practical utility, and the bottom 22 give too little light.
It would be better if the manufacturer more evenly distributed the brightness control; and, instead of 32 levels, left 10; or, for good measure, 16 levels.
Now let's see how the screen looks with different color temperature variations.
In the first picture - the maximum brightness of the "cold" light, and in the second - the equal position of the "cold" and "warm" light sliders:
From these photos it can be seen that with an equal position of the sliders, not a neutral, but a slightly warm backlight tone is obtained. In other words, the warm tone slightly "overpowers" the cold one.
To achieve a neutral tone, the correct ratio of the position of the sliders was empirically obtained: the cold one should be two divisions ahead of the warm one.
The first in the next pair of shots shows a screen with such a neutral white tone, and the second shot shows the maximum warm tone:
In the process of reading, it is not necessary to enter the menu and move the sliders to adjust the backlight. To adjust the warm light, just swipe up or down along the right edge of the screen, and to adjust the cool light - along the left edge. True, the synchronization of warm / cold levels does not work with this method of adjustment.
Here, let's think about doctors again.
Doctors recommend a neutral or slightly cool light environment in the morning and afternoon (as invigorating), and warm in the evening (as calming before bedtime). Accordingly, it is recommended to adjust the color tone of the reader backlight.
Doctors never recommend a cold light environment (in their opinion, blue light is harmful).
However, in any case, the desire of the user himself has the highest priority.
Reading books and documents on the ONYX BOOX Livingstone e-reader
Of course, the processes of working with books on modern readers are standardized, but each of them has its own characteristics.
One of the features of ONYX BOOX Livingstone is the presence of two pre-installed applications for reading books and documents, and even two library interfaces.
You can find out about the existence of two applications if you long press on the cover of a book, and then select "Open with":
These apps are OReader and Neo Reader 3.0.
The “subtlety” here is that a “lazy” user who is not very interested in the peculiarities of technology and does not study manuals may not even be aware of the existence of two applications with their inherent features. Tapnul on the book, it opened, and good.
These applications are similar in many ways (standardization!): bookmarks, dictionaries, annotations, font size change with two fingers, and other typical functions work.
But there are differences, and in some ways even significant ones (there are also less significant differences, we will not dwell on them).
To begin with, only the Neo Reader 3.0 application can open PDF, DJVU files, as well as drawings from individual files. Also, only it can access Google's automatic translator when it is required to translate not individual words, but phrases and fragments of text.
The translation looks like this:
Single words can be translated by both applications using offline dictionaries in StarDict format. The book comes pre-installed with Russian-English and English-Russian dictionaries; for other languages can be downloaded online.
Another feature of Neo Reader 3.0 is the ability to auto-page pages with a specified period of their change.
This feature is called "slide show", and its setting looks like this:
Perhaps this property of the application will be required by some of the users. At least on the forums from time to time such applications are searched for.
The OReader application does not have these "magic" functions, but it also has its own "zest" - this is the ability to connect network libraries in the form of OPDS catalogs.
The process of connecting a network directory looks like this:
The peculiarity of connecting network directories is that you need to specify the full path to it, and not just the address of the site containing the directory.
Now let's return to the thesis that the reader has not only two independent applications for reading, but also two libraries.
The first library, relatively speaking, is “native”, and it looks like this:
The library has all the standard functions - filtering, sorting, changing the view, creating collections, etc.
And the second library is “borrowed”. It is borrowed from the OReader application, which maintains its own library. She looks very different:
At the top, the library shows the one and only book that was last opened.
And further below are several folders in which the books available in the reader are already sorted according to certain criteria.
You cannot create collections in this library, but all other features are at your service.
The library type is selected in "Settings" -> "User Settings".
Autonomy
Autonomy in e-books has always been “on top”, but due to additional features that require energy (Hall and orientation sensors, touchscreen, wireless connections, and, most importantly, backlight), here it may not be “sky-high”, but quite "mundane".
Such is the peculiarity of life - you have to pay for everything good! Including energy consumption.
To test the autonomy, auto scrolling was launched at a frequency of 5 seconds with a backlight sufficient for reading in a room with low lighting (28 divisions of warm and 30 divisions of cold light). Wireless interfaces are disabled.
When the battery had 3% charge left, the test was completed. Result:
In total, almost 10000 pages were flipped: not a record for e-books, but not bad.
Chart of consumption and subsequent battery charge:
In the process of charging, the battery gained 95% “from scratch” in about 3.5 hours, but the remaining 5% got slowly, for about 2 more hours (this is hardly critical; but if you want to certainly charge the reader up to 100%, then you can, for example , leave to charge overnight - it will definitely be ready by morning).
Results and conclusions
It is difficult to stand out among the most popular 6-inch e-readers, but the tested reader succeeded.
Of course, the main merit in this belongs to the protective case, which has turned from a simple cover into a part of the reader control system.
Although, even without this function, the presence of a case in the kit is a tangible “plus”, since it can save the user from unnecessary expenses for repairing the device (the screen in the reader is not cheap).
As for the actual functioning of the reader, it also pleased.
Touch screen, backlight with adjustable color tone, "flexible" Android system with the ability to install additional applications - it's all nice and useful to the user.
And even without installing additional applications, the user has a choice of which of the two reading applications to use.
The reader also has disadvantages, although no critical ones have been found.
It is worth noting, perhaps, two problems.
The first is the legacy Android system. For reading books, as already mentioned, this does not matter; but to improve compatibility with applications, at least version 6.0 would be desirable.
The second is the “nonlinear” adjustment of the backlight brightness, due to which only about 10 out of 32 brightness gradations turn out to be “working”. It is still possible to adjust a comfortable brightness and color tone, but the manufacturer’s flaw is also obvious.
Theoretically, not quite comfortable working with PDF and DJVU documents could also be attributed to the problems: the image turns out to be small due to the impossibility of changing the font size using standard tools (this is a characteristic feature of these file formats, not the reader). For such documents, a reader with a large screen is fundamentally desirable.
Of course, this reader can also be used to view such documents with an enlargement “in pieces” or with the reader rotated to landscape orientation, but it is better to use this reader for reading books in book formats.
In general, despite some "roughness", the reader proved to be an interesting and positive device.
Source: habr.com