News for E-Ink fans
Onyx Boox will be introducing some new devices this year, including eReaders with a 6 in. and a 7.8 in. display, all with upgraded hardware and all running Android 6.0. The 6 in. device is called the Poke and the 7.8 the Nova. I don't know about pricing just yet. The Nova should be better for Logos/Verbum than the Poke, I would think.
Thanks to my IRS refund, I have invested in an Onyx Boox Note. 10.3 in, display, quad-core processor, 2 GB RAM, 32 GB of internal storage. 227 dpi display. Android 6.0. Very lightweight, comes with WACOM stylus. Fits in right between the iPad and iPad Pro in terms of size. Has Bluetooth and even speakers. Has Google Play Store installed. Great for pdf viewing. You can annotate pdfs as well. Haven't had it long enough to gauge battery life, but it seems on par with similar Android E-Ink devices. Closest thing to an true E-Ink tablet I've seen. I haven't hit any bugs yet, though a few users report some.
Best of all, it runs Verbum MUCH better than any E-Ink device I have ever used. And - you can run the current Logos/Verbum app. Every feature and every menu looks fine in E-Ink. There are still slight delays in page turning.
It does not have an sd card slot, nor a frontlight. Contrast is good enough to view in a well-lit room, or outside. It's also not cheap - about $550 US - and not easy to get now because demand is outstripping supply so far. It should be available on Amazon soon. I've had it only a few days. Based on what I've seen so far, though, the Note looks like an ideal device to run Logos/Verbum for E-Ink loving eyes.
Find more posts tagged with
Comments
- Although I am drawn to the price of the Poke, I can't help but wonder the difference that the Mars' octa-core processor and extra GB of RAM would make in the total experience. If I'm not mistaken, it sounds like you had experience with a quad-core device prior to your Mars. I'm not sure how your prior device and the Mars compared to one another in terms of RAM capacity. Did you notice any difference between them in performance?
- I'm also curious if the size of one's library would affect the performance of these devices (I'm not sure how it stacks up to others, I have nearly 4,000 books in my library).
- Should there be any worry about storage capacity? All I can imagine having on my device would be my Kindle, Logos, Accordance apps + maybe a few PDFs. 16-32 GB just sounds like such a small amount. Should it be a concern?
- Although I am drawn to the price of the Poke, I can't help but wonder the difference that the Mars' octa-core processor and extra GB of RAM would make in the total experience. If I'm not mistaken, it sounds like you had experience with a quad-core device prior to your Mars. I'm not sure how your prior device and the Mars compared to one another in terms of RAM capacity. Did you notice any difference between them in performance?
- I'm also curious if the size of one's library would affect the performance of these devices (I'm not sure how it stacks up to others, I have nearly 4,000 books in my library).
- Should there be any worry about storage capacity? All I can imagine having on my device would be my Kindle, Logos, Accordance apps + maybe a few PDFs. 16-32 GB just sounds like such a small amount. Should it be a concern?
Would love to see a video of someone demoing Logos on an e-ink device.
If you search older posts, you may find a video or two that were done with the older Android 4.2.2 E-Ink devices. I recall seeing at least two.
At some point, I may attempt to do a video of Verbum on my Note. If/when I do, I'll post it.
I don't know about pricing just yet.Once someone does know, please add it to this thread.
When Onyx announces a release date for these devices, they will also announce the price. Eventually, the devices should be available on Amazon.
My best guess is that these devices will be available by the fall of this year (though no one would complain if they came out sooner).
You can read more about people's experiences in general with the Note here. You'll get all the pros and cons, and then some.
If you find the price a bit steep, Onyx should have (as I mentioned earlier) smaller and less expensive readers running Android 6.0 later this year.
E-Ink has some limitations, and not every app is optimized to look good or work well in E-Ink. But Logos/Verbum does not have those issues in E-Ink!
Having had a few E-Ink devices before, none of them can touch the Note in terms of how it runs the Logos/Verbum app. You will still find the app a little smoother on a high-end Android tablet or iPad. But the Note comes close. If you find that E-Ink is easier on your eyes than LED, it's worth a serious look.
Mark,
As you use you the Logos app on you Onyx Book Note 10.3, please give us reports. I am considering purchasing one myself.
How robust is the Logos App on your Book Note? Is there delay in turning pages? How do maps look? How well do searches work? Are links live and do they work? Does it frequently lock up?
Do you need to use the stylus, or does your finger suffice?
The more info you can give the more you will help with my decision.
Thanks for any help you can offer.
"In all cases, the Church is to be judged by the Scripture, not the Scripture by the Church," John Wesley
Mark,
As you use you the Logos app on you Onyx Book Note 10.3, please give us reports. I am considering purchasing one myself.
How robust is the Logos App on your Book Note? Is there delay in turning pages? How do maps look? How well do searches work? Are links live and do they work? Does it frequently lock up?
Do you need to use the stylus, or does your finger suffice?
The more info you can give the more you will help with my decision.
Thanks for any help you can offer.
I’m waiting for my car to get its scheduled service, so it’s nice to have something constructive to do!
I could do a video with my iPhone, if that would help. But, to answer your questions based on my experience thus far:
So far, I have been very impressed with how well Verbum works on my Note. All links work. There is a slight delay in turning a page, some of the time. Passage guides and word study guides come up quickly. I’ve used the split screen mode and linked two resources (a Bible and a commentar) and the commentary scrolls along with the Bible window with no delay.
I haven’t looked at maps yet, but I will. Text looks good. Some links are in a fainter gray, but still easily legible.
I can use either my finger or the stylus to click links or turn pages.
I haven’t experienced lock ups yet. There was one crash where I was suddenly thrown out of the app. That’s been it.
The Note has no front light, so you need to use it where you have adequate lighting. If you can read a paper book, you can read on the Note.
Hope this helps. I’ll send updates. Feel free to ask more questions.
Here is a video of the two devices (alas, without LOGOS):
https://notebookitalia.it/onyx-boox-ligo-poke-ebook-reader-specifiche-foto-video-26694
Blessings,
Floyd
Pastor-Patrick.blogspot.com
I really need 64GB to be well equipped for the future (such as 1000+ issues of CT). I vaguely remember an announcement by onyx to get out more Android 6.0 devices later this year, so I'm currently holding my breath for a 64 GB model.
Mark, just wanted to express my gratitude for your taking the time to introduce us to these type of readers. I was never really satisfied with the old import to Kindle "solution" but have always wanted my Logos on an e-ink device. I never knew these existed until today and, needless to say, I'm quite excited by what I'm seeing. Thanks again.
You're welcome!
In that spirit, let me point out a couple more E-Ink devices which could work well with the Logos Android app. You can find them here. One is the Onyx Boox Nova, similar to the Likebook Mars. Another is the Onyx Boox Poke Pro - with a six inch display, and so a little smaller, and cheaper, than the Nova or Mars. All three run Android 6.0.
The Nova has no microSD card slot, but has 32 gb of internal storage and allows you to choose a warmer front light. The Mars has an sd card slot but only 16 gb of internal storage. The Poke Pro has 16 gb of internal storage. Not sure about the sd card slot.
Thanks for that site, Mark. It's nice to see all of the options side-by-side in one place. I'm wondering if you would have any input to the following three questions:
Thanks again, Mark.
I've been using the Mars now for about two months. I can't say much about the Poke, but let me answer these questions from my point of having some experience with the Mars.
Prior to the Mars, I had an 800 MHz single core device with 256 MB of RAM and Android 2.3. Compared to that, performance of the Mars is excellent. If you just run your reading apps, it's really fast and smooth.
I've not tried installing an email client, half a dozen messengers, and social media apps, all of which run permanently in the background. With these specifications, I suspect it will have an impact on performance. The specs are that of an e-reader, not of a fully fledged tablet.
Resources on the internal memory have no impact on performance.
If you copy thousands of files onto SD, and the card needs to initialize, it takes about a minute for the device to become usable. This seems to be the case only after a full shutdown and cold boot.
That is the precise reason why I went for the Mars, as it has the SD slot, and can format SD cards as internal storage. My previous device had 32 GB of internal memory, which was very small.
Now I have 32 GB of internal memory plus 128 GB from SD, and multiple apps, a library of 6000 books, the audio versions of all my mobile ed courses, and a few epubs fit all on the device, and I still have about half of the memory available.
Of course the Mars is not cheap. However, I'm sure it will last about 5 years before FL (and Google) eventually end Android 6.0 support, so it's more like a long term investment for me.
1) I'd suggest that you go for the faster processor and the extra RAM in either the Mars or the Nova. You will see an improvement in overall performance. E-Ink is a little slower than LCD displays by its nature, but the extra speed helps. The other consideration is display size. Is a six inch display enough for you, or would something larger work better?
2) I don't download all my Logos resources to my E-Ink devices, but that's your call. I have about 800 resources on mine, and some people would say that even that is too much. I have all the resources I want for homily prep, and books i plan to read. I see no impact on performance.
3) If you want all those resources on your device, then the Mars with its sd card slot might be the way to go. As Jan said, you can activate adoptable storage, which uses your microSD card as your internal storage. So, you could easily have 128 GB there. One thing to be aware of: if you activate adoptable storage on the Mars, firmware updates will NOT install. I've tried. You have to load it all back to internal storage to install updates. Boyue hasn't fixed this yet. This is one reason why I'd recommend that people also look at the Nova. No sd card slot, but 32 gb of internal storage.
Here's my review of Logos 8 on the Likebook Mars: https://youtu.be/YTyz5YVbR6w
Here's my general review of the Likebook Mars: https://youtu.be/PL32KPVCfVI
And here's my review with Accordance: https://youtu.be/geSKL4e0mkY
Logos 8 is amazing. The Likebook Mars is too. Neither is designed for the other but they are friendly enough that I'll be using them together, but only at home when nobody is watching. Logos 8 on Android is so slow it's embarrassing. It relies on the cloud for everything. I'll be using Accordance as my on the go Bible app (even on my phone!) Until Logos 8 facilitates easy on-device storage for my entire library. Here's hoping. For now, this is a deal breaker. I'll be using Accordance on my phone and tablet and head back in time to the Desktop PC for Logos 8.
Has anyone be able to get audible working on the likebook mars?
It comes with the capability to install the audible app but when I try to do that I can’t get past the screen that says to hit next in order to download the needed materials.
Thanks for the help.
I found out. He have to go into the app settings and grant permission for drive access.
I just wanted to drop by and thank Mark and everyone else in this forum. I purchased the Nova Pro over the Mars & the newer, more expensive releases...and I love it. In the end, I went w/the Nova Pro over the mars due to a few reviews/comments that my research turned up, suggesting that the Nova was more smooth and had a more user friendly interface. My main concern was limiting my storage space w/out the option to expand it, but I have not found it to be as limiting as I feared. I house most of my PDFs on OneDrive, download and annotate them as necessary and then upload the marked up version when needed/upon completion. I follow a similar workflow w/Logos downloading books for offline reading purposes. Imo, the one drawback to the Nova Pro is that I feel that the battery doesn't have a great life between charges, but if that's the worst (and only?) gripe then that should offer an idea of how pleased I am w/it.
I have long wished that I could access Logos on my Kindle. I was only able to get a couple dozen of my books converted back in the days when the send to Kindle tool was active and have never been crazy about PDFs-> Kindle. Needless to say, if for no other reason (though other reasons abound), this thread ensures my indebtedness to the Logos forums. With that said, thanks again to all who took the time to provide thoughts, reviews, & answers to questions to those of us who were/are charting new territory. Though I am not as active or prompt as some here, if there are any Nova Pro specific queries, I will do my best to join the ranks.
If anyone is still following this thread... Onyx has just released the Note 2, and the Max 3, both of which have Android 9.0. One Onyx rep was quoted as saying that an Android 9.0 firmware upgrade would be made available for at least some current Onyx devices.
I suspect that we may also see a new Nova with Android 9.0 in the not too distant future.
I'll wait and see if they will offer my current Nova a 9.0 update!
Likebook has also announced an update to Android 8 for all devices that shipped with Android 6. I can't wait for it either!
Likebook has also announced an update to Android 8 for all devices that shipped with Android 6. I can't wait for it either!
[Y]
For whatever it’s worth I bought the Likebook Mars last December and it works awesome with Logos, Microsoft Word, Olivetree, Accordance, Gmail, Excel... I use it for my daily devotions now instead of a paper Bible; it’s a real delight to read on.
I'm in a similar boat to Al - I've had the Mars since late December and it works great. I use it almost exclusively for Verbum and my breviary (a pdf version of the Liturgia Horarum). I've gotten so many more books read in Verbum since acquiring the Mars, and have even found highlighting / taking basic notes to work quite well. Having the Android eInk device has allowed me to get a ton more mileage out of my Verbum library.
I just wanted to drop by and thank Mark and everyone else in this forum. I purchased the Nova Pro over the Mars & the newer, more expensive releases...and I love it. In the end, I went w/the Nova Pro over the mars due to a few reviews/comments that my research turned up, suggesting that the Nova was more smooth and had a more user friendly interface. My main concern was limiting my storage space w/out the option to expand it, but I have not found it to be as limiting as I feared. I house most of my PDFs on OneDrive, download and annotate them as necessary and then upload the marked up version when needed/upon completion. I follow a similar workflow w/Logos downloading books for offline reading purposes. Imo, the one drawback to the Nova Pro is that I feel that the battery doesn't have a great life between charges, but if that's the worst (and only?) gripe then that should offer an idea of how pleased I am w/it.
I have long wished that I could access Logos on my Kindle. I was only able to get a couple dozen of my books converted back in the days when the send to Kindle tool was active and have never been crazy about PDFs-> Kindle. Needless to say, if for no other reason (though other reasons abound), this thread ensures my indebtedness to the Logos forums. With that said, thanks again to all who took the time to provide thoughts, reviews, & answers to questions to those of us who were/are charting new territory. Though I am not as active or prompt as some here, if there are any Nova Pro specific queries, I will do my best to join the ranks.
Considering the Nova Pro.
I use my existing android tablet for reading mostly, with some note-taking - Evernote.
Reading apps: Logos, Aldiko, Google Books, Kindle, etc.
Random app: Kittens
A few questions:
How do you find sideloading apks on this device? Is the google play store required for this?
I hear that the Nova excels in contrast/light adjustment, making normal apps written for LCD screens impressively viewable. Thoughts?
Any more news on the Android 9 update?
Thanks,
Neil
I have the Nova, not the Pro version. The main difference is that the 'plain' Nova does not have a stylus.
Play Store is not required to sideload apks. Be aware that if you sideload a paid apk, sometimes it won't load if it can't connect with Play Store and "phone home"! You'll need to enable "Install from Unknown Sources" as you would for any Android tablet. Sideloading works fine.
The Nova/Nova Pro excel in contrast/light adjustment. Logos has never looked better on an E-Ink device. It looks like Logos was designed for E-Ink. There are various optimization settings you can adjust to make it even more to your liking. You can also adjust Animation Filter to make pages of resources turn more smoothly. I also like how easy it is to blend "warm" and "cool" light to get the ideal light for my comfort. That said, there will always be apps that will not look as good on E-Ink. But the Nova does a great job at it.
I haven't seen any news on the Android 9 update. Reps from Onyx have said that the Nova series would get Android 9. But no date has been announced.
I have recently sold my Nova and purchased the Onyx Boox Nova 2. It runs Android 9.0 (Pie), so it should be future-proof as regards Logos compatibility for quite a while. It is an E-Ink device with a 7.8 inch display, 32 gb of internal storage (no SD card slot), and 3 gb of RAM. I was very pleased with my previous Nova. The Nova 2 builds upon the Nova and enhances it in a number of ways. Performance is slightly better overall, and the last one was already good. Battery life also seems a bit better. It is available from Amazon or direct from Onyx.
Logos/Verbum can be optimized to look and work even better on this device by accessing the Optimization menu. Page-turning in Logos/Verbum is good, with only a slight delay. WiFi connectivity seems improved.
Its native NeoReader is a good eReader app, compatible with quite a few formats. It's also quite good with pdfs. Other apps, like MoonReader and Librera Pro, look good and work well
If E-Ink plays nicely with your eyes, you might want to consider this device to use for the Logos/Verbum Android app. It's also a good eReader overall.
Hi Mark, I bought one of the first Onyx Boox devices quite a few years ago (T68 if I remember correctly). I liked it, but found it too unstable to work with it in the end, so I sold it after a couple of months. I have been looking at the Nova 2 in recent days, could you tell me a bit more about your experience? Is it a stable device? No regular crashes etc. On the T68 I often had to press buttons 2 or 3 times as well to get it to respond. Is all that gone in the Nova 2?
Would you consider it a "mature" device, no more "teething problems". Any advice is welcome! Thanks in advance!
Hi Mark, I bought one of the first Onyx Boox devices quite a few years ago (T68 if I remember correctly). I liked it, but found it too unstable to work with it in the end, so I sold it after a couple of months. I have been looking at the Nova 2 in recent days, could you tell me a bit more about your experience? Is it a stable device? No regular crashes etc. On the T68 I often had to press buttons 2 or 3 times as well to get it to respond. Is all that gone in the Nova 2?
Would you consider it a "mature" device, no more "teething problems". Any advice is welcome! Thanks in advance!
Onyx has come a long way since the days of the infamous T68. (I had one, too.) The chances of getting a lemon are much less. Besides that, Onyx has improved their hardware and software greatly since then.
The Nova 2 is a "mature" device, in my experience. The firmware handles third party apps that were not designed for E-Ink (such as Logos or the Kindle app) much better than before. The Nova has options to optimize the look and performence of any app still further if, for example, page turns are not as quick or smooth as you would like. You can choose how often the display refreshes itself to keep any ghosting to a minimum. It makes Logos look like it was designed for E-Ink.
Since the Nova 2 has Android 9, it's future-proofed for a long time as regards compatibility with Logos.
The Nova 2's native reader app can handle many different formats, and handles pdfs quite well. You can always install your favorite Android reader apps as well.
The lighting is quite even. You can adjust not only its brightness, but set your preferred blend of "warm" and "cold" light.
Having said all that, be aware that E-Ink technology is inherently slower than LED and so you may still see slight delays in response occasionally. But those delays are much fewer and much briefer than before. The optimization settings help here as well.
Hope this helps!
That definitely helps Mark! Very good to hear their products have improved so much. I didn't think I would dare buy one of their devices again, but based on what I've seen online and your response, I've decided to go for it again. Very much looking forward to get it. Thanks so much for your quick response!
That definitely helps Mark! Very good to hear their products have improved so much. I didn't think I would dare buy one of their devices again, but based on what I've seen online and your response, I've decided to go for it again. Very much looking forward to get it. Thanks so much for your quick response!
I also upvote. I'm using a Nova Pro. Android 6. It is very usable. Such an improvement over reading on a conventional tablet. Going with the version "2" series gets you Android 9 out of the box and an improvement in hardware. For me, having 3-4 GB of RAM instead of the 2 GB that mine came with would significantly improve usability.
Come on in, the water's fine.
[Y]