NextBook quietly released two new Android ereaders/tablets this past week, the Next5 (pictured above) and the Next6. There have been no sightings of the Next4 however, the third new model expected to be released this spring by NextBook.
Both new devices are available from JR.com. The Next5 is selling for $199, marked down from $299, and the Next6 is listed for $229.
The Next5 and Next6 have a lot in common. Both run Android 2.1, have SD memory card slots, WiFi, g-sensors, Adobe DRM support, built-in speakers, connect to Borders for ebooks, and feature 7″ 800 x 480 TFT LCD touchscreens.
What’s interesting about the Next5 is that it is the first device to incorporate E-FUN’s patented digital APEN writing tool. With the writing tool you can create real-time annotations on documents, photos, add electronic signatures, create handwritten emails, drawings, etc.
The Next6 is essentially an updated version of the Next2, sharing most of the same features. The main difference is that the Next6 has a capacitive touchscreen instead of resistive. It also comes with double the memory, 4GB instead of 2GB.
I’ll be getting a Next5 in to review later this month so stayed tuned for more details. I’m looking forward to seeing how the APEN works.
The specs at JR don’t specify RAM. I wonder how 512k ram versus 256k ram translates into performance on Android tablets. One annoying thing that doesn’t always happens with my Archos 70 is I will be reading a web page and switch over to another app and then come back to the browser and the browser has to reopen the page. Sometimes the page will still be open, but often not. I think the tablet is doing memory management and will force close the page.
The Next 3 says it has 2 x 128MB DDR2, so these are probably the same.
Hi Nathan, I am specifically interested with Next5 Apen writing tool. Can you elaborate this further? I live in NYC so I could just stop by to JR. But I am not sure that they have it on display. Anyway, it seems that there’s no info about this anywhere on the web, not even from nextbook. In fact, even endgadget got this info from you. So I am hopeful that you could add some info about this feature. I saw in the picture that both drawing in the notebook and in the tablet are the same. Is this some kind of hint how the tools work? Do they need some kind of special paper? Sorry for the rush 🙂 I know you would answer all these questions as soon as you got the piece at the end of the month, just I am a bit impatient as none of the tablets and ebook readers suit my note taking demand and habit…
Anyway, thanks, and keep up the good blog (this is my first time replying, yet I’ve been following this committed blog for the last couple of months).
Hi Sprug, sorry I meant to link to that. Here’s the APEN site. It doesn’t give much info, however, and I don’t know much about it yet or how it will work. Looks like an interesting concept though, especially when combined with a tablet.
Here’s more info from a press release from back at CES:
Thanks, Nathan. Sounds promising.
aReader reads PDB e-books on Android smartphones.
http://bstdownload.com/reviews/areader-1/