Last week Energy Sistem released a new ebook reader in Europe called the Energy eReader Pro HD.
It’s another newer Boyue-based ereader very similar to the InkBook Obsidian that I recently reviewed.
The Energy eReader Pro HD has a slightly different outer design but all the elements are essentially the same, with a flush screen, page buttons on each side, and a sensor below the display.
Last year I reviewed the Energy eReader Pro, which was also made by Boyue so it’s not surprising to see Energy Sistem release their take on the latest flush-screen model too.
What is surprising is the fact that they are calling it the Energy eReader Pro “HD” when it has the exact same screen as the previous model, so the “HD” doesn’t mean what you’d think it would.
Like similar Boyue models, the Energy eReader Pro HD has a frontlit 6-inch E Ink Carta screen with a resolution of 1024 x 758 (212 ppi).
Aside from the new outer design that is 2 mm thinner and 40 grams lighter, the hardware is exactly the same as the Energy eReader Pro +, minus audio support.
It has 8GB internal memory, a microSD card slot, 512MB of RAM, Wi-Fi, a dual-core Cortex A9 1.0 GHz processor, and a capacitive touchscreen.
The operating system is based on Android 4.2, and the pictures show Google Play onboard. The software is open to install Android apps, including a number of reading apps.
The Energy eReader Pro HD is available for €129 including VAT from the Energy Sistem website. It also sells from Amazon UK for £89 and Amazon.com for $130.69.
I really like the design compared to the Pro+; but too bad it lacks audio support. When will Boyue learn…? 🙂
Agreed. If it had audio, I’d have bought it – no question.
Now I’m actually wondering whether to hold out for an older model Boyue, second hand.
Yes, it’s an e-reader, and Kindles don’t have audio any more either, but it’s also an Android tablet, of sorts, and those do. Also, my Kindle Keyboard does still have audio as far as I know – unless they’ve killed it with a software update, since I last checked.
In the end, I bought a second hand Nook Simple Touch, and used Nook Manager to root it (for free) – which gives me an Android 2.1 e-ink tablet. It runs the Kindle app, CoolReader, FBreader… a few others.
The Nook doesn’t have audio either, but it does have hardware buttons, and they work in most apps (not so well in Kindle). I didn’t feel as bad spending £30, as I would have done buying the “latest” Energy Sistem devices for three times that, with less functionality than the previous model, as I see it.
The rooted Nook is a mature technology. Spend enough time googling and you’ll know all there is to know about it. Less is known about the newer devices… I kind of expect gotchas.
The Nook Touch does indeed still have a lot of advantages, even over some of these newer Android ereaders. The only downside is they are getting so old that it’s going to start getting harder and harder to find them with good working batteries. My Nook Touch is totally dead and won’t even hold a charge anymore.
The lack of a backlight and the decreasing battery life of my 4 year old (rooted) Nook Simple Touch is what brought me here.
I don’t care about audio – I’m more interested in finding a device that can run Cool Reader, maintain a charge for a couple of weeks of everyday use and has a backlight.
Cool Reader works pretty well on most Android ereaders after it’s setup for E Ink. Two weeks battery is about max for an Android ereader, though. They drain a lot faster than something like a Kindle or Kobo.
I’m good with the two weeks but I really want a (good) backlight.