A couple days ago we got a first look at Onyx’s new premium 6-inch ereader in a video demo from a trade show in Hong Kong.
Onyx also has a page for a new ereader line called the Kepler series posted on their website. There have a few different sub-models because the one shown doesn’t say anything about being waterproof like the one in the video, but the design is the same.
The Kepler Pro that’s listed on Onyx’s website has some intriguing features. It’s basically the Onyx equivalent to the Kindle Voyage.
The Kepler Pro has a 6-inch E Ink display with 300ppi and a flush glass screen. It runs open Android 4.0 and can install Android apps. It has a frontlight, WiFi, Bluetooth, a capacitive touchscreen, a 3000mAH battery, 16GB of internal storage space, and there’s a microSD card slot for expansion.
It also has a metal casing and a button on each edge to turn pages, which is a bit different. The buttons seem kind of high up to be useful but it’s hard to tell from a picture. Apparently there’s also a lite version without side buttons.
Overall it looks like there are three models in the Boox Kepler series, the Kepler Pro, the Kepler, and the Kepler lite. We should start seeing them hit the market sometime this summer.
These will be the first 6-inch 300ppi ereaders from Onyx. They’ve recently updated their larger 9.7-inch ereaders for 2016 with the new N96 models, and the 13.3-inch Onyx Boox Max gets released next week. It’s good to see that Onyx is still evolving their smaller ereaders too since they’ve mostly been releasing larger ereaders lately.
It’s a “Kindle Voyage” were the Voyage to have 16 GB of storage + an SDCard + the ability to add 3rd party reading apps … which it doesn’t.
Perhaps a better statement would be that it is what a Kindle Voyage *should* have been. It seems to offer everything that I have been looking for.
Hopefully, they’ll distribute in the US at something less than an Oasis price.
Thanks for the alert, btw. I’ve been looking for a new device and it isn’t gonna be a Kindle so this is very good news. Maybe.
BDR,
If this doesn’t end up meeting your needs, especially on price. You might want to look at a Nook Glowlight Plus. The good folks over at XDA have achieved ‘root’ with ADB over USB here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=64191791&postcount=153
The entire thread is a wealth of information about installing apps on the Glowlight Plus.
Android 4.0?
The Kindle Android app needs a Android 4.1 as a minimum. Again I am disappointed by these ancient Android versions these ebook manufacturers use.
The Kindle app has always worked like crap on Android E Ink ereaders anyway since it’s not designed for E Ink screens. You’re much better off removing the DRM and using an app optimized for E Ink, or getting a Kindle for Kindle books.
The first and last time I rooted my Nook it bricked up. I brought it over to Barnes And Ignoble and the manager looked down at me as if I were a errant schoolboy. They helped me fix it but it was a major pain. They were jerks about it, since if you root their products it technically cancels the warranty.
They were jerks about it, since if you root their products it technically cancels the warranty.
Seems to me that if they helped revive your Nook, although they weren’t obligated to do so by virtue of your rooting it, they were being anything but jerks.
@Reader
Did you flunk reading comprehension in grade school? “I brought it over to Barnes And Ignoble and the manager looked down at me as if I were a errant schoolboy. They helped me fix it but it was a major pain.”
Rooting any device is certainly not for everyone and, yes, it generally voids the warranty. I bought mine used off Ebay, so had no warranty to worry about. Hopefully, this device will come in at a price comparable to the Glowlight Plus and Kindle Paperwhite 3. If it does, then ‘root’ won’t be necessary. If it comes in at the price of a Voyage, then some who are not averse to risk might want to try the Glowlight Plus, which runs Android 4.4.2.
It doesn’t have a 300ppi screen but the inkBook Obsidian is another good option for an Android ereader since it’s only $99 at Amazon: http://amzn.to/1MSHYeN
Considering that Onyx’s current 6-inch ereader sells for around $138, this new premium model is bound to be at least $159, probably higher.
Nice! I recently got into the Ebooks after trying to develop a -healthy- reading habit and found out how expensive books can be. lol Really appreciate all your reviews, Nathan! Will you be reviewing the JDreader, soon? It should be shipping out this month! 😀
http://item.jd.com/2694910.html#comment
It looks like an inkBook Obsidian clone made by Boyue, so I guess technically I already did review it. They rebrand the same models to different companies around the world.
Wow, really?! Thanks for the reply. I’ll re-watch the obsidian review. I didn’t think it was possible since it was a crowd fund, so I figured it must be something new.