I came across a video review of the Gvido music reader on YouTube today.
The Gvido is a unique device with two 13.3-inch E Ink screens connected together. It has two screens because it’s designed specifically for displaying sheet music.
It’s an interesting-looking device and the hardware seems pretty nice but it looks like the software still needs some work.
The Gvido first made an appearence in June 2016 as an early prototype.
There have been some delays since then but it was finally released late in 2017, and now it’s available to purchase from the Gvido website for a wallet-emptying $1600.
The Gvido uses flexible E Ink screens so it’s thin and lightweight for its size at just 6mm thick and 660 grams.
It doesn’t have a frontlight and the screen doesn’t support finger touch. It has a Wacom touchscreen so it requires using a stylus pen, which seems like an odd choice if you’re holding an instrument in your hands.
As far as storage, it has 8GB of internal space and there’s a microSD card slot. It has WiFi and three infrared page buttons to page forward and back. Battery life is rated at 3 days, and it supports PDF format.
They also sell a foot switch for an extra $300 and the cover is $300 as well. Apparently you need to be a highly-successful musician to afford one of these!
A friend of mine is a professional pianist and nowadays he uses an iPad pro with a foot pedal almost exclusively both when practicing and playing concerts. For a touring pianist used to carrying several kgs of sheet music this type of device with two screens can be a very interesting option if the software is optimised for the task. Musicians are used to writing with a pen, and are sometimes writing a lot of marks so I can see the advantage of using a Wacom touchscreen. As a amateur musician though I guess the price has to be reduced with a 5th before I would consider it.
Lots of page turner pedals that can be used with an Android tablet, and iPad, or a computer/laptop that sell for around $100.
One good example is the PageFlip Firefly page turner pedal.
I do like the idea of two screens, but this Gvido e-reader is a pretty pricey solution.
I am somewhat underwhelmed by the inability to do touch-screen operations with your finger. From another review I gather that a music stand light is needed in dim lighting because the GVIDO is not backlit. May the next version of GVIDO address these issues.
Well, now.
I have to confess, I am more than a little surprised at the hostile tone of some of the reviews that I’ve seen online and on YouTube. There is one review which seems to be balanced, and that’s available both in print and on YouTube. The others that I’ve seen, however, are pointing out flaws that I think are really non-existent. I just purchased my Gvido reader and it arrived today.
Yes, it’s at a price point which can give you a nosebleed. That said, for professional musicians like myself, the expense has to be weighed against having to carry around and manage lots of scores, especially loose scores or piano scores of accompaniments. You also have to weigh the price against the convenience that this represents. Finally, if you are a professional musician, you can of course take this large chunk of money as a tax write-off. This ameliorates a large amount of the cost of the unit because it will lower your tax bill significantly.
I’m also disappointed to say that I’ve seen some reviews by people who clearly have not even handled the device, much less owned it for any length of time. So let me put some of these mistaken ideas to rest.
The most common claim I see in these reviews is that the hardware is fantastic, but the software leaves much to be desired. Actually, though I am in agreement about the hardware, and it really is just unbelievable good, but the software is just fine. One complaint I saw was from a woman who made a YouTube video who says that the page turning is slow. I wonder if she has actually taken a stopwatch and measured how long it takes to turn a physical page, and then compared it with how long it takes the Gvido. I think anyone can see that the page turning is more than fast enough, and I would say in many cases faster. Plus, if you use piano scores that are thick, you obviously have eliminated the problem of music books that always want to close. Page turning is also quite easy, and can be handled either by the player or by a page turner.
To compare an iPad or an Android tablet, which I have, to a Gvido is strictly apples and oranges. The screen size is incomparable, and having two screens is quite a luxury. I find them quite readable, and I’m in my 60s, so my eyes are at very sharp anymore period I’m actually relieved that they did not make this guido reader finger touch compatible or backlit, because both things would have increased the size and weight enormously. Just like using physical music, if there isn’t sufficient light, you get a stand light. And the guido looks just fine and is very readable under most circumstances and even more so even in a dark room with a stand light.
So what are the weak points then? First, widow is marketing itself as also a source for downloadable music that you can purchase from them. The library, as it stands now in August 2018, is minimal and doesn’t represent any kind of a cross section of what a professional musician with need. So, you’re going to spend time scanning or downloading PDFs, trans and transferring them to the guido period it’s going to be time consuming, I admit, I’m preparing for all my concerts in the next 9 months, and this is hundreds of pages of music that need to be loaded into the lido. Once done, however, I cannot wait to go to my rehearsals and concerts and recording sessions with only the greedo and a stand light. I really think this is going to be a boon for professional musicians, the other week point I see is that there are not enough reviews and we go does not have a 14 day return policy. That’s an awful lot of money to spend when the manufacturer won’t accept returns except in case of defects. So it is a large gamble for many people. I’m hoping that this review will clear the air a bit of some of the misconceptions about what I think is a beautiful and very well designed device, and the only question left is how it will hold up under real-world use. It’s made very well, and there is already a video of a guido being dropped on a floor in slow motion, showing that it’s quite resistant to drops and at least in this case suffered no damage. I would say, give it a try. There aren’t that many out in the wild yes of course, but if you’re serious, and you really want to save on weight and binders in copying and taping and all the crazy things professional musicians have to do with their sheet music, the guido will be a real game changer period and I paid with my own money for my unit period
Hello Thomas,
Your review was exactly the information I needed. I have emailed Guido several times asking if I can upload my own PDF files and can’t get an answer. Their library is small and my library of scores is huge and I want to upload my own. You are the first answer I could find about that so thank you.
How is it holding up after 2 years? I am asking as I can’t find any recent reviews, and would appreciate it if you could send me a quick note about how you think of it now.
Warm regards,
Kristin