Questions for A81/W1060, SmartQ 7, and SmartQ V7 owners

[bryanzs]

I think I've read all the many threads about these units, and am seriously considering buying one of them. My particular use will be as an ebook reader, and I've got a few questions that I didn't see directly addressed (but which are very important to me).

I typically read in several short snatches throughout the day - maybe a couple of minutes at a time - and so I need to know how fast I can get back into "ebook reader mode". I don't want to keep the device plugged in all the time, so that means the device needs to boot _very_ fast, or has to have a sleep/suspend feature that (a) doesn't drain the battery and (b) resumes quickly.

(Just for comparison - I've got an REB1100 dedicated (old) ebook which turns on instantly - there's no OS on it. I've also got an iRex iLiad eink ebook which boots into Linux and takes almost a minute until I can start reading. I'm not expecting REB1100 speed (I wish!), but I can't stand iLiad speed...)

So, given your actual use of these devices, can anyone help answer these questions?

1. How long does it take to boot?
2. Does it have a sleep/suspend?
3. How fast does the battery drain in sleep/suspend?
4. How fast does it wake up from sleep/suspend?
5. What kind of battery life, overall, are you seeing?

And of course, if you also want to tell me how happy/unhappy you are overall with your device, that'd be great to know too. I'm aware that there's some dissatisfaction with all of these devices - nothing is perfect - but if what's currently shipping will do the job for me as an ereader, I'm willing to live without the promised upgrades, updates, new OSes, etc., etc.

Thanks!

[DrDk]

Hi,

I have an A81.
I use the included FBreader software , I am very happy with it.
The unit boots in around 15-20 seconds , I have made a shortcut to the FBreader software , I tap that and am into the book where I left off in a split second.
It does have a suspend power choice , when I turn it on from suspend it is into the last page instantaneously.
I have left it in suspend for about 10 hours and when it resumed I was down to about 20% power.
When I turn it off completley between reading for 1 x 1 hour and 2 x 2 hour sessions (without bluetooth or wireless on) I get more than 3 days out of it.
Hope this helps!

[tank4141]

I've been using a je-100 for most of my reading lately. I'm using the mobi app to read my books and I'm pretty happy with it. I turned the brightness levell way down and I do most of my reading indoors. It's a win ce device and it does have a suspend function which I think is exactly what you want. When I'm not reading I just tap the power button on top of the device and it about a 2-3 second shut down. Tap it when you're ready to read and it comes on instantly exactly where you were when you suspended it. I think it has about a 5 hour battery but I bought a hi capacity battery on ebay that gives me 30% more power for $4. I've never had the battery run out on me but I've only had it for about a month now. I never turn it off, just use suspended mode when I'm not reading. Every couple of days I'll plug it in to recharge from my pc. It uses a mini usb so I've always got a cable available. I've never plugged it in the wall to charge it. It does plenty more since it's win ce but it's not perfect. I also read comics on it also but I think I need a bigger screen (this one is 7"). It comes with it's own leather like cover so it's pretty much good to go out of the box.

[bryanzs]

Thanks!

DrDK - the A81 sounds promising, but I'm a little sad that the suspend still chews up so much power. It's good to hear that it boots pretty quick (this is using Windows CE, right? Not the (as yet unreleased) Android, I'd assume...)

Tank4141 - Yes, I know the JE100/JE200 have removable/replaceable batteries, so that's a +1 for them

So far, though, it sounds like with either device, I'll need to boot it fresh in the morning and possibly suspend throughout the day, and then recharge overnight That may just have to be what I have to live with, but I keep hoping for a device with a real "suspend"...

Anyone know how the SmartQ devices perform...?

[martini]

Originally Posted by bryanzs

Thanks!

DrDK - the A81 sounds promising, but I'm a little sad that the suspend still chews up so much power. It's good to hear that it boots pretty quick (this is using Windows CE, right? Not the (as yet unreleased) Android, I'd assume...)

Tank4141 - Yes, I know the JE100/JE200 have removable/replaceable batteries, so that's a +1 for them

So far, though, it sounds like with either device, I'll need to boot it fresh in the morning and possibly suspend throughout the day, and then recharge overnight That may just have to be what I have to live with, but I keep hoping for a device with a real "suspend"...

Anyone know how the SmartQ devices perform...?

Yes, I have owned a Smart Q7 until last autumn. I give the vehicle quite good points. I use only Wince. Ubuntu is so slow. I can manage at least the same as in Ubuntu linux with the Wince. It is not so easy with the Wince at the beginning, but now I have an excellant MID. Many browsers, many ereaders and other programs even PalmOs emulatos Stytab is fully working.
The battery with wifi and screen 100% light works some 4-5 hours.But without wifi and some 60-80% screen light the battery will at least douple.
What a pity that they sell the SmartQ7 so crude without the necessary programs. In my composition it is 41/2 /5 but in factory composition only 3/5 points. I think that I have quite fantastic MID/etablet/eReader with all those 20-25 programs that I found.

[DrDk]

DrDK - the A81 sounds promising, but I'm a little sad that the suspend still chews up so much power. It's good to hear that it boots pretty quick (this is using Windows CE, right? Not the (as yet unreleased) Android, I'd assume...)

Yes this uses WinCE6
Its not that much slower to turn off completly instead of suspend.

[bryanzs]

Thanks, Martini and DrDk!

The main points in favor of the V7 (the multiple OS support and the active developers community), while nice, aren't that crucial to my main intended use (as an ereader).

The main points in favor of the A81 (faster boot, longer reported battery life), however, do directly impact the e-reading experience.

Although it's a very close decision, I have to say, as of now I'm leaning towards the A81/W1060...

Thanks again!

[Seabound]

Originally Posted by bryanzs

Thanks, Martini and DrDk!

The main points in favor of the V7 (the multiple OS support and the active developers community), while nice, aren't that crucial to my main intended use (as an ereader).

The main points in favor of the A81 (faster boot, longer reported battery life), however, do directly impact the e-reading experience.

Although it's a very close decision, I have to say, as of now I'm leaning towards the A81/W1060...

Thanks again!

I think you might have missed that the SmartQ 7/V7 has an excellent battery life, better than your other options from what I've read.

[bryanzs]

Originally Posted by Seabound

I think you might have missed that the SmartQ 7/V7 has an excellent battery life, better than your other options from what I've read.

Hi, Seabound. I'd read mixed things about the Q7/V7 battery life - Coldsun's review showed 8+ hours, and I did hear some people talk about 10 hours; yet there were also a number of comments about poorer battery life on the smartqmid forum, IIRC. Of course, this being the internet, it's hard to tell what's the "average" battery life versus just what people have chosen to post - maybe some folks got some bad units...

Are you trying to make this decision even more difficult??

[bryanzs]

Well, I decided and went with the A81/W1060. It really was touch-and-go between the V7 and the A81; in the end, although the V7 did appear to have the longer battery life, it also appeared to be slower to boot, and I'd read that the 'suspend' feature still drained the battery so I'd be powering down/powering up either device fairly frequently. Since one of my important requirements was fast boot, that tilted the balance to the A81.

Thanks everyone for the advice/information/suggestions!

[mervsduh]

I have an A81.

If you completely power off A81, it will take the device to turn back on between 20-30 seconds (not a full minute).

If you suspend the device, there's no delay for it to power back on. It's awesomely instantaneous (absolutely no delay).

How's this for a reference, I charged the device full at night. At around 9p I decided to put it in SUSPEND mode because it turns on instantaneous. I didn't charge it the next night (I didn't open it either, as I was too busy). But the day after the battery was completely flat by morning. So I would say around 24-36 hours in SUSPEND mode?

A81 is perfect for comics and ebook reading.

Cheers.

[bryanzs]

Originally Posted by mervsduh

I have an A81.

If you completely power off A81, it will take the device to turn back on between 20-30 seconds (not a full minute).

If you suspend the device, there's no delay for it to power back on. It's awesomely instantaneous (absolutely no delay).

How's this for a reference, I charged the device full at night. At around 9p I decided to put it in SUSPEND mode because it turns on instantaneous. I didn't charge it the next night (I didn't open it either, as I was too busy). But the day after the battery was completely flat by morning. So I would say around 24-36 hours in SUSPEND mode?

A81 is perfect for comics and ebook reading.

Cheers.

Hi, Mervsduh. Yes, I'd read that; it sounds great. That's why I ended up with the A81

And now that the Android port is available, what I was hoping (dreaming?) is that android might provide more of a "cellphone like" experience - with even faster boot, and/or a more complete "suspend" that left the batteries even more full over time. I don't know if _any_ android implementation can do that, though (let alone this early release one)...but I guess I'll find out! My A81 is supposed to ship this weekend from China with Android on it already!

[ColdSun]

My preference hands down is the A81/W1080. I could go on, but you can read the review I posted about why I liked it more than my SmartQ7. I've also got a SmartV7 and the A81/W1060 is still the clear choice (for me). Now that Android has been released I'll be interested in how well it is implemented, but that is a solid point for the A81 now.

[vkbook]

Hi,
This is my first post here in this forum. I have been lurking around a long time reading all the wonderful reviews. I use my blackberry ( mobipocket ) to read ebooks. I know how to use calibre to convert. Tried the IPod Touch but the screen is too small not too much of an advantage over my blackberry.Tried the aluratek e-reader. I did not like the page turn functionality.

I am looking for an multifunction device with ebook reading being the primary use.

I am considering the A81 and SmartQ V7. I prefer the A81 after reading the reviews as it has a replaceable battery - Is this a true statement. Has anyone found a battery that works? I also like the fact that I can listen to music while reading. Has anyone used an instant messenger with A81?

Am I better off buying an A81 or is the smartQ V7 better.

Thanks in advance.
Vk

[Nation.A.List]

Originally Posted by vkbook

Hi,
This is my first post here in this forum. I have been lurking around a long time reading all the wonderful reviews. I use my blackberry ( mobipocket ) to read ebooks. I know how to use calibre to convert. Tried the IPod Touch but the screen is too small not too much of an advantage over my blackberry.Tried the aluratek e-reader. I did not like the page turn functionality.

I am looking for an multifunction device with ebook reading being the primary use.

I am considering the A81 and SmartQ V7. I prefer the A81 after reading the reviews as it has a replaceable battery - Is this a true statement. Has anyone found a battery that works? I also like the fact that I can listen to music while reading. Has anyone used an instant messenger with A81?

Am I better off buying an A81 or is the smartQ V7 better.

Thanks in advance.
Vk

If Coldsun says the A81 is a better device for ereading I would trust him on that, however if you want to do more than just read ebooks I'm thinking the SmartQ's might have the edge BUT you must know or be prepared to learn some basic Linux commands in order to get the best out of them.
Like this Russian user has, live weather widget and all