Ebooks to group by ODM!

[jackau]

With expension of Taiwan display panel makers such as PVI aquiring E-ink, the island's IT ODMs are looking to Ebooks as their next money making pot after profits on LCD displays hit rock bottom...

Toshiba, Asus and the lot (PC powerplayers) are now preparing for a foot hold in this market, then there are the original ODMs such as Netronix. So in the future, just like notebooks with their ODMs, it may be possible to aline which is which with ODMs.

For the moment, Netronix seems to held the biggest number of known ODM contracts with minor players on the market. Cool-er / E-slick / Boaders Elonex, Cybook appear to be share the identical core with different casing.

Therefore I suggest starting a new group for all ebooks known to be made by the SAME ODM!

the current problem for Netronix was first its capacity to produce enough for all its customers (look what happen with the back orders for a number of their customers!!).

The next problem is its learner software package the NTX reader.

netronix's EB-6xx platform has the promise with enough raw power on paper to process functions mobile phones with lower hardware can do, namely: zooming .jpg and .pdf. Trouble was, its software can barely use the hardware power.

I assume NTX reader is supported by NeTroniX themselves. The retail brands relies upon it, hence it will be improve upon as their next generation hardware is already in the pipeline.

So we should press the retail brands to press Netronix to release generic upgrades to the NTX reader so our investiments won't go outdated too soon.


Can anyone with Netronix hardware varify their version of NTX reader? Compare improvements?


thank you

[wallcraft]

The Manufacturer is tracked in the E-book Reader Matrix, but we don't distinguish between ODM (original design manufacturer) and OEM (original equipment manufacturer). There can be issues with the hardware, but usually it is the software (firmware) that counts for an ebook reader. So I would not lump Bookeen or Pocketbook, who use their own reading software, in with the other vendors who use Netronix reading software. This is tracked in the "Misc Info" section of the E-book Reader Matrix.

There are already too many kinds of ebook devices to have forums for all of them. To complicate matters, Astak will be selling devices by Jinke and by Netronix. I am in favour of a Hanlin forum (including Astak EZ Reader) and a Netronix Forum (including Astak Mentor but not Bookeen or Pocketbook). However, there isn't a huge amount of traffic yet for Netronix clones.

[jackau]

Originally Posted by wallcraft

However, there isn't a huge amount of traffic yet for Netronix clones.

It appears Netronix has took on more than it can handle at the moment. I do not know if the Flooding does damage to taiwan's transportation network was a factor but from what i know shipments from them have been put on hold for a while. Likes of eSlick / Cooler / Elonex reported delays in new batches on their products.

So far, from the matrix page, I saw a lot of Netronix ODM models, therefore not unreasonable given it finally got the channel and production capacity, we will see a lot of Netronix clones on the market.

So I guess users would not mind a Netronix Forum that groups all its clones. So we can better track their development, especially the generic software.

Then, some chinese software / office hardware / OEM brands were alos looking into making ebooks, we already see sample of a Kindle DX look alike from one of them. So a Chinese Brand Forum may be needed some time down the track