New 6.8" GoodEreader/Netronix Device

[Question Mark]

Following close on the heels of their successfully (mis)handled 13.3" ereader campaign, the folks at GoodEreader have announced a new 6.8" device. I'm guessing that it is also made by Netronix although they have not released all that much information about it yet other than to say that it is also Android based and has both touchscreen and stylus support. Oh, and the price will apparently be $199.

http://goodereader.com/blog/electron...d-e-reader-6-8

Below are just a few of the comments which this announcement has so far gathered. Thought I'd preserve some of them before they start getting deleted.

ILoveBigBooks • a day ago

It looks awesome but please can you focus on fixing the software instability, poor battery life, rattling parts and long delays with the 13.3" reader before developing this? There are hundreds of negative comments all based on these issues on the project page https://www.indiegogo.com/p...

Good E-Reader Mod • a day ago

All of this is fixed with our new product!

Darren Hou • 2 days ago

I recommend none of you even consider purchasing/supporting. Their 13.3 inch ereader has been delayed, and my aunt has been trying for weeks to get a refund without any response.



Alan Neese • a day ago

I'm an owner of the 13.3 and you will curse the day that you first looked at this product. I waited for almost one year for mine and it is as slow as #%!. They have terrible customer support and clearly don't care about their customers at all.


http://goodereader.com/blog/electron...d-e-reader-6-8

They also have a brief YouTube video of it in action:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGZKQZ10xsk

[Pajamaman]

Looks nice and not bad at $200. The extra screen size makes a difference. The note-taking abilities with a stylus are impressive. I think this will appeal to a lot of people that can't afford a bigger note-taking device.

[HarryT]

I'd carefully consider the company's reputation for customer service before ordering.

[Question Mark]

Originally Posted by HarryT

I'd carefully consider the company's reputation for customer service before ordering.

I assume you are talking about the crowd at Good e-Reader. I think one needs to distinguish between Netronix and Good e-Reader.

Netronix, so far as I know, enjoys a favourable reputation and has produced quality ereaders for companies such as Kobo.

Good e-Reader, on the other hand, has a much more questionable reputation. The way they handled their 13.3" campaign left much to be desired and there have been numerous complaints from backers of that campaign. https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=272106

Interestingly, there no longer seems to be a direct link on the Good e-Reader website to their 13.3" Indiegogo page. And their 6.8" campaign will apparently be launched on Kickstarter instead of Indiegogo.

[HarryT]

Oh, indeed. Netronix are a long-established and very reputable company.

[JSWolf]

If this really is a Netronix device, it could be the next Kobo Aura H2O.

[Question Mark]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

If this really is a Netronix device, it could be the next Kobo Aura H2O.

No mention of it being waterproof, so I doubt that it would be the next Kobo Aura H20.

From the device shown in the Good e-Reader YouTube video linked to above, it would seem to be the E60Q62 model on the Netronix website: http://www.netronixinc.com/products.aspx?ID=1

Nate, over at The Digital Reader, noticed it last July: http://the-digital-reader.com/2016/0...lears-the-fcc/

[AnemicOak]

Originally Posted by HarryT

I'd carefully consider the company's reputation for customer service before ordering.

Not only their CS rep (or lack there of), but the fact that they started out as a shady site that charged people for access to pirated books.

Originally Posted by Question Mark

Netronix, so far as I know, enjoys a favourable reputation and has produced quality ereaders for companies such as Kobo.

Indeed, a company well known for making nice reading devices, but it's likely not Netronix folks will be dealing with for CS if they even get their device.

[Nate the great]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

If this really is a Netronix device, it could be the next Kobo Aura H2O.

Doesn't this device have an electromagnetic stylus?

Kobo never uses them.

Also, this thing runs Android, right?

Kobo uses Linux.

[Question Mark]

Originally Posted by AnemicOak

Indeed, a company well known for making nice reading devices, but it's likely not Netronix folks will be dealing with for CS if they even get their device.

While the Netronix device looks tempting (although I would be more tempted by an 8" device), I would be very hesitant about dealing with the crowd over at Good e-Reader. From what I have seen of their 13.3" campaign, the customer service experience has left many of their backers frustrated.

Indeed, here is the most recent post on their Indigogo page for that campaign. It first appeared the other day before getting deleted. Wonder how long it will last this time...

Martina Pauls 5 minutes ago

I will repeat my comment until you honor me with an answer:

Dear Mr. Kozlowski and Mr. Carotenuto,

My order ID is 390 and I ordered the e-reader in August 2016, at which time you estimated the delivery time to September 2016. After having overdrawn your estimated delivery time for over half a year now and apparent problems with the firmware and software (enormous battery drain, Google Play Store failure, long loading times), I now kindly ask for a refund.


Martina Pauls 5 minutes ago

Seeing that you have not even filled the order with the ID 201 and seem to simply evade questions regarding the delivery date with „your order will go out in this batch“ for weeks now, I no longer have faith in you delivering the product you promised in your campaign anytime soon. As according to Indiegogo policy a refund is up to you, I therefore kindly request it. I also wrote this message to you via email. Kind regards, Martina

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/1...ader#/comments

[Question Mark]

Just noticed this on their Kickstarter page:

michael kozlowski Creator 1 day ago

Yes, this includes taxes and duties.


Paul Dénis Mannot 1 day ago

Shipping to Holland is very expensive: CA 94 dollar. Does it include tax or duties?

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects...eader/comments

Interesting. Whenever I have ordered an item from overseas, the shipper has always made very clear in advance that any import taxes and duties are my responsibility.

I wonder if GoodeReader can really pay the taxes and duties in advance when shipping an item from Canada to Holland.

[Question Mark]

Curiously, the folks at Good-Ereader have added the 6.8" device as a perk on their Indiegogo page.

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/1...ader#/comments

I'm not really sure why they would want to do that instead of steering people over to their Kickstarter page. Because if they don't achieve full funding for the Kickstarter project, they won't get any of the funds. And after a good initial showing, they have been stuck at about 35% for the last week.

So why would they want to cannibalize potential backers for Kickstarter by offering the device as a perk on Indiegogo? Weird.

[Question Mark]

Well, after removing the link to their 13.3" campaign on Indiegogo from their website when they started their 6.8" campaign on Kickstarter, the Indiegogo link is back and the Kickstarter link is gone.

They have officially thrown in the towel on their Kickstarter campaign:

Greetings everyone. I would like to thank everyone for their support so far of the Good e-Reader 6.8. This is our first Kickstarter campaign and we noticed that one of the downsides is that we only have an extreamly short duration in which we could raise capital for our e-reader. We have decided that we will add the 6.8 to our Indiegogo page and sell it alongside our 13.3 inch e-reader.

We want to provide our customers with ample time to commit themselves to our e-reader and we have been using the Indiegogo platform for over a year and things are going great.

When our Kickstarter project ends, nobody will be charged and I encourage you to visit our Indiegogo website and back the 6.8 e-Reader.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects.../posts/1883204

Interestingly, at the end of one of their most recent YouTube videos, they claim that, "They're shipping right away so place your orders today." Despite the fact that there are backers of the 13.3" device on their Indiegogo page asking for a refund because they have been waiting for months for their device to ship, and despite the fact that, on the very same page, they write that the 6.8" device will not ship until October.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnUfg2BdDTY

I wonder how long it will be before there is another flurry of deletion of comments on their Indiegogo page...

[Question Mark]

Gary Oppenhuis 3 days ago

Great to see the 6.8 e-Reader added to this campaign! As the overall combined campaign shows as 327% funded, does this mean that the 6.8 e-Readers are fully funded as well, or are there additional backer submissions needed to produce the 6.8 e-readers?


Peter Carotenuto Campaigner 12 hours ago

To not confuse our customers/backers, we want everything under one roof. This way we can manage our entire customer base on one platform. We are working towards launching the 6.8 sometime this year !

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/1...ader#/comments

It was a simple question: Is the 6.8" device already fully funded, or, if not, is there a certain number of backers specifically needed before it will get produced and shipped?

Considering they stated that they didn't want to confuse their customers/backers, they could hardly have been less clear... Why bother responding to the question if no answer will be provided?

[franzli]

Maybe the "this year" part was meant to address the question, but you're right that it's not a very successful answer even if so intended.