There is no shortage of bad e-readers out there. Over the past 15 years, when e-readers first started to hit the market, there have been countless brands that tried to release a device or two, only to fail. Wexler, Aluratek, Cool-er, Icarus, iRiver, Trekstor, Txtr, Entourage, iRex, Samsung, Asus and a myriad of others released a couple of models each and quickly bowed out of … [Read more...] about What is the worst e-reader you have ever bought?
Search Results for: Icarus
Understanding the E-Reader Global Supply Chain
Every single e-reader that is currently on the market are designed and manufactured. The most successful brands such as Amazon, Kobo and Barnes and Noble have design and engineering teams that construct the device and do mockups of how it will look and outsource the manufacturing process to trusted providers. Smaller companies tend to white label existing products or do limited … [Read more...] about Understanding the E-Reader Global Supply Chain
Do not buy an old e-reader on Ebay
Many people have nostalgia for their first e-reader or gravitate towards industrial design. When Sony was making consumer grade e-readers, they would often be made of aluminium, instead of plastic. Early Kobo e-readers really stood out in a crowd, since they had colorful designs, while Barnes and Noble had an entire line of tablets such as the Nook Color or Nook HD, which … [Read more...] about Do not buy an old e-reader on Ebay
The best Android e-readers of 2018
Android e-readers have really grown up this year and many brands are packing some serious hardware power to provide a robust experience. This is a far cry from a few years ago when single core processors and 512MB of RAM were the norm. Android e-readers have been around for the past four years and they initially had outdated version of the OS, which severely limited the … [Read more...] about The best Android e-readers of 2018
E-Readers that run Ice Cream Sandwich will lose access to Google Play
Google has announced that they are discontinuing support for Ice Cream Sandwich, which is Android 4.0 to 4.0.4. E-Readers that are running this version of Android will find a multitude of Google services will cease to function properly. This includes access to the Google Play Store, Gmail, Google Maps, data synchronization, and many other features. Google is also encouraging … [Read more...] about E-Readers that run Ice Cream Sandwich will lose access to Google Play
Icarus is no longer making e-readers and the company has disappeared
Icarus is based in the Netherlands and has been developing e-readers since 2010. The Icarus brand belongs to Distriread, who first got their start by developing the iRex series of e-readers. It looks like the company has quietly gone out of business. Their website has been down for the past couple of weeks and they deleted their Facebook and Twitter page. They stopped selling … [Read more...] about Icarus is no longer making e-readers and the company has disappeared
This is how you get Google Play working on Android e-readers
Earlier this year Google cracked down on devices that were not certified and blacklisted them from accessing the Google Play Store and various core services. This was done to help curb the onslaught of cheap Android phones and tablets from China, as well as custom ROMS. This whole situation also had a tremendous effect on the e-reader industry, since there are tons of players … [Read more...] about This is how you get Google Play working on Android e-readers
e-Readers are becoming popular again in 2018
The modern e-Reader day e-reader industry started to take off in 2010 when dozens of companies were issuing handheld ebook readers that utilized E Ink, which is the closest you can get to reading on real paper. Amazon and Barnes & Noble were making well over a billion dollars a year selling hardware and the digital content. The height of the industry was from 2011 to 2014 … [Read more...] about e-Readers are becoming popular again in 2018
Should Sony start making e-readers again?
Sony was one of the first companies involved in the e-reader space. The Sony Librie came out in 2004 and used E Ink technology. Since then, the company released over ten different models in the ensuing years and bowed out of the commercial space in 2014 and migrated all of their customers to Kobo. Sony then started to exclusively target the business market with large screen … [Read more...] about Should Sony start making e-readers again?
Games on E-Readers: A Missed Opportunity?
While the main purpose of e-readers is to allow users access to thousands of books from a single screen, they have often come with other features over the course of their history. In fact, some models have been made with built-in games to give readers something else to do in between devouring various fiction and non-fiction titles. Over their history, e-reader games have tended … [Read more...] about Games on E-Readers: A Missed Opportunity?
These are the challenges for developing apps for an Android e-Reader
One of the big trends in the past four years has been companies developing E Ink e-readers that use Google Android. This OS provides users with the flexibility to sideload in their own apps or download them via an accompanied app market such as Google Play. There are two major challenges for app developers that want to make a customized e-reading app that has support for an E … [Read more...] about These are the challenges for developing apps for an Android e-Reader
Will you buy a new e-reader this year?
2018 has been a banner year for e-readers and more devices were released than any other year. There are a number of new and notable devices that have been released in the past six months such as the Kobo Clara HD, Boyue Likebook Mars, Onyx Boox Note, Sony Digital Paper DPT-CP1 and a myriad of others from companies like Pocketbook, Icarus and Arta Tech. Between now and the end … [Read more...] about Will you buy a new e-reader this year?
E Ink Waveforms are a closely guarded secret
E Ink released the Carta e-paper screen in 2013 and Carta HD in 2015. Both of these technologies rely on the Regal Waveform Controller. Regal virtually eliminates the need for a full refresh, giving the viewer smoother viewing transitions and prevents ghosting. This enhances the reader's experience by providing smoother page turns and more focused reading. There are no … [Read more...] about E Ink Waveforms are a closely guarded secret
New Illumina XL6 e-reader has an Octa Core processor
Icarus is going to be rebranding the new Boyue Likebook Mars for the European market and they are calling it the Icarus Illumina XL6. It features a giant 7.8 inch epaper screen with an Octa Core processor and is going to be available on October 1st and retail for 289€. The Icarus XL6 is going to feature a 7.8 E Ink Carta touchscreen display with a resolution of 1782×1448 and … [Read more...] about New Illumina XL6 e-reader has an Octa Core processor