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Onyx Boox Just Released 9.7 inch N96 and N96ML e-Readers

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Onyx Boox has just quietly refreshed their M96 Universe e-reader with two different models, the N96 and N96ML. The big difference between the devices is that one with dual touch (capacitive + electromagnetic) and the other employs a  electromagnetic touchscreen and a front light.

These e-readers should be appealing towards anyone who is looking to own a large screen e-reader.  One of the drawbacks of these two models is that they employ fairly paltry resolution and use an outdated version of e-ink.

Regardless of the resolution, there aren’t too many 9.7 e-readers on the market that let you install your own apps. This might be useful for people who have an extensive collection of maps, documents or PDF files.

Model N96 N96ML
Hardware
CPU Cortex-A9 1G Hz Cortex-A9 1G Hz
RAM 512M LPDDR2 1G LPDDR2
OS Android 4.0 Android 4.0
Front-Light NA Support
Screen 9.7‘’ inch pearl 9.7‘’ inch pearl
Gray 16 16
Touch Capacitive + Digitzier Touch Digitzier Touch with stylus
Resolution 1200×825 1200×825
Flash 16GB 16GB
Memory Micro SD (up to 32G) Micro SD (up to 32G)
Audio 3.5mm + MIC 3.5mm + MIC
USB Micro USB2.0 Micro USB2.0
WIFI WIFI, 802.11b/g + Bluetooth 4.0 WIFI, 802.11b/g + Bluetooth 4.0
Battery 3000mAh LI-ION Polymer Battery, 300 cycles charging 3000mAh LI-ION Polymer Battery, 300 cycles charging
Runtime

Around 4 weeks

Around 4 weeks
Adoptor 5.0V，1A 5.0V，1A
Charging around 3 hours around 3 hours
Size 258.2×177.3×9.5mm 258.2×177.3×9.5mm
Color Black Black
Weigth around 443g around 461g
Operative Temp. 0°C- 50°C 0°C- 50°C
Software
Book Format PDF, TXT, HTML, EPUB, CHM, PDB, MOBIPOCKET(Non-DRM), FB2, DJVU PDF, TXT, HTML, EPUB, CHM, PDB, MOBIPOCKET(Non-DRM), FB2, DJVU
Photo Format JPG, PNG, GIF, BMP JPG, PNG, GIF, BMP
Audio Format MP3，WAV MP3，WAV
Broswer Support Support
Language Support Support
Contents EPUB、PDF support EPUB、PDF support
Dict. Support stardict Support stardict
TTS Support TTS Support TTS
Notes Support Support
Annotation Support Support
Refresh A2 / Partial / Full fresh for optional A2 / Partial / Full fresh for optional
DRM DRM DRM
Update Support Support
Certification CE, Rohs CE, Rohs
Michael Kozlowski (7241 Posts)

Michael Kozlowski is the Editor in Chief of Good e-Reader. He has been writing about electronic readers and technology for the last four years. His articles have been picked up by major and local news sources and websites such as the Huffington Post, CNET and more. Michael frequently travels to international events such as IFA, Computex, CES, Book Expo and a myriad of others. If you have any questions about any of his articles, please send an email to michael@goodereader.com


News Items of Interest

  • Paul Berger

    Basically reinventing the Kindle DX (same screen) 6 years later, BRILLIANT!

  • Gupta Anirudha

    “M96ML” is wrong model number. It’s N96ML. Fix it 🙂

  • its fixed. it looks like Onyx, on their spec sheet wrote the wrong model number

  • Well DX did not have a touchscreen at any rate. It had a quaint D-PAD

  • Gupta Anirudha

    Good, It’s need to fixed in heading too.

  • It is also fixed. Damn Onyx for calling it like 2 different things on the product page.

  • M

    My guess is that Onyx is a small manufacturer and they can only work with the screens that are readily available from E Ink Corp. The higher res 9.7″ screen might be costly or not being produced. I had read something like this earlier but don’t have any reference right now.

    The software part of Onyx Boox is absolutely brilliant but Kindle lovers would be blind to such facts.

  • Increduloussus

    Has anyone here had experience using the dual-touch version?

    I’m considering buying it, but I can’t manage to track down a fairly critical concern about the UI–namely, how the dual-touch system avoids conflicting inputs between capacitive touch and stylus.

    I’ll be using it primarily for reading and annotating .pdfs, some of them scanned .pdfs. I hope to sync my Mendeley file directory to the N96 via Dropbox, and annotate
    while I read–not sure which app I will use. Currently I’m using a Kindle DX, which is far too cumbersome to make notes with. So the biggest upside to the Onyx will be the ability to use the stylus. But I also like the feature of capacitive touch, for things like navigating through menus, and for zooming/panning .pdf’s, especially scanned .pdfs. So most of my time will be spent alternately zooming & navigating through .pdf’s, and making annotations with the stylus.

    QUESTION 1: How does the Dual-Touch model differentiate between the inputs of capacitive touch and electromagnetic stylus? I’m worried they might give conflicting inputs, and that the dual-touch model might be frustrating to use in this context. Has Onyx added some UI functionality that allows you to specify which input you are using on the fly? Or perhaps there’s a way to turn each input on/off independently through the Android OS?

    I can’t find it now, but I saw a youtube video of another tablet that has another kind of dual-touch, and it has a feature where hovering the tip of the stylus a few millimeters above the screen disables capacitivetouch, so you can rest your hand on the screen while writing. Hoping that the dual-touch N96 has something like this…

    QUESTION 2: Assuming the dual-touch model doesn’t have a reliable way of differentiating those inputs, I may consider the N96ML instead. My question about this one is how it allows for zooming and navigating through .pdfs. Is there a way to use the stylus to zoom and pan?

    Thanks in advance for any information you might have!

  • Increduloussus

    One more nitpicky discrepancy is that both versions of the N96 apparently have 1G LPDDR2, at least according to this page: http://www.onyx-international.com.cn/index.php/en/boox-products/n96-n96ml

  • erdem

    Hi everyone, you have already mentioned in your review about the low resolution. But I want to ask it again for my specific needs. Can I use this ebook reader for lots of two or three column artciles and tables with tiny letters. I adore eink screen but I wonder if low resolution will not meet my requirements