Meebook isn’t as large because it as soon as was. The corporate although is doing its bit to stem the slide and the current launch of the Meebook 8C is ample proof of that. Additionally, with the M8C, the corporate appears to have ticked all the appropriate bins. That features a K3 coloration e-paper show, a Wacom pen, Android 14 out of the field, an octa-core processor, 4 gigs of reminiscence, 64 GB of storage, and a lot extra. However is that sufficient? Let’s discover that out on this evaluation.
Model and Construct
The M8 C doesn’t break any new floor with its design. Its appears and construct are par for the course with out being extraordinary in any facet. The rear lacks any texture, which implies it may be a fingerprint magnet if not correctly dealt with. There may be the corporate marking on the prime middle whereas in direction of the underside, there’s the standard tech stuff inscribed.
On the highest proper lies the Energy button whereas on the backside lies the USB C port, twin audio system, and the standing indicator gentle. On the appropriate aspect lies the SD card slot whereas on the appropriate aspect lies the twin microphones.
UI
If the UI appears acquainted, that’s as a result of it appears fairly just like what you could have with the Onyx Boox or Bigme units. Swipe down from the highest left and there’s going to be the acquainted set of controls and shortcuts proven within the Management Bar.
A lot of the parts of the Management Bar are self-descriptive. There may be the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth buttons on the highest adopted by the House, Auto Rotate, Screenshot, and Background Administration buttons.
Different buttons current embrace Airplane Mode, Do Not Disturb, Display Solid, Display Mirroring, Refresh, Shade Adjustment, and Refresh Setting.
Thereafter, there are the show controls the place there are just a few pre-set show modes although you even have the customise choice out there as properly which is able to allow you to individually set the brightness and distinction.
On the backside lies the amount slider bar.
Whereas all of that is okay, the standard Meebook character is grossly lacking as far as the UI is anxious, and that isn’t a superb factor, it should be mentioned.
Point out should be made from the Shade Adjustment characteristic which permits for extra finer management of the show. The entire controls are organized underneath three tabs – Refresh, Shade, and Show.
Underneath Shade, you could have totally different pre-set modes for viewing totally different content material varieties. These embrace Default, Photograph, and Cartoon. You may as well create and save your individual personalized show modes as properly by setting the Distinction, Vividness, Brightness, and different controls.
Underneath Refresh, you could have Regal, Default, Quick, Excessive Pace, and High Pace choices.
Lastly, there’s the Show tab that reveals two settings – Black and white show mode and picture 256 grayscale mode. There are toggle switches out there for every management although the picture 256 grayscale mode is at all times on by default. That is no matter whether or not you particularly flip it on or off. In different phrases, you haven’t any management over it in actuality and it doesn’t make a lot sense both as to why the corporate offered the identical within the first place.
The Black and white show mode, however, may be invoked just by turning the change on or off. It is so simple as that. Actually, the M8 C occurs to be one of many only a few units that really supply the choice to toggle between monochrome and coloration show simply by the flick of a change. Solely the Onyx Boox Poke 2 Shade provides such a characteristic. In any other case, a devoted button to activate or off black-and-white mode is a rarity and isn’t out there on every other Kaledio 3 machine. It’s at all times good to have such a characteristic and you may simply flip it on or off relying on the content material you’re viewing.
In any other case, the contact enter is just not on top of things. Many instances it fails to register a contact enter or doesn’t result in the specified end result. In some instances, you may even be transferred again to the house web page as properly the place you should have the restart the entire thing once more. This makes the UI very shoddy and unreliable in efficiency.
Stylus
The Wacom Stylus is similar that iFlytek provides, besides that it’s now in white. Nothing incorrect with that as Meebook might need sourced the pen from the identical OEM. There may be the eraser on the again although, owing to its plastic construct, it provides none of that pure rubber-like really feel when erasing. It comes with a graphite composition nib. There may be additionally a side-mounted button as properly. Briefly, there’s nothing particular in regards to the pen. That mentioned, it being quite common, getting substitute items simply in case one thing goes incorrect is at all times going to be straightforward.
Word Taking Expertise
Those that want that pure pen-on-paper-writing really feel are going to be grossly dissatisfied right here. As a substitute, it’s like writing on a slippery floor with no suggestions in any respect. In any other case, the pen is kind of responsive with subsequent to zero lag instances. You possibly can select from 16 enter colours or set the road thickness. There are 5 totally different pen varieties out there. You may as well set probably the most used pens within the shortcut part on the left.
The left panel additionally has an eraser simply in case you aren’t keen to make use of the one on the highest of the pen. As already said, the pen-mounted easer too lacks the pure rubbery really feel and has a slippery really feel to it. Different instruments out there right here embrace undo, restore, lasso instruments, zoom, and graph, which nonetheless may be very fundamental with only some shapes offered. There may be additionally the textual content enter characteristic out there as properly together with the choice to increase your canvas additional, one thing that appears to have been taken straight out of an Onyx Boox machine.
Studying Expertise
Manga
Meebook can properly be thought-about the unofficial ambassador for selling manga content material. The M8 C can be a superb machine for studying manga. The 7.8-inch show is simply good for the manga format. As Peter demoed within the video beneath, you may flip the refresh setting to Regal which makes the show extremely clear and sharp. It is possible for you to to select up even the minutest particulars simply. That mentioned, in the event you suppose the Regal setting is slowing issues down, you may at all times go for a excessive web page refresh velocity setting in your viewing pleasure.
Guide
The M8 C also can function a superb e-book reader machine as properly. The show is nearly as good, or as dangerous as on every other e-reader that comes with the Kaleido 3 show. One of many largest points right here, if it may be so mentioned, is that the background isn’t as white as on a tool with a monochrome e-paper show. The most effective factor to do is to maintain the entrance gentle turned on which serves to light up the display for issues to look brighter.
In any other case, the studying expertise goes to depend upon the app you’re utilizing. Additionally, virtually all apps have a typical set of options. You possibly can set the font or the font measurement, bookmark a web page, or write notes. Lengthy urgent on a phrase ought to reveal further particulars about it together with its that means in easy phrases and so forth. The benefit right here is you can obtain the app you need from the Play Retailer and proceed together with your studying.
Conclusion
Meebook has tried valiantly at making an attempt to get again the market share it misplaced throughout covid, nevertheless it simply doesn’t appear that it’ll ever get again to the standing they have been held. The M8 C is presently a catastrophe. And I say ‘presently’, as a result of a number of this may be solved with some software program updates. However hear me out. Taking the machine for face worth, it’s fairly poor. The English is unnatural, misspelled, and ill-spaced. Which ends up in an enormous studying curve and a ton of bewilderment
It does have Wacom, which is a large plus, nevertheless it’s so slippery and slimy feeling, that it virtually is as in case you are writing on a glass tabletop with pancake syrup spilled throughout it. No thought or care was utilized to the note-taking really feel, realism, and even options as they virtually forgot so as to add quite simple integral options to the performance of note-taking. As is the difficulty with all Kaleido 3, it’s very darkish, making it pretty poor for studying books
Meebook has been closely advertising itself to Southeast Asia just like the Philippines, Indonesia, and Vietnam, as a manga reader resolution. And it does do it properly. It has a lot of velocity modes, and distinction ranges to enhance the web page into the way in which you need it to look, so we’ll give them that. Twin audio system permit multimedia to play again fantastic I suppose, and the velocity modes permit for video to play easily
The factor that actually shines on this machine is the truth that they’re the primary unit in 4 years to have a direct user-accessible approach to really TURN OFF THE COLOR which is unseen and remarkable by any Kaleido-utilizing producer. However that’s actually the place it begins and ends with this unit. It’s sluggish, sluggish, unresponsive, requires an enormous studying curve, and has a number of the worst contact recognition I’ve ever skilled in my profession.
Every little thing you work together with, every little thing you toggle, every little thing you contact, simply will get miss inputted, it misses, it resets, it fails, and sends you again to the house display, it’s not a sensible execution of a consumer interface by any diploma which additionally they skimmed and copied from the likes of each Bigme and Onyx, seemingly on the identical time
The M8 C can actually be mounted with a number of software program updates, however it’s simply merely unattainable to suggest this unit in its present standing as it’s a true mess.
Meebook M8C
$349.99
Professionals
- Android 14 and Google Play
- Sd Card
- Good Battery Life
- Shade E-paper
- Pace Modes
Cons
- Stylus is abysmal
- Writing expertise is poor
- Shade appears washed out
- Reliant on apps from Google Play
- Not straightforward to purchase
With a eager curiosity in tech, I make it a degree to maintain myself up to date on the newest developments in expertise and devices. That features smartphones or pill units however stretches to even AI and self-driven vehicles, the latter being my newest fad. Moreover writing, I like watching movies, studying, listening to music, or experimenting with totally different recipes. The movement image is one other facet that pursuits me loads, and I am going to possible make a movie someday sooner or later.
