Consider an e-book reader; likelihood is you’ll have visions of a Kindle or possibly a Kobo machine. No matter machine you end up affiliated with, it’s virtually unanimous that each one of them are hand-held, no matter measurement or form. However what about an e-book reader within the type of a stereoscopic 3D digital actuality headset you possibly can put on for studying books? Regardless of how outrageous which may sound, it’s SolReader, which guarantees to supply probably the most intimate studying expertise you possibly can ever have. However what does all of it really feel like in the actual world? Let’s discover that out on this assessment.
Type and Construct
At first sight, you would possibly discover it a bit exhausting to consider this factor is an e-reader machine. It’d look elaborate and ponderous, although thankfully, it suggestions the scales at simply 106 grams. That makes it gentle sufficient to have it round your eyes with out inflicting considerable discomfort, even when worn for lengthy hours. The headset is accompanied by a linked Bluetooth distant unit, which supplies the controls wanted to function the pinnacle unit. That is mandatory because the glasses themselves haven’t any navigational buttons. In the meantime, open the temples, and the dual shows will activate mechanically. So simple as that.
Construct high quality is exemplary. The tender plastics are top quality and really feel nice to carry and function. Every lens will get particular person focus dials, letting customers regulate the main target in accordance with their imaginative and prescient on every eye. There’s additionally a rotary management on the prime between the 2 lenses, permitting you to alter the nostril bridge to have probably the most comfy spot to position the headset. The bottom slightly below the left hinge is the place the USB-C port and the standing indicator gentle are positioned. Other than this, the Sol Reader design has been stored easy but elegant.
For the uninitiated, stereoscopic 3D is achieved when two screens, one per eye, are located at completely different distances from one another. This provides you a depth of discipline the place sure issues are nearer and farther away. That is stereoscopic 3D. It isn’t marketed or proven in any of their materials, however it most undoubtedly happens whereas sporting the glasses.
The tech specs are thrilling. It options two 1.3” E INK shows with a decision of 256×256. Straight in entrance of your eyeballs, with a design that helps block distractions, serving to you concentrate on the textual content. Because of the side-lit with heat glow LEDs (3000K), you possibly can learn in the course of the day or evening and have a light-weight sensor to regulate for surrounding situations mechanically. The Sol Reader is powered by a dual-core 240MHz processor, 8MB RAM, and 64MB storage. Its 470mAh battery ought to present 25 hours of studying.
Sol App
The Sol app shall be very important to the complete Sol Reader ecosystem. From right here, you possibly can browse the accessible books, purchase them, and switch them to the Sol Reader. On the backside of the app lies the House, Retailer, Library, and the Sol Reader.
House is the place you’ll land upon getting launched the app. You’ll be proven the books you learn together with Integration and Classics.
The Retailer is the place you’ll supply your studying materials. There’s a variety of books accessible you can learn upon getting synced these with the Reader.
The Library shops all of your content material. You possibly can click on on a selected title and have it synced to the Sol Reader. Solely after you could have accomplished it will you be capable of begin studying on the Reader. The Library, in the meantime, additionally contains Current and Conceal tabs.
Lastly, clicking on Sol Reader offers you full details about the Reader. It would present whether or not it’s in a paired state and has been turned on or off. Different controls on this part embody Distant, Distant data, Readerboard, Join Pocket, Add One other Reader, Help, and Delete My Account.
Clicking on every possibility will allow you to configure it. What’s fascinating is you can add a number of Sol Reader gadgets to a single app. This may be good if all of them belong to a single group or are in a household and don’t thoughts being linked to a single app as a substitute of getting their very own particular person app.
Total, very like the {hardware}, the Sol app has been stored easy and tidy. It appears to be like good, and you’ll simply have what you need. The black background makes issues look very composed.
Placing the machine on
That is the place the enjoyable begins. As soon as you set the Reader on, you will note the 3D e-paper show wields its magic. You will note the hyperlink to the Principal Menu on the highest left of the show. Subsequent on the physique of the show lies completely different choices. These embody On and Off choices alongside the fitting together with the next:
- Books
- Articles
- Bible
- Sync content material on shut
- Morning content material sync
- Night content material sync
- Sol reader
- Sync content material now
The time shall be proven on the backside, and the battery data bar shall be on the fitting. You will need to choose the choice you want through the distant supplied.
Within the Books part are the three tabs on the highest – Books, Articles, and Settings.
Beneath Books, you could have the next choices:
- Sync Content material
- Books Tutorial
Equally, underneath the Articles tab, you could have the next choices:
- Sync Content material
- Articles Tutorial
Choices underneath Settings embody:
- Studying
- Content material
- System
- Experimental
- Settings tutorial
Studying affords the next studying settings:
- Textual content Measurement – Small, Medium, and Massive
- Brightness
- Transfer Web page in Show
- Resize Web page
- Line Spacing
- Statistics present the variety of phrases learn or how lengthy you learn.
Beneath Content material, choices you could have embody:
- Books
- Articles
- Bible
- Sync content material on shut
- Morning content material sync
- Night content material sync
- Sol reader
- Sync content material now
Deciding on System reveals the next choices:
- About
- Authorized & Regulatory
- Firmware Replace
- First Time Setup
- Reset Statistics
- Clear All Content material
- Clear Wi-Fi Settings
- Manufacturing unit Defaults
Beneath Experimental, you could have:
- Darkish Mode
- Autopilot
- Bookmark Proper Choose
- Bookmark Middle Choose
- quick Web page Transitions
- Web page Transition Arrows
- Add Crashes on Sync
Studying Expertise
Studying expertise is par for the course. There’s nothing extraordinary right here, nor does it disappoint. With the controls supplied, you should have no points coming throughout a setting that you may be comfy with. That may be the font measurement, line spacing, brightness, and so forth. You should use the left or proper button on the distant to show pages accordingly. With the middle button pressed, it goes ahead whereas urgent the up or the down buttons reveals a menu window having the next choices:
- Principal Menu
- Archive
- Bookmark
- Brightness
- Report web page
- Contents
Some statistics are proven after that, together with the variety of pages left and the present time. Any modifications launched apply to each lenses equally.
It really is one among its type, doesn’t have any precedent, and is appropriate for three-dimensional e-book studying and the possibility to do it in complete privateness. That is the one machine ever made in our complete trade that’s really personal. At any angle, there’s not one different one who can see what you’re studying.
Sadly, the attention pressure is critical, as you could have LEDs and digital screens about 1 inch out of your eye, all whereas sporting non-prescription magnification lenses that your eyes won’t be suited to. Moreover, it’s not really immersive, as there is no such thing as a headset. These glasses sit in your face OUT IN FRONT OF YOU, not in your eyes like a VR headset.
There aren’t any audiobooks, video playback, proprietary functions, or animations to any of the transitions, actually.
So, it simply appears to be like like there’s a display floating in entrance of you, however your peripherals can see your keyboard mendacity in your pc desk or somebody coming within the room as these should not precise headsets, digital actuality immersive goggles; it’s identical to you’re sporting a pair of eyeglasses
Conclusion
The Sol Reader is the definition of a solution to a query no person requested. It’s foolish, excessive, and totally ineffective, and I like it. It’s what the trade wants proper now. In a sea of cookie-cutter 7.8-inch and 10.3-inch e-notes, that is shaking issues up just a little bit. The decision is likely to be paltry, and the screens is likely to be small, however the thought and execution are ingenious.
On paper, the specs for the screens are fairly odd, however truthfully, that doesn’t matter. As a result of the expertise of sporting them and viewing them by way of magnified lenses virtually renders the scale, decision, and different details about the display. The screens are located in order that they accomplish three dimensions through stereoscopic 3D.
The settings are naked bones, and there are just a few methods to alter your expertise, like textual content measurement, line spacing, and the general borders of the display.
There are a number of cons, nonetheless. Innovation apart, this unit is strenuous to make use of in some ways. It is advisable to join your telephone, join the distant, cost the glasses, and change the battery on the distant. The carrying case is cumbersome and big even after you fold these up.
You possibly can’t doubt that this is a superb piece of expertise. It’s! It is vitally well-conceived, well-built, and well-executed. It’s simply that we wrestle to discover a use case, after which whenever you DO use them, you might be pressured to adjust to so many different exterior parts just like the distant, your utility, inputting Wi-Fi info, sinking contents, and so forth. However we’re nonetheless glad it’s right here.
Sol Reader
$399.99
Professionals
- Worlds first e-reading glasses
- Privateness focuses
- App has a bookstore
- Can sideload books
- Worth is sweet
Cons
- Want to attach your Cellphone
- Want Bluetooth take away for page-turns
- Battery Life is wimpy
- Battery on distant is dangerous
- Case is cumbersome
With a eager curiosity in tech, I make it some extent to maintain myself up to date on the newest developments in expertise and devices. That features smartphones or pill gadgets 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 completely different recipes. The movement image is one other facet that pursuits me lots, and I am going to seemingly make a movie someday sooner or later.
