Meebook isn’t as massive because it as soon as was. Although the corporate is doing its bit to stem the slide, the latest launch of the Meebook 8C is ample proof of that. Additionally, with the M8C, the corporate appears to have ticked all the precise bins. That features a K3 colour 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 extra. However is that sufficient? Let’s discover that out on this overview.
Model and Construct
The M8 C’s design doesn’t break any new floor. Its appears and construct are par for the course with out being extraordinary. The rear lacks any texture, so it may be a fingerprint magnet if not appropriately dealt with. The corporate marking is on the prime middle, whereas the standard tech stuff is inscribed in the direction of the underside.
The facility button is on the prime proper, whereas the USB C port, twin audio system, and standing indicator gentle are on the backside. The SD card slot and twin microphones are on the precise aspect.
UI
If the UI appears acquainted, it appears just like what you’ve with the Onyx Boox or Bigme gadgets. Swipe down from the highest left, and the acquainted controls and shortcuts might be proven within the Management Bar.
Many of the parts of the Management Bar are self-descriptive. The Wi-Fi and Bluetooth buttons are on the highest, adopted by the Dwelling, Auto Rotate, Screenshot, and Background Administration buttons.
Different buttons embrace Airplane Mode, Do Not Disturb, Display Solid, Display Mirroring, Refresh, Coloration Adjustment, and Refresh Setting.
Thereafter, there are the show controls with just a few pre-set show modes. Nonetheless, you even have the customization choice to set the brightness and distinction individually.
On the backside lies the quantity slider bar.
Whereas all of that is okay, the standard Meebook character is grossly absent from the UI, which isn’t good.
The Coloration Adjustment characteristic, which permits for finer show management, have to be talked about. All controls are organized underneath three tabs: Refresh, Coloration, and Show.
Beneath Coloration, you’ve completely different pre-set modes for viewing completely different content material sorts. These embrace Default, Photograph, and Cartoon. You may as well create and save custom-made show modes by setting the Distinction, Vividness, Brightness, and different controls.
Beneath Refresh, you’ve Regal, Default, Quick, Excessive Pace, and High Pace choices.
Lastly, the Show tab reveals two settings: black-and-white show mode and picture 256 grayscale mode. Toggle switches can be found for every management, although the picture 256 grayscale mode is all the time on by default, no matter whether or not you explicitly flip it on or off. In different phrases, you don’t have any management over it, and it doesn’t make a lot sense both why the corporate offered it within the first place.
Alternatively, the Black and white show mode will be invoked just by turning the swap on or off. It is so simple as that. The M8 C is amongst only a few gadgets that supply the choice to toggle between monochrome and colour show simply by the flick of a swap. Solely the Onyx Boox Poke 2 Coloration presents such a characteristic. In any other case, a devoted button to activate or off black-and-white mode is a rarity and isn’t obtainable on every other Kaledio 3 system. Having such a characteristic is all the time beautiful; you’ll be able to rapidly flip it on or off relying on the content material you might be viewing.
In any other case, the contact enter isn’t up to speed. 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, the place it’s essential to restart the entire thing once more. This makes the UI very shoddy and unreliable in efficiency.
Stylus
The Wacom Stylus is similar as what iFlytek presents, besides that it’s now in white. There may be nothing flawed with that, as Meebook may need sourced the pen from the identical OEM. The eraser is on the again, although, and owing to its plastic construct, it presents no 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 effectively. In brief, there’s nothing particular concerning the pen. That mentioned, it being quite common, getting substitute models simply in case one thing goes flawed will all the time be simple.
Word Taking Expertise
Those that favor that pure pen-on-paper-writing really feel might be grossly dissatisfied right here. As a substitute, it’s like writing on a slippery floor with out suggestions. In any other case, the pen is responsive, with zero lag instances. You may select from 16 enter colours or set the road thickness. There are 5 completely different pen sorts obtainable. You may as well set probably the most used pens within the shortcut part on the left.
The left panel additionally has an eraser 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 can be slippery and lacks the pure rubbery really feel. Different instruments obtainable right here embrace undo, restore, lasso instruments, zoom, and graph, which, nonetheless, could be very primary with just a few shapes offered. There may be additionally the textual content enter characteristic and the choice to broaden your canvas additional, which appears to have been taken straight out of an Onyx Boox system.
Studying Expertise
Manga
Meebook can effectively be thought-about the unofficial ambassador for selling manga content material. The M8 C can be a superb system for studying manga. The 7.8-inch show is simply excellent for the manga structure. As Peter demoed within the video under, you’ll be able to flip the refresh setting to Regal, making the show extremely clear and sharp. It is possible for you to to select up even the minutest particulars simply. When you suppose the Regal setting is slowing issues down, you’ll be able to all the time go for a excessive web page refresh velocity setting for viewing pleasure.
E-book
The M8 C can even function a superb e-book reader system. The show is pretty much as good or dangerous as on every other e-reader with the Kaleido 3 show. One of the vital important 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 very best factor to do is to show the entrance gentle on, illuminating the display so issues look brighter.
In any other case, the studying expertise will depend upon the app you might be utilizing. Additionally, nearly all apps have a normal set of options. You may set the font or the font dimension, bookmark a web page, or write notes. Lengthy urgent on a phrase ought to reveal further particulars, together with its which means in easy phrases. The benefit right here is which you could obtain the app you need from the Play Retailer and proceed studying.
Conclusion
Meebook has tried valiantly to regain the market share it misplaced throughout COVID-19, nevertheless it simply doesn’t appear to get again to the standing they had been held. The M8 C is presently a catastrophe. And I say ‘presently’ as a result of lots of this may be solved with some software program updates. However hear me out. Taking the system for face worth, it’s fairly poor. The English is unnatural, misspelled, and ill-spaced. Which leads to an enormous studying curve and a ton of bewilderment
It has Wacom, an enormous plus, nevertheless it’s so slippery and slimy that it nearly feels such as you’re writing on a glass tabletop with pancake syrup. No thought or care was utilized to the note-taking really feel, realism, and even options, as they nearly forgot so as to add easy integral options to the performance of note-taking.
Meebook has been closely marketed to Southeast Asia, such because the Philippines, Indonesia, and Vietnam, as a manga reader answer. And it does do it effectively. It has many velocity modes and distinction ranges to reinforce the web page the way you need it to look, so we’ll give them that. I suppose that twin audio system enable multimedia to play again effective, and the velocity modes enable video to play easily.
The factor that shines on this system is that they’re the primary unit in 4 years to have a direct user-accessible approach to TURN OFF THE COLOR, unseen and extraordinary by any Kaleido-utilizing producer. However that’s actually the place it begins and ends with this unit. It’s gradual, sluggish, unresponsive, requires a substantial studying curve, and has a few of the worst contact recognition I’ve ever skilled in my profession.
The whole lot you work together with, all the things you toggle, all the things 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 person 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 truthfully be mounted with many software program updates, however it’s merely unimaginable to suggest this unit in its present state, as it’s a mess.
Meebook M8C
$349.99
Execs
- Coloration E-paper
- Android 14 and Google Play
- SD Card
- Good Battery Life
- Quick Refresh
Cons
- Poor Availability
- Writing Expertise is Poor
- Not Good for Movies
- Inventory Studying App is Not Nice
- Meebook Does not Obtain Many Firmware Updates
With a eager curiosity in tech, I make it some extent to maintain myself up to date on the most recent developments in know-how and devices. That features smartphones or pill gadgets however stretches to even AI and self-driven vehicles, the latter being my newest fad. Apart from writing, I like watching movies, studying, listening to music, or experimenting with completely different recipes. The movement image is one other side that pursuits me loads, and I am going to probably make a movie someday sooner or later.
