Consider an e-book reader; chances are high you’ll have visions of a Kindle or possibly a Kobo gadget. No matter gadget you end up affiliated with, it’s virtually unanimous that every one of them are hand-held, no matter dimension or form. However what about an e-book reader within the type of a stereoscopic 3D digital actuality headset you’ll be able to put on for studying books? Irrespective of how outrageous that may sound, it’s SolReader, which guarantees to supply essentially the most intimate studying expertise you’ll be able to ever have. However what does all of it really feel like in the actual world? Let’s discover that out on this assessment.
Model and Construct
At first sight, you may discover it a bit onerous to consider this factor is an e-reader gadget. It would look elaborate and ponderous, although luckily, it ideas the scales at simply 106 grams. That makes it mild sufficient to have it round your eyes with out inflicting considerable discomfort, even when worn for lengthy hours. The headset is accompanied by a related Bluetooth distant unit, which gives the controls wanted to function the top unit. That is obligatory because the glasses themselves haven’t any navigational buttons. In the meantime, open the temples, and the dual shows will activate routinely. So simple as that.
Construct high quality is exemplary. The smooth plastics are prime 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 may be additionally a rotary management on the high between the 2 lenses, permitting you to alter the nostril bridge to have essentially the most snug spot to position the headset. The bottom slightly below the left hinge is the place the USB-C port and the standing indicator mild are situated. Other than this, the Sol Reader design has been saved 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 subject the place sure issues are nearer and farther away. That is stereoscopic 3D. It’s not marketed or proven in any of their materials, but it surely 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. Immediately in entrance of your eyeballs, with a design that helps block distractions, serving to you deal with the textual content. Because of the side-lit with heat glow LEDs (3000K), you’ll be able to learn throughout the day or evening and have a lightweight sensor to regulate for surrounding circumstances routinely. 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 might be very important to your complete Sol Reader ecosystem. From right here, you’ll be able to browse the out there 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 after getting launched the app. You can be proven the books you learn together with Integration and Classics.
The Retailer is the place you’ll supply your studying materials. There may be a variety of books out there that you may learn after getting synced these with the Reader.
The Library shops all of your content material. You may click on on a selected title and have it synced to the Sol Reader. Solely after you’ve finished this may you be capable to begin studying on the Reader. The Library, in the meantime, additionally contains Current and Disguise 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, Assist, and Delete My Account.
Clicking on every possibility will allow you to configure it. What’s attention-grabbing is that you may add a number of Sol Reader units 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 related to a single app as a substitute of getting their very own particular person app.
Total, very similar to the {hardware}, the Sol app has been saved 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 gadget on
That is the place the enjoyable begins. As soon as you place the Reader on, you will note the 3D e-paper show wields its magic. You will note the hyperlink to the Fundamental 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 precise 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 might be proven on the backside, and the battery data bar might be on the precise. You should choose the choice you want by way of the distant offered.
Within the Books part are the three tabs on the highest – Books, Articles, and Settings.
Below Books, you’ve the next choices:
- Sync Content material
- Books Tutorial
Equally, beneath the Articles tab, you’ve the next choices:
- Sync Content material
- Articles Tutorial
Choices beneath Settings embody:
- Studying
- Content material
- System
- Experimental
- Settings tutorial
Studying provides the next studying settings:
- Textual content Dimension – Small, Medium, and Giant
- Brightness
- Transfer Web page in Show
- Resize Web page
- Line Spacing
- Statistics present the variety of phrases learn or how lengthy you learn.
Below Content material, choices you’ve 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
Below Experimental, you’ve:
- 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 may be nothing extraordinary right here, nor does it disappoint. With the controls offered, you shouldn’t have any points coming throughout a setting that you’ll be snug with. That may be the font dimension, line spacing, brightness, and many others. You should utilize 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:
- Fundamental 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 adjustments launched apply to each lenses equally.
It really is one among its variety, doesn’t have any precedent, and is appropriate for three-dimensional e-book studying and the prospect to do it in whole privateness. That is the one gadget ever made in our whole trade that’s really personal. At any angle, there’s not one different one that can see what you’re studying.
Sadly, the attention pressure is important, as you’ve LEDs and digital screens about 1 inch out of your eye, all whereas sporting non-prescription magnification lenses that your eyes may not be fitted to. Moreover, it isn’t 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 purposes, 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 will not be 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 one 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 a bit bit. The decision is perhaps paltry, and the screens is perhaps small, however the concept and execution are ingenious.
On paper, the specs for the screens are fairly unusual, however actually, that doesn’t matter. As a result of the expertise of sporting them and viewing them by means of magnified lenses virtually renders the dimensions, decision, and different details about the display. The screens are located in order that they accomplish three dimensions by way of stereoscopic 3D.
The settings are naked bones, and there are only some methods to alter your expertise, like textual content dimension, 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. You want to join your cellphone, join the distant, cost the glasses, and exchange the battery on the distant. The carrying case is cumbersome and big even after you fold these up.
You may’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 once you DO use them, you’re compelled to adjust to so many different outdoors parts just like the distant, your utility, inputting Wi-Fi data, sinking contents, and many others. 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
- Value is nice
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 a degree to maintain myself up to date on the most recent developments in expertise and devices. That features smartphones or pill units however stretches to even AI and self-driven cars, 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 will possible make a movie someday sooner or later.
