Recently the Onyx Boox Nova Pro along with other "older" Onyx Models have received both official and beta builds of the much anticipated v2.3 firmware from Onyx. This software come packed with much needed bug fixes and a ton of much needed new features.
Reading Statistics: The Nova Pro has been my go to reading device since purchasing it, but I did feel it lacked the polish that more mainstream devices provided. One such feature is "Reading Statistics". If you haven' heard reading statistics are what most companies use to help readers keep track of their reading goals, often you can track how many books you read and how long it took you to read them, you should also be able to track how much time you spend reading all together. Before v2.3 was released this feature was completely neglected. However, now the feature is fully implemented. Onyx helps you track a number of important numbers such as: the number of books you have finished reading, number of books you have read/opened, your total reading time, and how many highlights and annotations you have made.
As you can see, since upgrading to v2.3 beta yesterday I have finished 1 book, "The Alchemist", read for a total of 2 hours and 24 minutes, made 17 Annotations. You can even see a quick graph of my overall reading habits.
Annotations: Another huge feature of this ereader is the ability to make in book annotations. Inside any book you are reading you can write using the pen directly on the text, or you can highlight text and add comments. I have used both forms of annotations, but my favorite implementation is the use of highlighting and adding comments. I do use the ability to write directly on books when using "Journaling" type books, such as my recent favorite "How to be a Bawse" by Lilly Singh, the author used space in the book to write out feelings and thoughts and reflect on the lessons learned in each chapter, inside of an ereader such as Kindle one would have to take notes mentally or in a separate notebook, but on the Nova Pro a reader can grab a pen and write directly inside of the book, and this isn't just true for one file type, this feature is universal to all book formats. You can annotate in epub, azw3, mobi, PDF and more. This feature is of huge importance to me as I am a book reviewer. I receive books in many formats due to receiving advanced reader copies.
All these annotations are not just stuck on the device either, they can all be exported as a .txt document and viewed on your computer, tablet, or cellphone
Notes: Taking notes in a similar fashion as one would a notebook is another feature that Onyx implements amazingly. This ereader is fully equipped with the ability to take hand written notes. You can make as many notebooks as you like. I have different notebooks for each class, this semester a total of 5. I do all of my math homework, and scratch work on my Boox device. All the notes can now be easily backed up to your Onyx account and synced across all of your devices, including your cellphone and computer.
V2.3 has introduced an application called "Boox Assistant" which is currently available for android, however applications are said to be coming to desktop and Apple products. The application allows users to quickly and easily view their written notes, or even push files to the device wirelessly. I have found the application to work really well and have completely embraced using it.
Applications: The final section I would like to point out is applications. Any Onyx Boox model runs a version of Android, in the case of the Nova Pro it runs Android 6, though Onyx has said many times Android 9 is coming soon. Because of the openness of the Android ecosystem onyx is able to provide a fully customizable experience. Every previous section was focused on the inbuilt capabilities provided by Onyx, applications are however totally customizable. If you do not like the native reading application just head to the App Store and install a new one. Wanna use kindle? Just install the kindle app, or the google books app, nook app, and kobo app. When you have an Onyx device you have a level of control that no other ereader is going to give you. Anything you don't like, you can change and make right.
Overall Onyx makes wonderful devices that are only getting better and their brand is only growing. There is sure to be a model they sell that will match your needs perfectly.
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