Airon AirBook Universe e-book on Android

Android e-readers have gained popularity over the past four years. If you don’t want to deal with the operating system limitations that are an integral part of Kindle devices, or are looking for a good alternative to PocketBook models, then we advise you to pay attention to the Airon AirBook Universe e-reader. Read on to find out more.

General information about Airon AirBook Universe

An e-book is a must-have for a modern person. The device allows the user to carry more than a thousand books with him, access a network library and instantly download new book releases.

The dimensions of most e-book devices are no larger than the size of a paperback book. In addition, the e-reader can last for weeks on a single charge and provides greater comfort for the eyes when reading compared to a tablet or phone.

The top models of this category of portable devices offer a convenient user interface, support for multiple file formats, as well as some special features such as a built-in audio and video player. In fact, the AirBook Universe e-book belongs precisely to this class of models.

Design and ergonomics of the Airon AirBook Universe

Unlike the popular flagships PocketBook and Kindle, the flat design makes the AirBook Universe more like a tablet. This form factor has obvious advantages compared to the traditional design of the reader case, one of them is that dust and small particles do not fall into the cracks between the display and the frame.

But some features remain the same for e-readers: we have an anti-glare E-Ink screen with wide frames and a control button at the bottom. Universe is the second flagship with a screen diagonal of 7.8″, a modified and improved version of the model AirBook Pro 8S previous years.

Наружная часть корпуса изготовлена из приятного на ощупь пластика темно-синего цвета. Данная модель, очевидно, не соответствует описанию карманного ридера, но при габаритах 197×138 мм (267 г) ее достаточно легко поместить в сумку или рюкзак и носить с собой.

Among the physical interfaces of the AirBook Universe: a USB Type-C connector for charging and connecting to other devices, a slot for a memory card. The reader supports microSD cards up to 256 GB, at the same time the amount of RAM is 2 GB, internal memory is 32 GB.

And now – about the main feature of the new Airon AirBook e-reader.

AirBook Universe has an impressive E-Ink Carta HD display. This is the most advanced e-ink technology yet, delivering even sharper lettering than E-Ink Flex and E-Ink Carta for greater eye comfort. The anti-glare E-Ink Carta HD screen features a high contrast ratio of 15:1, a resolution of 1404×1872, 300dpi, support for 16 shades of gray and 24 available brightness levels. In addition to adjusting the brightness, the Airon AirBook reader allows you to adjust the temperature of the screen backlight (adjusting the intensity of cold and warm light).

E Ink Carta HD matrix technology is used in many e-readers, including Kindle Voyage (2014), Kindle Oasis (2016), PocketBook Touch HD (2016), PocketBook Touch HD 2 (2017) and Kobo Clara HD (2018).

Interface and functionality of Airon AirBook Universe

As mentioned earlier, the new Airon AirBook Universe model runs on the Android 11 operating system. For fans of the simple and familiar interface of Android devices, a flexible operating system and its accompanying functionality, AirBook e-readers will be a win-win option.

Let's start by discussing the interface. After activating the device, the home page loads on the screen. In fact, the only control button (not counting the power button) allows you to return to the main page. In addition to the “Settings”, “File Explorer” and “Download” sections present in each e-reader, AirBook Universe has its own “Gallery”, “Music” audio player and “Dictionary”.

If the user seeks to expand the functionality of his reader, then he can download third-party programs thanks to the support Google Play Marketa. An example of a third-party application is the online translator Google Translate.

It is clear that each user has his own requirements for how the device should look, and this applies not only to appearance. The developer made sure that readers could independently make the interface more convenient for themselves, change the home page style settings, lock screen, etc.

A convenient file manager allows you to quickly find the files you need. All downloaded documents are divided into categories by format (EPUB, PDF, TXT, FB2, APK, etc.). Moreover, the user can create new folders in the internal storage and group files as desired.

The flagship AirBook Universe surprises with its capabilities when it comes to supported content. This reader supports the following book formats: TXT, EPUB, PDF, MOBI, AZW3, DOCX, DOC, HTML, FB2, DJVU, CBZ, CBR, CBT, RTF. The device also allows you to open ZIP file archives, audio files (in MP3 and WAV formats) and images (JPEG, BMP, PNG, GIF).

Note for tech enthusiasts: the list of supported formats can be expanded through third-party applications (downloaded separately).

“Книжная полка” в Airon AirBook Universe

Перейдем к самому интересному – к книгам! В разделе “Книги”, к которому можно перейти из главного меню, читатель может получить доступ к своей книжной полке. Все книги разделены на группы: “Недавние”, “В процессе”, “Прочитанные” and “Непрочитанные”.

The menu has many additional features such as searching for books, scanning books, customizing the bookshelf, and going to the user's reading experience report.

There are several ways to upload text and media files to AirBook Universe:

Using a memory card (microSD)
Download from cloud storage using Wi-Fi
Upload from a web browser using Wi-Fi
Ability to download from a connected device using Bluetooth 5.0
From phone/PC (wired USB-C connection)

The Universe reader has built-in stereo speakers that provide high-quality playback of audiobooks, music and other sound files.

Review from an Airon AirBook Universe reader

In conclusion, we would like to share our personal experience of using the AirBook Universe e-reader. First of all, it’s worth talking about such a useful option as a Reader Account. It allows the user to create an account, track their reading progress and reading statistics for the last week.

In addition to the main account, the system also provides the ability to add Youdao Note, Evernote and Google Drive accounts. Believe me, after you start using it, you will definitely want to know how you can share your notes or quotes from books.

Here is a list of possible options for how readers can distribute their posts and favorite quotes:

Export to the internal memory of the device,
Upload to Evernote notes (Evernote account required),
Download to Youdao Note (Youdao Note account required),
Upload to Google Drive cloud storage (Google account required),
Create a QR code for scanning (In the corresponding menu section),
Send by email.

What's also worth noting is the support for third-party reference resources such as encyclopedias and dictionaries. These applications are very useful when reading; they help you quickly find answers to questions that may arise when familiarizing yourself with new material.

Таким образом, читатель не тратит время на то, чтобы взять свой телефон или другое устройство для поиска определений и перевода, а получает всю необходимую информацию прямо здесь и сейчас. AirBook Universe поддерживает web-энциклопедию Википедия и множество словарей/переводчиков, среди которых – словари stardict и Kindle Tessaurus.

Последнее, что хотелось бы отметить: 7,8-дюймовая модель Universe исключительно автономна. Приличный способен обеспечить пользователю около 30 дней чтения от одного заряда. Этого показателя стоило ожидать, учитывая тот факт, что книга работает на аккумуляторе с достаточно высокой емкостью 3900 mAh. Поэтому абсолютно справедливо, что среди электронных читалок, обычно поставляемых с батареей 1600-2300 mAh, ридер AirBook считается мощным “долгожителем”.

Pros of AirBook:

The Android 11 operating system allows the user to easily install third-party programs and configure the device themselves
Convenient interface of the main menu and “bookshelf”, which can be changed as desired
The E-Ink Carta HD display displays letters and images with high precision, which ensures comfort for the eyes (you can adjust the intensity of the warm and cool backlight)
About 30 days of reading on a single charge