# Infibeam PI



## mohityadavx (Feb 25, 2011)

*Infibeam PI*
Hi I am a proud owner of Infibeam Pi since the day it launches in fact I had preordered it at Book Mela at Pragati Maidan. Here is a* brief* review ( *nOt* writing technical stuff like no of button etc which can already be seen on official website)

*BOX PIC*
*www.callingallgeeks.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/infibeampireview3.jpg
Pros:-
1)	Inexpensive (Rs9999)
2)	Lightweight
3)	Good Battery backup
4)	Awesome clarity under sunlight
5)	Expandable Memory
6)     Support for native Indian languages
7)	Excellent  Customer Care 

*Thickness*

*www.callingallgeeks.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/infibeampireview4.jpg

Cons:-
1)Pathetic Firmware
2)Can’t study in dark
3) Lack 3G, Wifi 
4) Lack support for audiobook
5)No Volume Control

*www.prlog.org/10546344-infibeam-pi-ebook-reader.jpg

The Infibeam Pi is 7.5-inch long, 4.5-inch wide, and 0.4-inch thick.The Infibeam Pi supports ebooks in the these formats TXT, DOC, PDF, HTML and EPUB.The User Interface is simple and minimalistic.It has all the common features of an  average ebook reader which are bookmark, landscape-portrait mode,auto restoration to last page you read(auto restoration is not accurate and will lead you 2 or 3 pages back than from where you left),change font size,search within page for text.You could just plug in the device with USB and it shows a storage device , just copy/cut paste the files in neatly preset organized folder  no complicated software requires simplicity at its best. All the buttons are inscribed with a symbol and even a 3rd grade child will learn to use the device within few minutes.

*Menu View*
*www.callingallgeeks.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/infibeampireview8.jpg
Infibeam  is overall a VFM device. It has extra features like Sudoku and can play music however it doesn’t support audio books. Its voice clarity is good but 3mm port for earphone makes the earphone propitiatory  to Infibeam with no other choice. The Pi gives an average of 14-15 hours battery backup. The biggest problem with Pi is its firmware . The firmware corrupts now and then. Though the steps to reinstall the firmware are damn simple but till this date I haven’t managed to reinstall on my own. I have to send it to Infibeam office and they do it for me. Infibeam biggest pro is its biggest con also the ability to clearly read the text under sunlight by removing backlight also deprive the ability to read under complete darkness. However I overcame this problem with the help of a combination of APC Mobile Power Pack + USB Light.

*Infibeam USB and Audio Jack*

*www.callingallgeeks.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/infibeampireview.jpg


The zoom option works great but don't even think of reading comics (I tried asterix comics in pdf but text wasn't legible) PDF with two to three panes in side with index etc are also not supported very well by PI.

I would like to conclude this review by saying that just like sandybridge wait for a stable firmware to come before buying the pi. 

*Read my review on my PMP Philips GoGear SA52xx bt*

---------- Post added 25-02-2011 at 03:04 PM ---------- Previous post was 24-02-2011 at 08:58 PM ----------

these are my first reviews so please tell me if i am missing something, more details etc


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## mohityadavx (Mar 26, 2011)

Complete makeover!!!


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## noob (Apr 5, 2011)

Not required. PC/lappy/tablet/4 Inch mobile phones ftw


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## mohityadavx (Apr 5, 2011)

^^ i didn't get u


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## amitava82 (Apr 5, 2011)

eww that thing is a rip-off coupled with poor screen and build quality.. Love my Kindle 

*lh4.googleusercontent.com/_vcJcpgTFbf8/TXipaSgylAI/AAAAAAAAA-Q/Us8SmokV2i8/s800/2011-03-10%2016.03.24.jpg


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## mohityadavx (Apr 5, 2011)

amitava82 said:


> *eww* that thing is a* rip-off* coupled with poor screen and build quality.. Love my Kindle



there is a thing called price factor!!!

Also infibeam pi is much lighter 190g compared to ur hefty 290g kindle.There would be various other pro also i would soon make a chart.


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## amitava82 (Apr 6, 2011)

mohityadavx said:


> there is a thing called price factor!!!
> 
> Also infibeam pi is much lighter 190g compared to ur hefty 290g kindle.There would be various other pro also i would soon make a chart.


Hmm lets see the price factor.. Paid about Rs. 6500 for it compared to 10k for Pi? And it is 240g. Kindle has better Screen (which actually looks like paper), battery life, WIFI and build quality. Pi looks like one of those roadside Chinese product. Pi has no "pro" against kindle, so don't bother making a chart.. lol


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## Krow (Apr 6, 2011)

Kindle's battery life is longer isn't it? They advertise it as 25 days, but how much is it actually?

@OP: Could you post pics of ebooks on the Pi so that readers can know about text clarity, etc?


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## mohityadavx (Apr 6, 2011)

Krow said:


> Kindle's battery life is longer isn't it? They advertise it as 25 days, but how much is it actually?
> 
> @OP: Could you post pics of ebooks on the Pi so that readers can know about text clarity, etc?



Even pi advertise 10000 click or 30 days standby backup. i will post the pic after 20th April


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## mohityadavx (May 3, 2011)

> @OP: Could you post pics of ebooks on the Pi so that readers can know about text clarity, etc?



posting pics u requested

I am not a good photographer first of all and then i had to downscale file size due to size limit on TDF and don't know why imageshack linked photo are not appearing here on TDF 

the images are shot at different views with different text size small and medium


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## mohityadavx (May 3, 2011)

Is it ok!!!


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## Krow (May 5, 2011)

Yeah, thanks for the pics. Could you post one side view for viewing angles?


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## mohityadavx (May 5, 2011)

Krow said:


> Yeah, thanks for the pics. Could you post one side view for viewing angles?



Sorry! I didn't get u


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## amitava82 (May 5, 2011)

Krow said:


> Yeah, thanks for the pics. Could you post one side view for viewing angles?


eInk display don't have any viewing angle. It's same as looking at a real page. Though PI looks like a monochrome LCD; current generation (Pearl) eInk display looks exactly like a sheet of white paper.


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## Krow (May 5, 2011)

amitava82 said:


> eInk display don't have any viewing angle. It's same as looking at a real page. Though PI looks like a monochrome LCD; current generation (Pearl) eInk display looks exactly like a sheet of white paper.


Sorry I did not know that. Thanks for explaining. So the Kindle has Pearl?


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## amitava82 (May 5, 2011)

Yes.
Here is a random photo: *thebookstop.files.wordpress.com/2010/08/img_2527.jpg


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## mohityadavx (May 5, 2011)

amitava82 said:


> Hmm lets see the price factor.. Paid about Rs. 6500 for it compared to 10k for Pi? And it is 240g. Kindle has better Screen (which actually looks like paper), battery life, WIFI and build quality. Pi looks like one of those roadside Chinese product. Pi has no "pro" against kindle, so don't bother making a chart.. lol




Pi is an indian product so it will support indian technology and only product with which u can read indian fonts like *HIndi , malyalam etc*.

then u haven't paid customs on it which will void the warranty
Lets see howThese are from amazon site only)

amazon kindle with wifi :- 139$
shipping :- 21$
Custon: - 56$

total :- 216$ - Rs 9500

so price wise no difference

also a con of this model is that this 139$ model  *cannot display international fonts such as the Cyrillic font (Chinese or any other non-Latin font), PDF and the web browser are limited to Kindle 2 features.*

Another con of kindle is that it *doesn't have expandable memory*.



In the box-
Kindle comes with *no bundled earphone* rest is same + u have to *buy a convertor for US voltage *

Weight:-* Pi is 100g lighter than Kindle* ( It makes hell of a difference when u hav 2 carry all over in ur palm)

*Piracy:-* Yup ! it exist and would make a lot of difference as in this way my Dad only bought Pi when i convinced him that i will never buy a novel again and download everything for  free via the net. U can't do so with kindle.

ADDITIONAL ACCESSORY:- If u wanna buy a cover for kindle ur cheapest bet is of minimum of *RS 600* however Pi offer *a specialized cover for just
 Rs 300 ( Shipping Free) Here watch the cover 4 urself Isn't it premium  :- LInk
*
AnD finally u will never face this problem with Pi

:-


> Remote content removal
> 
> On July 17, 2009, Amazon.com withdrew certain Kindle titles, Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell, from sale, refunded the cost to those who had purchased them, and remotely deleted these titles from purchasers' devices after discovering that the publisher lacked rights to publish the titles in question.[85] Notes and annotations for the books made by users on their devices were left in a separate file, but "rendered useless" without the content they were directly linked to.[86][87] The move prompted outcry and comparisons to Nineteen Eighty-Four itself. In the novel, books, magazines and newspapers in public archives that contradict the ruling party are either edited long after being published or destroyed outright; the removed materials go "down the Memory Hole", nickname for an incinerator chute.[88] Customers and commentators noted the resemblance to the censorship in the novel, and described Amazon's action in Orwellian terms. Some critics also argued that the deletion violated the Kindle's Terms of Service, which states in part:[89]
> 
> ...



One more thing i want to add was that i finally solved the firmware issue 

actually i had to extract firmware in memory card at root level but when i extracted it it got extracted in memory card so it was the main problem. 

I haven't faced any other issue with my Pi.


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## baccilus (May 6, 2011)

Most of the custom you mentioned is returned after a month of buying the Kindle. They charge extra customs just in case there is a problem at customs. To be honest with you, there is absolutely no reason to buy this at 10,000 bucks.
No converter is required for US Voltage. Just an adapter is required which costs Rs 40/-. Te biggest downer is that it seems to have page turn button on just one side. So you can only use one of your hands to hold it.


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## amitava82 (May 6, 2011)

I have absolutely no reason to reply to reply to this thread however I could not help but to clarify all the wrong informations you are trying to pass just to prove the PI is a better product (!!!!)

Lets see..

1. Look ma I can read Hindi on Kindle (well, I can't )

*lh4.googleusercontent.com/_vcJcpgTFbf8/TcP5nMJY-cI/AAAAAAAABAk/2TMFxLiZX1Q/s640/2011-05-06%2019.06.44.jpg

Not too difficult to convert any document in any language into PDF and send it to Kindle. So yeah, technically you can read documents in any language on Kindle.

2. Kindle comes with International warranty. Regardless how you buy it. 

3. You can easily pickup a wifi Kindle for around 8.5k from some of the indian online stores.



> PDF and the web browser are limited to Kindle 2 features.


4. *Kindle 3 comes with built-in PDF and web Browser.* Along with MP3 player and* Text-to-speech*.

5. Could not care less about headphone, it has built in speakers. It's not a MP3 player.  Unlike mobile phones, you gonna charge it once in a month for 2 hours. USB is more than enough. If you need, buy one of those 30Rs converter for the charger.

6. 100g makes hell of a difference? May be you should eat some more and gain some strength. ebook readers weigh less than paper books. BTW, PI is 180g vs Kindle at 240g. May be I'm doing the math wrong, how is that 100g difference?

7. So you purchased an ebook reader so that you would never have to buy a book? Anyway, Kindle Store is not the only  way to get books on Kindle. Plug in the USB and copy paste any book you want and it's good to go.

8. I bought myself a premium Kindle cover for Rs. 450 with free shipping. Looks better though.

9. Good job with digging up a story from 2009. Since you never going to pay for any book anyway, don't see how that matters to you.. Not just Amazon, every company remove contents from their store if it against their TOS. Look up Apple or Google App Stores.

You might be happy with PI but don't suggest that it is a better product than Kindle. Quality of display and response time itself makes it 100 times better product, let alone other features that I have not discussed.


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## mohityadavx (May 7, 2011)

amitava82 said:


> I
> 
> 1. Look ma I can read Hindi on Kindle (well, I can't )
> 
> ...



it directly doesn't support Hindi does it?? Of course u could convert into pdf. ( Well i am talking about inbuilt feature)




> 4. *Kindle 3 comes with built-in PDF and web Browser.* Along with MP3 player and* Text-to-speech*.



 i m sorry 4 this due to source @ wikipedia.



> Could not care less about headphone, it has built in speakers. It's not a MP3 player.



I heard something  called audiobooks!!



> 100g makes hell of a difference? May be you should eat some more and gain some strength. ebook readers weigh less than paper books. BTW, PI is 180g vs Kindle at 240g. May be I'm doing the math wrong, how is that 100g difference?



i just saw this google suggested result
& there is a difference in the way u hold a book and an ebook reader
and i definitely know my strength level


link:-



> So you purchased an ebook reader so that you would never have to buy a book?



Man even digit talks about piracy when they review console 

and if u really think i am a goddamn pirate then let me tell u i take my books frm project gutenburg





			
				mohityadavx said:
			
		

> Have u tried here ( Its completely legal 2 download from this site)
> 
> Link
> 
> ...



Thread link



> Kindle 3 comes with built-in PDF


Same goes for PI



> Kindle comes with International warranty. Regardless how you buy it.


I am not sure about it but since u bought it 4 Rs 6500 u didn't pay custom then let me tell u law of the land

Its illegal to bring along any electronic good without paying cutsom tariff unless it is under the baggage limit



> Paid about Rs. 6500 for it


Even that would be considered wrong info for most of the Indian scenario

Check out some more cons

Source:-



> Lack of library books. A few people have mentioned that they chose Nook or Sony instead of Kindle only because of the lack of support for library books. This is a real issue.
> Lack of ePub support. This is usually mentioned in connection with library books. However, a few people also mentioned it independently. Don’t see how this is relevant. If you feel very strongly about ePub then this is an issue – not otherwise. The only significant way in which it currently impacts readers is lack of support for Library books.
> Freezing – Kindle 3 is freezing on some PDFs, some websites, and rarely in other situations. That’s what it seems like from the forums and from my experience. This might be a real issue and might need a software fix. This does happen – not often enough to be a big issue but often enough that you can’t disregard it.
> There might be variation in screen quality. Have taken a lot of photos of my Kindle 3 and the review unit Amazon sent me and can’t really find anything conclusive – So the probability is low but not zero. Lots of people look at the same thing and see different things so it’s quite possible that the screens are all within 5% to 10% of the same basic improved level of screen contrast.
> ...




*




			I have absolutely no reason to reply to reply to this thread however I could not help but to clarify all the wrong informations you are trying to pass just to prove the PI is a better product (!!!!)
		
Click to expand...


The list is endless

but all i am trying to say is that it is not a kindle vs pi debate zone *

for the same reason i not even once mentioned Kindle even once in the main review

until u made these sarcastic statements 



> *eww that thing is a rip-off coupled with poor screen and build quality.. Love my Kindle*





> *Pi looks like one of those roadside Chinese product.*



u should have better kept ur personal opinions with urself only

If u like kindle more than Pi be happy with it but don't say Pi as a ripoff this is something i won't tolerate


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## Faun (May 7, 2011)

@mohit
You had to pay only the listed price and no extra taxes (octroi etc) ?


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## mohityadavx (May 7, 2011)

Faun said:


> @mohit
> You had to pay only the listed price and no extra taxes (octroi etc) ?



Only 9999 nothing else
free shipping and no extra taxes

Now they r also giving a cover free ( Worth 300 ) with it when i had bought it cover was to be bought separately.


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## Faun (May 7, 2011)

^^thanks for the clarification.


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## mohityadavx (May 7, 2011)

Faun said:


> ^^thanks for the clarification.



Welcome!!!


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## m-jeri (Jun 29, 2011)

Thght of adding the pi to my ebook decision list. After this review no point in getting this if kindle already in list.

So its between Kindle and new Nook Touch.


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