The eReader is actually a tablet with an E-Ink display

Aug 20, 2014 07:06 GMT  ·  By

Many people contemplating whether to purchase a tablet or an eReader will choose the former option because it gives them more possibilities. Just off the bat, one can access Google Play (assuming we're talking of a cheap Android slate) which opens the gates to countless possibilities in terms of app usage.

Surely, there are some eReaders like the ones offered by Barnes & Noble that run a custom software based on Android, but the trouble is that the interface is so tweaked that most users won’t even realize Android is involved, which is a shame.

But if you really, really want a true Android eReader, the good news is such a device exists. It’s called Icarus Illumina HD and arrives with a 6-inch E-Ink display and with Android 4.2 out of the box. We’re yet to see an eReader running Android 4.4 KitKat and we’re pretty skeptical such a product will ever be released on the market.

Anyway, on top of the Android OS, the Icarus also arrives with the Amazon Kindle app pre-loaded, so it can be considered an alternative to Amazon’s super popular Kindle line of devices.

However, you have to keep in mind that apps like the Kindle for Android weren't designed for black&white displays with slow screen refresh rates, so animations and the like will not work all that great on the eReader.

Putting this aspect aside, at least users of the Icarus will be able to access the Kindle Store to purchase and download all the content they want.

Even more complicated apps will certainly work extremely slow on the eReader, but if you have enough patience, you might succeed in giving them a go.

As for specifications, the device arrives with a 6-inch Pearl E-Ink display with a resolution of 1024 x 768 pixels, a dual-core processor running at 1GHz, 4GB of storage, microSD card reader, and a 2000 mAh battery which can sustain up to 6000 page refreshes.

Basically, the Icarus is an Android tablet with an E-Ink display that comes with support for Kindle books. It’s an odd ball out, but if you don’t mind being a little atypical, you might be interested in picking it up. Especially since it’s not extremely expensive.

In Europe, the Icarus Illumina HD sells for €120 / $160, but US customers will be able to grab it for a little more. The device sells at Amazon for $183 / €137 which is a little bit more than the Kindle Paperwhite.