The Spanish technology brand also entered the field of electronic book readers. This firm that sold custom-made devices made in China and that became important also had models as mythical as the Cervantes. I am referring to eReaders bq which we will cover in this buying guide.
Alternatives to the bq eReader
Here are some alternatives to eReader bq What you should consider:
Kindle Basic
This is the new Kindle model, a 6-inch e-book reader with a high-resolution 300 dpi screen and a compact and lightweight design so you can take it wherever you need to go. You can also enjoy a large storage space and the Amazon cloud service to upload purchased titles if they no longer fit in your internal memory.
PocketBook Lux 3
This other PocketBook eReader is also a luxury alternative. With a 6-inch E-Ink Carta HD screen, with 16 gray levels. It includes intelligent light adjustable in intensity and temperature, it has great autonomy, WiFi, a powerful ARM processor, 512 MB of RAM, free buttons, and also compatibility with CBR and CBZ comics.
SPC Dickens Light 2
The SPC Dickens Light 2 is the next eReader that we propose as an alternative to the Nolim. It is a device with a backlit screen, light with 6 intensity levels, front keys, vertical/horizontal screen rotation, 1 month of autonomy, and a compact and lightweight design.
Woxter E-Book Scribe
Finally, if you are looking for something cheap like the Carrefour eReader, you have the Woxter E-Book Scriba. A 6″ e-book reader, with a 1024×758 E-Ink Pearl screen capable of offering a purer white, as well as the ability to expand the internal memory using microSD cards.
bq eReader Features
If you were interested in the bq eReader, here are some of the most outstanding features of these models:
e-ink card
the bq has e ink screen, the new technology that uses microcapsules with black and white particles charged and suspended in a transparent fluid to form the necessary text and images in a very efficient way at the consumer level, in addition to offering an experience more similar to reading on paper. These types of electronic ink screens have dominated the eReader market due to their advantages. In addition, in the case of the Spanish firm, it specifically uses Letter-type panels.
This screen e-Ink Letter It arrived for the first time in 2013, with two versions, a normal one and a slightly more modern HD one. With these screens the quality of previous electronic ink screens was improved. For this, a 6″ screen is offered with a resolution of 768×1024 px and a pixel density of 212 ppi. As for the HD version, it had 1080 × 1440 px resolution and 300 dpi while maintaining 6 inches, so the quality and sharpness of the image grows.
Freescale i.MX Chip
As for the chip included in these eReaders, the Spanish firm opted for a Freescale i.MX, instead of the usual ARM SoCs. It is a family of microcontrollers that are now part of the NXP company and that are based on the ARM architecture, focused on low consumption. These chips have been used in a multitude of products, such as some Kobo eReaders from the past, Amazon Kindle, Sony Reader, Onyx Boox, etc.
Supported formats
This bq eReader supports a good number of formats in which it will support changing font size, changing typeface, justifying, note taking and highlighting, using dictionary directly etc. Some formats are PDF, EPUB, MOBI, DOC, etc.
WiFi
Of course, bq eReaders also have WiFi connectivity to connect to the network wirelessly and be able to download books directly to your device, without the need for cables.
Integration with platforms
As you should know, the bq eReader can be integrated with a multitude of services, such as Nubic by monthly subscription, in addition to other digital libraries through the rights manager Adobe Digital Edition.
Other functions
You will also find features to quickly search for words in the eBook content, dictionary to search for the words you need, internal memory expansion via microSD cards, adjustable cold and warm lighting, etc.
What has happened to the bq brand?
The Spanish brand bq was a benchmark in technology. Although the firm did not have factories and dedicated itself to producing in China, the truth is that they did make some interesting innovations in collaboration with large international companies, such as Canonical, among others.
However, despite this success, the truth is that the brand gradually died until it was bought by VinGroup to finally disappear. The emergence of Chinese brands with innovative and competitively priced products, such as Xiaomi, hampered bq's progress. Therefore, currently you will not be able to find products from this firm.
What formats does the Cervantes ebook read?
The bq eReader supports a good number of file formats. Among those supported are:
- EPUB: one of the most popular formats of eBooks. This format supports changing the font size, typeface, justifying, taking notes, highlighting, and using dictionaries.
- PDF: Another very popular portable document format. It only supports changing the font size and using dictionaries.
- fb2: Russian eBook format for FictionBook. It allows changing the font and size, as well as using dictionaries.
- MOBI: This is also called Mobipocket and is an open format from Amazon. This format allows you to perform the same functions as the previous one.
- DOC: Text documents created with word processors such as Microsoft Office. In terms of functions it is the same as before.
- TXT: a plain text format used by many text editors. The same functions as the previous one.
- RTF: stands for Rich Text Format, created by Microsoft. Same functions in this case too.
How to use Nubico on a BQ ereader?
As Nubico partnered with bq at the time, these eReaders can be configured to use this library. To enjoy this service, of course, you have to have a subscription and download the Nubico app on Android-based eReaders that do not have it integrated. The followed general are:
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- Register in Nubico to create an account.
- If you already have an account Log in, entering your email and password.
- Press Send to access.
- This is how you access the main page of Nubico.
- From there you can manage your eBooks.
How to connect bq Cervantes to the computer?
Finally, if you want connect your bq eReader Cervantes to your PC, the steps are equally simple:
- The first thing is to connect the microUSB cable to the eReader bq port.
- Connect the other end with the USB connector to your PC.
- The PC will automatically recognize your device as a Removable Disk Drive.
- The device will then become temporarily inoperable and a message will appear on the eReader screen saying "USB CONNECT".
- Now you can carry out the transfer of the files from the PC to the eReader or vice versa as you would do with any removable memory. This includes both the internal memory of the bq eReader and the SD card it has.
- Once finished, you can safely extract and go. You can now disconnect the cable.