ebook descriptions
Feb. 14th, 2007 03:42 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
eorThe ebook reader I refer to as my ebook is a RCA REB1200 model. For most practical purposes it is the same as the Gemstar GEB2150. It's also know as ETI-1 model.
I've investigated many of the other ebook systems out there. I keep coming back to this one as having the most features I want for reading. I don't know how people can stand to read off a palm or the like, screen size and font size are just too small. The new E-ink machines are appealing (and expensive). I would never buy the Sony PRS-500, it's too much to pay for a reader tied to a proprietary format. The Iliad is more appealing because it has gone open source and has a cool name. I am curious to see it and play with it, but I'm not willing to pay the price. I'll review the Ebookwise 1150 that![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
derien has used later.
The device is about the size of a hardcover book although thinner than most hardcovers. If you're a book fanatic, it feels naturally right. You hold it as you would a book if you, gasp, folded the cover back. Battery life is over 8 hours of continuous reading.
Pictures:
Advantages:
Disadvantages:
I have several of these devices. In fact I'm hording them in case I smash the screen on my beloved toy. The large adjustable screen allows for a very pleasant reading experience. The line width is of particular use in reading poetry. I load my books using the compact flash card for readers where the firmware supports it. For those that can't handle that I've got a server set up that will allow download over ethernet. I've yet to fill mine, despite having an unabridged dictionary, War and Peace, Moby Dick, lots of Dickens, and over 200 books in total on it.
* * * * * * * * * *
The REB1150, Ebookwise 1150, ETI-2 is a smaller greyscale version of the REB1200. It's about the size of a paperback with a gripable shape. Battery life from what I recall is around 16 hours.
Photos:
At Ebookwise
Advantages:
Disadvantages:
This device has many of the advantages of its full color brethren. The interface is equally useable, the page forward/back keys are big and obvious. It is not as good for poetry as the 1200 because the lines tend to wrap a lot and make things confusing. I don't like the limitations of the smartmedia card, but that's not a show stopper. If my USB worked I'd probably be much more enthusiastic.
I've investigated many of the other ebook systems out there. I keep coming back to this one as having the most features I want for reading. I don't know how people can stand to read off a palm or the like, screen size and font size are just too small. The new E-ink machines are appealing (and expensive). I would never buy the Sony PRS-500, it's too much to pay for a reader tied to a proprietary format. The Iliad is more appealing because it has gone open source and has a cool name. I am curious to see it and play with it, but I'm not willing to pay the price. I'll review the Ebookwise 1150 that
derien has used later.The device is about the size of a hardcover book although thinner than most hardcovers. If you're a book fanatic, it feels naturally right. You hold it as you would a book if you, gasp, folded the cover back. Battery life is over 8 hours of continuous reading.
Pictures:
- Note: It's very hard to get a good picture of an LCD screen in a fairly dark room. The screen doesn't look grainy in real life, that's the result of mean turning the brightness and contrast all the way up to get usable pictures.
- Front view
- The Library/Bookshelf
- Fonts and Pictures
- Text with a footnote link
- More text
- Detail of paging buttons
- Detail of top buttons
- Top view: ethernet, modem,power,stylus
- Bottom view: battery, flash card
Advantages:
- Full VGA color screen
- Backlit LCD allows reading in the dark
- Replaceable battery
- Software to easily convert HTML to required file type (.imp)
- Ethernet connection can download ebooks with caveats
- Takes Compact Flash cards up to 1Gb, (2Gb cards confuse it)
- Up to 350(?) individual titles (I haven't filled it yet)
- Power adapter works on 110 or 220, 50 or 60 hz (means it can be charged in some non-US countries)
- Big easy to manipulate page forward/back keys
- Text is searchable
- Touchscreen can be used to write notes, make markups etc.
- Hyperlinks can be used throughout documents
- Images can be easily included.
- Adjustable brightness and contrast controls
- Adjustable font sizes, two sizes user selectable as well as a variety of sizes creator selectable.
Disadvantages:
- No longer sold new to consumers (ebay price around $130)
- Software for creating .imp files is Windows only
- No easy way to upload notes or markups to computer, they are only useful on the local copy.
- Not useful for writing or file creation as is.
- There is no easy to upgrade older firmware on most 1200's to the current ebookwise/Filament Books compatible software. The ebook can be sent away for a $25 upgrade.
- Depending on the firmware version you may have trouble loading ebooks via compact flash, ethernet downloading may be necessary.
I have several of these devices. In fact I'm hording them in case I smash the screen on my beloved toy. The large adjustable screen allows for a very pleasant reading experience. The line width is of particular use in reading poetry. I load my books using the compact flash card for readers where the firmware supports it. For those that can't handle that I've got a server set up that will allow download over ethernet. I've yet to fill mine, despite having an unabridged dictionary, War and Peace, Moby Dick, lots of Dickens, and over 200 books in total on it.
The REB1150, Ebookwise 1150, ETI-2 is a smaller greyscale version of the REB1200. It's about the size of a paperback with a gripable shape. Battery life from what I recall is around 16 hours.
Photos:
At Ebookwise
Advantages:
- Half VGA greyscale screen
- Backlit LCD allows reading in the dark
- Software to easily convert HTML to required file type (.imp)
- USB port for connection to PC (which I've never been able to get working on our device)
- Takes up to a 128Mb Smartmedia card
- Has 8Mb of built in memory that is used in the absence of a Smartmedia card (tiny but usable)
- Depending on book size you can store over 120 books (with 128Mb Smart card)
- Big easy to manipulate page forward/back keys
- Text is searchable
- Touchscreen can be used to write notes, make markups etc.
- Hyperlinks can be used throughout documents
- Images can be easily included.
- Adjustable brightness and contrast controls
- Adjustable font sizes, two sizes user selectable as well as a variety of sizes creator selectable.
- Currently available for sale at Ebookwise.com ($125ish)
Disadvantages:
- Battery is not easily replaceable
- Charger only works on 110v 60hz US current
- Software for creating .imp files is Windows only
- No easy way to upload notes or markups to computer, they are only useful on the local copy.
- Not useful for writing or file creation as is.
- I've never been able to get the USB to work on my device, it might just be the unit I have. As a result I load everything by pulling out the smartcard and putting it into a card reader on my PC.
- Smartmedia only, it's low capacity and hard to push in/pull out.
This device has many of the advantages of its full color brethren. The interface is equally useable, the page forward/back keys are big and obvious. It is not as good for poetry as the 1200 because the lines tend to wrap a lot and make things confusing. I don't like the limitations of the smartmedia card, but that's not a show stopper. If my USB worked I'd probably be much more enthusiastic.
