As most of you probably remember, I received a review sample of the STAReBOOK last monday.
I have posted pictures, a video and a review so far.

Now I've had some more time to evaluate the device and would like to add a few things to my previous review.

Ergonomics:

I have done quite a lot of reading this past week, as much as my limited spare time allowed. I used the STAReBOOK in a number of situations, reading on the couch, in bed, while eating and while installing software on my computer...more about that later... :scholar:
The device is very comfortable to hold, it's weight is the main helper here. You can even use it left-handed (although the controls are on the wrong side for that) because it's small form-factor and the 176g weight help you hold it in ways that would cause you a lot of discomfort if it were heavier.
In all scenarios I tested the device was easy and secure to hold. The slightly rubberized backside also helps more than you would think at first, giving you a more secure grip without using a lot of finger pressure. Unlike the Iliad, I seldom rested the STAReBOOK on anything for additional support.


Durability:

Of course it's hard to talk about durabilty after such a short time, so I'll make it short. I have found no obvious reasons why this device should not last quite some time. The keys seem to be well constructed, the frame feels solid (and it does not creak quite as ominously as the Iliad does if you twist it slightly... :uhoh2: ) and nothing rattles as far as I could discover. I also dropped it (not on purpose!!!) yesterday evening and it still works just like before (it fell from my hand to the (hard) carpet floor) and has no sign of damage to either casing or screen. I never dropped the Iliad so far, so I can't really say how that device would have survived the fall.


Reading Experience:

Now this is the main point... :vulcan:
I finished two books and am well into my third right now. During this week I noticed just how much the Iliad with it's slow booting times and miserable battery-life has disrupted my reading habits.
I'm not really somebody who reserves two hours a day for reading. I prefer to just pick up a book whenever I have a moment, read a few pages and then put it away again. With the Iliad this is not possible. If I leave it on all day, then it'll be out of battery before I go to bed.
I left the STAReBOOK on from Monday to Saturday, I did not even switch it off during the night. The battery did not last as long as I had hoped, it stopped working on Saturday morning (I had charged it fully on Monday around 2:00 PM). On Saturday morning it then switched itself off. Apparently, the STAReBOOK is not using Suspend mode, it seems to be doing "low-power-mode" between pageturns and thus runs out of juice a lot faster than the Sony Reader (as far as I've heard, I don't have one unfortunately).
I asked staretek about the possibility of adding Suspend mode to the STAReBOOK, but so far have not received a reply. I'll keep you posted on the progress here.
Even without Suspend, the device does well enough, if you turn it off overnight you only have to boot it once a day and it should last almost two weeks, so I guess that's good enough for most.
Now let's get back to the reading experience...
Even though it uses ugly fonts and bad formatting, I enjoyed reading on the STAReBOOK a lot more than I did reading on the Iliad. The keyword here is Simplicity. I read, put the book down with the last-read page displaying (it loses a bit of contrast over time, but the text is always readable) and then I just grab it again as soon as I have a moment and can continue from where I was, not restart, no delay at all. That is what really sets this device apart from the Iliad in my eyes. It is a lot more paper-like and comfortable. If they manage to bring more formats, improve the fonts and line-breaking and maybe add suspend then this could very well be the ultimate device, now it's not quite there yet, but for reading purposes it beats the Iliad any day. Technical documents with illustrations, annotations and similar purposes, here the crown goes to the Iliad, even in it's unfinished state, but for a ficion-reader I would never hesitate to recommend this one.


Summary:

The STAReBOOK is a very nice device. The design is cool, it feels good and is easy to hold, even for longer reading sessions. It's battery life could be better, but it's OK as it is if you are willing to accept the compromise.
There is still work to be done when it comes to format support and formatting (and perhaps a Suspend mode could be added?) but it is already a very comfortable eReading solution. Added benefits like mp3 playack (I still have not tested, sorry) and nice little features like bookmarks, last-read book, favourites (list of last read books) and auto-refresh for the menus (I guess to prevent heavier ghosting after longer inactivity) make it even nicer. It's not quite there yet, but it's close. I would like to see the STAReBOOK with improved software go up against the SonyReader sometime...that would be a really interesting match since they are both fighting for the same market. The Iliad is a very different device, I'm pretty sure it will never even come close to matching the STAReBOOK, even in it's current state, as an ebook, but if iRex ever manage to use the features their hardware promises, then I guess it can still turn into a good infopad, newspaper reader or PDA.

Say, CommanderROR, is there a manual available for this rascal? It would be of some interest. :nice:

There is a manual...it's pretty thin, but it is there.
If you like, I can scan the english part for you...just let me know. I doubt whether you will find any deeper meaning in it though... ;)

Only if it wouldn't be much trouble -- some of the Baen folks are wondering what the manual for the bookeen clone they're looking at might be like, and since the hardware is nominally identical.... (shrug)

I checked the STAR and Bookeen sites, and of course they have no manuals posted. :grin:

Here you go...I haven't done a very careful job, so it's a bit crooked, but it should serve the purpose. Unfortunately the little booklet fell apart when I placed it on the scanner, so I have quite a few loose pages in there now, hence the sometimes incorrect page-numbers in the scanned version... :rolleyes5

Cool, thanks, CommanderROR!

It is interesting that one item many of the Sony Reader users have asked for -- the ability to delete files -- is already part of the STAReBOOK system.

Why can't Stareread develop a PDF reader? I would consider getting one if there is a PDF reader. The device looks great!

They wanted to talk to Scotty1024 about the PDf viewer...maybe something can be worked out.
I'm a bit short on news right now since I have not received a single reply from my contacts at staretek all week...I wonder what is going on there...

Reading the several review from you about the STAReBOOK I cant help but thinking about the Microsoft stunt (http://www.istartedsomething.com/20061227/microsoft-free-ferrari/). I was hoping for a more objective review (http://www.engadget.com/2007/01/29/starebook-stk-101-reviewed/) to be honest, and it is very noticable when you are expressing your personal subjective feeling about the iLiad. For many of us the iLiad is a great device. I am not defending the iLiad here I am just saying that I find the review not as objective as I hoped.

Anyway good work it was nice to learn about the STAReBook in the process.

I think CommanderRORs is trying to be quite objective for a subjective impression :D

I can totally understand his frustration with the iLiad. I can see, how the battery life is one of the most important factors of an ereader.

I like the design of the starereader. I would not want to miss the flipbar and the screensize of the iliad.

So it just depends on your needs and the size of your wallet :)

Thanks for the reviews CommanderROR

@mill0r

I'm sorry to hear that you find my Review to not be objective because that was what I was trying to be.
That is also why I repeatedly pointed out the faults I found with the device, even with pictures , and what I thought/think still has to be done to make this device even better.

I also went out of my way to put the "but the Iliad is made for other uses, ..." bits all over the place.
A thing I can't and won't deny however is that the STAReBOOK is really far better as a reading device than the Iliad, at least that's my feeling after this time. I had been reading on my Iliad for half a year, I was one of the very first people worldwide to buy an Iliad actually, before I got the STAReBOOK, and I have not switched it on since...that must mean something surely? And that is exactly what I am trying to convey with my review.
If I had a Sony Reader to compare with the STAReBOOK I would probably favour that over the STAReBOOK since it has apparently got even better battery life and the format-support is also a lot broader (and the text-formatting is bettery I guess).

Please, you and all others, keep in mind that (as I pointed out in my initial review) I am comparing two totally different devices if I compare the Iliad and the STAReBOOK.
They do however have the same function in my usage-environment:

READING FICTION

and in that respect, I just can't find any reason to recommend the Iliad over the STAReBOOK. Even the benefits of the larger screen can't even start to sway the balance in this case.
A review like this is always going to be slightly subjective, there is always a human factor, but I have really tried my best to present you all with the closest to objectivity I could manage.

I was actually very sceptical about the STAReBOOK, that is why I requested the review Sample in the first place actually. I am deeply hurt by your comparison to the "microsoft stunt", I sincerely hope that you are the only one here thinking I am so easy to buy...

@mill0r
I'm sorry to hear that you find my Review to not be objective because that was what I was trying to be.


Yep, but why make comments like:

The keys seem to be well constructed, the frame feels solid (and it does not creak quite as ominously as the Iliad does if you twist it slightly

It *does* sound that you are directly comparing the Starbook with the Iliad. I realise that you have invested a lot of time and money into the Iliad, but the side-comments about the devices failings don't make your review sound that objective. What is wrong with (say):

The keys seem to be well constructed, the frame feels solid.

Tells us all we need to know, doesn't it...? :blink:

Personally I enjoy reading CommanderROR's reviews. I don't think he claimed to be objective, and it's quite natural to draw comparisons to another e-reader device if you got one in your hands.

@jaed

The reason I put that in is because the creaking was something I always wondered about in the Iliad.
When it comes to stability and quality it should be more than fair to compare a 650€device to a 350 (or similar)€ device.

Also, I can distinctly remember doing it the other way round as well...like "the keys of the STAReBOOK are okay although I prefer the pagebar of the Iliad"
I can distinctly remember putting that in somewhere...

But never mind...I hope the review is still OK for the majority of users here.

A short aside...

I'm sure Roland will make note of the input regarding the review style. But, personally, I think either style (informal-personal-fair or formal-facts-only) is fine. We are fortunate to be getting such great information from Roland. He is clearly being both fair and helpful in his approach, and is not trying to further any separate secret agendas. He's simply providing information in a personal style to the community for our benefit, and succeeding magnificently. If he was intending to publish the review at the WSJ, I'm sure his writing style would be different.

As it is, the advantage of his style is exactly what was indicated before - it's more personal and informative. It gives impressions as well as facts. For those of us that want to get a feel for the relative merits of a device we might never have the opportunity to hold in our hands, it works well. It does benefit the community greatly. And, of course, he is most welcome to compare to devices he is familiar with.

I believe he already made that very clear in the beginning (http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=9481),First of all, I'd like to make a few things clear:

1) As with the Iliad deal, I don't get paid for what I do here. I'm trying to make an independent review here, for the community, not for the company.

2) Staretek has provided the review unit free of charge. I did not have to pay a single penny for either the device or the shipping to Germany. For this I'd like to thank those responsible at Staretek and especially Ivan who was always very helpful.

3) I will compare the device to the Iliad from time to time. I know that the devices are completely different, but there are still some things that can be compared, like reading ebooks on the devices. I think it makes sense to compare, even if this is far from a apples to apples comparison.I know that not everyone will agree with my thoughts here. We have a very diverse group, and as I have said in the past, that's one of our great strengths at MobileRead. We'll have different opinions about writing styles. But I hope we won't all get too distracted with style issues and miss the whole point. We are getting a nice glimpse of an exciting new device, with good and bad, and with comparisons to another device that some of us might be familiar with.

So let's get back to the device itself, okay!?

Great first review. Thanks much.

So, should I get one next week? I am heading into Shanghai for Chinese New Year and am severely tempted to get one of these. The only sticking point seems to be the software. Have you heard anything about future software upgrades that would allow better fonts or txt or rtf or other formats?

@Tom Swift

All I have so far is a promise that text-layout and Fonts will be fixed. There seems to be some interest in developing a PDF viewer, but it does not seem to be top priority.
I'll tell you more if I hear more, but that's all for now.

ETA for the text-layout and fonts was 30-45 days from last week, so it should be 3-4 weeks, but software timelines are always dodgy...

Thanks. I think I will wait until the software issue is sorted out. If it would just use plain .txt. or .rtf, it would be perfect.

I will just have to wait until you give me the go-ahead. :)

You could also consider the Bookeen version the Baen crowd is aiming for -- same hardware, different software. :shrug:

http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=9400

Say, CommanderROR, it occurs to me to wonder if you can see any indication on (or inside, if you're brave/crazy enough :)) your STAReBook, as to who's actually manufacturing the hardware. Since the reader Bookeen is working on seems to be the same hardware, and I'm wondering who's buying what from whom, you see. :nice:

I'm sorry NatCh, I am not going to open the device anytime soon, especially since it does not have any visible screws...^^

On the outside there are just mentions of eRead and "Made in Taiwan".

Another matter:

I have been trying to establish contact between Scotty 1024 and Staretek for a week now, but somehow Scotty's mails just don't get there or can not be found.
I hope Scotty will provide me with his email address so that staretek can contact him, maybe it will work that way round.
It's real strange. Establishing contact is turning into a real puzzler here... :-)

I hope we'll manage and that something good will come of the relationship.

UPDATE:

I am making the move to Windows VISTA at the moment and can confirm that the eREAD Software that staretek uses is working just fine with VISTA x64

Another brief UPDATE:

There are still problems with establishing contact between staretek and Scotty1024. Somehow they just can't reach each other by email although both sides are trying...we have now tried several email addresses, my emails get through to both, but theirs don't...I hope we'll get this resolved.
I'll let you know how things progress.

FINALLY!

We have contact...:-)

Now, let's see whether Scotty1024 and the guys from Staretek get along and can work together to make the STAReBOOK an even better choice for mobile reading...^^

Well, I'm another one who's just taken the plunge and picked up a STAReBOOK in Taipei 2 days ago. I'll raise your vista install with the probable entertainment that will be running eRead on a mac using Parallels.

I'll keep you posted.

By the way, the girls in the STAReREAD store are really nice, and while their engrish isn't the best they are really nice and helpful.

micro

I'm looking at the Baen group ebook order, which says it will be using this same hardware, so I appreciate your review, letting us know something about this.

Glad to be of service...:-)

I'm waiting for the new firmware and hoping to hear news about the Scotty1024/Staretek deal soon. The chinese had a week of celebration last week, so I have news yet.

It was quite the week. I think it is very civilised to have a holiday that runs from the 9th to the 27th of February. Just got back to work yesterday.

I think the review was very well done and the comparisons he made are quite appropriate. This is exactly the way I would write my reviews for Gpspassion and PalmAddict. Comparisons are extremely helpful.

I agree. Now I have my STAReBOOK and IRex. I use STAReBOOK for reading most of the time in which its juice last for weeks; I use Irex when I need to annotation function. Seem Sony ereader is good as well. I am thinking to get a sony for my wife ...

Out of interest, can I ask what settings you are using to create your STK files? Mine are looking pretty good, but the line spacing is a bit wide and if possible I'd prefer the fonts a bit smaller. Also the page numbers down the bottom are always incorrect, and usually moving one page with the buttons moves 2 pages according to the display???

thanks

micro

Hi, my files look ok on the device, but the linebreaks are broken. things like .!?()"" often get moved to the next line and words that contain ' also get broken...like it
's or things like that.
My pagenumbers are OK as far as I can tell, will have to watch them more closely to see whether there are any skips.

My settings are:
Fontisze: 14
Linespacing: 5
Character Spacing: 1
(Landscape mode although this creates pages in Portrait mode, no idea why)

I've been running a few tests yesterday with different settings and it appears to not make a huge difference :)

Just to see what happened I tried Fontsize 9, Linespace 0, Char spacing 1, Landscape (confuddling to the max) and hte end result was identical.

The only option I found that affects the way it looks was the landscape mode. i'm assuming this is intended for chinese texts with the vertical reading.

Once the STK is on the device it appears that the look is up to the device and not the STAReBOOK.

On another note, reading comics on the thing is quite funny. There's a few to download off the book store thats part of the eRead software. As in you can actually get the STK files for them,

micro

I watched the pagenumbers and found that they indeed seem to jump 2 pages per pageturn....strange. I never noticed that at first...^^

I'll ask the staretek folks about that. The new firmware should be coming soon anyway...

what I noticed regarding the page numbers is it depends how you create your STK. If you use the separate STK maker app you don't get page numbers until you open the STK in eRead and start reading. Just loading the STK doesn't add numbers. You just get a percentage read.

If you create the STK using eRead then you get the page numbers.

Personally I find the eRead software a cleaner way to create STK files. The STK maker app is a truly hideous piece of UI design. However, I keep getting some odd flash video playing in my eRead software when I want to just read a book in it.

Fingers crossed for a simplified STK maker that just works. Maybe batch conversion of txt files too.

Also fingers crossed for new firmware :)

micro