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I sent off an email asking some questions. (Some of which are apparently answered in the flash video.)
1) Filetypes:
> I'd like to know exactly what ebook formats it can read. The FAQ says
> "JPEG, PDF, or TXT document, or any EPUB"--but JPG isn't an ebook format,
> and the FAQ doesn't indicate whether it reads DRM'd books, or whether
> those involve extra software.
>
> Can it read RTF/DOC, HTML, Mobi, or PalmDOC files?
None of these at present
Which is what I expected, but wanted confirmed. I'm still confused at the idea of JPG being an "ebook format." Does that mean it reads .cbz/.cbr files? Or does it just mean "it's got a jpg viewer?"
> 2) Interface Software
> How does the interface work--Does it support folders?
> Does it sort by title/author, or by most recently added, or have multiple
> options? Is there additional software that's needed (or wanted), or does
> it just work like a flash drive--drag & drop files on & off?
Yes sort by title Author not most recently added
Erm. Only answered one of three questions. Bad sign. I think I'm going to write back, and ask that they put me in touch with someone who works in the technical department. (Techspeak gets over my head quick... but at least they'll answer questions like "Does it support folders?")
> 3) Reading
> How many font size options does it have, and how many shades of grayscale
> does it support?
8 font sizes - really bi to really small. No grayscale
Another sign that questions are being answered by sales reps, not technicians. If it's e-Ink, it supports grayscale.
> 4) Coolerbooks.com
> The FAQ states that Coolerbooks has over 750,000 titles, paid and free,
> but when I searched for titles beginning with each letter of the
> alphabet, I got a total of less than 90,000 ebooks. Are the rest of them
> not available through a search by title?
We are not fully launched yet. coolerbooks.com will officially launch at
BookExpo America at the Jacob K. Javits Center in New York City at the
end of this month. The full ebook inventory for coolerbooks.com will be
available at this time.
Ah. So the current FAQ is lying. I just love it when companies launch with "here's the hype for the features we're going to provide soon! Only we're not going to tell you they're not ready yet!"
(Anyone else suspect they're working on a way to import Google's 500,000 free epub books to their site?)
The questions that were totally ignored:
> Are the ebooks DRM'd, or not? If some of them are DRM'd, which formats?
>
> The reader says that purchasing it gets "25% off on ebooks at
> coolerBOOKS.com"--is this a permanent or limited-time discount?
Overall, it looks like a decent-but-limited device, but the combination of lack of technical info on the site, and lack of initial tech support, is daunting.
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