I own a JE100 and have been really pleased with it. In fact, it has been my reader of choice since I got it. I was in the market to get another one as a back up when the JE200 was introduced. The price difference is significant ($150), but I decided to take a chance.
I think I may have been the first to order and when I received it, it did not contain all the contents. The major missing item was the US AC adapter (mine was sent with a European charger). I immediately emailed both Jointech and Sales4online. I received a prompt response. That was when I was told the following from Sales4online:
“Thanks for your feedback, and sorry for wrong charger, and sorry for delay in your shipment due to Christmas and new year holidays. we will sure send you new one for USA Standard Also, the Unit you received was lacking some art work as printing materials, User manual etc due to its very new release. We will send you the user manual, a charger and if something else you feel is missing you can write us that we could add for your convenience. “
Luckily my charger for the JE100 fits and works. Also both devices can be charged via USB.
At first I was really excited since the cover included with the JE200 is nicer that the previous. The embossing on the cover is not as prominent. The inside is has a softer feel.
JE100 Cover Outside
JE200 Cover Outside
JE100 Cover Inside
JE200 Cover Inside
The new reader came with a screen protector pre-applied. At first I thought that something was wrong with my screen. I thought I saw scratches, but I guess it was the way the protector looked. I may take it off, because it sometimes interferes with the touch interface. For example, it is hard to get the stylus to register and I find myself tapping more and harder. I can see this as potential screen disaster if I am not careful.
Other than the cover I can see no immediate difference in the appearance between the two readers. As you can see in the photos (JE100 always on the Left) Jointech left off the model number in the lower left had corner.
Devices Top View
Devices Back View
It may just me, but the two devices seem to be different in size although the specs are the same. The JE100 is slightly narrower than and not as thick as the JE200. The JE200 has a heavier feel and could be due to the cover. It is still comfortable to hold and to use.
Bottom View
Side View
Sadly, I can’t recommend anyone to buy the JE200. I am considering sending it back and going with my first instinct and getting another JE1 00. Here’s why:
GUI: Jointech has taken something that was simple to use and made it complicated. The new UI looks nice, but navigation makes no sense. I get the sense that I am looping around in a file manager rather than a menu. I know that the new UI is meant to be a bonus but it is not. It took a lot of lot tapping to find my way to WIN CE. The Win CE exe is in the Extras Folder. I read the documentation that was onboard, but it was not very helpful. What I found most annoying was that when you turn on the device it is locked. Jointech says that it prevents unintended taps. So in order to get to anything I had to tap the number “1” key then the “2”, and finally “3”. Still this wasn’t a deal breaker for me as I intended to use Win CE almost exclusively. There should be a shortcut for Win CE on the bottom or at least an option to boot directly into Win CE.
Software: Just like the JE100 the JE200 comes with a 2 GB MicroSD card. Here I found MS reader, Mobipocket, MMCE (comic book reader), and Alreader. None were already installed. I installed MS reader without thinking. Now the cab file is gone. So if I had to hard reset, or if anything goes wrong, I don’t see any way I can reinstall the program, since everything was on the storage card rather than the device memory. If I didn’t know better, I would say that they got the software from reading this forum. There were no modifications. For example, in MS reader there is still no way to close the application (unless you use Task Manager). MS Reader is still Version 2.4.1 build 5323 and takes a long time to open. In my opinion, MS reader is slower on the JE200 than it is on my JE100. Mobipocket is version 5.3 build 582.
I emailed Jointech and now MS reader has been added to the download page. That is good news for JE100 users. These apps will also work for you.
The biggest disappointment for me is that I can’t get eReader to work on the device. I used my copy from the JE100 and received the error that it was not a Win CE file. I installed a newer eReader version (version 3.03fp) from ereader.com and the library view doesn’t work well in the portrait mode at all. Also the keyboard will not work when I am entering the unlock information. I had to connect an external keyboard to input my information. Overall I find it really frustrating to get started using it. Once I did get to actually reading the cursor kept flashing rapidly. I haven’t found a way to get rid of it yet. I asked Jointech about it and their response was,
“We have not tested the eReader software yet. I will check it and let you know about that soon.”
That was 5 days ago. Hopefully, this will be fixed.
I own a copy of dbnote. It works really well for note taking on my Q7. It installed on my JE100, but lines are squiggly. I was hoping that this behavior would not be present on the JE200. No luck there.
Db Note on the JE200
I also installed Calligrapher on the JE200, but removed it since it exhibited erratic behavior and doesn’t work in the portrait mode. I tried it on the JE100 and it would not install.
Other software: MMCE does work with the JE100. I have never used this application before since I don’t read comics. There are samples on the device, so I was able to test it and it does work.
What doesn’t Work: It could be me, but I couldn’t get flash to work. There are several samples on the device and when I tried to use them, the device froze. Jointech’s response was,
“For flash, you do not need any application. Just click on the flash file and it should run in the JE200 interface. For flash, you do not need to go to the Windows CE desktop. There is just one issue with Flash, that there should be no non-English should work fine.”
It still does not work.
Again, my advice is “Don’t buy this!!” Buy a JE100 which is cheaper, easier to use, and faster. If you still want one, then wait until Jointech gets this reader together. I hope once I receive the missing items and hear from Jointech on the problems I have, there will be some fixes. I am not one for holding hope for updates (not just this reader but all readers). There hasn’t been one for the JE100 and there is a definite possibility there won’t be one for the JE200. I have a feeling that in a few months we will see a JE300. I haven’t tested this device with a higher capacity memory card yet. I have one on order and will update when I get it, for what it is worth.
Ellen