Just bought a jetBook at CES 2010

[rickyoon.vegas]

Bought it at the ECTACO booth at CES (Consumers Electronics Show) 2010.
For a small, unknown (to many), They attracted a HUGE crowd.
CES 2010 has a few too many eBook reader companies present this year, and most were pushing how pretty their devices were.
I looked and felt ALL of eBook readers today. QUE, iRiver, EZreader, and other 'new & affordable' ebooks.

NO eBook readers were cheaper than jetBook, and they all used the inferior screens. Taking longer than 2 sec (on an average. iRiver takes 3 exact seconds for a page turn) to turn a page was a no-no. Not to mention no 'flash' while turning.

jetBook needs more recognition. It was the best ebook reader on the floor.

[mtravellerh]

Originally Posted by rickyoon.vegas

Bought it at the ECTACO booth at CES (Consumers Electronics Show) 2010.
For a small, unknown (to many), They attracted a HUGE crowd.
CES 2010 has a few too many eBook reader companies present this year, and most were pushing how pretty their devices were.
I looked and felt ALL of eBook readers today. QUE, iRiver, EZreader, and other 'new & affordable' ebooks.

NO eBook readers were cheaper than jetBook, and they all used the inferior screens. Taking longer than 2 sec (on an average. iRiver takes 3 exact seconds for a page turn) to turn a page was a no-no. Not to mention no 'flash' while turning.

jetBook needs more recognition. It was the best ebook reader on the floor.

Inferior screens: Technically speaking, you're not right, of course! All the other readers had an e-ink screen. This kind of screen is not as "fast" as an LCD-screen for technical reasons. e-ink screens are also a bit more expensive thus making the hardware more expensive, too! The distinctive advantage of those screens is the fact that they are stable and therefore better for your eyes on the long term!

[rickyoon.vegas]

Of course. Maybe I should've used a different word than inferior.
jetBook uses an alternative screen to e-ink screens we see on most ebook readers today.

I just feel like jetBook uses a better screen. Like you said, e-ink tech are a bit more expensive, slower to turn, and flashes while changing screens. And it seems like jetbook's battery lasts longer than other eBooks i've been researching.

[Kralik]

Originally Posted by rickyoon.vegas

And it seems like jetbook's battery lasts longer than other eBooks i've been researching.

While I love my jetBook, I think e-ink readers do have an advantage in the battery department. It depends on how much and how fast you read, I guess. Having to charge my battery once a week (for an average of 3 hours of reading a day) on my jetBook is no great chore, so it's not an issue for me.

Originally Posted by mtravellerh

Inferior screens: Technically speaking, you're not right, of course! All the other readers had an e-ink screen. This kind of screen is not as "fast" as an LCD-screen for technical reasons. e-ink screens are also a bit more expensive thus making the hardware more expensive, too! The distinctive advantage of those screens is the fact that they are stable and therefore better for your eyes on the long term!

Technically speaking he is very correct. The Jetbook's screen has almost instant page turns, no black flash, which is bad for the eyes, and almost twice the contrast, which reduces eye strain. As far as stability goes LCD is a much more mature technology and from screen failure reports, e-ink seems much less "stable".

[wallcraft]

Without getting into which is best, the LCD screen used in the jetBook does have a viable place in the dedicated ebook reader market. It is a bit surprising that no one else has taken up this technology.

[Kralik]

Just be careful what you say about superior vs. inferior or this may turn out to be a flame war. I think it's safe to say that the technologies are comparable, each with its own set of advantages that are mostly a matter of preference.

Originally Posted by Kralik

Just be careful what you say about superior vs. inferior or this may turn out to be a flame war. I think it's safe to say that the technologies are comparable, each with its own set of advantages that are mostly a matter of preference.

Kralik,

I don't believe it is a matter of preference but more one of education. Mention LCD for an ereader and many people refuse to consider it, thinking it is either outdated, looks like the older monochrome screens, or that it might be like an LCD computer monitor.

Honestly, and unfortunately, I can't point to any advantage currently held by e-Ink technology over the screen developed for and used in the Jetbook. Oh, the battery issue has been brought up before, but the argument is weak and now, with the replaceable batteries in the Lite, that advantage has decidedly moved to Ectaco. If I am overlooking something you see please explain.

[jj2me]

e-Ink advantage: whiter background.

Not saying this is an advantage for everyone. We all have preferences. Some hate glare, some hate flicker, some hate dark backgrounds (of all current e-Readers). Those latter type want the whitest possible background, and would likely prefer a Kindle or 505/300 over an Ectaco.

[Kralik]

Originally Posted by jj2me

e-Ink advantage: whiter background.

Not saying this is an advantage for everyone. We all have preferences. Some hate glare, some hate flicker, some hate dark backgrounds (of all current e-Readers). Those latter type want the whitest possible background, and would likely prefer a Kindle or 505/300 over an Ectaco.

And this is what I mean when I refer to matters of opinion. People have their likes and dislikes. Thanks for the feedback jj2me.

Originally Posted by jj2me

e-Ink advantage: whiter background.

Not saying this is an advantage for everyone. We all have preferences. Some hate glare, some hate flicker, some hate dark backgrounds (of all current e-Readers). Those latter type want the whitest possible background, and would likely prefer a Kindle or 505/300 over an Ectaco.

Sounds like we're grasping for straws coming up with the advantages that e-Ink display has. Even Kralik has not yet been able to state one.

The base color of e-Ink is certainly grayer, or if you please, less toward green, but not whiter. You say perception but these things can be measured. Some may prefer the gray to a slightly greenish-gray, but I haven't heard of this objection before. Are ebook reader buyers passing on the Jetbook because of this perceived color difference?

Some people may very well prefer one technology over another despite the disadvantages it may possess. There should not be any objections to this, as long as they are making informed decisions and not making assumptions about other technologies. But I suspect that most of us here have purchased the Jetbook for mainly one of two reasons: we think the screen is the best (do I dare say superior?) or due to the lower price. Of course, the screen technology is only one aspect of a device, albeit an important one, the others being the hardware case/buttons and the software.

Now to verify my suspicion of why we are buying the Jetbook, how many here bought it over other ereaders solely because of the superior case/buttons or because of the superior software (no laughing, please)?

@rickyoon, vegas
I don't think you should be chastised for stating your conclusions that you think the Jetbook's screen is "superior" or "better" than e-Ink in this forum. Diplomacy is one thing but censorship is something else. However, had you posted them in the Kindle forum I would say you deserved whatever you might have received. Thanks for posting.

[gr8npwrfl]

I purchase the Jetbook for one other reason that has not been stated.

The company does not have an e-book outlet that ties to this particular reader.
Most of the other ones I have come in contact try to tie their ebooks to a particular hardware format.

I felt that since the jetbook was not tied to a particular ebook outlet they would work harder to support more formats.

I do not see the Nook, the Kindle, the Sony trying to support other formats as they are with the jetbook.

I chose it also because it feels substantial in my hand, that my holding it wrong would not damage it.

I prefer the display technology and the overall combination of all the features.

All in all, even with the infancy of the firmware, I felt the jetbook was the best investment.

BTW. I did not mind the price of $149.00 at the time when money is tight also.

[jj2me]

Originally Posted by akira28

You say perception but these things can be measured.

Nobody said "perception" other than you.

Originally Posted by jj2me

Nobody said "perception" other than you.

Sorry about that, jj2me, I should have written "Your perception of e-Ink says that it is whiter but these things can be measured".

Thanks for the editorial note.

[GA Russell]

Originally Posted by rickyoon.vegas

Bought it at the ECTACO booth at CES (Consumers Electronics Show) 2010.

Rick, what was Ectaco charging for the jetBook and the jetBook Lite at the CES?