08-19-2010, 02:52 PM | #1 |
Hillbilly
Posts: 189
Karma: 132498
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Vermont
Device: EZReader
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Jetbook->TheBook->Mentor. Oh My. (opinion)
I took the plunge a wee bit over a year ago and when the JB pricing got below $200 I got one.
Being a lifetime dead-tree book devotee I was doubtful I would like using a reader, mostly based upon my extreme dislike of PDAs and their tiny awful screens and goofy data entry methods. I was wrong - very, very wrong !!! After a week I was addicted for good. (So much so that the paper books soon went into safe storage which delighted me as my living space is about closet-sized.) Fast forward a year or so and the JB had been used daily, worked hard and was locking up too often - and a FW upgrade was suggested - and I did it. BIG mistake. (Note to self: If the device seems tired upgrading FW will NOT make it un-tired, but it could make it simply go INSANE.)((It did too.)) ACK - NO READER - NO, NO - this simply cannot be. I found Augen's offering at my (only 45 minutes away...) Kmart and zoomed off to get one. Used it for a while and got a bit used to it and was also uncomfortable with it Suddenly Newegg went nuts with price reductions - wow - JBs for $70 ?! Other ones for $99 ? Time for research... I was enchanted with Foxit's offering until I saw it has been axed; The Bookeen Cybook got fabulous reviews and sold out instantaneously - and the Mentor got mixed reviews, but looked pretty good, so I grabbed one before they also sold out. Now I've become reasonably familiar with 3 different readers and as promised it is now time to share my opinions and observations of MY time with them. Certainly your experiences may differ from mine - but this is ME telling MY tale and I invite you to add yours to the wealth here so folks who need info can make their own comparisons of reviews before buying their first reader... The Jetbook adventure. I knew nothing...nothing ! This made the JB seem, well-> great ! Pretty much it was too - small, light, and with it I could carry a library big enough that I'd never get it all read.... A very good starting point and in my opinion, at $100 - 130 it is a good first reader - very good for someone to see if they like this way of reading. Likes:
Hates (dislikes is just NOT strong enough here...):
On a scale of 1 - 10 the device gets a solid 6; the company falls below the scale at -3. Visiting with Augen TheBook. The TheBook (how goofy is that ?) has lots going for it conceptually, visually, and has an attractive price too. ($89-99 usually.) It took some getting used to - as expected - and was....OK. It arrived 100% fully charged and made a friend instantly with that ! The color screen is nice too - but this guy only reads in B&W. Likes:
Dislikes:
On a scale of 1 - 10 the device gets a 7; the company is very busy and somewhat inattentive IMO and gets a 5. And now...the Mentor (Or is it ?) It arrived with Newegg's usual quick efficiency. Was so near to dead out of the box as to be scary - and needed a LOOOONG charge to get going. I like this reader, and the thrill of it being able to be just set down when not in use is just terrific ! The Green Book FW got right under my skin and HAD to go. The Cooler Reader FW suits me much better and was no trouble to put in. This is a keeper. Hopefully it's lack of a visible logo means nothing and it's maker has better QC than the JB makers do... Likes:
Dislikes:
Mind you I do anticipate this experience being superceded at a later date; perhaps by an Android powered tablet, or something even better in a few years, but for now I am happy with what I have for the most part and the Newegg sourced Mentor was wll worth the $103. It appears to be opened-box only there now and around $200 at other places. My only advice to a person just starting into e-reader land is to be sure they like using a reader already - or be OK with a ~$200 'tester'. There. My opinion is in the open. Hope it doesn't ruffle too many feathers ! : thumbsup: mark Last edited by smallhagrid; 08-19-2010 at 02:57 PM. Reason: eye fickseddid it. |
08-19-2010, 04:15 PM | #2 |
Wizard
Posts: 2,013
Karma: 251649
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Tempe, AZ, USA, Earth
Device: JetBook Lite (away from home) + 1 spare, 32" TV (at home)
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I'm not impressed with the Mentor. It has failed twice on me; I still need to email their service department (ADD inertia is holding me back. I love the screen but the lack of zoom for images severely restricts its usefulness for me. I was considering flashing it with Coolreader firmware but couldn't find instructions I could understand.
Instead of the JB, I got the JBL. I love its zoom but the screen is not as readable as the Mentor's in lower light conditions; light coming from the side, such as from a window is also problematic. Since the batteries are field replaceable with AAs (I will be using rechargeables which I already carry in my purse), battery life is not a huge concern although I'm still running the alkalines it came with (mayhap 3 hours worth of use?) and the battery gauge hasn't budged yet. Once a book has been loaded, turning on the JBL quickly returns me to the book. Turning it on into the menu or getting into the menu is noticeably slower so I appreciate the design of the firmware bypassing the normal loading and going directly into the last book being read exactly where I left off. The screen aspect ratio of TheBook is attractive (very similar to a standard paperback) but, with the added key pad, TheBook (that IS an awkward name!) is too long to fit in my purse so I haven't even bothered to look at one. |
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08-20-2010, 09:26 AM | #3 |
Wizard
Posts: 1,451
Karma: 1550000
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Maryland, USA
Device: Nook Simple Touch, HPC Evo 4G LTE
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My general impression of the Jetbook was much more positive than yours. I have had it for almost 2 years. My big complaint is that the case of the reader is not very durable and mine is now falling apart. Occasionally, I did find that one or two epub books did cause the unit to essentially lock. Not a big deal, I would just use calibre to convert them to mobi or html.
As for PDF support, the only problem I had with its rendering was the 5" screen. Early on, before later firmware revisions added support for epub and mobi, I routinely converted books into pdf's sized for 3"X4" page size. With a few minor annoyances, it worked like a charm. There was a short delay in page turns, but no worse than the page refresh on eInk readers. As for battery life, you might have gotten a bum battery. Even after two years of pretty steady usage, I probably get 8 hours between charges, early on I would say I would get somewhere between 12-20 hours of use. Though now that I am using my wife's PRS-505, I definitely notice how long the latter's battery lasts. |
Tags |
astak, augen, jetbook, mentor, review |
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