EB-1150 upgrade?

[DaleDe]

After looking over all of the current readers I think there is still life in the eb1150 device from ebookwise. For one thing it is half the price of all of the newer ones and for another there is nothing more intuitive than a touch screen. I have decided to generate a wish list for features I would like to see in this unit. You can access my wishlist and information on this device at http://users.cwnet.com/dalede/eb1150.html

Please let me know what you think and if you have any more ideas let me know and I will update the list. Hopefully eBook Technologies will decide that there is still a market for LCD screens. I think there are too many missing features in some of the other devices.

Dale

[6charlong]

Originally Posted by DaleDe

After looking over all of the current readers I think there is still life in the eb1150 device from ebookwise. For one thing it is half the price of all of the newer ones and for another there is nothing more intuitive than a touch screen. I have decided to generate a wish list for features I would like to see in this unit. You can access my wishlist and information on this device at http://users.cwnet.com/dalede/eb1150.html

Please let me know what you think and if you have any more ideas let me know and I will update the list. Hopefully eBook Technologies will decide that there is still a market for LCD screens. I think there are too many missing features in some of the other devices.

Dale

I followed this thread for a couple of months. In the end it led me to get an eBookWise 1150. You are right about the LED screen. Maybe they need to know why their product is better than even ETI may realize.

I already had a Sony PRS500. It's good and I'm not going to get rid of it, but I have trouble reading it. Granted, my eyes are old. I read somewhere that your eyes need ten times more light to read at 60 than you needed when you were 6. As winter settles on us in the northern tier where I live, there is less daylight and what we get is dimmer every day.

Your thread reminded me of my old Pocket PC. When I got I didn't know what it would do and I'd never heard about eBooks, but in the end, reading eBooks was the only thing I used it for--except the screen was too small for practical reading.

To get to the point, now that I have my EB-1150 I keep finding more and more I like about it. The layout is more logical and easier to use than the PRS500, but in the end, I can read the screen in any light I find myself in, especially in the winter. I like it much better than the eInk device. I hope they keep making it.

My only worry is that ETI might not support the new OEBPS 2.0 standard on this "old" device. It would be nice if we could replace the battery or at least have someplace to send it to be replaced, although maybe that is already available--the manual says to take it to a "qualified" service repairman--can you mail it to ETI? And if they keep making it, they will really have to support a memory card that's still manufactured. But even without all that, it's still the best eBook reader I've found! Someone should tell ETI before they stop making it.

[spear]

As a new owner of a EB-1150 I am very pleased with it. It is my first ebook reader and it was easy to learn (love the LCD touchscreen) and have successfully downloaded books from many different sites with the use of the librarian software. I wasn't surprised about how good it is because I researched out very carefully what to buy (thanks to Brad and Dale Die's postings and websites) and for the money it cannot be beat. I join with you in hoping the ETI will see the value of this device.

I have only a couple of comments regarding your list Dale Die (keep leading the charge!):

Hardware #2: I second, third, and fourth your idea about the replacable batteries (and keeping them lightweight)

Firmware #10: I found this comment about the "lost space" at the top of the screen interesting. Some of the ebooks I get from other sites (non-ebookwise) that I have dowloaded in Rocketbook format do actually fill that space with the title of the book and the Author.

The one thing I found frustrating (and maybe this is possible and I simply haven't figured out how to do it yet) is that we can download into the device, but not upload out of it. (for instance if I accidently erased the copy on my pc hard drive, it would be nice to upload the books on the reader to restore that copy so I can keep the memory of the device somewaht clean. This is a hypothetical).

That's all folks!

[Jadon]

Originally Posted by spear

I found this comment about the "lost space" at the top of the screen interesting. Some of the ebooks I get from other sites (non-ebookwise) that I have downloaded in Rocketbook format do actually fill that space with the title of the book and the Author.

I don't believe DaleDe is talking about headers in the text (which one can set or not when the ebook is generated), but about the very top of the ETI-2 display, where there's an icon that drops down a menu at top left, a gray-green bar across the top of the page, with the right end being covered by a bookmark dog-ear if active. That bar can't be turned off, and it has enough space above it that it could show the book's title. Or one could shrink the progress bar at the bottom of the screen a bit and move it up there.

[DaleDe]

Originally Posted by spear

The one thing I found frustrating (and maybe this is possible and I simply haven't figured out how to do it yet) is that we can download into the device, but not upload out of it. (for instance if I accidently erased the copy on my pc hard drive, it would be nice to upload the books on the reader to restore that copy so I can keep the memory of the device somewaht clean. This is a hypothetical).

That's all folks!

You can place the card in a card reader and copy the folder containing the book to your pc for a backup. There is a utility listed on my site that can be used to reverse the folder of data back into an IMP file but generally it is best to keep the original IMP file for a backup (if you have it).

Dale

[nekokami]

I thought the IMP file got "exploded" on the eBw 1150?

Regarding support for OEBPS2.0, that could be handled with the Librarian software.

[jbenny]

Originally Posted by nekokami

Regarding support for OEBPS2.0, that could be handled with the Librarian software.

I assume you meant OPS 2.0?

While that could certainly be done and probably would be a good idea, I think the reader would also need a firmware upgrade to support some of the features of the epub spec, like embedded fonts, probably some CSS, etc. Even without a firmware upgrade, being able to import epub and generate an IMP would still be a good idea. Most things should work fine, as the ETI software generates an OEBPS 1.2 file, which is used to create the IMP.

[spear]

Hi again,

I take it back, I checked through my ebooks again, and there still is a space above the title. I guess I misremembered...I do that.

But still...can't beat it for the bucks (yeah bad pun)

[DaleDe]

Originally Posted by nekokami

I thought the IMP file got "exploded" on the eBw 1150?

Regarding support for OEBPS2.0, that could be handled with the Librarian software.

You are correct. the IMP gets exploded into a directory (folder) on the eb1150. However you can backup that folder to you computer but mounting the external card directly to the computer using a card reader. If you copy all of the folder and its contents you will have backed it up. There is a tool available for the REB1200 that will also work on the 1150 that will recreate the IMP file on your pc but you will only need this if you use the ebookwise web site to get your files from the bookshelf and it is not necessary even then. It doesn't seem to work for the dictionary anyway.

I would really like to see the Librarian software (ebook publisher) upgraded but if it were to support all of the new features then it would have to include a firmware upgrade. It would be nice if MobiPocket and the Ebookwise supported the same opf file at least.

Dale

[DaleDe]

Originally Posted by Jadon

I don't believe DaleDe is talking about headers in the text (which one can set or not when the ebook is generated), but about the very top of the ETI-2 display, where there's an icon that drops down a menu at top left, a gray-green bar across the top of the page, with the right end being covered by a bookmark dog-ear if active. That bar can't be turned off, and it has enough space above it that it could show the book's title. Or one could shrink the progress bar at the bottom of the screen a bit and move it up there.

I hadn't thought of that. Interesting idea.

Dale

[cartz]

My family are currently reading ebooks with three Palm M125s. We generally read with the backlight off as we find it is easier on our eyes. But, seeing the recent price reductions I'm wondering if the EB-1150s would be a good upgrade option. Alternatively we may hold off for another year and migrate to e-ink devices.

A question or two......

Can you totally turn off the backlight on the EB-1150?

I'm assuming that you can't read in direct sunlight.

Does anyone have an opinion aboutthe EB-1150 verses the Palm M125.

Thanks,

cartz.

[DaleDe]

Originally Posted by cartz

My family are currently reading ebooks with three Palm M125s. We generally read with the backlight off as we find it is easier on our eyes. But, seeing the recent price reductions I'm wondering if the EB-1150s would be a good upgrade option. Alternatively we may hold off for another year and migrate to e-ink devices.

A question or two......

Can you totally turn off the backlight on the EB-1150?

I'm assuming that you can't read in direct sunlight.

Does anyone have an opinion aboutthe EB-1150 verses the Palm M125.

Thanks,
cartz.

Yes you can but the contrast is poor in the mode. Since the battery life is about 20 hours with a low backlight I always keep it on. Like any backlit device cranking the backlite up lowers the battery life.

It can be used outdoors in direct sunlight. It looks about the same as the Palm III device. The backlight is totally useless but there is enough contrast to read by. See point 1.

Long battery life and a reasonable size screen are great improvements over the Palm M125. The screen resolution is 320x480 which matches the Palms with virtual grafitti area. Having larger fonts and larger screen (5.6") is hard to describe as a benefit but once you experience it you won't read on your Palm any longer.

Dale