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Old 02-15-2012, 02:36 AM   #1
Robbie447
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Cool Longevity of Buttons

Has anyone out there had an Aluratek Libre Pro or similar Jetbook for quite a while and given it a lot of use? I was wondering how long the buttons on it might last. The newer Firmware updates allowing the arrow buttons to add a third way to change pages will at least give us another set to start wearing out.

Do many people use the slider bar to change pages or do most use the Page Up and Page Down buttons instead ?
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Old 02-15-2012, 05:23 PM   #2
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An actual button failure would be a defect. They should last as long as the rest of the
device, given normal use. Now if you use it in some way that subjects a key to some
abuse, it is only plastic.

If you take the device apart, be sure to keep track of where each screw goes. Some are
a little longer than others, and there is one that can effect the use of the "0" key, if the
wrong screw is used.

I seldom use the slider, I prefer the shiny page turn button.

Luck;
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Old 02-17-2012, 02:14 AM   #3
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Quote:
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An actual button failure would be a defect. They should last as long as the rest of the device, given normal use."
My thinking was like with Optical Mice.. The first thing to usually fail on those is the buttons. Buy a cheap one and they last several months. My Logitech Mouse is about 5 years old with all the paint worn off the buttons but they still work.

Quote:
If you take the device apart, be sure to keep track of where each screw goes. Some are a little longer than others, and there is one that can effect the use of the "0" key, if the wrong screw is used.
I wasn't even aware they had screws. Hidden under rubber plugs I assume? These days so many things are simply glued solid.

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I seldom use the slider, I prefer the shiny page turn button.
Shiny?... Must be a Jetbook. The Alurateks are case coloured.

Thanks for your input..

Last edited by Robbie447; 02-17-2012 at 02:16 AM.
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Old 02-17-2012, 10:37 PM   #4
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the side bar becomes more sensitive over time, as the springs lose tension.
I generally use the bottom left buttons only for flipping pages.
the 4way for menu structure
the flip bar only when my wife is sleeping in bed, and I don't want to annoy her with clicking sounds
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Old 02-17-2012, 10:56 PM   #5
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I use the slide bar on my jetBook Lite. It has loosened up a great deal, but I'm not complaining. I think it's fine now, but when it was new it was too stiff for me.

I've had no sense of my buttons wearing out.
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Old 02-18-2012, 02:51 AM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ProDigit View Post
the side bar becomes more sensitive over time, as the springs lose tension.
I generally use the bottom left buttons only for flipping pages.
the 4way for menu structure
the flip bar only when my wife is sleeping in bed, and I don't want to annoy her with clicking sounds
Does the Jetbook allow the left and right arrow keys to change pages as well? I had a look at the Jetbook manual and it didn't mention it but it also looks like they haven't updated a lot of the info there in some time. i.e... I saw places where the docs said that it will only take up to a 2 gig SD card which we know is very old info. What Firmware version are you using?.. I believe the one shown on the site was v3.5 but that also appears to be well over a year old. I read that you can switch bewteen Jetbook and Libre Pro Firmware. I like the Jetbook screens better but I don't know if it's worth attempting the change or not and I like the idea of more page turn options.
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Old 02-18-2012, 03:20 PM   #7
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Yes, you can use the 4 way for page flipping too.

I have to agree with Russell, the slider bar was way too stiff at the beginning.
But now it's very soft, sometimes too soft. Accidentally touching the slider bar could flip a page. Putting it in my Jetbook pouch definitely flips a page or two, the slider is too responsive, and I prefer not to use it unless absolutely necessary, as I see problems with it in the long run.

Also the bottom left 2 buttons are becoming slightly blacker. I think it's corrosion appearing from finger grease. The buttons themselves are still shiny, but instead of a silverish color, they very faintly start to have a darker shine.

I used 16GB SD cards just fine, 32 GB would work as well, but I'd advise you to stick with 2 or 4GB.
Those cards are more than large enough, and if you load a too large library on the jetbook, browsing through menu's goes too slow (as well as loading menu's goes a bit slower).
I bought my jetbook about 3 months ago, and it came with the latest FW.

This site sells similar devices really cheap. The Astak EZ reader pocket pro is very similar to the jetbook, and perhaps also worth investigating (perhaps worth investing in, since you can buy them at a much cheaper price than the other readers)!
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Old 02-18-2012, 03:50 PM   #8
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Right, you can get good 4GB SDHC cards rated for higher speeds, at a lower cost.
The only reason, that I can think of, for a larger card would be if you were to want a
large MP3 library as well as an ebook library.

The current Libre Pro firmware is 20i.

My current 4GB SD card holds 2.99GB as 6,741 Files in 50 Folders, and it is not
noticeably slower in any way. (Both the SD card and the internal memory are formatted
to FAT32.)

Geeks.com is often a good place to find factory refurbished "geeky" items and last year's
models that were over produced. It's not a bad place to find cheap SD readers, either.

Luck;
Ken
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Old 02-18-2012, 08:12 PM   #9
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Ken, has Ectaco revised the jetBook Lite's firmware since they added the ability to read pdf's over a year ago?
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Old 02-18-2012, 11:42 PM   #10
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The JBL's last update was the 0.16e which did change the epub and pdf reading
software to the Adobe Reader Mobile 9.1.1. At the time there were some who preferred
the older software for pdf reading. As far as I know there have been no further updates.

Luck;
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Old 02-19-2012, 02:33 AM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ProDigit View Post
Yes, you can use the 4 way for page flipping too.

I have to agree with Russell, the slider bar was way too stiff at the beginning.
But now it's very soft, sometimes too soft. I see problems with it in the long run.
Yes, sounds like it may be an issue later. I've barely touched it on my Aluratek and it is rather stiff but I don't think I'll get into using it a lot.

Quote:
Also the bottom left 2 buttons are becoming slightly blacker. I think it's corrosion appearing from finger grease.
Could also be the plating wearing off if, as I assume, those buttons are not made of metal. They are just case-coloured plastic on mine.

Quote:
I used 16GB SD cards just fine, 32 GB would work as well, but I'd advise you to stick with 2 or 4GB.
I started with a spare 8 gig I had but have since gone to an old 2 gig I had sitting around since they do hold so much. I have quite a few books plus about 160 MP3 files on the 2 gig card and it's barely half full.

Quote:
This site sells similar devices really cheap. The Astak EZ reader pocket pro is very similar to the jetbook
Yes.. It has the look and features to suggest it's just another version of the same eReader we both 'enjoy', slightly altered. But it is a good price. I got my Libre Pro at a Boxing Day sale for $49.99..
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Old 02-19-2012, 02:43 AM   #12
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The current Libre Pro firmware is 20i.
I just recently updated to a slightly older 20g version. Someone elsewhere mentioned that the 20i update messed up the auto-off function so I didn't want to chance that but I did want to get the other things the 20 series updates added.

Quote:
My current 4GB SD card holds 2.99GB as 6,741 Files in 50 Folders, and it is not noticeably slower in any way.
I wondered at what point the formatting might start to choke on large numbers of files. I have over 5000 eBooks as well but I hesitated to put too many on at the same time worrying about lockups or slow directory loading.
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Old 02-19-2012, 03:36 AM   #13
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The time it takes to load an ebook depends on the technical characteristics and size of the ebook
itself, not how many there may be on the SD card. For instance, an .epub with large RGB graphic
images will take much longer to load. (Some may even have trouble opening at all.)

You could find that the first time a SD card with a large library is inserted, and the initial scan is
performed, it might take a couple of seconds longer than with a much smaller card. In normal use
there is no difference.

Having some special characters in an ebook's filename can also cause problems.

Having more than three levels of folders can cause problems, as well.

Otherwise, having a very large library on these devices is no problem.

Luck;
Ken
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Old 02-19-2012, 04:08 AM   #14
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Quote:
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...
I wondered at what point the formatting might start to choke on large numbers of files. I have over 5000 eBooks as well but I hesitated to put too many on at the same time worrying about lockups or slow directory loading.
It's not really that I hit the upper limit so to speak, but I do notice menu structures opening slower when comparing a good 10 books on a card to a good 10.000.
I believe I read somewhere that the JBL is limited to 256 ?or 299? pages of books, or something, but never tested it.
The JBL is way worse than the Jetbook. But even on the jetbook, OS boots slower, menus show slower (in a sense, takes ~1,5-2x longer to load, not saying menu's,or flipping pages in the os now take minutes to open),
and not even to mention if the books are organized alphabetically, the time it takes to go to a book starting with a 'k' is significantly longer with 10k books as it is with 10 books!

Last edited by ProDigit; 02-19-2012 at 04:11 AM.
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Old 02-19-2012, 04:35 AM   #15
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Quote:
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It's not really that I hit the upper limit so to speak, but I do notice menu structures opening slower when comparing a good 10 books on a card to a good 10.000.
I believe I read somewhere that the JBL is limited to 256 ?or 299? pages of books, or something, but never tested it.
The JBL is way worse than the Jetbook. But even on the jetbook, OS boots slower, menus show slower (in a sense, takes ~1,5-2x longer to load, not saying menu's,or flipping pages in the os now take minutes to open),
and not even to mention if the books are organized alphabetically, the time it takes to go to a book starting with a 'k' is significantly longer with 10k books as it is with 10 books!
I think you must be confusing the Lite with the Mini. The JBL is the same device as the
Regular jetBook in terms of the hardware with the exception of the components removed
that were for the audio and to support charging an internal battery pack. In my estimation
that makes the JBL the better performer, as an eReader. But it is obvious that you have
acquired some seriously distorted, and false information about the JBL. None of the
problems you listed effect any of the JBLs I have.

Luck;
Ken
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