Aluratek Libre and Borders?

[crazydave]

Hi All,

I'm looking for a new ereader (I own a Gemstar 1150) and am leaning strongly towards either an Aluratek Libre or a Jetbook Lite. I've been enjoying educating myself about them through reading your posts. Without your insights I think I would be at sea.

Having said that, I have two basic questions for Aluratek users. First, will a firmware upgrade noticeably increase the speed at which the Aluratek loads a book for reading? Having tested the Libre at a local Borders a couple of times I noticed that it took longer to load a book that I chose from the reading menu than did it's neighbor the Kobo wireless, though of course page transitions were instantaneous in comparison.

Second, have any of you noticed that the Libre is no longer displayed on Borders' website? I find myself wondering if it means that it will be discontinued or if Borders is just making room for the Libre air.

Regards,

Dave

[GA Russell]

Dave, the Libre has the same hardware as the jetBook. Neither the jetBook nor the jetBook Lite seem to be included in Ectaco's 2011 catalogue, so perhaps both are being discontinued.

I've been giving serious thought to buying a second jetBook Lite as a backup if that is the case. I'm very content with mine.

PS - Welcome to MR, Dave!

[MR. Pockets]

I wouldn't say that I have noticed much speed difference between one firmware version and another, but there might be a significant difference between say the .15g firmware and the current .19d firmware. I have noticed that the first time that I open a specific format after a full start-up, it takes significantly longer than if I have opened that format before. But even then I don't really mind the wait.

I hope that Aluratek keeps selling the Libre Pro along with the Libre Air, just at a reduced price, but, they probably won't.

[jbcohen]

Hi, I like my Libra Pro a lot its always loaded electronic books real fast for me. That said however, the reason that the jet book should win the battle is if you foresee yourself buying electronic books in formats other than PDF and epub, which tend to be the dominant formats.

[csandste]

Haven't tried the Kobo wireless but own both the original Kobo and the Libre and prefer the Libre, haven't noticed speed differences in loading off Calibre or ADE, but the Libre is much more satisfactory for page turns. I was never able to get Borders to actually sell me a Libre at their advertised price, they'd say "no, that's mail only, when the coupon said in store only... very frustrating."

I went to several Ultimate Electronics stores and bought up their stock at an average of $65 (two at $70, two at $60). So far I love the Libre, although it does look like Borders is dropping them, OTOH-- you may be able to pick one up at a real good price if the whole Borders chain goes away.

[Kris777]

If you have jetBook-Lite you can buy ebooks from B&N website and from Borders.
If you have Libre you cannot buy ebooks from B&N website.

[crazydave]

Originally Posted by GA Russell

Dave, the Libre has the same hardware as the jetBook. Neither the jetBook nor the jetBook Lite seem to be included in Ectaco's 2011 catalogue, so perhaps both are being discontinued.

I've been giving serious thought to buying a second jetBook Lite as a backup if that is the case. I'm very content with mine.

PS - Welcome to MR, Dave!

Hi GA,

Thanks for the welcome and the input. The local Borders still has the Aluratek on sale. I just need to stop postponing my decision before it's too late.

Dave

[crazydave]

Originally Posted by MR. Pockets

I hope that Aluratek keeps selling the Libre Pro along with the Libre Air, just at a reduced price, but, they probably won't.

That was something I was hoping for, too. I don't really care about WI-FI, but if the Pro is still available, it would be nice if the price were reduced. The Pro is still on sale at the local Borders even though it's not on Borders website.

Dave

[crazydave]

Originally Posted by jbcohen

Hi, I like my Libra Pro a lot its always loaded electronic books real fast for me. That said however, the reason that the jet book should win the battle is if you foresee yourself buying electronic books in formats other than PDF and epub, which tend to be the dominant formats.

I thought the Libre could handle several other formats, too. Do you find you have difficulty with others?

Dave

[crazydave]

Originally Posted by csandste

I went to several Ultimate Electronics stores and bought up their stock at an average of $65 (two at $70, two at $60). So far I love the Libre, although it does look like Borders is dropping them, OTOH-- you may be able to pick one up at a real good price if the whole Borders chain goes away.

So far Borders is the only local place where I live that seems to carry the Libre. Their demise does seem to be a real possibility. I had better use the gift card I was given asap!

Dave

[crazydave]

Originally Posted by Kris777

If you have jetBook-Lite you can buy ebooks from B&N website and from Borders.
If you have Libre you cannot buy ebooks from B&N website.

Is that because of formatting issues or for some other reason?

Dave

[MR. Pockets]

Originally Posted by crazydave

I thought the Libre could handle several other formats, too. Do you find you have difficulty with others?

Dave

The Libre handles several formats but I believe the jetBooks handle a few more. I haven't ever had format issues unless the book was messed up.

Originally Posted by crazydave

Is that because of formatting issues or for some other reason?

Dave

B&N epubs have different DRM than most other epubs. It is possible to circumvent the drm though. (But we aren't allowed to post how at MR...)

[jbcohen]

You are correct Dave that there is a real possibility of borders going out of business however:

1) They have filed for chapter 11 protection but that does not mean that are out of business and need to stop oeprations;

2) Borders.com and borders are seperate companies that are both owned by Borders Book Group. Just becuase Borders is out of business does not mean anything for the parent company.

In short don't panic just yet.

[jlg432]

Do not confuse DRM with formats.

Formats are ePub, txt, prc, pdf, etc.

where as B&N and Adobe Digital Editions (ADE) apply two different Digital Rights Management (DRM) methods that are encoded into the purchased ePub/PDF document.

jetBook and jetBook-Lite can handle both DRM's while the Aluratek Libre Pro can handle only the ADE DRM at this time.

I live in Canada and even though my jetBook can handle the B&N DRM, B&N does not sell here.

On another note, I remove DRM from my purchases. As these books are digital I can horde them and may be re-read them in the future but there is no guaranty that the DRM will work in the future. It has happened in the past that people have lost access due to technical improvements.

John

[demingite]

So far Borders is the only local place where I live that seems to carry the Libre. Their demise does seem to be a real possibility. I had better use the gift card I was given asap!

I picked up the Libre Pro at our local K-Mart on Thanksgiving Day on sale. I think they still have some, but at a higher price. They are also sold on Newegg, I think.