Speak the truth to me...is the eBookwise reader suitable for an 11 year old boy?

[Siwickimom]

I really am toying w/ the idea of getting my son a reader for Christmas. I don't want to break the bank and I want it to be rather durable. He isn't horrible on his electronics but he is 11, you know. This reader looks great from a physical standpoint, but I really have zero intention of purchasing books from Fictionwise on a regular basis. How difficult is it to convert existing files to IMP, really? Is it going to tick me off and make me wish I would have just gotten the kid a PocketPro? I posted a question in the 'Which one should I buy?' thread and have gotten lots of great suggestions, but I wanted to come here to this forum and ask those of you who use this reader regularly for the real skinny on it, good and bad.

Thank you!
Rebecca

[sassanik]

I love my little EB1150 and it is very sturdy. I would have enjoyed it at that age, but I read alot more than the average person even then.

How much does he enjoy reading? Is he comfortable on the computer?

Because of the file conversion issues with the EB1150 I don't recommend it to anyone who is not comfortable with computers. Its not hard to convert the files, but it really helps if you are comfortable with computers. Multi-format books at Fictionwise can be downloaded in the .imp format, if you are buying secure books the .lit format is the easiest to convert to .imp, at least IMO. It will also work with .rtf and .html files.

The price on the EB1150 is good and when there have been problems it seems that ebookwise has been quick to replace a EB1150 if needed. This is good just in case he hates it or does manage to break it.

Of the readers it is more sturdy the the e-inks in my opinion, I have a Cool-er and I would not throw it around like I do my little EB1150. Though I suppose little isn't the word I should use its bigger and thicker than my Cool-er.

Most of the people that have bought one and are on this forum will tell you that they love their EB1150, its not the coolest looking reader or the most spendy but it works great for what it was designed to.


Amy

[Elsi]

Rebecca -- I regularly make books in the .IMP format. It's not difficult at all if you start with a decent HTML file or a book in Mobipocket format. Nick Rapallo is a frequent contributor to MobileRead and I use his programs to create books for the eBookwise. If you're a Windows user, he supplies a very easy to use graphical front-end to his tools.

I don't have an eBookwise right now, but it is indeed a very sturdy reader. It will need recharging more frequently than a reader which has an e-Ink screen, but then again it costs half or even less than half of the majority of other readers. And, for an 11-year-old, it may be a good thing that it won't hold too many books at one time. If you're putting books on it which he will read for his school assignments, then you want to make it easy for him to concentrate on just the book he's been assigned (or one which he has picked for unstructured reading).

There are a *TON* of books for boys available right here at MobileRead already formatted for the eBookwise. And, you can get books from Baen, 110 of them free of charge. Not all of the Baen books will be suitable for your 11-year-old, but he's going to grow up and if he enjoys SF and Fantasy, he might be going back to Baen again and again for more of their free books.

[derrell]

The eb-1150 does stand up to mild abuse really well. I'm a machinist and my eb-1150 goes to work with me and my EZ-Reader stays at home. I've never had any problems with it at work and a machine shop is not the most friendly environment for electronic consumer goods. Also the ergonomics of this reader just help you to hold onto it. I never feel like I'm going to drop it as opposed to my EZ-Reader which I always feel like I've barely got a grip on. (Large hands disclaimer on that though.)

Conversion to imp format books can be a little daunting at first but its not that bad in my opinion. That being said if you don't want to spend time figuring out how to do conversions then one of the readers that support the more prevalent formats might be a better choice. You should be aware though that the pocket pro will only support Adobe drm'ed pdf and epub when it is first launched. I'm trying the new firmware on my EZ-Reader right now and in my opinion it sort of sucks. The ADE software is pretty basic. Astak has promised that eReader support is coming and that would be a plus and I also think that the epub support will get better with time, at least I hope it will.

So it boils down to buy the eBookwise and pay a little less in money but more in time spent converting or one of the other readers and pay more money but less time in converting.

[Siwickimom]

Thanks for all the input. My son is pretty comfortable on a computer, but honestly, I'd most likely be obtaining/converting and loading everything on his reader for him. And I'm VERY comfortable doing the conversions,as long as it isn't *too* complicated. I'm no programmer, but I do know my way around most user interfaces to at least be competent. I just don't want to spend hours and hours on it, kwim?

What about converting non DRM'd .LRF files that are on my Sony so that he can read them on his reader? Or PDFs etc? Would I basically just use something like Calibre to convert any existing books to Mobi and then use Mob2Imp?

Also, am I correct in understanding that the only DRM'd content it can read are the IMPs from the eBookwise store? So no reading of eBooks from the Library, etc, unless I strip out the DRM and convert them for him.

That's very good info about the EZ reader's limited native file support, thank you very much. I have been under the impression it is going to be a lot more open.

I just keep coming back to this kinda clunky but cute little reader and thinking it can stand a bit of a knock about in his backpack and would be a good fit for young hands...and if he does kill it, I most likely won't pop a blood vessel.

I would imagine I would put maybe 3-5 books on it at once, no more, so that he can stay focused. And if he does well with it, then perhaps in a couple years he will be ready for something a bit more delicate with more features.

[derrell]

Originally Posted by Siwickimom

Thanks for all the input.

Your welcome

Originally Posted by Siwickimom

Also, am I correct in understanding that the only DRM'd content it can read are the IMPs from the eBookwise store? So no reading of eBooks from the Library, etc, unless I strip out the DRM and convert them for him.

Yes, I think fictionwise also carries the same titles but they are owned by the same folks.

Originally Posted by Siwickimom

That's very good info about the EZ reader's limited native file support, thank you very much. I have been under the impression it is going to be a lot more open.

Might have misled you here unintentionally. The EZ-Reader does support many formats but the only DRM format for right now is Adobes. The new firmware will let read unlocked mobi files as well as many others without DRM.

[nrapallo]

Originally Posted by Siwickimom

Thanks for all the input. My son is pretty comfortable on a computer, but honestly, I'd most likely be obtaining/converting and loading everything on his reader for him. And I'm VERY comfortable doing the conversions,as long as it isn't *too* complicated. I'm no programmer, but I do know my way around most user interfaces to at least be competent. I just don't want to spend hours and hours on it, kwim?

And, if you encounter any problems/issues, just post here for help and hopefully our community can assist in resolving them.

What about converting non DRM'd .LRF files that are on my Sony so that he can read them on his reader? Or PDFs etc? Would I basically just use something like Calibre to convert any existing books to Mobi and then use Mob2Imp?

In most cases, if a .prc/mobi ebook version exists of the .lrf you have on your Sony, then get that first and convert with Mobi2IMP.

Calibre won't convert .lrf to .html, but LRFTools will. Experiment with it if you can get good results. Then use eBook Publisher with the resulting .html or use any of the other capable software tools listed in our IMP software wiki.

Also, am I correct in understanding that the only DRM'd content it can read are the IMPs from the eBookwise store? So no reading of eBooks from the Library, etc, unless I strip out the DRM and convert them for him.

Yes, www.ebookwise.com is THE source of secure/DRM'ed .imp's for direct download onto the EBW1150. Another source is it's parent company, www.fictionwise.com. Just search for Secure Half-VGA OEBFF (aka EBW1150 .imp's). FYI, the Secure Full-VGA OEBFF ebooks are for the REB1200 (the EBW1150's big brother and my reader).

Yes, but any library ebooks will have to be de-DRM'ed and converted to .imp. This may not be trivial and can be a consideration to see if the EBW1150 is a good fit. I guess most library ebooks are available from retail channels, however, with over 10,000 .imp's available at www.munseys.com and several thousand available here, PD titles surely abound!!! Then toss in all those .prc/.mobi ebooks here that can easily be converted to .imp using Mobi2IMP and hopefully there's enough to read, even for any 11 year old.

That's very good info about the EZ reader's limited native file support, thank you very much. I have been under the impression it is going to be a lot more open.

I just keep coming back to this kinda clunky but cute little reader and thinking it can stand a bit of a knock about in his backpack and would be a good fit for young hands...and if he does kill it, I most likely won't pop a blood vessel.

The EBW1150 does seem to retain it's value should you choose to re-sell it when you're son looses interest...

I would imagine I would put maybe 3-5 books on it at once, no more, so that he can stay focused. And if he does well with it, then perhaps in a couple years he will be ready for something a bit more delicate with more features.

Hopefully you can get a model with 64MB internal/external memory, in which case, you can easily store up to 50-100 ebooks!

Happy shopping!

[250 Coupe]

I let my 4 year old "draw" (with the stylus only!) on the screen all the time and he's never been able to scratch it yet.

I do know that the 1150 will not support the weight of a car, even if it's in a backpack. It will however protect the MP3 player sitting on top of it by creating a depression in the display for the player to fit into.

Michael

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by 250 Coupe

I do know that the 1150 will not support the weight of a car, even if it's in a backpack. It will however protect the MP3 player sitting on top of it by creating a depression in the display for the player to fit into.

Michael

I take it that you ascertained this useful fact through carefully conducted experimentation?

[Siwickimom]

Originally Posted by 250 Coupe

I let my 4 year old "draw" (with the stylus only!) on the screen all the time and he's never been able to scratch it yet.

I do know that the 1150 will not support the weight of a car, even if it's in a backpack. It will however protect the MP3 player sitting on top of it by creating a depression in the display for the player to fit into.

Michael

Thanks for the warning, and the huge grin on my face . Ah, the caveats of living, lol!

[nrapallo]

Originally Posted by 250 Coupe

...by creating a depression in the display for the player to fit into.

Michael

...almost been there, done that...

Attached are images of what that depression looks like...

[250 Coupe]

Originally Posted by HarryT

I take it that you ascertained this useful fact through carefully conducted experimentation?

The test was conducted by a third party and the results were verified by them.

I sold him the 1150 'cause I thought the REB2100 was the next best thing and gave him the MP3 player out of pity.

I was wrong about the REB2100 and bought a new 1150 for myself, loaned him a Rocket and continued using the iRiver U10 that I'd replaced the cheap MP3 player with. He then got fired and has vanished from the face of the Earth.

Michael

[nrapallo]

Originally Posted by 250 Coupe

I was wrong about the REB2100 and bought a new 1150 for myself

, IMHO, said the ‹The REB1200 Guy›!

[250 Coupe]

Originally Posted by nrapallo

, IMHO, said the ‹The REB1200 Guy›!

Truth be told, not too long ago someone gave me a replacement 1200 and I now bounce between the 1150, the 1200 and a Nokia 770 internet tablet I just got for $30.

Michael

[nrapallo]

Originally Posted by 250 Coupe

Truth be told, not too long ago someone gave me a replacement 1200 and I now bounce between the 1150, the 1200 and a Nokia 770 internet tablet I just got for $30.

Michael

Oh, I would love to have friends like that.... :gimme: :gimme:

The only thing that I abhor about the REB1200 is its 33 oz. weight!

It does make any kind of reading a chore, but I have become resolved to the fact that if I want colour support, huge (up to 50MB) ebook compatibility, internet-surfing and direct ebook downloading onto my reader, then I can live with a little discomfort. Mental note, got to visit the gym a little more often...