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Old 03-06-2010, 02:05 PM   #1
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Talking Buying my first e-ink device, but which one?

As the title says I'm considering buying (well, I already decided to) an e-ink device, but I'm not really sure which one.

So, in hope of finding a helping individual here, here is what I hope to get from my future gadget:

Expandable memory: I just got 2,5 GB of technical literature I'll probably want to carry around in (very) near future (scans of the books, mostly in JPEG format), plus I already have a truck load of .txt, .html, .rtf, .pdf, etc. books.

Support for different formats: As stated above, I'd like my device to be able to handle them all (or the at least the ones I mentioned above + maybe .doc, .lit, .epub...), and not being restricted to some proprietary format.

Battery life: I'd be disappointed to have less than 30-40 hours of active reading per charge. Am I spoiled?

Folders: I want to be able to sort my books and the scans (which are actually just picture files) of the book as I please. Using a PC to achieve this is fully acceptable.

Dictionary: English is not my first language, so I do come across some words I don't understand (I prefer reading the novels in their original language, if I understand the language, so my library is mostly in English). Dictionary (English - English) should be easily accessible while reading without having to close (exit) the book and than returning to it.

Page remembering: This is a must for me. The device has to remember the last page I was at when I closed the book/turned off the device, without any special steps that are necessary to achieve it. Preferably for all the books, not just for the last you read.

Screen size: Well, they say the bigger the better. I cut out a piece of paper to the size of a 6" display (9,1 x 12,2 cm) and it does seem a little small. However, I understand that there usually comes a frame around the screen which will make the entire device significantly bigger and less portable. So I wouldn't go under 6", but I also wouldn't go over 9 (or is it 9,2"?).

Font size adjustment: I guess this one is obvious.

Connectivity: USB is a must, but I guess that is a standard, right?
SD/microSD/equivalent card is preferable (also works as expandable memory).
WiFi would be nice, but I could live without it.
3G, GPRS, EDGE, GSM... I have a mobile phone and a PC for that. Don't need such features that devour precious electrons from the battery.

Online libraries: Here in Croatia we don't have public online libraries, and I'm not sure if I really need it. I can always use a PC to get the book and use the USB to get it on the reader.

Price tag: I'm willing to cash out no more than $500.

What I absolutely don't need is the MP3 player.

Since this post is getting a bit long, I'll try to end it quickly (or do you people like to read long posts?)

Onyx Boox/Bebook Neo is what recently caught my eye.
The annotation feature and the touch screen is sure nice (probably not essential for me, but would be nice to have).
Price is acceptable, WiFi is sure cool, having two sources of firmware also can't hurt (I'm guessing that you can install Boox firmware on Neo and vice versa, since they have same hardware?)
The only thing that bothers me is the screen size, so I'd like to ask you people about the 6" displays. Are they satisfying?

Are there other devices that you think are superior to Boox/Neo in it's price range?
Thanks in advance,

Domagoj
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Old 03-07-2010, 01:26 AM   #2
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at $299-$339(current price range of Nex/Boox 60) there is nothing superior to it. One of the added benefits of the wacom pen touch is being able to use selection zoom on a PDF.
Basically you drag a box around the the table/graph/section of the PDF you want to zoom on and it zooms it to fit the page. then you can drag around the doc. Its persistent zoom to meaning whatever zoom level you are at persists from page to page- MOST other devices don't have persistent zoom

Irex DR800 is an 8 inch screen. It currently does not have any PDF zoom function but will have in the next update in April. that sells for $400. they set the bar originally for zoom functiuons with PDFs so once it gets implemented it should be excellent.

The other contender is the PocketBook 302 shipping now in Europe and soon in the US. Its not wacom its resistive but the PocketBook PDF support is fantastic and its also persistent. Nate has a video of it in the news section
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Old 03-07-2010, 01:35 AM   #3
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I forgot to mention PocketBook's folder support. you can create folders on the fly on the device without being hooked to the computer. its fantastic select a book/document title chose the options select "move to folder" then either choose afolder or create a new one.
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Old 03-07-2010, 05:51 AM   #4
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Thanks for the reply.
Irex DR800 looks nice and pretty fast. I looked at some reviews and they say it doesn't have Go To Page function and that you should use Table of Contents. How does that work on formats that don't support it? Is it planned for some future firmware?
I'm worried about the flip thingy on the left, used to turn pages. Looks a bit flimsy. Will it break off? :S

PocketBook 302 (at least the one in the video I saw) has very reflective screen, which I really don't like :S. Especially since it's a touch screen and you have to touch it with your fingers. I've seen what IPhone screens look like after couple of minutes of touching it.

So matte/non reflective screen is preferable.

I guess Boox/Neo is still my favorite.
Does it look good in a black case? From the pictures I've seen it seems as if the hole in the case is not exactly aligned with the round button and I think that white leather would soon stop being white .
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Old 03-07-2010, 06:24 AM   #5
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Originally Posted by Delta Tango View Post
Onyx Boox/Bebook Neo is what recently caught my eye.
Im pretty much in the same boat and with similar requirements. However I started out looking at the Kindle DX thinking that the larger screen was necessary even for fiction. Having been convinced otherwise ( by people here and some video clips)i am now looking at 6" devices.

The Bebook neo caught my eye because it had a touchscreen that didnt affect the screen quality and because it ships from within Europe (so no warranty/customs problems and cheap return shipments in case of RMA).

I am in fact planning on ordering it later today.

However, researching the device also came up with some issues:

1. Apparently there are some issues with battery life in standby:
http://mybebook.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=2187

2. There is no dictionary installed, you have to install one yourself (stored on an SD card) and apparently it doesn't work as well as it could. At least i read about some problems when looking up words starting with an upper case letter (or something like that). Of course it may just be an issue with the dictionary installed. There is also some further discussion of dictionary installation etc here:

http://mybebook.com/forum/viewtopic....st=0&sk=t&sd=a
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Old 03-07-2010, 10:21 AM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Delta Tango View Post
Irex DR800 looks nice and pretty fast. I looked at some reviews and they say it doesn't have Go To Page function and that you should use Table of Contents. How does that work on formats that don't support it? Is it planned for some future firmware?
I'm worried about the flip thingy on the left, used to turn pages. Looks a bit flimsy. Will it break off?
See http://i-to-i.irexnet.com/ for a list of features expected the next firmware upgrade. This includes a “Go to page” menu function. It isn't typically a good idea to rely on future upgrades when buying a Reader, but this list looks very do able in the short term. The iRex iLiad had a similar flipbar and it worked well with no major maintenance or wear issues.
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Old 03-07-2010, 10:30 AM   #7
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I have a BeBook Neo. Excellent device - thoroughly recommended.
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Old 03-07-2010, 11:11 AM   #8
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I have a BeBook Neo. Excellent device - thoroughly recommended.
That's good to hear.
Would you care to comment on ziphnors battery drain related comment?
Is it really that bad?
I've already seen Boox users complaining about it, but others replying that the new firmware (already released) solves the issue.
They are also mentioning replacing the original battery with a Nokia one and having better battery lives (not sure if it applies for Boox/Neo as well as for BeBook One ad Mini).
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Old 03-08-2010, 10:34 AM   #9
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I have an Onyx Boox, and am very happy with it.

There seems to be some battery drain in standby. But as long as you keep the Wifi switched off and the stylus in its slot (so that the touch screen is off) it's not that bad, really. What gave rise to the discussion is probably more that people did not expect this battery drain at all (e.g. the BeBook One and Mini don't have it).

To prolong battery life, I always switch the device off when I know that I'm not going to use it the next couple of hours. When I switch it on again it takes less than a minute to start up and go back to the place where I was in my book.

This issue about replacing the battery by a Nokia one has nothing to do with the Bebook Neo.

I have a black case, which looks quite good. The hole does not quite align, but that does not bother me. I can still reach all edges of the round button.
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Old 03-08-2010, 12:54 PM   #10
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I've looked at Sonys(which I like), at the Nooks, but still upgraded to Kindle DX. It just feels right. Check out Ipad too, you might like that.
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Old 03-08-2010, 01:08 PM   #11
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Well I'm not sure if Kindle is available to me (I live in Croatia) and truthfully I don't really like the idea of closed devices (when it comes to software and content).
Ipad is Apple, and it's as closed as it gets.

I prefer devices on which you're able to run anything you wish, not just what they want you to buy. I might be wrong about this, but that's the vibe I get from them.

Also, Ipad doesn't have eink display which I'd like.

Well, in any case, my paycheck should be coming in next couple of days, so I better decide quickly .
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Old 03-08-2010, 01:40 PM   #12
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Ipad is Apple, and it's as closed as it gets.
And it also doesnt have an e-ink style screen. I seriously doubt its suitable for anything but short reading sessions.
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Old 03-08-2010, 09:32 PM   #13
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I recently got the BeBook Neo and I really like it. It's not quite as user friendly as the Sony readers, but there are lots of customization options and it is able to read a wide variety of formats. The web browsing option isn't quite as great as I had hoped and the battery drain is higher than most e-ink devices (especially with WiFi on), but neither problem is so terrible as to be a deal breaker and there is a new firmware on the way which will hopefully take care of both issues.

Last edited by jabberwock_11; 03-08-2010 at 09:35 PM.
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Old 03-09-2010, 01:59 AM   #14
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I recently got the BeBook Neo and I really like it. It's not quite as user friendly as the Sony readers ..
In what way is it less user friendly? (i didnt have time to order mine yet so im still interested in opinions).

Quote:
The web browsing option isn't quite as great as I had hoped[
Because of the e-ink screen or something else?
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Old 03-09-2010, 02:38 AM   #15
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I guess it would be because modern web browsers (the ones you find on your desktop and laptop computers) are much more advanced and use a lot more protocols than the one installed on Boox/Neo such as PHP, AJAX etc.
Since it does have both pretty powerful CPU and plenty of RAM, there is hope it will get better.
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