Update on the new miBook

Nate the great · 06-27-2008, 08:58 AM

You may have seen the news yesterday about the new ebook reader from Photoco called the miBook. One of our members pointed out that the miBook has a startling similarity to an existing digital photo viewer. I've done some research, and I think she is correct.

The miBook isn't new; it's actually a repurposed digital photo viewer. Photoco has two 7" devices with almost identical specs. The only difference is that the one has speakers. This model, the 7Xl, is the one that I think is also the miBook. Here is where I've found some technical specs. (Screen resolution 480 x 234; I was expecting this resolution on a device that cost only $100.)

The photo viewer itself is available on Amazon.

Here is the back of the 7XL model from Photoco:

It was bound to happen eventually. I know I've looked at a digital picture frame and thought about how it might be turned into an ebook reader. It looks like Photoco is the first to actually follow through on the idea.

Anne Steinberg · 06-27-2008, 11:32 AM

I'm from miBook's pr firm and I just need to straighten everyone out about the miBook. It is NOT an e-book reader. It is a multi-media player that provides video content (that's moving images) from popular television programs seen on Food Network, DIY, ParentsTV and HGTV. So you actually see the task in action. It pauses at each step so users can do the activity at their own pace, plus it's set up with menus for the various titles so you can find the recipe, task or topic you'd like to view.

axel77 · 06-27-2008, 12:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anne Steinberg

I'm from miBook's pr firm and I just need to straighten everyone out about the miBook. It is NOT an e-book reader. It is a multi-media player that provides video content (that's moving images) from popular television programs seen on Food Network, DIY, ParentsTV and HGTV. So you actually see the task in action. It pauses at each step so users can do the activity at their own pace, plus it's set up with menus for the various titles so you can find the recipe, task or topic you'd like to view.

I agree we should stop to call any device that fits my hand and has a display, which is not an eInk display or a possible comparable future technolgy call an e-book reader. Its not.

I know we are all enthusiastic about e-Book readers, but this goes too far to scream for every device that could display a book, Hoooray! When for this use it would actually be a step backward in technology instead of forward.

Patricia · 06-27-2008, 01:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anne Steinberg

I'm from miBook's pr firm and I just need to straighten everyone out about the miBook. It is NOT an e-book reader.

If it's not intended as a Reader then calling it mibook is perhaps a bit disingenuous. It could lead to some confusion.

Nate the great · 06-27-2008, 01:30 PM

First, let me welcome you to MobileRead.

I'm going to have to disagree with you, Anne. The miBook was created to replace tour guides, cookbooks, and how to manuals. These are all books; and when converted to electronic form they are ebooks. True, they do not have much text. But I think they are just as much ebooks as a coffee table type book is a book.

P.S. I can give an example of how someone can cross over from text to video and back to text while still in an ebook. There is a new ebook standard called EPUB. It is not just for text; the standard also includes the ability to have videos in an epub file.

pilotbob · 06-27-2008, 01:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anne Steinberg

I'm from miBook's pr firm and I just need to straighten everyone out about the miBook. It is NOT an e-book reader. It is a multi-media player that provides video content (that's moving images) from popular television programs seen on Food Network, DIY, ParentsTV and HGTV. So you actually see the task in action. It pauses at each step so users can do the activity at their own pace, plus it's set up with menus for the various titles so you can find the recipe, task or topic you'd like to view.

I think one of the articles talking about it the author stated that it could be a Kindle killer due to the low price, low barier to entry to possible be used as an ebook reader.

BTW: Just because you intend a device to be one thing, doesn't mean ingenious people won't find other ways to use it.

BOb

Nate the great · 06-27-2008, 01:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Patricia

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anne Steinberg

I'm from miBook's pr firm and I just need to straighten everyone out about the miBook. It is NOT an e-book reader.

If it's not intended as a Reader then calling it mibook is perhaps a bit disingenuous. It could lead to some confusion.

That was my first thought.

adfleisher · 06-27-2008, 01:50 PM

The PhotoCo 7XS is essentially the same thing as the 7XL, and is on Clearance at OfficeMax for $79.00 if you want to check it out. I will try converting some food network content and see what playback looks like tonight.

Liviu_5 · 06-27-2008, 02:53 PM

I read several books as jpg's albums on my 770, though I actually embedded them in a html file to use Fbreader and the customization keys; reading them as albums with the 770 photo viewer also worked, but was a bit more cumbersome since I needed to use the pen for navigation rather than buttons only.

Once you set up a system, it's easy to press some buttons and let the computer do the work. You need pictures perfect for your device - so for 770 this meant 800x480 with just the right amount of text to be nicely readable. Sometimes this meant cutting a scan page in 2, sometimes not, you experiment. If you start from text not scan, it's even easier since you can change the font to big enough, bold format and all the tricks you use to see pdf's on Sony. Then you do page to jpg and that's that.

To batch crop, resize, rotate I use xnview which is fast and free for pc's
For batch renaming I use rename master again fast and free.

To do text to image for example if you have pdf's manipulator software, you can do text-pdf-tiff-jpg, but I guess there are other ways to go directly txt-jpg. I always started from scan images or scan pdf's since after all if it's text Fbreader can handle it directly...

DaleDe · 06-27-2008, 02:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by adfleisher

The PhotoCo 7XS is essentially the same thing as the 7XL, and is on Clearance at OfficeMax for $79.00 if you want to check it out. I will try converting some food network content and see what playback looks like tonight.

I have tried some text images on my photoframe which is also a 234x480 7" device. There are some caveats. For example these are 16x9 devices so the real size of an image to fill the screen is 271x480 which means the the 234 is already being stretched a bit. Small text is out of the question but anything can be pressed into service if you wish. For example check the wiki https://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/Zune_ebook_creator for an image creator specifically designed for this task.

Dale

06-27-2008, 08:58 AM	#1
Nate the great Sir Penguin of Edinburgh Posts: 12,375 Karma: 23555235 Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: DC Metro area Device: Shake a stick plus 1	Update on the new miBook You may have seen the news yesterday about the new ebook reader from Photoco called the miBook. One of our members pointed out that the miBook has a startling similarity to an existing digital photo viewer. I've done some research, and I think she is correct. The miBook isn't new; it's actually a repurposed digital photo viewer. Photoco has two 7" devices with almost identical specs. The only difference is that the one has speakers. This model, the 7Xl, is the one that I think is also the miBook. Here is where I've found some technical specs. (Screen resolution 480 x 234; I was expecting this resolution on a device that cost only $100.) The photo viewer itself is available on Amazon. Here is the back of the 7XL model from Photoco: It was bound to happen eventually. I know I've looked at a digital picture frame and thought about how it might be turned into an ebook reader. It looks like Photoco is the first to actually follow through on the idea.

06-27-2008, 11:32 AM	#2
Anne Steinberg Junior Member Posts: 1 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jun 2008 Device: Treo 700	miBook I'm from miBook's pr firm and I just need to straighten everyone out about the miBook. It is NOT an e-book reader. It is a multi-media player that provides video content (that's moving images) from popular television programs seen on Food Network, DIY, ParentsTV and HGTV. So you actually see the task in action. It pauses at each step so users can do the activity at their own pace, plus it's set up with menus for the various titles so you can find the recipe, task or topic you'd like to view.

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06-27-2008, 01:30 PM	#5
Nate the great Sir Penguin of Edinburgh Posts: 12,375 Karma: 23555235 Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: DC Metro area Device: Shake a stick plus 1	First, let me welcome you to MobileRead. I'm going to have to disagree with you, Anne. The miBook was created to replace tour guides, cookbooks, and how to manuals. These are all books; and when converted to electronic form they are ebooks. True, they do not have much text. But I think they are just as much ebooks as a coffee table type book is a book. P.S. I can give an example of how someone can cross over from text to video and back to text while still in an ebook. There is a new ebook standard called EPUB. It is not just for text; the standard also includes the ability to have videos in an epub file.

06-27-2008, 01:50 PM	#8
adfleisher Enthusiast Posts: 43 Karma: 140 Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Oregon, USA Device: PocketBook 360, Nook	The PhotoCo 7XS is essentially the same thing as the 7XL, and is on Clearance at OfficeMax for $79.00 if you want to check it out. I will try converting some food network content and see what playback looks like tonight.

06-27-2008, 02:53 PM	#9
Liviu_5 Books and more books Posts: 917 Karma: 69499 Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: White Plains, NY, USA Device: Nook Color, Itouch, Nokia770, Sony 650, Sony 700(dead), Ebk(given)	I read several books as jpg's albums on my 770, though I actually embedded them in a html file to use Fbreader and the customization keys; reading them as albums with the 770 photo viewer also worked, but was a bit more cumbersome since I needed to use the pen for navigation rather than buttons only. Once you set up a system, it's easy to press some buttons and let the computer do the work. You need pictures perfect for your device - so for 770 this meant 800x480 with just the right amount of text to be nicely readable. Sometimes this meant cutting a scan page in 2, sometimes not, you experiment. If you start from text not scan, it's even easier since you can change the font to big enough, bold format and all the tricks you use to see pdf's on Sony. Then you do page to jpg and that's that. To batch crop, resize, rotate I use xnview which is fast and free for pc's For batch renaming I use rename master again fast and free. To do text to image for example if you have pdf's manipulator software, you can do text-pdf-tiff-jpg, but I guess there are other ways to go directly txt-jpg. I always started from scan images or scan pdf's since after all if it's text Fbreader can handle it directly...

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