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smithno · 05-17-2009, 08:23 AM

I posted my initial impressions about the jetBook a few days in My 2 cents worth on the JetBook. Now that I have lived with it a while and read several books on it, I thought another post was appropriate. My initial impression is that I really like remains true! I split time between reading my EZ Reader, usually at home and the jetBook, usually at work.

I still like folders, being able to delete books directly from the reader, 2 or 3 second startup time, and the size. I find the screen just as readable as my EZ Reader and Sony 505. I have also started using the search often to keep books in sync. I put the book I'm reading on both readers and the search makes that so easy!

The battery life on the LCD screen has turned out to be a non-issue. So far, I'm charging it up about once a week, just like I do with my e-ink readers. Being able to read for a week is the point where battery life is not annoying.

I am having the best luck with Mobi format books created via Calibre. PDF books from Feedbooks that are custom formatted for the jetBook are also very readable. I found the specs on the jetBook forums. PDF books formatted without regard for size need a magnifying glass to read, which is most PDF books I run across. I don't know why publishers don't format PDF books for eReaders!

The jetBook only has two fonts. That is not a real problem, but both are sans serif. I much prefer a good serif font. I have not explored adding fonts. It is real convenient to create a fonts folder, like the Hanlin readers.

Overall, the jetBook is not perfect. I realize the lack of DRM is an issue for most of the population. Most folks here already format shift anyway which makes DRM a non-issue for most folks here.

I am taken with the small size and portability of the 5-inch screen format! It truely does fit in your pants pocket. The 5-inch screen is fine for fiction books, but I don't see reading technical books with one. I am sure I won't be able to resist the 5-inch e-ink readers that are getting ready to show up on the market!

Bottom line is if you can get a jetBook for less than $200, it's a great value in my opinion. (I got mine on sale from Fry's for $179 delivered.)

05-17-2009, 08:23 AM	#1
smithno Groupie Posts: 152 Karma: 222484 Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Tenn., US Device: jetBook, jetBook Lite, Kindle 3, Galaxy Note II	jetBook after a couple of weeks... I posted my initial impressions about the jetBook a few days in My 2 cents worth on the JetBook. Now that I have lived with it a while and read several books on it, I thought another post was appropriate. My initial impression is that I really like remains true! I split time between reading my EZ Reader, usually at home and the jetBook, usually at work. I still like folders, being able to delete books directly from the reader, 2 or 3 second startup time, and the size. I find the screen just as readable as my EZ Reader and Sony 505. I have also started using the search often to keep books in sync. I put the book I'm reading on both readers and the search makes that so easy! The battery life on the LCD screen has turned out to be a non-issue. So far, I'm charging it up about once a week, just like I do with my e-ink readers. Being able to read for a week is the point where battery life is not annoying. I am having the best luck with Mobi format books created via Calibre. PDF books from Feedbooks that are custom formatted for the jetBook are also very readable. I found the specs on the jetBook forums. PDF books formatted without regard for size need a magnifying glass to read, which is most PDF books I run across. I don't know why publishers don't format PDF books for eReaders! The jetBook only has two fonts. That is not a real problem, but both are sans serif. I much prefer a good serif font. I have not explored adding fonts. It is real convenient to create a fonts folder, like the Hanlin readers. Overall, the jetBook is not perfect. I realize the lack of DRM is an issue for most of the population. Most folks here already format shift anyway which makes DRM a non-issue for most folks here. I am taken with the small size and portability of the 5-inch screen format! It truely does fit in your pants pocket. The 5-inch screen is fine for fiction books, but I don't see reading technical books with one. I am sure I won't be able to resist the 5-inch e-ink readers that are getting ready to show up on the market! Bottom line is if you can get a jetBook for less than $200, it's a great value in my opinion. (I got mine on sale from Fry's for $179 delivered.) Last edited by smithno; 05-17-2009 at 12:07 PM.