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CommanderROR · 01-22-2007, 04:00 PM

As I noted earlier, I received my Review Sample of the STAReBOOK today.
You can find a bunch of pictures and a few brief observations here

I've had a little time to play with the device this afternoon and can now give you a little more information.

First of all, I'd like to make a few things clear:

1) As with the Iliad deal, I don't get paid for what I do here. I'm trying to make an independent review here, for the community, not for the company.

2) Staretek has provided the review unit free of charge. I did not have to pay a single penny for either the device or the shipping to Germany. For this I'd like to thank those responsible at Staretek and especially Ivan who was always very helpful.

3) I will compare the device to the Iliad from time to time. I know that the devices are completely different, but there are still some things that can be compared, like reading ebooks on the devices. I think it makes sense to compare, even if this is far from a apples to apples comparison.

So, let's get started...

First Impression:

The STAReBOOK is a very nicely made device. The Materials are very nice, not the cheap plastic I had expected but a more iPod-like soft-glossy finish. The silver-grey strip on the lower end of the device actually looks a lot more metallic in real than it does on the pictures. Quality seems to be good as well with very little obvious room for improvement. The rubberized backside of the device is also a nice touch since it makes it eaiser to hold and prevents it from slipping out of your hands.
When I first received my Iliad I thought it looked very much like a business device. The whole design and the form-factor made it look very down-to-earth and like something a manager wouldn't be ashamed of carrying around.
The STAReBOOK has a very different charm. It has a lot of "sex-appeal" somehow, hard to define it exactly, but it's a bit like the attraction an iPod nano has. It's very sleek, stylish in a understating kind of way and looks a bit fragile (although I'm not sure whether it is any more fragile than the Iliad). I can imagine a manager owning one of these, but I can't exactly see him using it as a work-tool in a meeting.

So, let's go into some details:

1) Connections:
The STAReBOOK has a USB2.0 connection and seems to be using a standard mini-usb connector for both data-transfer and charging. there is an additional charger in the box (mine is the US model unfortunately so I can't really try it out, only charge from USB connection) that will be of some use to those who are away from the computer for longer periods and like to recharge their gadgets from a normal wall-socket. The additional charger also connects to the mini-usb socket. The mini-usb socket is hidden behind a rubber flap that seals it against dust/water/whatever. The headphone connection is also behind this "flap" on the lower edge of the device.
The SD-Card slot is at the top of the device, next to the on/off switch.
The volume controls are on the right side and the bookmark, menu, delete and mp3 keys are on the left side.

Turning pages is done via a 4-way cursor-pad on the front of the device below the display. The up/down keys on the pad are for increasing/reducing the font-size when you are reading. The last key is the OK key in the middle of the pad. Pretty straightforward so far.

I'll continue this in the next post so that it does not become too long.

01-22-2007, 04:00 PM	#1
CommanderROR eink fanatic Posts: 2,022 Karma: 4924 Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Germany Device: STAReBOOK, iRex Iliad, Sony 505, Kindle 2	STAReBOOK Review Part II As I noted earlier, I received my Review Sample of the STAReBOOK today. You can find a bunch of pictures and a few brief observations here I've had a little time to play with the device this afternoon and can now give you a little more information. First of all, I'd like to make a few things clear: 1) As with the Iliad deal, I don't get paid for what I do here. I'm trying to make an independent review here, for the community, not for the company. 2) Staretek has provided the review unit free of charge. I did not have to pay a single penny for either the device or the shipping to Germany. For this I'd like to thank those responsible at Staretek and especially Ivan who was always very helpful. 3) I will compare the device to the Iliad from time to time. I know that the devices are completely different, but there are still some things that can be compared, like reading ebooks on the devices. I think it makes sense to compare, even if this is far from a apples to apples comparison. So, let's get started... First Impression: The STAReBOOK is a very nicely made device. The Materials are very nice, not the cheap plastic I had expected but a more iPod-like soft-glossy finish. The silver-grey strip on the lower end of the device actually looks a lot more metallic in real than it does on the pictures. Quality seems to be good as well with very little obvious room for improvement. The rubberized backside of the device is also a nice touch since it makes it eaiser to hold and prevents it from slipping out of your hands. When I first received my Iliad I thought it looked very much like a business device. The whole design and the form-factor made it look very down-to-earth and like something a manager wouldn't be ashamed of carrying around. The STAReBOOK has a very different charm. It has a lot of "sex-appeal" somehow, hard to define it exactly, but it's a bit like the attraction an iPod nano has. It's very sleek, stylish in a understating kind of way and looks a bit fragile (although I'm not sure whether it is any more fragile than the Iliad). I can imagine a manager owning one of these, but I can't exactly see him using it as a work-tool in a meeting. So, let's go into some details: 1) Connections: The STAReBOOK has a USB2.0 connection and seems to be using a standard mini-usb connector for both data-transfer and charging. there is an additional charger in the box (mine is the US model unfortunately so I can't really try it out, only charge from USB connection) that will be of some use to those who are away from the computer for longer periods and like to recharge their gadgets from a normal wall-socket. The additional charger also connects to the mini-usb socket. The mini-usb socket is hidden behind a rubber flap that seals it against dust/water/whatever. The headphone connection is also behind this "flap" on the lower edge of the device. The SD-Card slot is at the top of the device, next to the on/off switch. The volume controls are on the right side and the bookmark, menu, delete and mp3 keys are on the left side. Turning pages is done via a 4-way cursor-pad on the front of the device below the display. The up/down keys on the pad are for increasing/reducing the font-size when you are reading. The last key is the OK key in the middle of the pad. Pretty straightforward so far. I'll continue this in the next post so that it does not become too long.