Quote:
Originally Posted by xerxe
To make things more complicated, I'll add JetBook to the considered eReaders list.
Pros:
+ It's cheaper
+ Fast page turn
+ No flashing of the screen while turning the page
+ LCD is a mature technology, opposed to eInk which is in it's early stages
Cons:
- The LCD display consumes energy to hold the image
- Eyestrain greater that eInk?
Any thoughts?
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As a further clarification: The JetBook has a much lower resolution (640x480, vs. 800x600 for the 5"/6" e-ink displays). This makes a big difference when reading small print. And the "energy" issue is significant. The Jetbook battery lasts less than 1 day. I can use my Sony Reader for about 3 weeks between charges.
Having a "book-like" device (in terms of print quality and lack of constant recharging) is a big plus for the e-ink devices imo. And the JetBook is a 5" screen. If you want something smaller, I would recommend picking up a Sony Reader 300 when they come out.
The Jetbook website (with comparison between ebook devices) is very misleading. They reference their "hi-res" display, but fail to give the actual resolution. They mention battery charge time and number of page turns, but conveniently ignore battery life. (11,500 page turns? Really? This is in less than 24 hrs, which is the battery life of the JetBook. They must have been turning pages as fast as possible to come up with that bogus figure.) Their book capacity figures are bogus too.
The 'flash' between pages is a non-issue. It is no worse than the brief interruption when you turn a real paper book page, and it's ready to read when your eyes go back up to the top of the page.