As most of you probably remember, I received a review sample of the STAReBOOK last monday.
I have posted pictures, a video and a review so far.
Now I've had some more time to evaluate the device and would like to add a few things to my previous review.
Ergonomics:
I have done quite a lot of reading this past week, as much as my limited spare time allowed. I used the STAReBOOK in a number of situations, reading on the couch, in bed, while eating and while installing software on my computer...more about that later...
The device is very comfortable to hold, it's weight is the main helper here. You can even use it left-handed (although the controls are on the wrong side for that) because it's small form-factor and the 176g weight help you hold it in ways that would cause you a lot of discomfort if it were heavier.
In all scenarios I tested the device was easy and secure to hold. The slightly rubberized backside also helps more than you would think at first, giving you a more secure grip without using a lot of finger pressure. Unlike the Iliad, I seldom rested the STAReBOOK on anything for additional support.
Durability:
Of course it's hard to talk about durabilty after such a short time, so I'll make it short. I have found no obvious reasons why this device should not last quite some time. The keys seem to be well constructed, the frame feels solid (and it does not creak quite as ominously as the Iliad does if you twist it slightly...
) and nothing rattles as far as I could discover. I also dropped it (not on purpose!!!) yesterday evening and it still works just like before (it fell from my hand to the (hard) carpet floor) and has no sign of damage to either casing or screen. I never dropped the Iliad so far, so I can't really say how that device would have survived the fall.
Reading Experience:
Now this is the main point...
I finished two books and am well into my third right now. During this week I noticed just how much the Iliad with it's slow booting times and miserable battery-life has disrupted my reading habits.
I'm not really somebody who reserves two hours a day for reading. I prefer to just pick up a book whenever I have a moment, read a few pages and then put it away again. With the Iliad this is not possible. If I leave it on all day, then it'll be out of battery before I go to bed.
I left the STAReBOOK on from Monday to Saturday, I did not even switch it off during the night. The battery did not last as long as I had hoped, it stopped working on Saturday morning (I had charged it fully on Monday around 2:00 PM). On Saturday morning it then switched itself off. Apparently, the STAReBOOK is not using Suspend mode, it seems to be doing "low-power-mode" between pageturns and thus runs out of juice a lot faster than the Sony Reader (as far as I've heard, I don't have one unfortunately).
I asked staretek about the possibility of adding Suspend mode to the STAReBOOK, but so far have not received a reply. I'll keep you posted on the progress here.
Even without Suspend, the device does well enough, if you turn it off overnight you only have to boot it once a day and it should last almost two weeks, so I guess that's good enough for most.
Now let's get back to the reading experience...
Even though it uses ugly fonts and bad formatting, I enjoyed reading on the STAReBOOK a lot more than I did reading on the Iliad. The keyword here is Simplicity. I read, put the book down with the last-read page displaying (it loses a bit of contrast over time, but the text is always readable) and then I just grab it again as soon as I have a moment and can continue from where I was, not restart, no delay at all. That is what really sets this device apart from the Iliad in my eyes. It is a lot more paper-like and comfortable. If they manage to bring more formats, improve the fonts and line-breaking and maybe add suspend then this could very well be the ultimate device, now it's not quite there yet, but for reading purposes it beats the Iliad any day. Technical documents with illustrations, annotations and similar purposes, here the crown goes to the Iliad, even in it's unfinished state, but for a ficion-reader I would never hesitate to recommend this one.
Summary:
The STAReBOOK is a very nice device. The design is cool, it feels good and is easy to hold, even for longer reading sessions. It's battery life could be better, but it's OK as it is if you are willing to accept the compromise.
There is still work to be done when it comes to format support and formatting (and perhaps a Suspend mode could be added?) but it is already a very comfortable eReading solution. Added benefits like mp3 playack (I still have not tested, sorry) and nice little features like bookmarks, last-read book, favourites (list of last read books) and auto-refresh for the menus (I guess to prevent heavier ghosting after longer inactivity) make it even nicer. It's not quite there yet, but it's close. I would like to see the STAReBOOK with improved software go up against the SonyReader sometime...that would be a really interesting match since they are both fighting for the same market. The Iliad is a very different device, I'm pretty sure it will never even come close to matching the STAReBOOK, even in it's current state, as an ebook, but if iRex ever manage to use the features their hardware promises, then I guess it can still turn into a good infopad, newspaper reader or PDA.