Introduction
So, after a few weeks (including two holiday weeks!) I finally received my package yesterday! As it was delivered by DHL, and they only deliver at office hours, and can't even say when they'll be around, I had the package delivered at my husband's work. (Why there? Because the last day before my holiday, the company I work for was ready to move to new building (which happened that following weekend). Sending a package to an address that you don't even know where people that I've never even seen would accept it, didn't sound like too good an idea...) So, when he picked me up at the end of the day (we car pool, and he was driving), I unpacked it in the car (couldn't wait for 30 minutes longer!) and...
But let's go back to the start first. I found out that the JE100 had been officially introduced at a show in Hong Kong. But couldn't find anywhere where I could buy one. So, I sent JoinTech an email, asking for more information. Within 2 days I got an answer (which is rather quick, considering there's an 6 hour difference between Honk Kong and Europe and they are ahead in time!) After a few more mails, I had ordered my device (using PayPal from
http://www.sale4online.com). Now the waiting had really started! And naturally DHL came to the door about a day after we left for a week long holiday. Figures... So, when I came home on friday there were two notes with the question to call them. So I did and then left again for a week long holiday. But, the waiting was over last night when I finally unwrapped the (well-taped!) package (trying not to make too much of a mess in the car...).
Contents
The box contained the device, a battery, a charger (which I can't use), a headphone and an USB cable. Wait, where is my cover! Time to start writing that email! (it's on its way, I was too early ordering
) Luckily, I can charge the device using the USB cable as the charger won't fit in our electrical sockets (at least it is 220V, so I only need a converter).
The reader feels good in the hand, but I really need that cover. If you press on the back of the device, you'll see it on the LCD screen (I've never had a thin LCD device, so I've no idea if that's normal or not).
The stylus feels cheap and is sometimes a bit difficult to remove from its holder. At this moment, I'd rather use my finger to move things across the screen, as the point feels a bit... rough... I will buy a screenprotector (anti-glare), scratching the screen won't be a problem then (it should arrive tomorrow)
The device
The renders that were available were a pretty good render. I really like the form factor of it. Small borders, not too many buttons and such on the front (I do miss that dial jog on the side, which I do have on my PDA). On the right side, you'll find the next page/previous page buttons (you could turn the screen completely around, naturally, they would be on the left side then as they are in the middle of the length of the device). The bottom contains the connection for the charger, two mini-USB ports (one you can use to connect it to your PC, the other, I've not tried out yet but should be a host), the slot for the microSD card (that protective rubbery thing is attached to it by a small other rubbery thingie so it won't break off, nor drop out) and a normal earphone plug. The top side has the stylus. The two speakers are on the back, you can also see the battery housing there (user replaceable battery) and a hole where the cover should fit. Not sure exactly how that works, as I don't have the cover yet...
Connecting
The device runs on Windows CE 5.0, but it looks like they've forgotten to implement the ActiveSync component... My ActiveSync won't recognize it. This makes the transfering of files a bit more awkward, as I have to use the microSD card. I do have a card reader in my PC and I do have a converter for the microSD to normal-sized SD, but it's still awkward. At least the charging by USB works.
Reading books
It has its own OS on it (you boot first into this OS, where you get the choice to go to windows). It has an ereader, but I've not been able (so far) to get that to work. So, first thing to do was to get into Windows and install Mobipocket (I only need to make sure I have my windows in portrait mode before starting Mobipocket. Otherwise I'll get some strange effects!)
Another small problem with the WinCE installation: it looks like it resets every time I shut down... Now, I've no previous experience with Windows CE, only with Windows Mobile, but I doubt it should do that. I had installed Mobipocket in the "Program Files" folder but after a "turn off" it was gone again. I had also cleared the desktop of all icons (I never liked icons on my desktop), but, again, after a "turn off" (or "restart" for that matter), they were all back again. (this naturally has also an advantage, I can install whatever I want and if it crashes the device, it will be reset again!)
I finally worked around this problem by installing Mobipocket on the external card and suspending the device doesn't reset the Windows installation. And then it was time to read! So I added a book and started reading.
Now, my primary reader is (was?) my PDA, with a 3.4" screen. I've been happily reading on that for a long time now. But I must say, that 7" screen is huge! It really feels like having a pocket in your hand, without the hassle of turning pages and trying to keep it open... The weight is good, not too heavy so you have to hold it with two hands, and not too light so you don't feel you're holding something. As I normally read before going to sleep (generally in a darkened bedroom), I need to be able to turn the backlighting very low (in order not to become blinded by it). Comparing it with the light from my PDA, I can turn it much lower. Which makes it an excellent device to read in the dark (I always have a black background with light letters when I'm reading in the dark in order not to become blinded, I might be able to change it with this reader as the backlight is so much dimmer). For reading outside, I prefer my PDA, the screen is not transflective and not really good to see in bright sunlight. I can turn off the backlight on my PDA in bright sunlight, but on the JE100 I need to turn it up.
There are two buttons on the side, which you can use for page turning. They are easy to press and the "next" button is right underneath my thumb when I hold the device. As it's touchscreen, I can also use the "touch the screen to turn a page" feature of mobipocket, but I find it annoying.
(Nath asked me to try
the 2 column trick. It worked on 4.8, the 4.9 version had more problems with it, and the 5.3 acts as it has never heard of it. Too bad, as it is a nice feature!)
Battery life
Can't really say anything about that yet. I've been playing with it too much to give it a real test. I'll come back on this later. I should mention that a long battery life isn't too important for me, as I tend to read mostly before going to bed. Longer reading times are rare (and I still have plans to buy that 5" e-ink device once one is available).
Conclusions
So far, I like the JE100 a lot. The screen is good, you can turn down the backlight a lot (more than on my PDA) and it's easy to hold and has a huge screen.
There are also some flaws, most have to do with the OS, both its own and the Windows CE implementation. The reader of its own OS I never got to work. I've tried PDF and TEXT files (it does recognize both file types), but whatever I do, it won't open them. I did manage to get the Music and Photo app to work and don't have a movie to try that third one.
The Windows CE doesn't have ActiveSync incorporated, which makes connecting to a PC a nuisance. And it will lose (certain) data when I say restart or shut down (which is the only way to get back to the own OS). It doesn't lose everything (I believe the registry stays), but all pograms I put in the Program File folder or the My Documents folder will dissapear. Luckily, you can use the microSD as an extra "HD", so I'll just install everything on there and keep my files there too.
And lastly, but I think they've never really considered that, it would have been nice if I'd gotten a power supply that would have fitted my power outlets!