Eco reader Review

troykm · 10-25-2009, 11:35 PM

Well after numerous emails to cbell, i feel its my duty to provide a review of my ECO reader :-)

I will start by saying that the first device i bought had a defective screen, but i exchanged it and the new one is flawless.

I wanted a dedicated e-reader as i was reading on my iphone+stanza. a good mix for about 20 min's, then i would either end up with a headache or slightly blind for an hour or two LOL. So i looked in to the e-reader solution, and i knew nothing about them, so researched almost every brand and device.

I was going to get the kindle 2, based on mostly, looks. I am glad i picked the ECO reader.

The ECO reader is not locked in to any store!!! BIG PLUS! i can buy books from anywhere really (geographical restrictions dependant) or download books from free site's, and indeed on this forum. I was surprised how many free books there are out there. (not that i have any issue paying)

It was great that, no matter what format the book i downloaded was in, i just dragged it to my sd card and opened it on the ECO, easy.

The device its self is great. Its not much to look at when you first see it, but that is a good thing, as when you in to a book, you don't want to see the device! (make sense?) it disappears nicely into the background. I know it has been said b4 but, the screen really looks like a piece of paper with real text on it. If it were not for the button pressing to turn the page, you would forget it was not a "real" book.

Page turns are about 1 second, and i like this as it gives me a chance to blink and focus :P Folders are a great feature, as one giant list of 300 books would just be annoying! I have mine sorted by author.

Although its not officially supported, you can use mobipocket reader software on your pc to get newspaper, magazine and blogs onto your ECO via RSS feeds. Just set up your feeds, update them, then right click - send to removable disk and its done, takes 10 seconds!

The only thing i really wish for would be (and i think its more to do with the book format than the reader its self) is more font options. I would love there to be an inbuilt override to the font the book has so i can change it to whatever i wanted, and even a bold text option, as sometimes my eyes can focus better on bold print. This is just a wish, not a deal breaker.

Over all my experience these last 2 weeks have been most enjoyable, support from DA and notably cbell has been great. (although me thinks she has seen my email address enough :-) )

Get an ECO reader, you wont be disappointed

cheers

troykm

AlexBell · 10-26-2009, 01:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by troykm

Over all my experience these last 2 weeks have been most enjoyable, support from DA and notably cbell has been great. (although me thinks she has seen my email address enough :-) )

Get an ECO reader, you wont be disappointed

cheers

troykm

I agree completely, especially about the superb service and support.

Regards, Alex

cbell · 10-26-2009, 03:12 AM

Thank you for the review, troykm, and I love your avatar! I chose that page for the photos and box cover (My Fellow Australians) and I formatted the displayed ebook, too!

I practiced how to make ebooks here at MR and I received lots of good advice.

It was a pleasure exchanging emails with you and you were very nice about your first ECO Reader.

That was bad luck! Glad the lovely people at Melb Uni bookshop were able to help.

Reviews are very helpful for people who want an ebook reader, but can't decide which one. Well done!

And thank you, Alex and Troy, for the nice comments

troykm · 10-26-2009, 03:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cbell

Reviews are very helpful for people who want an ebook reader, but can't decide which one. Well done!

a good product deserves a good review

paul1403 · 10-26-2009, 07:43 PM

Thanks for the review Troy. I'm still to finally decide which reader to buy, but you have made that decision a lot easier.

Paul.
Canberra, Australia

paul1403 · 11-08-2009, 04:41 PM

A decision which I have made at last.

I ordered an Eco-Reader yesterday. It should be here very soon, I hope.

Paul,
Canberra, Australia

cbell · 11-10-2009, 05:23 PM

Hi Paul, good choice!

Your ECO Reader left Melbourne yesterday afternoon (by registered mail). Please allow a couple of days transit to A.C.T... and thank you for your order!

paul1403 · 11-10-2009, 06:25 PM

Thank you Christine,

I am looking forward to it's arrival

Paul,
Canberra, Australia

troykm · 12-19-2009, 03:47 PM

well i have had my reader for 3 months now, so here is a follow up.

i have never read so much in my life! im churning out a book a week (thats a lot for me :P )

the reader its self has not faulted. i am yet to find a ebook format that it can not read. having said that it does not seem to like .lit very much and i understand, as its a microsoft format who would expect it to work properly lol.

it handles the ADE books from readwithoutpaper.com well and the device shows up in digital editions.

all in all, (even after my few rants on this forum - my bad :P ) im very happy, am recommending it to friends and will soon be buying a second one for my sisters 21st.

i would like to see a payment plan from DA Direct, $449 is a lot of money in one hit and a plan that spreads the cost over 3 months, off a credit card may attract a lot more buyers. just a thought.

well thats all for now. if you were thinking about an ECO reader, just get one. i doubt you will not like it.

cbell · 12-20-2009, 03:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by troykm

... i would like to see a payment plan from DA Direct, $449 is a lot of money in one hit and a plan that spreads the cost over 3 months, off a credit card may attract a lot more buyers. just a thought.

well thats all for now. if you were thinking about an ECO reader, just get one. i doubt you will not like it.

Wow, Troy, that 3 months flew by quickly! I'm not surprised you're an ebook and ECO Reader enthusiast now.

We (at DA Direct) have considered offering payment plans for ebook reader purchases (and also offering extended warranties) - but I believe they would be very difficult to administer. We're not saying "No", just saying "Not yet".

I had to read "i doubt you will not like it." a couple of times to understand your meaning. On this point, I agree with you!

I enjoy reading your posts

troykm · 12-20-2009, 03:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cbell

I had to read "i doubt you will not like it." a couple of times to understand your meaning. On this point, I agree with you!

I enjoy reading your posts

LOL me english good

what i think that says is, i have no doubt you will like it.

;-)

10-25-2009, 11:35 PM	#1
troykm Connoisseur Posts: 50 Karma: 516 Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Melbourne Device: Kindle 2	Eco reader Review Well after numerous emails to cbell, i feel its my duty to provide a review of my ECO reader :-) I will start by saying that the first device i bought had a defective screen, but i exchanged it and the new one is flawless. I wanted a dedicated e-reader as i was reading on my iphone+stanza. a good mix for about 20 min's, then i would either end up with a headache or slightly blind for an hour or two LOL. So i looked in to the e-reader solution, and i knew nothing about them, so researched almost every brand and device. I was going to get the kindle 2, based on mostly, looks. I am glad i picked the ECO reader. The ECO reader is not locked in to any store!!! BIG PLUS! i can buy books from anywhere really (geographical restrictions dependant) or download books from free site's, and indeed on this forum. I was surprised how many free books there are out there. (not that i have any issue paying) It was great that, no matter what format the book i downloaded was in, i just dragged it to my sd card and opened it on the ECO, easy. The device its self is great. Its not much to look at when you first see it, but that is a good thing, as when you in to a book, you don't want to see the device! (make sense?) it disappears nicely into the background. I know it has been said b4 but, the screen really looks like a piece of paper with real text on it. If it were not for the button pressing to turn the page, you would forget it was not a "real" book. Page turns are about 1 second, and i like this as it gives me a chance to blink and focus :P Folders are a great feature, as one giant list of 300 books would just be annoying! I have mine sorted by author. Although its not officially supported, you can use mobipocket reader software on your pc to get newspaper, magazine and blogs onto your ECO via RSS feeds. Just set up your feeds, update them, then right click - send to removable disk and its done, takes 10 seconds! The only thing i really wish for would be (and i think its more to do with the book format than the reader its self) is more font options. I would love there to be an inbuilt override to the font the book has so i can change it to whatever i wanted, and even a bold text option, as sometimes my eyes can focus better on bold print. This is just a wish, not a deal breaker. Over all my experience these last 2 weeks have been most enjoyable, support from DA and notably cbell has been great. (although me thinks she has seen my email address enough :-) ) Get an ECO reader, you wont be disappointed cheers troykm Last edited by troykm; 10-25-2009 at 11:37 PM.

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10-26-2009, 03:12 AM	#3
cbell Frenetic Posts: 590 Karma: 8181 Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Australia Device: iLiad V2	Thank you for the review, troykm, and I love your avatar! I chose that page for the photos and box cover (My Fellow Australians) and I formatted the displayed ebook, too! I practiced how to make ebooks here at MR and I received lots of good advice. It was a pleasure exchanging emails with you and you were very nice about your first ECO Reader. That was bad luck! Glad the lovely people at Melb Uni bookshop were able to help. Reviews are very helpful for people who want an ebook reader, but can't decide which one. Well done! And thank you, Alex and Troy, for the nice comments

10-26-2009, 07:43 PM	#5
paul1403 Exertion Avoider Posts: 40 Karma: 1000 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia Device: Eco-Reader, Motorola Xoom, Samsung Galaxy S2	Thanks for the review Troy. I'm still to finally decide which reader to buy, but you have made that decision a lot easier. Paul. Canberra, Australia

11-08-2009, 04:41 PM	#6
paul1403 Exertion Avoider Posts: 40 Karma: 1000 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia Device: Eco-Reader, Motorola Xoom, Samsung Galaxy S2	A decision which I have made at last. I ordered an Eco-Reader yesterday. It should be here very soon, I hope. Paul, Canberra, Australia

11-10-2009, 05:23 PM	#7
cbell Frenetic Posts: 590 Karma: 8181 Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Australia Device: iLiad V2	Hi Paul, good choice! Your ECO Reader left Melbourne yesterday afternoon (by registered mail). Please allow a couple of days transit to A.C.T... and thank you for your order!

11-10-2009, 06:25 PM	#8
paul1403 Exertion Avoider Posts: 40 Karma: 1000 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia Device: Eco-Reader, Motorola Xoom, Samsung Galaxy S2	Thank you Christine, I am looking forward to it's arrival Paul, Canberra, Australia

12-19-2009, 03:47 PM	#9
troykm Connoisseur Posts: 50 Karma: 516 Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Melbourne Device: Kindle 2	well i have had my reader for 3 months now, so here is a follow up. i have never read so much in my life! im churning out a book a week (thats a lot for me :P ) the reader its self has not faulted. i am yet to find a ebook format that it can not read. having said that it does not seem to like .lit very much and i understand, as its a microsoft format who would expect it to work properly lol. it handles the ADE books from readwithoutpaper.com well and the device shows up in digital editions. all in all, (even after my few rants on this forum - my bad :P ) im very happy, am recommending it to friends and will soon be buying a second one for my sisters 21st. i would like to see a payment plan from DA Direct, $449 is a lot of money in one hit and a plan that spreads the cost over 3 months, off a credit card may attract a lot more buyers. just a thought. well thats all for now. if you were thinking about an ECO reader, just get one. i doubt you will not like it.

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