head's gonna melt, what to get in Singapore nnext week ?

[cycojesus]

«Hi, my name is Cycojesus and I'm lost looking for an e-reader»

To set the context: I'm french, living in Vietnam and to fulfill my reading needs the internet has come to the rescue (PDF, rtf, html mostly) but reading on LCD screens (PDA (zaurus SL-6000 4'') and laptop) is getting old and I finally have the will and occasion to get an e-reader. A friend of my wife is going to Singapore next week and he agreed to do some shopping for me. I just need to choose and find what I want and where to find it (and how much it'll cost). That last part is proving nightmarish.

I'll use it to read mostly fiction and potentially the occasional programming book, and if possible comics if it proves convenient. It might be irrelevant but I'm a GNU/Linux user for many years and OpenInkpot looks interesting but the supported hardware seem dated and nearing obsolescence.

I first settled on the OAxis W960 because it's cheap ( https://www.iknow.com.sg/products/pr...ok-reader.aspx ) but what little information I could find (here) basically says "It sucks!".

So then I moved to the iriver Story ( https://www.iknow.com.sg/products/pr...162-story.aspx ) because it's cute and recent, and I was happy with my choice, confident that I found the right one available in Singapore. I was happy.

But I kept looking ... and found http://ebookshop.com.sg/ and all of a sudden doubts arise, OpenInkpot comes again taunting me but the hardware (Hanlin V3 or Hanlon N516) still looks so-so.

Any Singaporian to the rescue? advice? anything?

EDIT: Argh, I dismissed the Jetbook for its LCD but seeing some pictures posted here I does look nice after all...

[fireforce]

cycojesus,

I'm from Singapore, and the weather here is really HOT!!!!

Anyway, there are several e-book readers available here in Singapore.

1) ECO Reader (exactly the same as the Hanlin) S$499
2) Ectaco Jetbook S$299
3) iRiver Story S$499
4) COOL-er eReader (Will be released during a Computer Fair on 11 March) S$???

These readers can be bought from this company called iKnow. They have mini kiosks set up within a chain of bookshops known as Popular.

It's best to call up the various branches to see if they have stock of the ereader you are interested in buying. Also, find out when the kiosks open. Some of them open after 12 noon.
You don't want your friend to be hanging around for hours and then find out there is no stock!

I am personally using the iRiver Story, and I love it to bits. Use it to read books and comics. I also have some Powerpoint slides in there for reference. I must say that the device is quite large, and the keypad hasn't been used much since I got it.

The ECO reader (Hanlin) was also on my list, but it looked a bit dated and the white iRiver Story just blew me away with its striking good looks.

(BTW, if you are getting the iRiver Story, get the case together with the reader.)

[greenapple]

Wait for Keyreader. It appears to be a rebrand of Bebook neo and Onyx readers, which are highly regarded by many users in this forum. Further, because it's going to partner with SPH, users may be able to subscribe and read the whole newspaper on it.

I own an iRiver Story, but I'm personally disappointed by its distracting type face. Some letters appear to be darker/thinner (eg the letter "I", and the vertical stroke of "h" etc) and other letters appear to bleed around the edge, creating a soft appearance. I just can't get past the uneven look across the page.

PDF doesn't have this type face problem, but reading PDF has its own set of issues as well.

I'm quite happy with my jetBook purchase, and it is the only ebook device I use now.

[fireforce]

the type face was distracting at first, but since the firmware update, I was able to change to a different font, which made reading more enjoyable.

That's why you need to have a "hands-on" test with the different readers side by side to get a feel of the text as not all readers are made the same.

[fireforce]

BTW, I just realised that you can get a Kindle in Vietnam!
Why not just order one and ship over?

[greenapple]

Originally Posted by fireforce

the type face was distracting at first, but since the firmware update, I was able to change to a different font, which made reading more enjoyable.

That's why you need to have a "hands-on" test with the different readers side by side to get a feel of the text as not all readers are made the same.

The font change will only work for 2 formats, .doc and .txt, if I'm not mistaken.

I'm reading most of my books in epub. It still uses only the default font.

I agree with you about having a hands-on experience at the store. But many nitty-gritty bits only reveal themselves after extensive use.

[cycojesus]

Thanks all, after further consideration the portability aspect is quite important for me. I've settled on a Hanvon N516 (that I'll switch to OpenInkpot) from http://ebookshop.com.sg/Hanvon-N516.php
The iriver looks gorgeous but big, and the thing needs to survive daily motorbike journeys. The OpenInkpot compatibility satisfy my inner freedom activist and allows me to configure/customize it to bits. And the shop can deliver directly to my wife's friend so I don't waste his time there.
I could get a kindle but it has the same size issue (and I don't even have a credit card anymore at the moment :P ).

Now I have to wait... 10 days to get my hands on it, 10 days long days...

[blockbuster24]

could you recommend a place where i can find most of the e-readers for the comparison?