Took the plunge and got the Jetbook

bill_mchale · 10-15-2008, 09:41 AM

Well, despite some obvious limitations in the device (but then again, I think that is true for all of the eBook readers out there right now), I decided to get the JetBook. Here is the basic list of reasons.

1. It looks to be set up to work equally well from any computer, regardless of the OS. This means where ever I am, as long as I have an internet connected computer with a usb port, I can get new content for my reader.

2. At least at the moment, they are the only dedicated reader that does not support a DRM'd format. The only DRM'd format I would be willing to use is eReader, but they don't have a dedicated device.. hence this.

3. They do support .fb2 and there seems to be reports that they are planning on supporting epub and html in the near future. Since I figured out how to cleanly convert html files to .fb2, I can buy non DRM'd books, convert them to html and then to .fb2 (its not as complicated as it sounds

).
Also, if I can ever figure out how to do it in a way that works properly, I can convert the html to .pdfs that are properly sized for my screen.

4. The 5" screen seems just large enough for me. I have been reading on my iPod Touch and found the 3.5" screen just a bit on the small side. At 5", it will have close to twice the screen real estate as the iPod Touch and that ought to be perfect. On the flip side, it will hopefully be small enough to fit into a shirt pocket (only time will tell there).

5. While its battery will drain faster than an eInk based unit, it should still last me several days between charges; that should be more than enough for most purposes.

Anyway, once I get the unit and had a week or two to play with it, I will post my personal review of it

.

--
Bill

NatCh · 10-15-2008, 10:53 AM

Glad you found something that seems to fit your needs, bill_mchale, I know you've been researching for a while.

We'll look forward to your review.

bill_mchale · 10-15-2008, 11:06 AM

Thank Natch... I kind of had to pull the trigger. She gets the iPod Touch I have been using as a reader as soon as she finishes her current book on tape (She listens on her commute to work). Basically the public library was running out of books on tapes that she hadn't already read or heard. So, she needs to migrate to borrowing CDs... but doesn't have a CD player in her car.. hence...

I could have gotten another iPod Touch, but since 90% of what I use it for is reading, I figured why not get a device better suited to reading.

--
Bill

NatCh · 10-15-2008, 11:09 AM

Well, there's your problem right there: you're too sensible. That'll get you in trouble someday.

DDHarriman · 10-15-2008, 11:23 AM

Hi

Would you be so kind to share your experience with the reader when you get it?
I would love to know more.

I can understand the interest in audiobooks, I myself keep at least 2 audiobooks in my car and love to drive solo and ear them. Great for the mind and great, I save time in reading and do not have to ear the stupid radio.

Both getting what they want is always a good decision!

bill_mchale · 10-15-2008, 12:23 PM

DHHarriman,
Of course, I would be happy to post my experiences. I essentially plan to experiment with downloading unmodified PG and ManyBooks.net text files and seeing how the Jetbook handles those. If it has problems with PG's habit of putting carriage returns at the end of every line, it is a relatively simple task to write a script to fix that.

Basically, I am going to test the usability of the device for the non-tech savvy. I am relatively sure that I will have no problems using scripts to get the books into a good format for reading on the book. I am more worried about the less tech-savvy on the forum.

--
Bill

Kris777 · 10-23-2008, 09:26 PM

I like my jetBook too

. I have black one and my wife use white color unit. I spent 5 hours reading it nonstop during my flight last week. I usually use the font size 24 and rotate the text when I read books in FB2 or TXT format.

DickyCheung22 · 10-24-2008, 01:29 AM

I'm interested on Jetbook, hope to see your review soon~

pilotbob · 10-24-2008, 03:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DickyCheung22

I'm interested on Jetbook, hope to see your review soon~

Have you read my review yet? It is posted on MR somewhere... but also on my blog here http://bob.archer.net/content/ectaco-jetbook-review

BOb

Lemurion · 10-24-2008, 07:24 PM

The two killers on this device are format support and price. If it was around $199 and supported HTML it would be a really strong alternative to the Eink readers.

Kris777 · 10-25-2008, 09:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lemurion

The two killers on this device are format support and price. If it was around $199 and supported HTML it would be a really strong alternative to the Eink readers.

You can convert HTML to FB2 format and read it on jetBook. I didn't see the price cheaper than $299.

bill_mchale · 10-25-2008, 10:46 PM

Kris,
Regarding the price; in general I don't think it is available for less than about $300. The $199 price suggestion reflects the belief that many in these forums have that seems to suggest that a $300 price tag requires eInk. $199 would place it in the same price range as the eBookwise even though the screen resolution on the Jetbook is much higher and it can also store many, many more books than the ebookwise.

--
Bill

pilotbob · 10-25-2008, 11:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bill_mchale

Kris,
$199 would place it in the same price range as the eBookwise even though the screen resolution on the Jetbook is much higher and it can also store many, many more books than the ebookwise.

Not quite. The eBookwise is $109 without any memory cards.

BOb

bill_mchale · 10-26-2008, 01:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pilotbob

Not quite. The eBookwise is $109 without any memory cards.

BOb

Yes, but with only 8mb of memory, you are rather limiting the device. I would say that to be practical you need at least a 64mb memory card. Unfortunately, the cards it uses are much more expensive than modern SD and SDHC cards. The 2 GB card I can use with my Jetbook will probably hold 1000 or more titles.

--
Bill

Kris777 · 10-26-2008, 10:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bill_mchale

Yes, but with only 8mb of memory, you are rather limiting the device. I would say that to be practical you need at least a 64mb memory card. Unfortunately, the cards it uses are much more expensive than modern SD and SDHC cards. The 2 GB card I can use with my Jetbook will probably hold 1000 or more titles.

--
Bill

Agree. I use 2GB SD card that I purchased for $5 and use it to store thousands of books and several Audio books in mp3 format.

10-15-2008, 09:41 AM	#1
bill_mchale Wizard Posts: 1,451 Karma: 1550000 Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Maryland, USA Device: Nook Simple Touch, HPC Evo 4G LTE	Took the plunge and got the Jetbook Well, despite some obvious limitations in the device (but then again, I think that is true for all of the eBook readers out there right now), I decided to get the JetBook. Here is the basic list of reasons. 1. It looks to be set up to work equally well from any computer, regardless of the OS. This means where ever I am, as long as I have an internet connected computer with a usb port, I can get new content for my reader. 2. At least at the moment, they are the only dedicated reader that does not support a DRM'd format. The only DRM'd format I would be willing to use is eReader, but they don't have a dedicated device.. hence this. 3. They do support .fb2 and there seems to be reports that they are planning on supporting epub and html in the near future. Since I figured out how to cleanly convert html files to .fb2, I can buy non DRM'd books, convert them to html and then to .fb2 (its not as complicated as it sounds ). Also, if I can ever figure out how to do it in a way that works properly, I can convert the html to .pdfs that are properly sized for my screen. 4. The 5" screen seems just large enough for me. I have been reading on my iPod Touch and found the 3.5" screen just a bit on the small side. At 5", it will have close to twice the screen real estate as the iPod Touch and that ought to be perfect. On the flip side, it will hopefully be small enough to fit into a shirt pocket (only time will tell there). 5. While its battery will drain faster than an eInk based unit, it should still last me several days between charges; that should be more than enough for most purposes. Anyway, once I get the unit and had a week or two to play with it, I will post my personal review of it . -- Bill

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10-15-2008, 10:53 AM	#2
NatCh Gizmologist Posts: 11,615 Karma: 929550 Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Republic of Texas Embassy at Jackson, TN Device: Pocketbook Touch HD3	Glad you found something that seems to fit your needs, bill_mchale, I know you've been researching for a while. We'll look forward to your review.

10-15-2008, 11:06 AM	#3
bill_mchale Wizard Posts: 1,451 Karma: 1550000 Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Maryland, USA Device: Nook Simple Touch, HPC Evo 4G LTE	Thank Natch... I kind of had to pull the trigger. She gets the iPod Touch I have been using as a reader as soon as she finishes her current book on tape (She listens on her commute to work). Basically the public library was running out of books on tapes that she hadn't already read or heard. So, she needs to migrate to borrowing CDs... but doesn't have a CD player in her car.. hence... I could have gotten another iPod Touch, but since 90% of what I use it for is reading, I figured why not get a device better suited to reading. -- Bill

10-15-2008, 11:09 AM	#4
NatCh Gizmologist Posts: 11,615 Karma: 929550 Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Republic of Texas Embassy at Jackson, TN Device: Pocketbook Touch HD3	Well, there's your problem right there: you're too sensible. That'll get you in trouble someday.

10-15-2008, 11:23 AM	#5
DDHarriman Guru Posts: 860 Karma: 4380 Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Almada, Portugal Device: Cybook Gen3, Sony PRS 505, Kindle DXG and Samsung Galaxy Note	Hi Would you be so kind to share your experience with the reader when you get it? I would love to know more. I can understand the interest in audiobooks, I myself keep at least 2 audiobooks in my car and love to drive solo and ear them. Great for the mind and great, I save time in reading and do not have to ear the stupid radio. Both getting what they want is always a good decision!

10-15-2008, 12:23 PM	#6
bill_mchale Wizard Posts: 1,451 Karma: 1550000 Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Maryland, USA Device: Nook Simple Touch, HPC Evo 4G LTE	DHHarriman, Of course, I would be happy to post my experiences. I essentially plan to experiment with downloading unmodified PG and ManyBooks.net text files and seeing how the Jetbook handles those. If it has problems with PG's habit of putting carriage returns at the end of every line, it is a relatively simple task to write a script to fix that. Basically, I am going to test the usability of the device for the non-tech savvy. I am relatively sure that I will have no problems using scripts to get the books into a good format for reading on the book. I am more worried about the less tech-savvy on the forum. -- Bill

10-23-2008, 09:26 PM	#7
Kris777 Banned Posts: 1,767 Karma: 2520493 Join Date: Oct 2008 Device: Nexus 7, jetBook-Lite, jetBook mini, Toshiba Thrive, JETBOOK COLOR	I like my jetBook too . I have black one and my wife use white color unit. I spent 5 hours reading it nonstop during my flight last week. I usually use the font size 24 and rotate the text when I read books in FB2 or TXT format.

10-24-2008, 01:29 AM	#8
DickyCheung22 Enthusiast Posts: 48 Karma: 10 Join Date: Oct 2008 Device: none	I'm interested on Jetbook, hope to see your review soon~

10-24-2008, 07:24 PM	#10
Lemurion eReader Posts: 2,750 Karma: 4968470 Join Date: Aug 2007 Device: Note 5; PW3; Nook HD+; ChuWi Hi12; iPad	The two killers on this device are format support and price. If it was around $199 and supported HTML it would be a really strong alternative to the Eink readers.

10-25-2008, 10:46 PM	#12
bill_mchale Wizard Posts: 1,451 Karma: 1550000 Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Maryland, USA Device: Nook Simple Touch, HPC Evo 4G LTE	Kris, Regarding the price; in general I don't think it is available for less than about $300. The $199 price suggestion reflects the belief that many in these forums have that seems to suggest that a $300 price tag requires eInk. $199 would place it in the same price range as the eBookwise even though the screen resolution on the Jetbook is much higher and it can also store many, many more books than the ebookwise. -- Bill

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