Color jetBook Color Hand-On Review

[Beryll Snyder]

Originally Posted by PF4Mobile

@LuBiB


We know that the device is Windows CE. Is there any way to get to the OS ("root it" as the community did with Nook Android for example) ?


thanks
PF

Why they did not use Android in the first place seems to be kind of strange.
Think of what you could actually do with the device ...

[andyh2000]

Originally Posted by LuBiB

This is actually in my room. I have a ceiling lamp and a lamp at the far left side of my desk. I just stand the unit up and take the pics with my phone. You're pics are very detailed but it seems your room lacks light. Try different areas.

Yes, we have quite dim room lighting. I'm think about getting an LED spotlight as a reading light.

Originally Posted by LuBiB

I took the unit into work this morning and we had a meeting where i loaded a few PDF's for a presentation and everyone was blown away **pat on the back for me!** - the screen is a lot whiter when there's a lot of light around, which the white casing slightly takes away from, but it's not that noticeable when you get into the device itself. My office is considering getting everyone a jetbook color now to use for storing documents

Were these pie charts and graphs type documents? Isn't the screen a bit small to present to a group of people?

Andrew

[andyh2000]

Originally Posted by LuBiB

...
Now, the bold number at the bottom represents what page you're on. You can jump to any of those numbers by clicking on them (they range 4 numbers before and 4 numbers after the page you're on) or you can use the "+10" and "-10" buttons to add to the list of pages to jump to.
...

I've had really weird behaviour with that page number list. Sometimes clicking on the -10 takes me further and further forward in a a document (i.e. the page number goes up). Also it seems to count the actual pages of the PDF, whereas using the number pad to type in a page to go to seems to use the page number as "printed" on the page. As an example, if the first three pages of my document are labelled in Roman numerals i, ii and iii, followed by pages numbered 1, 2, 3 etc., then if I use the number pad and type in "2" it takes me to the page labelled "2", but if I use the page range list and click on "2" it takes me to "ii". And to add to the confusion I think this behaviour changes from PDF to PDF.

Andrew

[andyh2000]

Originally Posted by Kris777

I connected jetBook Color to Overdrive library and downloaded 2 books via ADE. One book in EPUB and 2nd books in PDF format.

Really, you connected the jetBook to an Overdrive library website? How?

Originally Posted by Kris777

Both books look nice on jetBook Color screen in Fit Page mode. I checked Oxford dictionary and TTS, will keep checking other features.

By TTS do you mean reading out the text from a book? I thought it was advertised as able to do that but I can't find the option anywhere. I'd assumed it was one of the many features they've advertised but not finished yet.

Andrew

[andyh2000]

Originally Posted by Ken Maltby

...I wonder if the feature you/your sister discovered is covered in the manual.

I don't think so judging by the lack of pictures in the manual. The first thing I did was look through the Russian manual in case it gave any clues to functionality. It doesn't (unless maybe you speak Russian).

Andrew

[Kris777]

[QUOTE=andyh2000;1957428]Really, you connected the jetBook to an Overdrive library website? How?

I connected jetBook Color via mini USB to ADE program on my PC and moved 2books. I will have the access to these books during 14 days.

By TTS do you mean reading out the text from a book? I thought it was advertised as able to do that but I can't find the option anywhere. I'd assumed it was one of the many features they've advertised but not finished yet.

Open the book ->highlight the text via stylus -> click on text and choose "translate"-> after it click menu button and choose "Speak".

[andyh2000]

[QUOTE=Kris777;1957575]

Originally Posted by andyh2000

Really, you connected the jetBook to an Overdrive library website? How?

I connected jetBook Color via mini USB to ADE program on my PC and moved 2books. I will have the access to these books during 14 days.

By TTS do you mean reading out the text from a book? I thought it was advertised as able to do that but I can't find the option anywhere. I'd assumed it was one of the many features they've advertised but not finished yet.

Open the book ->highlight the text via stylus -> click on text and choose "translate"-> after it click menu button and choose "Speak".

Ah, okay. Thanks.

Andrew

[poohbear_nc]

Originally Posted by andyh2000

I don't think so judging by the lack of pictures in the manual. The first thing I did was look through the Russian manual in case it gave any clues to functionality. It doesn't (unless maybe you speak Russian).

Andrew

I'm a complete noob to jetbook products. Is the Color similar enough to any other jetbook model to make it worthwhile to read another model's (translated) manual? For basic instructions on menus, commands, etc.

If not, I could create a "sticky" thread for us to create our own Color Jetbook Manual How-To/FAQ - to centralize our discoveries - until the ECTACO manual gets translated.

[andyh2000]

Originally Posted by poohbear_nc

I'm a complete noob to jetbook products. Is the Color similar enough to any other jetbook model to make it worthwhile to read another model's (translated) manual? For basic instructions on menus, commands, etc.

If not, I could create a "sticky" thread for us to create our own Color Jetbook Manual How-To/FAQ - to centralize our discoveries - until the ECTACO manual gets translated.

I think at the moment it might be quite close to the jetBook K12 firmware - another one aimed at education that includes very similar features. Have a look here: http://www.jetbookk12.com/features/ and here: http://www.ectaco.com/Ectaco-jetBook-k12/ with a manual here: http://www.ectaco.com/products/mater...UM_Eng_web.pdf and a lengthy video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XIGBI1HXAo

Andrew

[poohbear_nc]

Originally Posted by andyh2000

I think at the moment it might be quite close to the jetBook K12 firmware - another one aimed at education that includes very similar features. Have a look here: http://www.jetbookk12.com/features/ and here: http://www.ectaco.com/Ectaco-jetBook-k12/ with a manual here: http://www.ectaco.com/products/mater...UM_Eng_web.pdf and a lengthy video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XIGBI1HXAo

Andrew

I'll take a look now!

[ProDigit]

Originally Posted by Beryll Snyder

Why they did not use Android in the first place seems to be kind of strange.
Think of what you could actually do with the device ...

Because android is really a terrible Os battery wise!
It has plenty of options, but the OS is battery hungry, and so do most of it's apps. They would also find no use on an e-ink screen, so many of the slide feats in android will not work.

Just as a comparison, 2 identical phones, one using android,the other blackberry Os, the android does 2 days on it's battery,the blackberry (a custom linux) does over 8 days. That's at least 75% longer battery life, just for selecting the right OS!

I would not want an energy efficient screen to be negated by a powerhungry OS.

[Beryll Snyder]

Originally Posted by ProDigit

Because android is really a terrible Os battery wise!
It has plenty of options, but the OS is battery hungry, and so do most of it's apps. They would also find no use on an e-ink screen, so many of the slide feats in android will not work.


.

Already the Nook classic used Android, the new Sony as well.
So no problem with battery life there.
It runs on several
TFT-Readers like Kindle, Nook, Playbook run it as well or can be rooted.
I don't know how big Ectaco is, but developing software takes resources: money and manpower.

[PF4Mobile]

Originally Posted by Beryll Snyder

Already the Nook classic used Android, the new Sony as well.
So no problem with battery life there.
It runs on several
TFT-Readers like Kindle, Nook, Playbook run it as well or can be rooted.
I don't know how big Ectaco is, but developing software takes resources: money and manpower.

I can confirm that
I have Nook Touch and no problems with the battery life at all.
On the contrary it is very good. On the other side I have an Pocket Edge used mainly for it's color screen and that one has problems indeed... so it is the screen that has problems not the OS!!

[Dulin's Books]

ectaco didnt choose the OS. Hanvon did. Hanvon chose the OS because its easy for them to develop on and their hardware(the pen and touch etc) already has windows drivers .

[Beryll Snyder]

Originally Posted by Dulin's Books

ectaco didnt choose the OS. Hanvon did. Hanvon chose the OS because its easy for them to develop on and their hardware(the pen and touch etc) already has windows drivers .

Is it more difficult to program a driver or software?
May be there is interesting stuff already out there - although I could not find any.
If they can pull it off I will buy one ...