Why E-ink?

[Kris777]

I like jetBook screen more

[GhostHawk]

Me too!

[aagstn]

Originally Posted by dixieknits

As much as I LOVE my JB, I would have to say I find it hard to read in normal lamplight at night. I'm a bit over 50 years of age and found myself swearing at the glare from clip on lamps or tired eyes in the evening. I have ordered the new Kindle 3 as it advertises fast page turns, long battery life and smaller size, hopefully it will be similar to my JB which is what I take to work with me. On a lark, I picked up a $90 reader named the Book by Augen over the weekend with a backlit screen for night reading. So far I'm happy with it, but prefer smaller size and ease of the JB, though E-ink is easier on my eyes.

I had two issues with my JBL that ended up moving me to a nook and this is one of them. I read mostly at night by a lamp and the viewing angle on the JBL is a pain. You have to have it angled just right to get the light reflecting correctly. If not the screen is either too dark or you have a glare. This is not an issue with eink.

The other issue was the stability of the JBL. I had so many crashes and freeze ups that my patience with the device just ran out. I wish the nook was smaller and honestly the battery life is no better than the JBL, but it is easier to read with by a lamp and it has been stable and reliable for the few months I have had it so far. My son starting using the JBL and likes it so the JBL didn't get forgotten.

[GA Russell]

Originally Posted by aagstn

You have to have it angled just right to get the light reflecting correctly. If not the screen is either too dark or you have a glare...

The other issue was the stability of the JBL. I had so many crashes and freeze ups that my patience with the device just ran out.

aagstn, I guess different strokes for the angle issue. I've never had a problem, but if it doesn't work for you then the problem is real for you.

But the freeze-ups sounds like the device needs either a firmware upgrade or to be replaced. If your son has the same experience, I suggest that you contact Ectaco and get another unit.

[bill_mchale]

Originally Posted by Kris777

I like jetBook screen more

Well, I think both types of screens have their particular advantages and disadvantages...

Having read on a Jetbook for two years, I would say that it is very easy to read on. However, I can notice under certain lighting, the letters dance every so slightly (I suspect that even though it is TFT LCD, there must still be some sort of refresh to the letters going on that synchs up with the frequency of the light). Its not annoying, but it is noticeable. Of course the fast refresh comes in handy if you need to look at a PDF that is larger than the screen. Scrolling around the PDF page is relatively easy.

Now a factor that is probably bigger for the Jetbook than the Jetbook Lite. During heavy reading (3-4 hours a day), I never got more than about 3-4 days out of a charge. Not a big deal in and of itself. However, it does mean my battery cycles more frequently. Though still usable (Despite the case starting to break apart), I am now finding that the battery only lasts 1-2 days of heavy reading. Still usable, but definitely a downside to having to recharge more frequently.

Now, as for the eInk. My wife's reader is a Sony PRS-505. I know the screen isn't perfect in terms of contrast, and refresh is noticeably slower than the the Jetbook, but the letters look like they are printed on the screen. EInk does give a better impression of the printed page (To me anyway). Add the longer interval between recharges and thus the longer battery life, and I suspect the PRS-505 will last twice as long as the Jetbook.

Which do I like more? Can't really say I like one better than the other. Given a choice between two otherwise identical readers and forced to choose between the Jetbook screen and say a 5" eInk screen, I think it would be a toss-up. I would have to find some other way to distinguish them.

--
Bill

[GA Russell]

Originally Posted by bill_mchale

I would have to find some other way to distinguish them.

One way might be the price!

[bill_mchale]

Originally Posted by GA Russell

One way might be the price!

True... I thought of that, but effectively, there are no e-ink readers (That I know of) that are directly comparable to the Jetbook. The Pocketbook 360, the Cybook Opus and the Sony 300 are the closest units in general distribution. The Opus and the 360 are a fair bit more expensive. But on the flip side, the 300 is close to the price of the Jetbook. Now granted, the Jetbook has better ePub support, but the metal case of the Sony makes me think it might be a more durable unit (And since my current Jetbook's plastic case is slowly falling apart due to stress cracks (probably from carrying in my Jeans Pocket) that is important) and I can always convert to LRF if I really want justified text.

Now admittedly I think I would rather like the PocketBook 360's Ergos (Not sure mind you, just a guess), but then again maybe the Jetbook Mini will take care of that issue... oh well ).

--
Bill

[Kris777]

Originally Posted by bill_mchale

Now admittedly I think I would rather like the PocketBook 360's Ergos (Not sure mind you, just a guess), but then again maybe the Jetbook Mini will take care of that issue... oh well ).

--
Bill

I'm waiting jetBook Mini reviews to see if it will be better than jetBook-Lite.
I hope it will have the same type of screen that jetBook-Lite but will be more compact because comes with AAA batteries.