Color jetBook Color Hand-On Review

[lorenzoens]

Originally Posted by LuBiB

Give me something that requires reflow.

Try this without reflowing: http://www.pnas.org/content/108/49/19569.full.pdf

Originally Posted by ProDigit

You don't want to reflow a PDF file, but view it as it is! One of the main reasons I bought this device!

Would you please explain how are you going to read a pdf when its text is very small?

9,7"/A4 comparison:

A4: 29,6 cm x 21,0 cm = 621,6 square cm

9,7" display: 20,2 cm x 14,0 cm = 282,8 square cm,

so 9,7"'s area is 45,5% of an A4 format.

Definitely, you'll need reflow depeding on what you are reading. I'm sorry you didn't know this before you bought your reader, but don't worry: there aren't any bigger on the market, already. A good reflow will do for now.

[ignacio ferrer]

Originally Posted by ProDigit

You don't want to reflow a PDF file, but view it as it is! One of the main reasons I bought this device!

View as it is is quite often too small ...

[por]

Originally Posted by Ken Maltby

Going by your video, it looks like I would have plenty of time to do any
normal annotation before your glitch kicks in. Nothing that I can think of
would require any single continuous line to be as long as your zig-zag was
to reach the point of encountering the problem.

Luck;
Ken

This "glitch" sometimes happens earlier and in general, i was looking forward to using this device as a note-taking device (as well as a reader). The zig-zagging line was simply a test to make the issue more apparent. The "glitch" makes note taking more problematic, sometimes you get missing or distorted letters. Obviously, nobody else has such problems, so this must be an issue with my device only.

A good note-taking feature, i think, would make the price more justified.

[ProDigit]

Originally Posted by por

This "glitch" sometimes happens earlier and in general, i was looking forward to using this device as a note-taking device (as well as a reader). The zig-zagging line was simply a test to make the issue more apparent. The "glitch" makes note taking more problematic, sometimes you get missing or distorted letters. Obviously, nobody else has such problems, so this must be an issue with my device only.

A good note-taking feature, i think, would make the price more justified.

Have you perhaps verified if the glitch could have happened when you slightly lifted the pen a bit too far off the screen?
If it gets any further than 1 mm away from the screen, the screen won't read any input, as the pen tip is too far from it to register.
(just suggesting)...

[Dulin's Books]

Originally Posted by PF4Mobile

I gave yuou that first page
Again reflow does not need to be imposed by the page size
Reflow is something that kicks in when the font size requires you to rearrange the objects on the page in order to fit the text and the content in the same area as before changing the font.

It might also work if the document is too wide (the case of the first page indicated above)

So with that document if reflow works you should be able to change the font size and that will rearrange the text and probably the pictures on the page

the only ereader i know of that reflows the pictures with the text is Pocketbook. they included that feature starting with their Pro series of devices and its limited to certain image formats. every other I have seen, and thats quite many, just leaves the images out of reflowed views.

reflow isn't "needed" so much as "desired" by some depending on use case and personal preference. even with very small text, decent zooming and panning can negate the need for reflow. especially I have found, in most of my use cases, if I can also rotate to landscape mode. column reading mode is especially helpful in that it preserves the formatting and embedded images but zooms the text up to readable size.

[por]

Originally Posted by ProDigit

Have you perhaps verified if the glitch could have happened when you slightly lifted the pen a bit too far off the screen?
If it gets any further than 1 mm away from the screen, the screen won't read any input, as the pen tip is too far from it to register.
(just suggesting)...

Sure, that was the first thing i thought of. That's why i made this test, so that i only concentrate on keeping the stylus on the screen

But thx for the idea.

[Kris777]

I see that Ectaco just started selling jetBook Color Black on their website:
http://www.ectaco.com/jetBook-Color-Black/

[PF4Mobile]

Do you actually see those vivid colors on the real e-ink screen ???

[por]

Originally Posted by PF4Mobile

Do you actually see those vivid colors on the real e-ink screen ???

This is only concept art I guess, along the lines of the Noteslate project

[andyh2000]

Originally Posted by PF4Mobile

Do you actually see those vivid colors on the real e-ink screen ???

Wow! I hope the firmware update on the 1st April makes the display on my jetBook Color that bright and saturated.

It's odd they can't find any real photos of it for the sales pages.

Andrew

[PF4Mobile]

No it is not odd. Some call that good marketing. Others ..good reasons for a refund :-))

[lorenzoens]

Andy & PF4! You fools, it's just the black frame: now colours can finally flourish.
Oh...I'm getting confused!

Andy: what a bad day is the 1st of April, to wait for an update...

[seriously mode: ON]
Now seriously: we better accustom ourselves with the chance that this reader will need some months more to express its capabilities.
[seriously mode: OFF]

[mod186k1]

Originally Posted by lorenzoens

Try this without reflowing: http://www.pnas.org/content/108/49/19569.full.pdf



so 9,7"'s area is 45,5% of an A4 format.

Definitely, you'll need reflow depeding on what you are reading. I'm sorry you didn't know this before you bought your reader, but don't worry: there aren't any bigger on the market, already. A good reflow will do for now.

It seems I. am the only one on Earth Who print A4 in 2 page in 1 face and nave no trouble in reading

[PF4Mobile]

I have nothing against the hardware.. I do not know hardware very well mainly because I can afford to allocate time to read about this although I have solid background for this sort of research.

The part that really bothers me is the insane and insulting price. Again, if we compare this with an ereader you get nothing better but a color screen. If you compare this with a tablet everything is worse.

We can honestly say that colors are not very well rendered, that based on the very few neutral (no interest) reviews we have had here. So what is this in the end?

In a couple of months the device could be better. Is the market going to stand still in this time? I doubt it. Most probably other color ereaders might surface but my guess is that the big players do not want to expose themselves to a commercial fiasco since the colors are not really ...colors.

[lorenzoens]

Originally Posted by mod186k1

It seems I. am the only one on Earth Who print A4 in 2 page in 1 face and nave no trouble in reading

Oh boy :-)
I did it too when I was at university and was forced to save money. But you do it with real paper. It's not the same on jbc screen.

And how are you going to annotate/underline on such tiny texts? The stylus won't allow it.

And do you find it comfortable reading hours on such tiny texts? I don't. Good for you, but it's not the same for other people. For those money (u heard the bad news from consegnato.com? ) I expect a little comfort.

So reflowing (or at least zooming over custom selected areas) is a must, for some kind of readings.