Cooler finally arrived - Page 11

Hatgirl · 08-14-2009, 08:14 AM

Let me relate to you my epic tale of misery and woe.

I ordered a Cool-er the moment they were available. As soon as I got it (very quick) I put it through its paces. I loved the eInk display. The menus were a bit clunky but fine. Although PDFs weren't great, ePub was a dream.

But clicking that bloody button was agony.

What the hell were they thinking when they designed this? I had decided to test the ergonomics of the device by reading A Study in Scarlett in one session. I read it in 40 mins if you include interruptions. It wasn't frigging War and Peace. But by the time I was done I had shooting pains and pins&needles in my arms. The pins&needles continued for two days.

Now, to be fair, I do spend my whole day typing at work, so my daily "bad ergonomics allowance" gets used up there. Perhaps someone who spends their day doing something other than clicking a mouse wouldn't experience the same problem. Maybe.

I emailed Interead and requested a refund as the stiff buttons meant it was not a practical replacement for a paper book. They said the stiffness was a feature rather than a flaw (hah!) but agreed to the refund. I was sad, because I really loved the eInk display, but glad Interead's reasonable attitude meant I hadn't wasted €250.

Then I stood on it.

The screen is cracked. That's not Interead's fault - I must have knocked the ereader onto the ground, and I stood on it with my full weight while wearing stilettos. It never stood a chance. Unless they supplied a stainless steel cover, that eReader was doomed. €250 down the drain.

I have been so angry with myself that I have only now been able to post my review.

Oh yeah, the review - it doesn't matter what the software is like if you can't turn the damn page. Don't buy it.

(But the Interead people are nice).

luqmaninbmore · 08-14-2009, 09:28 AM

Out of curiosity, how did you manage to stand on it?
P

Hatgirl · 08-14-2009, 10:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by luqmaninbmore

Out of curiosity, how did you manage to stand on it?
P

It was carefully placed on some towels, to prevent it being scratched. I must have knocked it off the pile without noticing. I was running around getting ready to go out and heard a crunch...

It was one of the most upsetting sounds I have ever heard.

sassanik · 08-14-2009, 01:37 PM

In my opinion its not the actual button that is hard to click, it is that its small and your finger overlaps the button onto the cover. The cover/case is a VERY hard surface, and since the button when pressed goes below the surface you end up with half your finger on the button and the other on the cover/case, more or less of your finger depending on your hand size.

I think a larger button would fix some of the problem or make the current button so it is not flush with the cover/case. It is a case of poor ergonomics. I am not sure why most of the e-ink readers have chosen to have such small page turning buttons. EB1150 and Kindle both have larger ones, and I think the new Opus may too. Hopefully more will follow suit.

I have fairly small hands, ie small fingers, so far the stiffness has not been too bad for me. I noticed it at first but now I don't seem to notice it.

So far it does seem that Interead has been giving good customer service, hopefully they will keep it up!

Amy

Argel · 08-18-2009, 08:47 AM

In quite a significant development for the UK market, the COOL-ER range has appeared in the online Argos catalogue and will presumably be available in Argos' high street stores.

This means that Argos, one of the UK's most visited retail sites and with 700 stores, will be selling both COOL-ER and Sony devices.

Source: PR Newswire

mtravellerh · 08-18-2009, 09:48 AM

Please do not read Mobipocket prcs on the Cool-er. It seems as if there is a nasty bug within the Cool-er software that makes it crash on some of these books and throws the reader in an endless loop that effectively renders the Reader unusable. This has happened to me twice now and it seems quite obvious that there effectively exists a problem in Cool-er's software. Always convert prc-files to epub files to be on the secure side!

nrapallo · 08-18-2009, 10:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mtravellerh

Please do not read Mobipocket prcs on the Cool-er. It seems as if there is a nasty bug within the Cool-er software that makes it crash on some of these books and throws the reader in an endless loop that effectively renders the Reader unusable. This has happened to me twice now and it seems quite obvious that there effectively exists a problem in Cool-er's software. Always convert prc-files to epub files to be on the secure side!

Were these any Mobipocket .prc ebooks or specially ones created with calibre v0.6?

I do notice a difference in how the Mobipocket Reader software treats .prc ebooks created with Mobipocket Creator as opposed to ones created by calibre. Even my Mobi2IMP software failed once on a calibre created .prc.

Just wondering...

mtravellerh · 08-18-2009, 10:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nrapallo

Were these any Mobipocket .prc ebooks or specially ones created with calibre v0.6?

I do notice a difference in how the Mobipocket Reader software treats .prc ebooks created with Mobipocket Creator as opposed to ones created by calibre. Even my Mobi2IMP software failed once on a calibre created .prc.

Just wondering...

Actually I do mostly make my PRCs with Mobipocket Creator, but I am not too sure and obviously can't duplicate the experience (I am trying to have my money back)

nrapallo · 08-18-2009, 10:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mtravellerh

Actually I do mostly make my PRCs with Mobipocket Creator, but I am not too sure and obviously can't duplicate the experience (I am trying to have my money back)

O u c h, good to know that the Cool-er is at fault!

Hopefully their great customer service comes through for you.

jackau · 08-19-2009, 12:36 AM

I found posts here claim They got the Cooler fast, but I am still waiting for a reply on my order after four days. I already choose the one currently in stock, so is something happening with them lately? The typhoon shut down the production in taiwan?

Can any one tell me what sorta shipping methods they use and where is the origin of the shipment from?

orwell2k · 08-19-2009, 05:37 AM

I've read in this forum of problems reading Mobi (PRC) files on the Cool-ER. I'm also not sure if the ePub implementation is that great (this seems to be common amongst all readers) - mainly the zoom options, as I can never seem to find a size that suits me.

Could someone please post some comments of how the Cool-ER handles FB2 eBooks (my format of choice)?

I notice in reading a lot of reviews on other sites that the fact the Cool-ER can handle FB2 is often completely ignored. I guess that's to be expected, but I'd really like to know how well the FB2 reader works on this device. I am seriously considering the Sony PRS-300, but the lack of FB2 is a real problem.

Thanks in advance.

mtravellerh · 08-19-2009, 05:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by orwell2k

I've read in this forum of problems reading Mobi (PRC) files on the Cool-ER. I'm also not sure if the ePub implementation is that great (this seems to be common amongst all readers) - mainly the zoom options, as I can never seem to find a size that suits me.

Could someone please post some comments of how the Cool-ER handles FB2 eBooks (my format of choice)?

I notice in reading a lot of reviews on other sites that the fact the Cool-ER can handle FB2 is often completely ignored. I guess that's to be expected, but I'd really like to know how well the FB2 reader works on this device. I am seriously considering the Sony PRS-300, but the lack of FB2 is a real problem.

Thanks in advance.

I have tested fb2 on my reader and it works quite well. I don't know how well it is rendering the books, though, as I do not know the format very well.

orwell2k · 08-19-2009, 06:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mtravellerh

I have tested fb2 on my reader and it works quite well. I don't know how well it is rendering the books, though, as I do not know the format very well.

Thanks for that. Any chance of a couple of screenshots, then I can compare to my BeBook. And if you have a book in both ePub and FB2, perhaps a comparison of the two renderings? Thanks for your help.

mtravellerh · 08-19-2009, 07:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by orwell2k

Thanks for that. Any chance of a couple of screenshots, then I can compare to my BeBook. And if you have a book in both ePub and FB2, perhaps a comparison of the two renderings? Thanks for your help.

No chance, sorry. I will ask Interead to have my money back and my Cool-er is out of order currently!

sassanik · 08-19-2009, 10:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jackau

I found posts here claim They got the Cooler fast, but I am still waiting for a reply on my order after four days. I already choose the one currently in stock, so is something happening with them lately? The typhoon shut down the production in taiwan?

Can any one tell me what sorta shipping methods they use and where is the origin of the shipment from?

They use DHL for shipping (at least they did for me, I am in the US) and it was shipped out of the UK. They tend to send out the confirmation of shipping email after they ship the item, sometimes by a couple of days which is odd.

I am guessing your delay is due to the out of stock color. Most of us that ordered ours did so with pre-orders. So we were not waiting on a specific color.

I would email them through the website and ask them on a eta, they have been pretty darn good at answering questions.

Amy

08-14-2009, 01:37 PM	#154
sassanik Guru Posts: 774 Karma: 1211741 Join Date: May 2008 Location: Oregon Device: EB1150, iPhone, Cool-er Purple, Pocketbook 360, Kindle Fire	button issues In my opinion its not the actual button that is hard to click, it is that its small and your finger overlaps the button onto the cover. The cover/case is a VERY hard surface, and since the button when pressed goes below the surface you end up with half your finger on the button and the other on the cover/case, more or less of your finger depending on your hand size. I think a larger button would fix some of the problem or make the current button so it is not flush with the cover/case. It is a case of poor ergonomics. I am not sure why most of the e-ink readers have chosen to have such small page turning buttons. EB1150 and Kindle both have larger ones, and I think the new Opus may too. Hopefully more will follow suit. I have fairly small hands, ie small fingers, so far the stiffness has not been too bad for me. I noticed it at first but now I don't seem to notice it. So far it does seem that Interead has been giving good customer service, hopefully they will keep it up! Amy Last edited by sassanik; 08-14-2009 at 03:26 PM.

08-18-2009, 09:48 AM	#156
mtravellerh book creator Posts: 9,657 Karma: 3856660 Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Luxembourg Device: Kindle Scribe	Please do not read Mobipocket prcs on the Cool-er. It seems as if there is a nasty bug within the Cool-er software that makes it crash on some of these books and throws the reader in an endless loop that effectively renders the Reader unusable. This has happened to me twice now and it seems quite obvious that there effectively exists a problem in Cool-er's software. Always convert prc-files to epub files to be on the secure side! Last edited by mtravellerh; 08-18-2009 at 10:09 AM.

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08-14-2009, 08:14 AM	#151
Hatgirl Addict Posts: 296 Karma: 955301 Join Date: Oct 2008 Device: Sony PRS-300, Sony PRS-T2, Kindle (7th Gen)	Let me relate to you my epic tale of misery and woe. I ordered a Cool-er the moment they were available. As soon as I got it (very quick) I put it through its paces. I loved the eInk display. The menus were a bit clunky but fine. Although PDFs weren't great, ePub was a dream. But clicking that bloody button was agony. What the hell were they thinking when they designed this? I had decided to test the ergonomics of the device by reading A Study in Scarlett in one session. I read it in 40 mins if you include interruptions. It wasn't frigging War and Peace. But by the time I was done I had shooting pains and pins&needles in my arms. The pins&needles continued for two days. Now, to be fair, I do spend my whole day typing at work, so my daily "bad ergonomics allowance" gets used up there. Perhaps someone who spends their day doing something other than clicking a mouse wouldn't experience the same problem. Maybe. I emailed Interead and requested a refund as the stiff buttons meant it was not a practical replacement for a paper book. They said the stiffness was a feature rather than a flaw (hah!) but agreed to the refund. I was sad, because I really loved the eInk display, but glad Interead's reasonable attitude meant I hadn't wasted €250. Then I stood on it. The screen is cracked. That's not Interead's fault - I must have knocked the ereader onto the ground, and I stood on it with my full weight while wearing stilettos. It never stood a chance. Unless they supplied a stainless steel cover, that eReader was doomed. €250 down the drain. I have been so angry with myself that I have only now been able to post my review. Oh yeah, the review - it doesn't matter what the software is like if you can't turn the damn page. Don't buy it. (But the Interead people are nice).

08-14-2009, 09:28 AM	#152
luqmaninbmore Da'i Posts: 1,144 Karma: 1217499 Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Baltimore Device: Toshiba Thrive, Kobo Touch, Kindle 1, Aluratek Libre, T-Mobile Comet	Out of curiosity, how did you manage to stand on it? P

08-18-2009, 08:47 AM	#155
Argel Opinionated [but right] Posts: 281 Karma: 1412 Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: UK Device: Cybook Gen3, PRS 505, Kindle Int, Oasis, Paperwhite, Scribe	In quite a significant development for the UK market, the COOL-ER range has appeared in the online Argos catalogue and will presumably be available in Argos' high street stores. This means that Argos, one of the UK's most visited retail sites and with 700 stores, will be selling both COOL-ER and Sony devices. Source: PR Newswire

08-19-2009, 12:36 AM	#160
jackau Connoisseur Posts: 74 Karma: 454 Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Downunder Device: Cool-er / Mac Mini / Satio / Notebook	I found posts here claim They got the Cooler fast, but I am still waiting for a reply on my order after four days. I already choose the one currently in stock, so is something happening with them lately? The typhoon shut down the production in taiwan? Can any one tell me what sorta shipping methods they use and where is the origin of the shipment from?

08-19-2009, 05:37 AM	#161
orwell2k Addict Posts: 357 Karma: 1112 Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Euroland Device: PocketBook 360°, BeBook (Hanlin V3), iRex DR1000S, iPad	I've read in this forum of problems reading Mobi (PRC) files on the Cool-ER. I'm also not sure if the ePub implementation is that great (this seems to be common amongst all readers) - mainly the zoom options, as I can never seem to find a size that suits me. Could someone please post some comments of how the Cool-ER handles FB2 eBooks (my format of choice)? I notice in reading a lot of reviews on other sites that the fact the Cool-ER can handle FB2 is often completely ignored. I guess that's to be expected, but I'd really like to know how well the FB2 reader works on this device. I am seriously considering the Sony PRS-300, but the lack of FB2 is a real problem. Thanks in advance.