Color No future for this device

[Valentinka]

@ mod186k1 Thanks for your sincere answer.

Originally Posted by lorenzoens

Ahem .
Here I have to remember that DXG is very poor with pdf, as I always said. It has probably the most outdated capabilities for pdf managing you can find on any 9,7" device currently sold.

See, I am not SO critical if I am even satisfied how my outdated DGX displays my PDF files. Great contrast with practically most of light conditions, great resolution, clear, without any ghosting, looks pretty much like real white paper, doesn't stress my eyes. I don't need much more than that.

Originally Posted by lorenzoens

You bought it t 200 dollars (and that was a new one, from what I know) so that's a very good price, thanks to its screen. But 379 is very unappropriate, because one usually buys 9,7" for pdf, and you can't even zoom them properly nor reflowing them. And it's never been updated.

As I mentionned earlier, my DXG arrived REALLY refurbished. I even know the name of previuos owner (by the way, he has an Italian name, maybe it was yours before? - Just joking) since my DXG arrived even registered with Amazon on previous owner and I had to deregistrer it and registrer back on my name). You know I even think I probably would justify its price for new one ($379) considering how much usage it gets in our family.
I have JBC for 12 days now. The biggest project I did with it - I was reading outdoor with it for about 2 hours. It took my eyes about 3 days to completely recover after that experiment. My eyes just felt very strange after that. So I am not doing it anymore. JBC is just sitting in our house and is currently used only for the tests you are asking me to do sometime.
The current situation in our family is: If colors are important for us - we are using iPad 2. If colors are not as important we are using DXG and Sony T1 for our reading. If we need to learn languages or good electronic dictionnaries - we are using Ectaco's Partner device. If none of these devices are available at the moment (because other family members are using all of them or these devices need to be charged) while JBC is still available, then I would rather do other work, comminicate with my friends, clean the house or watch some videos, for example.
And in our family DXG is getting the most heavy usage between all the devices I mentioned above. So even $379 for new DXG is really not that bad.

[lorenzoens]

Oh ok. I know two people who bought it in the same sellout and it arrived new, with a year of international warranty. I bought it from one of them, new and unregistered at a ridiculous price (the equivalent of 160 dollars) :-)

You may know that Amazon owns Woot. Being the DXG probably near to the end of its career (or to a massive price cut when a new 9,7 will be out), to empty their stocks they sold the DXG two times before Christmas at 279 dollars new from Amazon, and once at 199 on Woot (officially a "refurbished" stock). If they would have sold them new from Amazon at that price, previous customers would have felt like tricked, and the appeal of the item would have decreased.

From what you report is clear that the kind of pdf you read have a quite simple, linear layout, and dont usually need any zoom nor reflow -the landscape mode is probably enough. For you then, 379 could be ok. If you compare its features with others with the same price, you'd notice the lack of many features in that Amazon's reader. Its firmware is less developed than the Kindle 3! I'm saying this because we've criticized JBC before, so for justice I think we should apply the same treatment for every other reader.

not going to push it, just xplaining :-)

[Valentinka]

lorenzoens,

By the way, did you notice when I posted the pictures with the PDF file from mod186k1 on both DXG and JBC (without doing any modification of it on any device) that DXG automatically zoomed this PDF file and uses screen space much more wisely compare to JBC? So DXG doesn't have manual reflow and zoom adjustment feature but in practice it automatically reflows and zooms it using its own automated settings.
I am not saying that this DXG's automatic feature always does such a great job, but it did with this particular PDF file. Are you agree?

[mod186k1]

Hi,
You are right: the PDF reader on JBC can be improveable: that you see on your kindle (in your photo) is not reflow but a zooming with a border-detection. The PDF reader installed on JBC has only the Percentage Zoom (with fixed value) and Zoom-to-fit-page (with border included). It misses these important feature:

• Cutting white border (as your kindle)
• Landscape mode
• Zoom column: divides the page in 4 parts and zoom double on the first top-left area; when user change the page, eReader move to the area bottom-left; user change page again and eReader shows the top-right and finally the bottom-right area. It is usefull when you have 2 column documnt. Sony PRS650 has this feature.
• Zoom box (draw an rectagle with stylus and zoom this rectagle 'till it fits the page): not many reader have this feature in reality

Nowday there a a lot of open PDF reader project with many features. For this reason many people hope Ectaco release SDK: to permit to install something usefull as in iLiad or in Sony (with open PRS+ non official firmware)

[lorenzoens]

Originally Posted by Valentinka

I am not saying that this DXG's automatic feature always does such a great job, but it did with this particular PDF file. Are you agree?

I agree, but I've hardly ever read a document with such a simple layout.

I have to say I like DXG's landscape,

but with multicolumn docs (where fonts would be quite small even on the A4 format) for a comfortable long reading you will have to use the zoom,

and it's so uncomfortable! Sometimes you can only read the left column with it, and the right one is split in half. So you have to read the two half of the left column with a zoom value, and the two half of the right one with another zoom preset.

This was MY main complaint on pdf (no custom/fine zoom - no reflow) but we could list more of them: no epub, very poor collection management, it's very slow with big pdf (up to 6-7 seconds to tun a page), the dictionary Lookup is harassing when you have to use it often ('cause of the joystick), no dictionary with pdf, you can't use any bilingual dictionary...


If I spend 379 dollars, I (myself) expect something different. For 200 or less, it's very very good.

[ProDigit]

Border/margin removal for PDF is coming in the April update

[Valentinka]

Originally Posted by lorenzoens

If I spend 379 dollars, I (myself) expect something different. For 200 or less, it's very very good.

What do you expect for $499.99 (JBC) than? Sorry, just painful question for me

Anyway, just took some pictures outdoor. It is the middle of the day (almost exactly noon). It stoped raining about 2 hours ago. Still cloudy, no sunchine. Generally it is pretty comfortable light to read outdoor. No sunlight, no need for sunglasses. And I would read now outdoor if the cushioned chair woudn't be wet after the rain.

This is page 4 of the PDF file from lorenzoens.

Edit: Just observation - right before taking pictures. I opened the pag 4 of this PDF file within seconds on DXG and iPad 2. It took at least 5 min to do it on JBC. Last time I used JBC less that 2 days ago (when I took bedroom pictures). The page 3 was displayed on JBC all this time. Tryed to move to page 4 (with button) or JBC's pen - nothing happened. Did it several times - nothing happend. Went to upper menue. Opened the document again. Still page 3. No succes moving to page 4. Went back up 2 levels (Book list - my Library). than back to the document. Still on page 3. No success turning to pafe 4 again. Turned of the power completely. Waited few seconds. Turned the power on. Liibrary - Book list - Pdf document. Turned page from page 3. No success. Pushed turning page button few times. Than it suddenly jumped right to page 6 or so. Went back to page 4 that I needed. All these manipilations were for the simple task (just move from page 3 (opened less than 2 days ago) to page 4. It took at least 5 min on JBC. It took no more than 3 sec on DXG and iPad 2 to get to the page 4 of this PDF.

[lorenzoens]

Answer (for me) is simple: @ 500 I expect nothing less than a well rounded ereader with no flaws in its core functions (the reasons for which I bought it) and the best display available.

I find the jbc well readable in these outdoor pics, although colors appear almost turned off and it'd need a zoom on the page to be read at the same distance of the DXG. Hope to see it in the full sunlight sooner or later.

Thank you as always

--
edit: I don't remember if I asked already: how did you set the ipad's brighness in these outdoor pictures? You seem to use a nice film over it, to prevent reflections

[Valentinka]

Originally Posted by lorenzoens

Answer (for me) is simple: @ 500 I expect nothing less than a well rounded ereader with no flaws in its core functions (the reasons for which I bought it) and the best display available.

This is pretty close to what I expected when I was ordering JBC. And look what I got instead. A lot of people probably would call it "$500 junk piece of electronics". And I would agree with them

[Valentinka]

Originally Posted by lorenzoens

I don't remember if I asked already: how did you set the ipad's brighness in these outdoor pictures? You seem to use a nice film over it, to prevent reflections

Yes. I am using anti-glare screen protector with my iPad 2. This one http://www.amazon.com/Acase-AcaseVie...=1MB1YH6MQEYI0. The brightness is set up to Auto. I tried Manual - High. But I don't feel that it is any better.

[lorenzoens]

Thanks.
I'll be back next monday, in the meanwhile...Take care!

[PF4Mobile]

Originally Posted by Valentinka

What do you expect for $499.99 (JBC) than? Sorry, just painful question for me

Anyway, just took some pictures outdoor. It is the middle of the day (almost exactly noon). It stoped raining about 2 hours ago. Still cloudy, no sunchine. Generally it is pretty comfortable light to read outdoor. No sunlight, no need for sunglasses. And I would read now outdoor if the cushioned chair woudn't be wet after the rain.

This is page 4 of the PDF file from lorenzoens.

Edit: Just observation - right before taking pictures. I opened the pag 4 of this PDF file within seconds on DXG and iPad 2. It took at least 5 min to do it on JBC. Last time I used JBC less that 2 days ago (when I took bedroom pictures). The page 3 was displayed on JBC all this time. Tryed to move to page 4 (with button) or JBC's pen - nothing happened. Did it several times - nothing happend. Went to upper menue. Opened the document again. Still page 3. No succes moving to page 4. Went back up 2 levels (Book list - my Library). than back to the document. Still on page 3. No success turning to pafe 4 again. Turned of the power completely. Waited few seconds. Turned the power on. Liibrary - Book list - Pdf document. Turned page from page 3. No success. Pushed turning page button few times. Than it suddenly jumped right to page 6 or so. Went back to page 4 that I needed. All these manipilations were for the simple task (just move from page 3 (opened less than 2 days ago) to page 4. It took at least 5 min on JBC. It took no more than 3 sec on DXG and iPad 2 to get to the page 4 of this PDF.

I really don't understand one thing here.
None of the happy supporters of JBC seems to be interested in clarifying these horror stories you are posting here. I am talking here about the very supporters who are saying that this thread is polluted with negativity and it is recycling the same ideas.
Their statement is false and I suspect it is biased. Reading the above and others posted here the 500$ price sounds like an insult as it was the case for M90!

[lorenzoens]

Gosh PF, you had to make me come back again :-).

There's who's biased, who acted like a troll, who pretended to see not and understand not, who tends to be aggressive when you criticize what he says. There may even be someone with personal interests implied. But everywhere is the same, it's not just here in these threads.
Also note that some of these users are kids.

What matters is that now the discussion is going nice and politely (even Tom Sharpe stated it), please don't push the trolling mode back on. I think you're being unnecessary aggressive here: it doesn't pay back, on the contrary.

When you just plain speak about facts, and dont mistake them with opinions, things get better. We speakers in this forum area know each other's positions and opinions . No need to repeat them again and again.

[PF4Mobile]

Sorry for that.
I have not watched this thread very closely.

[ProDigit]

@PF4Mobile (and only to PF4Mobile):

I think most people don't come back because of trolling.
A user has a complaint,the complaint or a negative point to address, and after that other users have to repeat 20 times the same complaint again, eventhough it is addressed already.
For that reason none of the supporters of the JBC even take the time to read all the posts anymore in this thread!
It's just one big troll,and in my opinion should be removed from the forum, along with many trolling users on this thread.

I've never seen such an irrational thread in the whole of Mobile read for all the years I've been on this site! It's laughable, and should be posted in 'utterably silly' in the lounge instead of in the jetbook forum.

I mentioned before, the day a honest problem has been addressed, not hidden in a post mainly of complaints (so I won't need to pick the single sentence out of a hundred worthless negative comments that most of them aren't even true), that day I'll reply on the post.
But for what it's worth, my opinions are shared by a multitude of forum members; and one of the reasons WHY no one bothers visiting this thread anymore!

I just come hoping there would be some honest users amongst the trollers who have an honest question, one like yourself (I hope), to address those.
I have read your posts and presume you're not here to fuel the fire of trolling that someone ignited on this thread a while ago; but are honestly surprised about the negative comments posted in this thread.

Well,for you and all others,this thread is a joke! Laughable in it's content, and a troll. Don't worry! The Jetbook Color is a great device,and a great purchase! The people buying them have good experience with it; it's not a perfect device, and there will always be some who aren't happy with the device, but the overall idea is that it provides over 85% of what you expect of the device, and more soon when the next update will be here!