Talk me into or out of a Jetbook

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Canuck_in_Japan

Thanks for the advice guys. Let's not get into a discussion about what Ectaco does or doesn't post on their website because to be perfectly honest, that has absolutely no influence on my buying. I don't like some of the "claims" they've made but as long as their product is quality and does what I want it to do then I'm not going to worry about it.

What's this about LCD's "swimming" in sunlight?

What do you mean that the Jetbook can't do "complex EPUB's"?

It's that sometimes you can get a Jetbook that in sunlight, the screen can start to move aka swim.

There is an ePub with images of The Prince and the Pauper posted to MR and it can be rendered with a 505 which is using Mobile ADE. The Jetbook cannot handle this specific ePub. That means that we don't know what the limits are for ePub on the Jetbook. It's currently more limited then the Mobile ADE the 505 uses. That is all I know for sure at present. I have no idea if this limitation will or will not be fixed.

[LuBiB]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

It's that sometimes you can get a Jetbook that in sunlight, the screen can start to move aka swim.

There is an ePub with images of The Prince and the Pauper posted to MR and it can be rendered with a 505 which is using Mobile ADE. The Jetbook cannot handle this specific ePub. That means that we don't know what the limits are for ePub on the Jetbook. It's currently more limited then the Mobile ADE the 505 uses. That is all I know for sure at present. I have no idea if this limitation will or will not be fixed.

i actually spend my weekends on the beach here and i've never encountered or even heard about the swimming problem even though i sit right under the sun. but since i wear sunglasses i now have a horrible tan line on my face

even though there are a bunch of different ePub books i haven't encountered any problems with the ones downloaded from gutenberg. i'm going to try manybooks tonight and see if any problems arise but so far so good.

[rgeorg]

Hi LuBiB,
I'm happy to hear about the positive outcome of your book-request to Ectaco. Shows that they try, at least. I think that the jetBook was definitely worth the cost, even at the $200 + t/s/h @ BB&B. All I really care about is that I can read my books on it, I enjoy using it, and that using it improves my reading experience - and it fits so well in my purse!

I see that you are located in NY. I lived in Westchester before moving to Greece. Big change!

[F1Wild]

Originally Posted by LuBiB

hey rgeorg!
i actually sent a request yesterday for the book Metamorphasis by Franz Kafka and they sent me a friendly e-mail with this link:
http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/5200
I knew i could find it on my own but i just wanted to see how fast they would find it for me and it took less than a day
all in all, im sure they won't pirate books or anything but it would be interesting to see if they change around the text about finding books a little so i will keep track of that alongside you

Glad they were able to help you! BTW, I know the jetBook comes pre-loaded with a book by Kafka and I thought is was Metamorphasis...am I correct or has the plethera of sake stolen my brain for the night?

[rgeorg]

F1Wild,
Yes, Metamorphosis by Kafka comes pre-loaded on the jetBook, in the "fiction" folder. You can download the entire package from the Ectaco site if you've deleted any by mistake.
I'd like to help by saying that I'll see try the jetBook in the Greek sun and see how the screen reacts. But, we just NEVER go and sit in the direct sunlight here - it'll fry you (never mind the ebook reader!). Temps get pretty high here also, and not much air conditioning. I usually don't use PCs and other electronics that run "hot" when the temps get much over 40 degrees Celcius (about 110 F). Don't think I'd risk the jetBook either.

[tuufbiz1]

Eventhough the jetbook has an LCD screen it is very easy on your eyes. The device has good navigation and I really like the 10 buttons on the right side (like the sony 505) which makes navigation much faster. This "ATM machine like" setup is ideal for a non-touch screen device. The reason I did not purchase this device is because I like to underline and take notes when I read. Eventhough the jetbook has potential to write notes with a firmware upgrade --- currently you can only apply the T9 input to dictionary searches. Also the cursor response is very slow when trying to use the built in dictionary function. If you want to look up a word at the bottom of a page it takes forever for the cursor to get there. If you are just pleasure reading its a great device. The more open format capability is a very big positive over the sony.

[F1Wild]

Originally Posted by rgeorg

F1Wild,
Yes, Metamorphosis by Kafka comes pre-loaded on the jetBook, in the "fiction" folder. You can download the entire package from the Ectaco site if you've deleted any by mistake.
I'd like to help by saying that I'll see try the jetBook in the Greek sun and see how the screen reacts. But, we just NEVER go and sit in the direct sunlight here - it'll fry you (never mind the ebook reader!). Temps get pretty high here also, and not much air conditioning. I usually don't use PCs and other electronics that run "hot" when the temps get much over 40 degrees Celcius (about 110 F). Don't think I'd risk the jetBook either.

I thought it was interesting that they could "find" the book for you when it already comes pre-loaded on the device...I would wonder if they could find a book not already pre-loaded??

Now, about the sun - you see I live in Ahwatukee/Phoenix, Arizona where it is above 100F usually from June through September, with high temps approaching 120F (it's also gone over that) so I know about HEAT and sizzling HOT HEAT! Hahahaha!! I would love to see your heat some time!!

[rgeorg]

F1Wild,
I was trying to help - I thought you were having trouble finding a book(s). Did you purchase the Sony 505 that you wanted?

Yes, obviously I don't read these posts quite closely enough. I suspect the arid climate of Phoenix,AZ is close to Greece. I have heard that bringing in water and sustaining lush yards has changed the climate in Arizona, making it more humid. Is this true?
One thing though - I noticed when visiting my father in Florida during the summer (now, that is masochism!) is that we went from A/C in the house to A/C in the car, to A/C in the store or restaurant.

Greece doesn't have as much A/C use, perhaps because once we are out of the direct sunlight (in shade) the heat is bearable - the very low humidity I suppose. I'm not complaining as I enjoy the mild weather in general - and we have the gorgeous Med. ocean (sea?) for natural cooling.

Do you use your electronics out in the full heat of an Arizona summer? I seem to remember that most ebook readers state that they shouldn't be used over 40 degrees Celcius (?110-115F). Personally, I don't think that I will risk it (except with my mp3 - audio books at least!).

[Lanx]

if you have an itouch already don't bother with a jetbook, i have both, generally i switch between the 2 to read pdfs, i like the itouch more, i only got the jetbook cuz it was 180 and it is a pretty good ereader.

idealy i'd wait for 10in itouch now or something like that imo.

[F1Wild]

Originally Posted by rgeorg

F1Wild,
I was trying to help - I thought you were having trouble finding a book(s). Did you purchase the Sony 505 that you wanted?

Nope, but thanks! I did when I owned the jetBook, but since I purchased the 505 I've had no trouble finding anything I am interested in. I was only interested to see if jetBook got their ...jet together.

Originally Posted by rgeorg

Yes, obviously I don't read these posts quite closely enough. I suspect the arid climate of Phoenix,AZ is close to Greece. I have heard that bringing in water and sustaining lush yards has changed the climate in Arizona, making it more humid. Is this true?
One thing though - I noticed when visiting my father in Florida during the summer (now, that is masochism!) is that we went from A/C in the house to A/C in the car, to A/C in the store or restaurant.

We are the same - A/C everywhere. And yes, the influx of the zillions of golf courses, swimming pools and lots of pavement have changed our micro-climate a bit - still dry, but I think it's been warmer.

Originally Posted by rgeorg

Do you use your electronics out in the full heat of an Arizona summer? I seem to remember that most ebook readers state that they shouldn't be used over 40 degrees Celcius (?110-115F). Personally, I don't think that I will risk it (except with my mp3 - audio books at least!).

Honestly, I don't do much of anything outside in the heat of the summer!

[rgeorg]

The only thing we do outside in the summer is relax at the beach - and we have months of vacation in which to do it (normal teachers vacation)!

[Lanx]

my Jetbook has never "swam" in the sun btw, never seen that issue.

[F1Wild]

Originally Posted by rgeorg

The only thing we do outside in the summer is relax at the beach - and we have months of vacation in which to do it (normal teachers vacation)!

Ahhh, I remember growing up with summers on Cape Cod...darn, now I miss them terribly!!!

[Kris777]

Originally Posted by Lanx

my Jetbook has never "swam" in the sun btw, never seen that issue.

+1, me too

[Canuck_in_Japan]

I see that the black jetbook is also on sale now for $199.