STAReBOOK Review Part II

[micro]

One more thing I've discovered from a review point of view. The unit uses a mini USB port, the same as my digital camera and numerous other things. However, the cable supplied with the STAReBOOK has the plastic surround of the cable shaved right down to only be as thick as the USB connector. It doesn't look like a normal miniUSB plug will fit. Again, I'll try to get some pics to illustrate this.

Just a bit annoying as while you can transfer .STK files using a card reader onto the SD card, it doesn't seem to index them or add them to the bookshelf as occurs if you transfer them with the eReader software.

On another note, full success using this with a mac. Obviously from the mac side you can just drop STK files onto the mounted SD card, but the eReader and STK maker software runs fine under parallels (XP virtual machine). The USB connection for eREADER also works great here. (techy details for those interested : XP SP2 runnning on a bootcamp partition, but running thru parallels accessing that bootcamp partition. Also runs fine under bootcamp itself of course)

Next challenge is to try the spanky looking PDF2JPG that yunhaid has so generously provided.

[CommanderROR]

I just tried several standard USB-mini cables (I was actually not using the suppkied one anyway...) and they all fit. There was one that was a bit of a close fit, but it also worked with some carefully applied force.
So, while there might be some cables about that don't fit or only bareyl fit, most should be OK as far as I can tell from my collection...

[micro]

ah, thats good to hear. It means that many of the cables I've got hanging around will work. To be honest I hadn't actually tried any other ones.

Have you bothered to use the charger that came with the unit yet?

And have you tried mp3 playback? Personally I doubt I'll bother with mp3's as I'm 110% sure my ipod will do a much better job

[CommanderROR]

I can't use the charger since it's not for europe...but I have one from another device and it works fine.
mp3 is something i have been meaning to try, but somehow i never get around to it. I don't plan on using that function, but I think perhaps some of our readers here would be interested, os it's still on my ToDo list...

[micro]

The charger I received was a multi voltage unit. 100-240V, 5V 1amp output. With flat american style pins. So no use for me here either (round euro style pins in korea). however, id be interested to see how much quicker the charger will charge the unit as it provides 1amp of power, while USB only provides 0.5Amps. I guess theoretically it should charge twice as fast.

I'll try giving the mp3 a shot today. Nothing else to do except bury a time capsule, but I'm only a spectator for that. No more real work until begining of march. Oh the life of an engrish teacher.

Of course not having read the manual yet means I'll just copy a selection of mp3 files of varying bitrates onto the card and see what happens.

[Urvabara]

Hi there!

Originally Posted by yunhaid

oh, it't my fault.
i upload here

Please, can you also try this program http://www.shareup.com/PDFtoJPG-download-31542.html?

[ThomZimm]

Thanks to everyone throughout the forums and especially to CommanderROR for reviewing the Starebook.
Recently I got interested in e-book-readers and first thought the Iliad would be a good choise.
Right now I'm for the Starebook!
And you summarize my intention:

Originally Posted by CommanderROR

The device is cool, the device-firmware is cool. The format and format-creating software need work.
If what you are after is a handy ebook, then this might very well be the ideal candidate for you. (once it becomes possible to actually create nicer-looking ebooks for it)

But:

Originally Posted by CommanderROR

Unfortunately, there is a bad side as well...and that bad side is rather serious at the moment. While the device performs flawlessly, both where hardware and where Software are concerned, the file-format .stk that is the only supported format at the moment is a real limiting factor.

What does that mean to me?

Up to now I used - sometimes - my little, simple organizer (10 lines only). I converted technical documentation to txt and downloaded it.
Or scanned lengthly texts (company internal documents). The resulting pdf-document I OCRed to txt and downloaded that. No formatting anyway.
And I had some free e-books on it.
Actually I never bought an e-book from Amazon or similar. Maybe I'll do it when I have a real reader.

This is the way I want to use the STAReBOOK. Can I do that with the current availabe utilities?

What about pdf-documents with images included? I can convert only txt to .stk, how can I see the images?

Somewhere I read the font of STAReBOOK is ugly. Can that be changed in future by a firmware update?
I think the font is given in pdf-files. So whenever it can take pdf directly the font cannot be always the same. Am I right?

And if the STAReBOOK can't give me what I want, can the SONY do it?

Originally Posted by CommanderROR

I'm not sure what the stance of Staretek is about international sales, but they handled the shipping of my sample unit so professionally (I have never seen a package go through customs in Germany so smoothly and with no charges applied) I guess they do have some experience.

Every some month I'm in Taiwan. So maybe I have the chance to visit Staretek directly. At least I'm saving the transportation cost.

BTW CommanderROR, I see you're in Germany, too. Maybe we're not to far away from each other and I could have a glance at your STAReBOOK, if you don't mind.
I live in the vicinity of Recklinghausen and a one or two hours drive wouldn't be a problem.

Thanks for help

Thomas

[JSWolf]

The Sony Reader can do everyhting you want to do. If you are creating the PDF files yourself, you create them to be sized for the reader's screen and it's good. Otherwise, you'll have to use one of the available tools to split the PDF pages in 1/2 in order to read it without being way too small. Letter/A4 do not display well on the Reader. But everything else you want to do is easily doable with out a problem.

[ProDigit]

So far the PRS-505 is my most liked device, I would not trade it.
But if for some reason the PRS-505 would not be available, then I'd probably go for a BeBook or CyBook over this one(StareBook)!

With the capabilities and ergonomics of this device I'd say $175-$200 streetprice is about the maximum it could get sold for in USA (would it want to be competitive with Sony's older model PRS-500).
First of all, the border around the screen is wider, the build material is cheaper, it supports less formats, Customer service is less(despite the prs-500 being discontinued,there still is CS for this item), software supports less functions, knobs are located in less optimal positions, the internal memory is too small (64MB only which I still find too small. Around 1 to 1,2GB internal memory would be enough for most people who are avid readers, buying a book or two every week)...
Also, the fewer buttons will probably make it hard browsing through hundreds of books and text documents with the little joystick.
Does the device support landscape zoom?
all Sony readers come with a leather pouch,and there exist accessorizes like an external light for the reader, or a deluxe case. What about this one?

And lastly,The battery of the device is 800mah (probably 3,7V), which is on the low side.
Compare that to 950mAh to 2100mAh on other readers.

The only 3 plus points I could give for this device over a Sony would be the main screen looks nicer (icons VS list menu on the 500), and the thinner design!
Sony uses a plastic case with a thick layer of aluminum ionized (or painted) coating, making it almost look like a fully metal casing,that's about on par with rubber coating (looks VS feel).

A 4th point might be:
The books, you can't buy them anywhere;and you can't really do anything else but convert txt formats, but the books on the card, are they seen in file/directory structure, or are they automatically categorized under Author/title book name?
If it supports simple file view, that would be a plus point, and about the only thing I seriously dislike about the Sony,which this device would excel in.

A simple file structure would take away the need for indexing, which always seems to happen when unplugging a device from the USB on the Sony.
Sony could do the indexing on the background, while the user is reading; at least that would not disable the device. Plus,I don't like not knowing where my books are when I have a few tens to hundreds in a dir.
I don't like it when a machine starts automatically reorganizing everything!

The StareBook, I think, needs a lot of work to be competitive in the market.
Probably it could win the hearts of customers software wise, if it would support a bunch load of file formats all of a sudden. The thin size does totally not justify the doubling in price (VS a PRS-500),while at the same time only been able to perform half of the tasks the sony can.

I'm sure it looks fine and all, but looks are not the only thing that matter in an e-book reader.