01:22 PM by Nate the great in E-Book General | News

I almost didn't write this review. This "ebook reader" is so bad that I'm almost too embarrassed to admit I bought one. Eh. It's going back tomorrow, so who cares.

Background
Sungale is a manufacturer of small electronic devices like digital picture frames. The Cyberus is one of 2 digital picture frame models that were adapted into ebook readers. The other model is slightly less capable, but details are sketchy. I don't know exactly how less capable (except that it can't read PDFs).

The Cyberus has a 7" touchscreen with a resolution of 800x480. It's slightly narrower and slightly taller than the original Kindle. The case is a minimalist matte black, and it comes with black leather book style case. I don't know the CPU or RAM, but I have used the Wifi to get online.

Negatives
It has no sleep function. The battery life is atrocious (somewhere around 2 hours). The speaker is behind a tiny hole on the left side. The sound quality is marginal at best, and the max volume is low. But it has a headphone jack which has decent sound.

It can only read PDFs and text files, and it does a really bad job. I couldn't set the zoom level right, so none of the PDFs I tried displayed properly. Some of the characters were pushed together, others were pulled apart.

If you want to know how bad, look at the third PDF picture. The characters are not supposed to be filled in like that. Then look at the fifth PDF picture. The dropcap is supposed to be uppercase, and the text is supposed to have quotation marks.

Positives
Compared to anything in its price range, its media capabilities is best defined as adequate. It has no browser, but it does have a very limited ability for Youtube, Gmail, IP Radio, weather, stock reports, traffic, etc. From the way it accesses Youtube and Gmail, I think it uses a proxy server run by Sungale. I could be wrong, though.

My recommendation
Take the $200 this thing costs (Walmart) and go buy an iPod Touch, Sony Pocket Edition, Aluratek Libre, or any of the several small tablets discussed here on MobileRead. Anything is better than the Cyberus.

P.S. Sorry about the picture quality. I don't have access to my main camera.

10:37 AM by Nate the great in E-Book General | News

MR member Kartu was kind enough to tell us that he is developing a new hacked firmware for the PRS-505. It's still in beta, though, so be careful. The features he's added include:

• Books by Folder
• Sudoku game
• Clock
• Joypad browsing
• Unified headers

You can find out more here:

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=64510

10:21 AM by Nate the great in E-Book General | News

Netbook News is visiting Taiwan this week, and they came across an ebook reader that's only available in Taiwan. They took a few minutes to shoot a hands on video:

I went looking for more information rather than simply post their video. This device is by Aiptek, maker of digital video cameras, LCD screens, and other small electronic devices. Coincidentally, Aiptek is an exhibitor at CES 2010. I will certainly stop by their booth.

I also found a number of other Youtube videos posted by Aiptek, including one on the ebook reader:

I also found the support site Aiptek created for their ebook reader. They also opened an ebook store. Last but not least, here is an Ebay auction for the device. I got the following specs from the auction:

• 8" LCD
• 800x600 color screen
• MP3 support
• comes with 20 books
• 512MB storage built in
• SD card slot
• USB port (both host and slave)

09:31 AM by Nate the great in E-Book General | News

I found an interesting article today in the Daily Illini, the University of Illinois student newspaper. The topic of the article is how hearing and visually impaired students access textbooks and coursework. Naturally the most important ebook reader for these students is a laptop.

Hah. I bet you thought I was going to say Kindle. Nope. Disabled students have a well developed support system that existed well before the Kindle. Integrating the Kindle is just now beginning to happen (in a piecemeal fashion).

It's an interesting read.

from:
http://www.dailyillini.com/news/camp...s-not-so-equal

09:08 AM by Nate the great in E-Book General | News

Yesterday Digitimes reported:

Asustek Computer is making preparations to launch a new device named Eee Pad featuring a 4- to 7-inch panel, and which will offer a combination of tablet PC and MID functions, according to industry sources. Current details of the Eee Pad suggest the product has been inspired by the rumors of Apple's planned tablet device, the sources commented.

from:
http://www.digitimes.com/NewsShow/Ne...&query=ASUSTEK

Normally I wouldn't place much faith in this rumor, but I happen to have another piece of information. Asus has scheduled a press conference at CES for the Tuesday before it begins. Why would they do that if they weren't going to announce a new gadget?

07:52 AM by Nate the great in E-Book General | News

This should interest most any gadget geek. Mary Lou Jepsen announced on her blog that Pixel Qi will be attending CES 2010 in support of their business partners. She didn't say which companies that would be, so let the hunt begin.

http://pixelqi.com/blog1/2009/12/07/...ng-production/

02:27 PM by igorsk in E-Book General | News

Linky.
Some new stuff:
1) XS zoom level added
2) remove margins option
3) two-page view
4) two dictionaries on the device, not just one as mentioned on the site; also same four languages and extra keyboard layouts as on PRS-600
5) separate "newspaper viewer" for periodicals (navigate by sections and articles)
6) automatic collections: "Unread books", "Unread Periodicals", "Purchased Books". Still no manual on-device collections creation.
7) protect content from accidental deletion (from the device; it can still be deleted from PC)
8) dictionary can be browsed separately, not only from a book
9) Included: AC charger, soft cover and zippered case (PRSA-ZC9).
10) DRM-protected BBeB books are not supported.

01:18 PM by Nate the great in E-Book General | News

The Wall Street Journal is quoting Brian Murray as stating that HarperCollins will soon start delaying the release of ebooks until after that of the hardback edition.

"We're going to experiment with this," Mr. Murray said. "Each new e-book represents a potential new marketing opportunity at a time when we need every possible hook to get consumer attention."

from:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000...googlenews_wsj

I do understand that publishers don't want to cannibalize the big ticket sales, but this isn't the solution. If there is a choice between buying a hardback and buying an ebook, I'll buy the ebook. But if the choice is betwen a hardback and nothing, I'll choose nothing. You just lost a sale, Mr. Murray.