Numibia

Overview
Most 6″ e-readers are very close to each other in price. The reasons I chose the JetBook are the clear screen, the use of AA batteries, the SD card support, the PDF support and the lack of refresh.

I give it four to five stars due to the fact that I like the PDF support with Sony and the Screen with Kindle; however, Sony’s screen is not very clear. I am very distracted by the flashing eInk on every page refresh. Even though Kindle has a very nice screen and a very nice form, I don’t like the fact that one is obligated to use Kindle services. Additionally, PDF files must be converted by PC, and the screen refresh is very slow.

Kindle and Sony cases are the right size for use with JetBook E-Book Reader, which does not come with a case. It comes with a USB cable and nothing else. All you’ll need in the future is an SD card.

No matter what you buy today, it will be obsolete next year due to the fact that the eReader market is in a constant state of growth. You can start reading right out of the box. Newer models don’t have the annoying refresh function of ePaper.

Additionally, they are less expensive, more flexible, thinner, and faster. I would really like to find an e Reader that would let me read 8 x 11 documents or even newspapers without having to zoom in. I would also like to be able to turn pages as quickly as I do with a real book. Up until that point, it is all stop gap measures.

Positives 
• Compatible with many eBook formats including PDF
• Inexpensive
• The LCD screen is clear with high contrast.
• Powered by AA batteries.

Negatives 
• It is difficult to navigate some DRM & PDF files
• LCD doesn’t look like eInk faux paper.

Bottom Line
These small (6″) readers are intended to be like pocket books; however, the documents I like to read are formatted for paper that is 8″ X11″. If you want to read journals, you must upgrade to a larger eReader. These must be formatted. Nonetheless, a JetBook E-Book Reader, for only $130 will do until this upgrade is possible.

In the final analysis, given the assumption that JetBook E-Book Reader might make 8 x 11 format pages adequately readable at a quarter of its original size, what would that mean for pocketbooks and books that are fifty to a hundred percent of their paper based sizes?

In many ways, the JetBook Lite is very much like a 1990s Palm Pilot or a large PDA. It is easy on the batteries, can be read in sunlight, and is not backlit. Releases prior to January 2010 were buggy, but there have been very few bugs since March.

Operation 
The ON button is recessed below, which is not as convenient as one on top. Pressing a button is much harder with a larger thumb than other, smaller fingers. It only takes 3 seconds to start up. Your initial boot will take a couple of minutes. Thereafter, it will only take half a minute. Navigate by using the bar, the page up/down button, and/or the toggle button. You can select a menu item quickly and easily by using the keyboard if the menu item is accompanied by a number.

Loading a book takes about 30 seconds. It’s fast once it’s loaded. Here are some of the key features:
1. Self shut off
2. Resettable defaults such as delete files, time out, fonts, and so forth.
3. Automatic book-marking.
4. Manual book-marking.

If it freezes, find the reset hole on the rear and activate it with a paper clip.

Main Features 
One unique feature is the fact that the LCD screen is very sharp and has much higher resolution than a number of others we have viewed. The screen is clearer and sharper than an eInk screen. Additionally, there is no flashing or blanking when turning pages. I find this very annoying with eInk.

There is less contrast due to the fact that the LCD has a silver/gray background. The screen on the Kindle is sharper – more like paper. Due to the touch screen, the Sony Screen is lacking in contrast but is still readable. In JetBook E-Book Reader, small fonts may appear a bit jagged (unlike in Kindle and Sony).

The AA battery has a long life (more than 20 hours). You will never lack for batteries because this unit uses easily obtainable and inexpensive AA batteries. Lithium batteries (with a typical life of 5 years or less) are used in other eReaders.

The back of the JetBook isn’t flat. The golf-ball-textured battery compartment protrudes and provides a good gripping point and handle. You can swap out the AA batteries easily, so there’s no need to constantly remember to recharge your eReader. It’s easy to forget to recharge an electronic device. Think about how often you have forgotten to charge your cell phone.

Format Support 
Most eReaders do a good job with text. Aside from that, other formats are well supported by firmware 0.15d. Many readers have complained in regards to PDF & DRM; however, the firmware has been upgraded several times to make the rendering of a number of formats better. Most eReaders are weak on PDF files.

I have mostly used the JetBook for PDF files and Microsoft Word files. Keep in mind that there are many kinds of data in most PDFs: formatted text, vector graphics, JPEGs. I like to read PDF files that have lots of charts, graphs and pictures. When viewed using a 6″ screen, the fonts are less clear. In addition, there are fewer options for resizing straight graphics. With Kindle, you can convert PDFs free of charge via your PC, or you can pay a fee to convert it wirelessly. PDF is processed best with Sony. It is easily read even when full size is displayed on a 6″ screen.

Additionally, Sony’s navigation for PDF is easily the best. Although JetBook E-Book Reader is highly readable, it falters in rendering graphics. PDF format can be used for documents of all kinds, so when you hear complaints about PDF, they tend to vary depending upon what kinds of files the user typically wants to view.

Speed 
In terms of speed, the PDF speed is slower than any other eReader. Same with “jump to pages” in any mode. However, font resizing is quicker than Sony or Kindle with JetBook E-Book Reader.

Navigation 
It’s easy to navigate with the Sony touch screen and its PDA-like stylus control. There’s no qwerty keyboard on the JetBook E-Book Reader ; therefore, you enter the alphanumeric numbers and letters using 9 navigation keys similar to those on a telephone keypad.

A full-size keyboard is provided with the Kindle. It has a nice keyboard, but it’s really unnecessary to have it available all the time, and it adds to the size of the unit. It would really be better to have a pop-up keyboard.

There are a number of ways to navigate with JetBook E-Book Reader : Number keys, toggle switch, page switch, and slide bar. You can navigate documents quickly because they are easy to learn, even though, they are not as elegant as those found on Sony and Kindle.

SD Card Support 
You are not stuck with just one merchant thanks to SD Card Support. This makes it easy and flexible to load new files. As compared with Kindle, which uses fixed memory, JetBook E-Book Reader contains a greater amount of virtual storage of readable material on SD cards. You’ll probably find wireless to be the most convenient, but you’ll have to use either Kindle or Sony’s service for it to function.

You don’t have to depend upon a merchant’s service. The SD card loads and unloads in a fashion similar to that of a digital camera. What you see is what you get. You can use the SD card as with any drive, without any software installation.

There are 2 ways you can load books directly to your JetBook E-Book Reader :
1. You can connect to your PC using a USB cable.
2. You can use the SD card (which is faster).

Ectaco JetBook was released in March of 2008. Ectaco used to produce electronic translation devices, now it has used all of that experience to create and produce their new JetBook.

Many new entries in the reading device market use eInk screens, but Ectaco took a slightly different approach. You will find a reflexive LCD screen on the JetBook. There is no internal back light on the Ectaco JetBook LCD screen, but otherwise, it is similar to an LCD TV or monitor. Ambient light that is reflected from the screen is utilized for the display. The appearance of the screen is like the ones you might find on a calculator or wristwatch.

I was really pleased and impressed when my JetBook arrived and I opened up the box. The construction was good. Ectaco JetBook has a 5-inch screen, slightly smaller than the 6-inch screen found on a Sony Reader or Kindle. To imagine the size of the Ectaco JetBook, imagine a cross between a Palm Zire and a Sony Reader. It is pleasant to handle. The Jetbook is neither excessively heavy nor very light. One thing it should definitely do is fit comfortably in your pocket.

Like a USB thumb drive, when mounted to your computer via USB cable, your device will be perceived as a mass storage device. Another separate device is the installed SD card. The device does not include management software because it is not necessary. You can even use the file manager on your PC. I think it can be mounted on a Linux or Mac PC using any USB device, but I only tried it with Windows XP.

Ectaco JetBook’s LCD screen shows text that is sharp and clear. There are four choices available from the main menu: Books, Music, Pictures, and Settings. The first thing I did was check out the settings menu. Your choices here are: active dictionary, font, and the language of the books you read.

The two fonts that are found on this device are Arial and Verdana. I prefer the Verdana font when reading the screen. The dictionary comes in English and it also offers two types of translations: English/Polish & English/Russian. You cannot change the dictionaries or the font selections. They come pre-installed.

I imagine that if you order the Russian version, the included dictionary will be in Russian. I don’t know that for a fact, but it makes sense. The settings menu also contains a file manager, which we will discuss later.

Lastly, you can get more information about the Ectaco JetBook through the settings menu. Among the information found here is the device’s remaining internal memory space. This device is capable of holding 112 megabytes of data in its internal memory. About sixty megabytes of this comes free with the unit.

The device comes with 47MB of sample books included. This includes the dictionaries, which use 10-12MB. It is also possible to look at the SD card capacity as well as the free space. Mine is a little odd, and I think there may be something wrong, because it says I have 1960MB total with 1969MB free.

Obviously, what is contained in the “Book” menu constitutes the key part of the  eReaders. When you access the book menu, you are taken to a screen displaying files and folders. You will see the folders listed at the top and the books listed below that. When you look at the book menu, you will see a list of files and folders that is exactly like the one found in the file and folder storage area of the device. It is quite nice and lets you arrange your library on the device in whichever way you desire.

The Ectaco JetBook supports up to a 2GB SD card. If there are files and folders on the card, they will be merged with those on the device. If a folder is in existence in two locations, you will only see it on one place in your list. I like this little detail.

You can choose options on the menu. The book list can be organized by author or by title. You can modify this order by pressing the menu button when the book menu is active.

Here is something I found out that I didn’t see anywhere in the manual: There is a file naming convention included in Ectaco JetBook – Author_Name#Title.txt. JetBook just supports .pdf & .txt files in books. Because of this, it is necessary to know the title of the book and its author in order to sort your collection.

There are two choices to navigate the menus. First, you could utilize the up/down arrow buttons to relocate the highlight. You could also choose the corresponding number button found to the right of the book or folder.

I was exploring the menu, and I learned something new regarding the LCD screen. It’s quick. It’s really quick and there is no flashing. The changes are barely perceptible. This marks the true difference between eInk devices and the Ectaco JetBook.

There are a few things you can do with the menu, aside from just choosing a book via navigation of folders. One thing you can do is delete a book. Isn’t that something? You can use the device to delete a book. It is a good functionality to have. Lastly, you can select the recent read list. This list displays the books you have read most recently in descending order.

Aside from all that, the Ectaco JetBook will remember where you left off when you switch it off. It opens at the most recent book and page when you turn it back on.

Once you pick a book, several seconds will pass before it opens. It will take longer for larger book files. But it is quite speedy. The device comes loaded with the King James Bible, which opens in under 10 seconds. Naturally, you will see the text of the book the moment it is displayed.

Look at the top of the device. Here you will find the status bar that displays the title, page indicator, current page number, total pages, and battery charge. I was looking for a way to turn off the status bar and I thought I had found it, but perhaps I was mistaken. Maybe this only occurred while using the PDF viewer.

You can turn the page three different ways. One way is to use the bar to the left edge of the device. You just slide it down to see the next page and up to see the previous page. Secondly, the corner on the left has the next/previous page buttons. Lastly, at the lower right hand corner, you will find the 4-Way Arrow Buttons.

You can also use the right and left arrow keys as next and previous page buttons. As you read, you can turn the page by holding the reader by one of the bottom corners and resting your thumb in just the right spot. That’s how it seemed in my hands, anyway.

The font button lets you control font size. You have a choice of 6 different sizes (12 point – 32 point). You can change the display from landscape to portrait and back thanks to the layout button. It takes no more time to adjust layout and font than it does to open a new book. After you are finished and the text displays again, you will see that the current page and the complete page count have been updated.

As you read your book, you can set a number of options and take a number of actions. Here are the things you can do with Ectaco JetBook : Control background music, change the code page, set alignment, jump to a chosen page, search the books’ text, and set bookmarks or move them as needed. Additionally, you are able to utilize the dictionary. When you select “dictionary,” a cursor appears on the screen. Just use the arrow buttons to hover over the word you want to look up and press the select button.

It’s all very quick thanks to the LCD screen. When you use the find feature, you will get a lot of use out of the ten buttons on the side. You can use these buttons to enter text. Your choice of entry types is: T9 entry (using a selected dictionary) or basic text entry. The LCD screen is really fast, so it is a breeze to enter text.

The foregoing is all true when a text file is read on the book. Things are a little different when you read a PDF file. Foxit Software’s Mobile PDF Reader is embedded in the Ectaco JetBook. Remember that in PDF, the arrow keys scroll rather than turning pages.

A PDF document for a letter size paper appears quite tiny on the Jetbook just like on any little reader device. Nonetheless, you can zoom in on a PDF quite freely. Additionally, you can divide the screen you are viewing into nine sections. Then the display will isolate the area you choose. The PDF viewer is now capable of reflowing text.

The Ectaco JetBook includes MP3 playing capabilities. You can use it to play MP3 audio files. You can read and play them at the same time. This MP3 player resembles a very basic player. It has a play list feature and standard player controls. Moreover, the Jetbook lets you look at pictures. These are cool, extra features, but they are not important to me, so I didn’t spend a lot of time on them.

One unique feature is that this reader includes a file manager. You don’t have to connect with a computer to perform a number of vital tasks. For example, you can: create folders, delete files and folders, rename folders, or simply move them. For example, you might set up a folder to store the books you have already read. Then when you are finished with a new book, you can just move it to that folder to reduce clutter.

The LCD screen supports this and the text entry buttons make it possible. One thing I was a little disappointed in is the fact that you can’t use uppercase letters in T9 mode. Therefore, if you want to make a folder using upper case letters, you must utilize the normal text entry method.

You will enjoy the many great features found on the Ectaco JetBook. One great thing about it is the screen is really fast and it looks good! Lots of people have expressed the desire to have a library management folder with fully nested support on their Sony and Kindle CyBooks. Searching through thousands of files would be easy with a well-structured folder system.

I like the size of this device. Of course, it doesn’t show you as much as a 6″ device, but it beats a PDA screen or a cell phone screen. You might still prefer a 6″ reading device when you are at home, curled up in front of your fireplace, but the JetBook’s compact size makes it a perfect reading device to take along where ever you go.

Even though the screen looks great and works really quickly, it is lacking in contrast when compared with the eInk screen. The base color is an off-gray. The text is black. Bright lights may cause a glare problem. Still, you can read it in sunlight if you angle it in such a way as to avoid the glare.

File format support is another important issue. Remember, only .pdf & .txt files are supported by this device. It may be difficult to find some more recent books in this format, but there are thousands of older ones you can read for free!

Another good addition would be e Reader, Mobipocket, or some other form of support for a DRM format. If it had these features, this reader would really be great!

Overview 

Bookeen sets the pace for the eReaders market with the 4th generation Bookeen Opus. With the combination of style and technology, can we expect an eReader that lives up to this name?

The Opus is so good you won’t believe it’s not real ink. The French company, Booken, released the 1st generation of Cybook in 2007. Similar to this incarnation, Opus is provided with a screen that is easy on the eyes. Without the flicker and screen glare, you’ll really enjoy reading off a non-LCD screen.

It looks like a paper book, as well. However, the best thing is that the Bookeen Cybook Opus turns pages quickly, just like flicking a paper page. Aside from that, the user interface is extremely responsive. It allows users to store books in a folder, look up the word definitions, open books, and more with very few clicks of the control buttons.

This power-saving reader offers users a workhorse virtual library. You can get through 8000 turns of the page with a single full charge. If you average 80 pages a day, that’s about 2 full months of reading. You can get twice the number of digital books with this e Reader as with the original Cybook. In fact, you can get as many as a thousand books. If you still want more, you can use the micro SD slot.

The Bookeen Cybook Opus is quite light; it’s just over 5 ounces. Nevertheless, users are sure to be more excited by the fact that the Cybook Opus supports different formats (e.g. PDF, Mobipocket, and HTML) natively. It is not necessary to perform a file conversion and synchronization process. This is a capability that even the very popular Kindle does not possess.

Positives 
– On the upside, you have access to lots of great titles with the eReader, so you won’t have to go to the bookstore and wait in line to pay.
– If you want to browse or buy books, connect your device to the computer.
– Cybook’s online store, BooksOnBoard.com provides the Opus with over 55,000 book titles from literally dozens of great publishers.
– And let’s not forget that the Booken Cybook Opus comes preloaded with over seventy books.

Negatives
-On the downside, similar to Sony 505, there is no touch screen interface with Cybook Opus. Nor is there 3G connectivity, so if you like technical gadgets, you will not be happy with this eReader.
– There are just four gray-scale levels, so it doesn’t really compare with the sixteen gray-scales of Kindle 2 or the eight gray-scales of Sony 707 when it comes to clarity and crispness of images.
– If you want to read for a long time, this may not be the device for you, since the 5″ screen would make extended reading tedious.
– If the Bookeen Cybook Opus had more experimental features integrated, it would broaden possibilities for the company and its customers.

Bottom Line
So does it keep you going? Naturally, Cybook Gen3 has its good points and its bad points, as with any other gadget reviewed by Pocket-lint. We will say that we are impressed that this eReader can carry around 10,000 books. Be that as it may, you are not likely to dip in and out of books as you probably do music.

One really great thing is the fact that this device is very light. This makes it a lot easier to read books by Stephen King!

It won’t replace your paperback for the time being because you can’t read it during take-off and landing while flying, it has no page numbers, and it just doesn’t feel like a book.

Hardware: 
The Bookeen Cybook Opus boasts a 5″ E-ink screen. You will find the control buttons arrayed like this: d-pad and 2 control buttons under the screen and double page turn buttons on the right hand side. You will find a power button plus microSDHC card slot at the top and a USB port at the bottom.

I found the Bookeen Cybook Opus to be too small. I did eventually get accustomed to holding it, but it still feels way too thin and way too tiny in my hands. A lot of people I know feel differently, so I might not represent the majority.

Software: 
With the Bookeen Cybook Opus, you can choose one of two different firmware choices. The first one works with Adobe DE DRM, the other works with Mobipocket DRM. Mobipocket firmware was repeatedly delayed. Consequently, I had a lot more time to spend on Adobe firmware.

Even though I’m a long time user of Mobipocket, I don’t miss it. However, the Adobe firmware was obviously superior. I only tried the Mobipocket firmware long enough to jot a few notes about what it can do.

You’ll find the same options with both firmwares. You can choose to display 5-20 items on each page. You can look at your entire e-Book collection as a single level collection, or you can look at them by folder. Here are the five sort options available with OPUS: path, name, date, size, and file title.

On Adobe DE firmware, you can read an e-Book using 3 font choices and 12 font sizes. You can also BOLD or justify text. However, you aren’t using a dictionary or bookmark.

Here are some of the features of Mobipocket firmware: bookmarks, dictionary support, three font choices, twelve font sizes. You have no choice in justification with Mobipocket firmware. You must accept the full justification and very wide, empty margins.

Overview 

A little electronics firm headquartered in Florida, Augen is known for low-priced MP3 players, netbooks, and tablets. A 7-inch device named the Book is their initial entry into the e Reader market.

The device is somewhat similar to the black Kindle in its appearance, but this is as far as it goes; Augen The Book is not a true e-reader; it is actually a multimedia device.

The device’s low cost, the usual Augen strategy, is designed to shake things up in the eReaders industry. Augen The Book Reader, which has an MSRP of $99.99, is for people who want to find a discount e-reader that gives alternative options for reading.

Augen The Book Reader’s measurements are 8.9 x 5.1 x 0.5 inches, and it weighs ten ounces, so it is both larger and heavier than Kindle 3.

TFT LCD screen is actually a wider screen, measuring 7 inches in width. The screen resolution, which is 800 x480 pixels, is not quite as high as the resolution found on the Kindle 2, which is 600 x 800 pixels. Be that as it may, it has bright color images without a touch added layer on the screen. Additionally, I didn’t experience as much reflected glare with Augen The Book eReader as I did with the iPad.

Additionally, the brightness and contrast can be changed in order to make reading the font easier to see. The text is even readable in direct sunlight as long as the screen is tilted away from the sun.

You can turn the pages on either side of the unit, which allows the user to use one hand exclusively; you can also use either the right hand or the left hand. A QWERTY keyboard is located beneath the screen and can be used for searching the Internet, typing emails, and other tasks. You will find the HOME button/MENU button on the lower right hand corner. It is arc shaped and circles halfway around the small D-pad.

Augen The Book Reader is good for more than just reading because it includes a music player, a video player, and a complete web browser. Additionally, the built-in WiFi offers another method to search online.

Augen The Book Reader is similar to Kindle in that it has a text-to-speech function that reads eBooks out loud if they are PDF based. Even though this device does not have any function for book annotations, you can always type notes, and edit them using WordPad.

With this device, you can utilize AVI and MP4 video formats, Adobe ePub and PDF, TXT, DOC, CHM, RTF, FB2, HTML, MOBI, and PRC text files, MP3 and WMA audio formats, BMP, GIF, JPG, and PNG image formats. It has 2 GB of storage, so this makes it capable of handling as many as 1,400 books at the same time.

An SD expansion slot is provided for up to 32GB capacity which is handy if you want to store volumes of videos and music. You can watch two or three movies and read a few chapters in your book on one charge with the Augen eBook Reader because a charge lasts eight hours.

Positives 
NO FLASHBACK on page-turn, FULL WEB as opposed to the stripped down version on cell phones, Vibrant COLOR screen, SD expandable slot, case included, Web functional QWERTY keyboard, Web Browsing, PRICE, Easy to use, WI-FI, Note pad, Free Books.

Negatives 
It’s a bit heavy. Augen The Book ereder’s web browser is not very fast, but this is to be expected. After all, it is not supposed to be a notebook or desktop computer. While the case that comes with it is excellent, the prongs keeping it in place may need some adjustments.

Bottom Line 
Basically, Augen The Book is a very good e-reader. I was not interested in spending too much money on another more well-known e-reader. I read numerous reviews, spending time searching the Internet for numerous perspectives. Augen may not be as lovely to look at as Nook and Kindle, but it does do exactly the same things and then some for a lot less money.

The details and colors of the screen are absolutely awesome. The Nook has a flashback option whenever you turn a page or scroll down a page, but this device does not offer a flashback option. The device provides a full QWERTY keyboard and compatibility with the Internet, just like the Kindle. I have logged in to my Wi-Fi and searched the Internet without any problems.

It also includes an area that is made for note taking, whether it is class notes or daily reminders. Scan Disk is supported as well. Among many things like viewing movies and pictures, you can read books or let the e-reader read to you.

I would recommend this item to any person who enjoys reading and traveling or simply does not enjoy waiting unless they have something to do. This fantastic e-reader is tiny and yet has so many functions. I do not understand why neither Nook nor Kindle have screens with color, SD slots and typical additional choices that are similar to this e-reader.

Design 
The Augen Book eReader is designed to support PRC text formats, Adobe EPUB, FB2, MOBI, PDF, DOC, CHM, RTF, TXT & HTML. The device costs less than a hundred dollars, so you can’t really complain. It has some good points, but I wouldn’t list reading as one of them.

DRM-protected EPUBs frequently have missing paragraphs and sentences. Additionally, they have very large margins that are not adjustable. In landscape mode everything is squeezed to the center. Furthermore, there is no way to modify or adjust the features you normally expect to be able to use easily with an e-reader (e.g. dictionary, layout, highlight passages, background color, add notes, line-spacing, etc.)

Looking at it from a positive perspective, DRM free ebooks have fairly nice display screens, with the exception that The Book does not appear to recognize the apostrophe in certain books, and places a space after every apostrophe, causing words to appear as follows: don’ t. The font is particularly bold, dark and well-defined, and options are available for the following: changing the type of font, spacing lines, making new margins and alignment capabilities.

PDF does not work well, as the narrow screen is a poor fit for PDF documents. Zoom function comes and goes, re-flow is non-existent, PDFs are not rotated automatically by the G-sensor, so it’s necessary to set it on the highest zoom level if you want to switch to landscape view. Once you’ve done all that, you can read PDFs pretty well. When trying to load a large PDF file, it will be time consuming, sometimes causing freezes, and it will not reliably turn pages.

Generally speaking, Augen The Book has some good points as an e-reader; however, there are still some bugs to work out. This is especially true with PDF and DRM’s eBooks. Most devices offer features that you won’t find on this device, such as the ability to look up words in the dictionary, highlighting, adding notes, and so on.

Video Functions 
The Augen The Book ereader’s best feature is its ability to play videos. Both MPEG-4 and AVI video formats are supported. JR.com specifications say that WMV is a supported format; however, I wasn’t able to get that format to work. It loaded and started to play; then it stopped and went to the home-screen. There were several MP4s included in this test, and they were all good. None experienced jumpiness or lag except right at start up and when adjusting volume.

When watching a video, you can use the navigator wheel in order to fast forward or backward; all you need to do is press the Navigator wheel button. It lacks a menu system or indicator that shows the progress and length of a movie. Aside from that, if you must stop playing the video during the movie, it won’t take you back to the place where you left off, and you won’t be able to find it without fast forwarding through the movie.

Located on the back of the unit and hidden by the case, the speaker is not excessively loud. Unless there is no noise in the room, you will find that you need the headphones.

Life of the Battery 
The life of the battery did not seem to last very long in the beginning, but after it was charged several times it seemed to last longer and now has a five to eight hour life. On the final test, I watched two complete movies and read several chapters of an eBook. Then I attempted to watch a third movie, and it was almost over when the battery died. The brightness was only on 50% at that point.

Pictures 
BMP, GIF, JPG and PNG image files are supported according to its specifications. You can zoom in and rotate images manually. If you turn the device on its side, images will rotate automatically.

Some JPG files opened up just fine, but other ones gave me an “UNSUPPORTED FLIE” error message (not my typo – theirs!)

Music 
There is a music player that has been built into Augen The Book, and it has the capacity to play both MP3, as well as WMA, audios. Due to the fact that the speaker is in the back of the device and is also covered by its case, the sound quality is not very good. The headphone jack is a small size, 2.5 mm, therefore headphones will probably need adapters.

The audio player is simple. It does not have any additional features such as advanced sorting, custom play lists or a shuffle option. The only features available are the play and pause features, along with the ability to skip tracks.

Some improvements are needed with Augen The Book ereader’s Web Browser and Wi-Fi. Every single time the unit is turned off, a re-scan for a network is required, then you are asked to enter your password again; sometimes it does not even recognize your password after you enter it, but you do need to let it know every time you want to connect. I had a problem getting the password to work properly; at first, it worked for about two hours, but then it would no longer recognize my password for a few days; it now recognizes my password, and I do not know why I had this problem in the first place.

Adhering to the idea of all the other applications, the web browser is quite basic. The main menu has two different options: you can mark a page as your favorite, which then becomes part of a folder located on the home screen, and an open URL option; the favorite folder cannot be accessed inside of the actual browser.

When Augen The Book is browsing online, the pages on the web browser have scroll bars on the left and right sides of the screen, as well as on the top and bottom of the screen. The space bar scrolls down each page and there is a Next page button that brings the scroll bar up to the top of the page. There are two buttons located on the screen’s left side that keep moving around pages and can go to other hyperlinks.

The nav wheel controls the pointer that allows hyperlinks to be clicked and also provides scrolling.

This web browser is generally sufficient if you must use it; you have the ability to download ebooks while using it, but it does demand a bit of patience because, similarly to most other e-reader web browsers, it is quite slow.

Archos 70 Overview 

Archos 70 is the first eReading device Archos have attempted. Actually, the 70 is sold as a color eReader even though it functions similarly to a tablet.

You can do lots of things with this device: view slide-shows, look at photos, download applications, surf the web, enjoy videos, play music, and quite a bit more.

Generally speaking, archos 70 is not unusual. There is nothing about it that makes it much better than any other color e Reader. Are under-priced competitors alone enough to make the Archos 70 rise to the highest level on the eReader line?

Archos 70 Review Positives 
• Here is a unique color eReader.
• You won’t find a black aluminum cover on the Archos 70, as you will with most eReaders. Instead, it is encased in a gray, rectangular enclosure.

Archos 70 Review Negatives
• The Archos does have its own discrete appearance, but its mechanisms are not that unique.
• It seems that the life of the battery is fairly short, particularly when utilized for reading.
• At this point, we don’t know much about its eReading capabilities, including supported formats, bookstore and text customization options.
• Here’s our information so far. Plans are for it to have a built-in accelerometer and a G-sensor. It should also have support for Adobe DRM, as well as a Bookmarks Manager, which should help with managing a personal library.

Archos 70 Review Bottom Line 
It is not difficult to misunderstand the Archos 70 eReader. If you view it as a tablet, you are sure to find that it isn’t too exciting due to its poor quality and other limitations. It works better as a reader.

Naturally, the reading experience is poorer than it is on an E-Ink device, but there are many more options. Although it is pricier than the Amazon Kindle 2 and it does not provide the convenience of purchasing directly through the device as is possible with the Kindle, at least when you are tired of reading you can watch a movie.

Archos 70 Reader is only £120; therefore, you can’t really expect it to compete with more expensive tablets, and it isn’t really trying to. Lots of the more recent tablets (e.g. iPad or Android types) provide a clearer, sharper, more responsive screen. They also deliver a wider range of functions.

Archos 70 Review 
You can’t get the Amazon Kindle app with Archos, either; even though,Apple iPad and Android (both Google certified) will do so. However, you get Adobe authentication, and that paves the way for DRM’d EPUB books.

A number of Android devices call themselves ebook readers just because they are able to display text, but they have few or no capabilities as far as supporting protected files — the ones that you really want to read. At least Archos has made an effort to behave somewhat like an ebook reader.

There are a lot of other devices that have better screens while the overall setup and materials are nothing to brag about. You can do a little bit of a lot of things with the Archo 70c; however, it isn’t really excellent at anything. Nonetheless, the low price may be appealing to some buyers.

The Archos 70 should not feel heavy being that it has a minimalist design. There are only two buttons on the device, and their function is to turn pages forward or backward.

The touch display is responsible for dealing with every other navigational type. The quality of the user interface may bear more resemblance to the iPod or iPhone than it does to the iPad or Nook Color because the display is a resistive touchscreen.

The 70 is similar to other color readers in that there is a 7-inch TFT screen display. Any images may not be as bright or vivid as you may hope. The display most likely won’t be as bright as the colors on the Nook. The screen resolution is only 800X480.

Internal storage is available up to 4GB, though adding a memory card will allow for an additional 16GB of data to be stored. It is equipped with at least 600MHz CPU spec. This equals iPhone 3G’s; however, it is unclear if it can compete with Nook Color and other rival eReaders in terms of performance.

You can surf the net and download files with WiFi. Archos claims you will enjoy ten hours of e-reading with its battery. The battery life will be shortened considerably when it is used to surf the web, play music, and other similar activities.

Overview

The Aluratek Libre eBook Reader Pro approaches electronic reading differently than other e-readers. Color readers use LCD displays, while many monochromatic eReaders use eInk. The Aluratek Libre uses LCD, but has stayed within the black and white realm of books. The eInk display is clearer, but it is more inexpensive. Also, it has a better refresh rate than those with eInk features. If you don’t need fancy features such as wireless internet connectivity, the Aluratek Libre Pro is a solid buy at a cheap price.

The Aluratek Libre eBook Reader Pro has a 5” screen with 640 x 480 VGA and 16 different shades of grey. The screen isn’t backlit – like EPDs – which lets you read even outside in the sun. It also doesn’t have the flash between turns that other eInk devices have. Battery life suffers, though; you’ll only have a 24 hour charge.

The Aluratek Libre Pro Reader is 6” long and 4.25” wide. The girth is .5 inches, so it feels a little fat. The device feels light while holding it – it’s only 8 oz.

The software is easy and friendly. You can turn the page one of three ways: the buttons at the bottom of the left, bottom of the right, or you can use the slider bar on the left. There’s also an auto-page option that turns pages for you. You can resize fonts up to 6x, and you can also change the fonts from one type to another. You can also rotate the device to enjoy landscape mode. The device can use the following file types: PDF, FB2, MOBI, ePUB, TXT, PRC, RTF, BMP, JPG, GIF, and MP3.

Positives
The Aluratek Libre eBook Reader Pro has a black casing that resists smudges and fingerprints. The reader isn’t flimsy when holding it. The device comes with a free 2GB card and 100 free books that are already loaded. Of course it is possible to download these books from the Internet at no charge, but it’s still nice to have a collection of books from which to choose so you can begin reading whenever you wish.

Negatives
Due to small screen size, the Aluratek Libre eBook Reader Pro isn’t an ideal PDF viewer. It also has trouble with some PDF files. You’ll experience the occasional freeze, usually when loading or showing a JPG file or when using the search feature. While The Aluratek Libre Pro Reader can bookmark, it doesn’t have annotation features. You cannot connect wirelessly, either.

You need to connect the Aluratek Reader to a computer in order to purchase books. The Kindle can download entire books in under a minute, regardless of the size. With the Aluratek Reader, the loading time depends on the file size, but it is a significant amount.

Once loaded, though, there are no lags when turning pages. The Aluratek Libre’s weakest point is its battery life. For full use, you’ll need to charge it once every two days. eInk readers can give you up to an entire month of reading on one full charge.

Bottom Line
The Aluratek Libre eBook Reader Pro is surprisingly stable and capable. The Aluratek Libre Pro Reader’s low price of $99 – $189 makes is a great e-reader that you can use both in direct sunlight and in low light conditions. You can find it online at stores such as Overstock.com and Amazon.

The Aluratek Libre eBook Reader Pro Review
Right off the bat, let’s start by saying that the Libre Pro doesn’t offer a wireless feature that is found in others such as the Kindle and Nook. You’ll need to manually load the books instead of purchasing them directly on the reader itself. The Aluratek reader has a SD card that has 100 preloaded books for you. These consist of classics like Tom Sawyer, Huck Finn, War and Peace, Wuthering Heights, etc.

I’ve owned a Kindle and the Nook, and the size of the Aluratek Libre eBook Reader Pro was immediately recognizable when I first held it. The display is only a single inch smaller in size. Click the above image for a bigger picture.

The Libre’s case is a charcoal plastic that resists both smudges and fingerprints. The reader feels well-made and does not bend when squeezed.

The display – which is slightly recessed – consumes most of the front, with buttons found on the sides and below the screen. There’s a slight bump on the back where the replaceable battery is located.

The main controls are found just under the screen. On the left, you will find a combination Page Next/Page Prev button; beside that are several buttons that allow you to resize, rotate the screen, and display a menu. There is also another set of Page Next/Page Prev buttons (left arrow and right arrow).

There’s a spring loaded sliding bar on the left of the Aluratek Libre eBook Reader Pro that will also allow you to change the page. To reach the next page, slide it down. Slide it up to go back. Your thumb stays on the bar thanks to the raised ridges. I’m not a fan of this method and I will usually use the dedicate paging buttons at the bottom.

There are 10 buttons on the other side that you can use to select items on the screen. You can also use these buttons to enter search terms.

There is a LED status light at the top, and an attached cover that safeguards USB and SD slots. The USB port is utilized for charging the device as well as for data transfer of the device itself and the inserted SD card. On Windows and Mac computers, the Libre automatically mounts as removable drives.

The software is easy to use. You’re staring at a list of pre-loaded books when you first turn the device on. In order to read a book, you can do one of two things: either press the corresponding numbered button beside it or scroll to the title you want using the Dpad and select it by depressing the OK button.

The Aluratek Libre eBook Reader Pro does not have an E-ink display such as those found on Kindle, Nook and Sony Readers. Aluratek refers to their display as ePaper. It makes me think of the PDA’s of yesterday. More directly, the Palm V. When I was younger, the Palm V / Vx was the best PDA because the screen was so easy to read. And – as long as you have plenty of light – the Libre is just as good. There is no backlight feature on this model. If the flashing of E-ink readers bothers you, you may like this e-reader.

You can rotate the display and select from over 5 different sizes of fonts.

Depending on the size of your e-novel, the start up loading times can vary. There’s no lag when turning the page, once the device has loaded. The e-reader was tested with the following types of files: unformatted text files, ePub files, PDF files and JPG images.

Although I did not experience any issues when viewing TXT or ePUB files, is was unable to display some PDF files. In addition, the reader froze occasionally when attempting to load or display some JPG images. I’ve also encountered freezing problems when using the search feature.

While the Libre does not offer annotation, it does have a book marking feature. It does a few things other e-readers do not do, though. It can play mp3 music files in the background while reading, and it has a feature that will turn the pages for you.

The battery life has been very impressive.

Overview 

Without question, Alex is an excellent, high end eReader. It’s also fascinating to see how Spring Design’s reader has developed after leaving Barnes & Noble, with its more minimalistic Nook. Shockingly, I did locate direct text manipulation in the lower display faster than the nook’s touch screen movement controls.

Maybe it’s just the way I look at it, but it seems like with the focus on the eInk display, something is taken away from the smaller scroll-and-hunt representation, and it is disturbing. Even more jarring, however, is the sometimes difficult touch screen, which makes choosing portions of text to annotate it a bit of a pain. (Choosing a single word is easy, though.)

Ultimately, you won’t want to go with the Spring Design Alex eReader nor the Nook — choose Sony’s Reader Touch Edition  or Daily Edition , both of which have touch screens. You just need to touch the e-ink display to interact directly with the text. The glare, and bad contrast is one negative about the Sony touch devices. In order to maintain the clarity of e-ink, you need the less optimal user interface that is found in the Alex, the Nook, and the Kindle 2.

Positives 

On the upside, the Spring Design Alex eReader has WiFi connectivity. The touch-screen pad provides a virtual keyboard for taking notes and for navigation. Its has 2GB memory capable of storing 1,500 electronic books. It comes with microSD slot for even more memory. The device displays image files. It also plays MP3 music files and some video on the navigation screen. The built-in speakers and mic are handy for voice notes.

Negatives 

Spring Design Alex eReader unit is quite expensive. It does not offer access to any major eBook store. The color LCD seems to diminish battery life rapidly. Navigation is rather difficult because there is no “home” button.

Essentially, Alex is unique among digital e-ink readers on the market today because it is a dual purpose eBook reader/mini-computer because of including Android on the bottom. The Alex is the hands-down best choice if you need Web, email and YouTube access — and social networking as well, either in the future or right now if you don’t mind a spot of hacking.

I personally feel that I’m too connected and over worked as a web reader; I wish to read for escape and relaxation. It’s just too tempting to be constantly bombarded with email and tweet notifications, not to mention the constant presence of the Web.

Sure, the lower display can be toggled so you can pretend nothing was there in the first place, but what’s the point of an Alex then? This isn’t saying not to buy Alex, but it just means that you have to be clear about the reading and computing experience you’re looking for.

Design 

The Spring Design Alex eReader looks good and is simple with limited buttons and round edges. It’s measurements are 8.9 X 4.7 X 0.4 inches, which makes the Alex bigger in length than the Nook and the Sony Daily Edition by 1.2 and 0.8 inches.

However, this device weighs less and is more slender than either at 10.6 ounces and 0.4 inches. Nook weighs 12.1 ounces and measures 0.5 inches. The Daily Edition weighs 14 ounces and measures 0.6 inches. This is fairly impressive when you think about the fact that Nook doesn’t provide as many functions with its secondary color LCD.

There are tapered edges on the back, giving the Spring Design Alex eReader a sleek appearance; on the top, there is a mini USB port to connect it to a PC and charge it, as well as a 2.5mm headphone port. We think a standard 3.5mm jack would have been better; unfortunately, it doesn’t come with an adapter.

We liked that the microSD port is easy to reach in a recessed space at the device’s rear. There are two unobtrusive, almost deceptively tiny speakers located at the edges on the bottom left and right.

Content 

Spring Design has partnerships for content with Borders and with Google Books. Alex will ship in mid-April. At that time, users will be able to access more than 1 million public domain books via Google; however, it will be necessary for them to wait until the end of May or start of June for complete access to the Borders store. The company is trying to secure partnerships with different providers for newspapers and periodicals.

Due to the fact that Spring Design Alex eReader comes equipped with the ability to support EPUB both with Adobe DRM and without, as well as HTML, PDF, and TXT eBook, it is possible for users to load eBooks from other stores provided the registered Adobe ID found on the device is a match with the one used to purchase books.

Reading Experience 

With a 6-inch e-ink EPD, this device’s display can compete with that of the Kindle or Nook, and you can choose from 8 shades of grey, a wide range of contrasts. Our eyes weren’t strained, either from indoor or outdoor reading, direct sun included. The text sizes offered are tiny, small, normal, large and huge. On the Small setting, there is a great amount of volume of lines and the size of the font.

The device completes page turns very fast (1.5 seconds), and the display is much better than the Nook and Kindle, whose pages flicker many times before settling down. Ultimately, this produces more engagement with whatever you’re reading.

Readers have multiple choices available when reading with the LCD display. A bar displays how far you have come along and allows you to change the pages quickly. These options are always listed underneath the bar: Go to Library, Bookmarks, Table of Contents, Collections, and Go to Location.

Dependent upon eBook or PDF permissions, other options will appear. You may see icons for adding or viewing notes. Highlights and links weren’t available when we opened a PDF of Chicks Dig Time Lords; however, they were available upon opening any EPUB book in the library.

Connectivity and Performance 

When navigating through the menus and using apps, the Spring Design Alex eReader responded well due to the 600-MHz Marvell processor. However, we were shocked that the operating system’s keyboard was so slow when we typed on it. We had to be more deliberate when adding text, because taps would not register right away every single time we tried any application.

The review unit we were provided with had 802.11 b/g Wi-Fi connectivity; however, it did not have mobile broadband. Spring Design will release a 3G, EVDO/CDMA- and GSM-compatible models toward the end of the summer. We saw quick load times when using the internet over 50 feet from our router.

Downloads took an average of 914.6 kbps, which was calculated by downloading Pride and Prejudice (618KB) in 5 seconds, Dante’s Divine Comedy (910KB) in 9 seconds, and Grimm’s Fairy Tales (1.1 MB) in 14 seconds. This is superior to the Entourage Edge’s Wi-Fi median of 405.6 Kbps.

Battery 

If the WiFi and LCD are on, the Spring Design Alex eReader lasts up to six hours, and can last up to fourteen days with WiFi off. The device retained over one-fourth of its battery charge over a two-day period with Wi-Fi enabled (but not always connected).

Spring Design Alex eReader is like smart phones and the Entourage Edge in that it doesn’t enter a true sleep mode when you turn off the LCD. When we used it, Alex seemed to manage its power more efficiently than the Edge. It was similar to a phone. After some time inactive, the LCD goes dim then shuts off; users can also turn this off manually while using the EPD to read. After longer periods of inactivity, the screen and buttons both become locked.

Summary

Acer has been seen as getting into the e-reader market at the late hour, nevertheless this brings its own merits, too. They now have got a peep at competitors’ products before launching their own. Coming in so late when most of their competitors are on their generation 3 devices, a lot of people have been asking if Acer still has a quality product to bring to the market.

The fact is, Acer seems to have quite a few strategies up their sleeve. They have joined up with Barnes & Noble as well as worldwide retailers to create an enormous collection of content and articles to readers. Altogether, Acer’s Lumiread Reader provides the means to access a lot more than 5 million books (a number greater than 2 times Amazon’s present offering).

The Acer Lumiread Reader is in fact additionally providing 2 prospective mindblowing characteristics. The first is a built-in ISBN scanning device which reads ISBN codes on physical books in order to rapidly search for supply as well as cost of their electronic alternatives. An additional standout attribute is the Download; the application permits you download and also save content and articles from internet sites for offline reading.

Positives
The ISBN scanning device will truly come in handy for evaluating price ranges of physical books againist price ranges of e-books. Additionally you can utilize the scanning device to tag ebooks, save these inside the system’s memory space, as well as add them to your primary wish-list.

An individual can easily use it to help scan any titles in almost any local library or even book shop. Although you can usually simply key in the titles which appeal to you utilizing the key pad, the ISBN technique cuts down on the entire procedure to a couple of effortless steps.

Creating joint venture with assorted merchants can be described as wise move for Acer. Deals made with Barnes & Noble, Founder and Libre.de (providing greater than 4 million ebooks), permits Acer, a technology giant, to provide a enormous catalogue of content. Acer Lumiread Reader can easily display e-books in Italian and French too.

Possessing an internet browser is advantageous for locating references. Typically the Smart Download function that allows you to store web content intended for offline reading, alternatively, assists lengthen battery life of an individual’s gadget.

Negatives
Similar to mobile phones, the top QWERTY buttons double capabilities as number buttons. This really is much less handy compared to possessing standalone QWERTY along with figures rows.

The Bottom Line
It comes with 2GB expensive storage which could carry higher than a 1000 of ebooks, storage space expandability via a MicroSD card, and an ISBN scanning device that enables end users to read ISBN codes that enables them to generate their personal wish-list and also search on backed online libraries as well as book shops.

It’s developed with a QWERTY key pad which enables end users explore the internet in order to find as well as share information about ebooks; a good auto-layout that auto-magically changes the content to make available enhanced reading sensation in accordance with the format; can handle numerous formats, multiplying users alternatives, as well as DRM (Adobe & OMA2.0).

The product additionally features a built-in Web Browser, as well as “Smart Download” that can save web page content material for reading afterwards.

Acer LumiRead Review 

The world is going through a content emerging trend. Web renders easily available to everybody an increasing quantity of content. Nowadays end users are searching for gadgets by which they are able to make the most of this kind of sea of information.

eBooks are among the strategies the web renders content accessible to consumers along with, with a huge selection of new titles being released daily, they’re enjoying a raising accomplishment.

Acer has grabbed this kind of consumer pattern and produced the LumiRead, a gadget which while supplying consumers a fantastic reading sensation it flawlessly combines within the Acer clear.fi approach to allow individuals to live through a 360° Acer encounter.

Light-weight, compact uncomplicated to work with, the Acer LumiRead stands out as the ultimate travel partner. You don’t need to determine which ebooks you need to have along with you, you’ll generally have your whole catalogue available, around the beach front or even on top of a mountain peak.

Its user-friendly navigation and comfy page layout of content present a superb reading sensation irrespective of where you might be. And, in the event you exhaust ebooks to read, you are able to link wirelessly or even via 3G element in order to obtain the latest bestseller!

It appears like Acer adopted a page out of the Amazon kindle design guide. Similar to the Amazon kindle, the Acer Lumiread Reader provides a QWERTY key pad beneath the 6-inch eInk screen, 5-way controller, as well as page flip control keys on both sides of the gadget.

The product will in all probability become thicker compared to Amazon kindle, due to an additional microSD card slot. They could have furthermore obtained motivation from the Barnes & Noble Nook associated with its cover flow view involved with books. The Acer homepage screen displays ebook covers of your own Lately Read books or even Lately Added Ebooks.

The Acer eReader will certainly additionally showcase Acer’s Clear.fi Media Technique. What this particular attribute does, is to allow an individual to move ebooks from your desktop computer to your own ereader device.

Acer ereader’s DLNA conformity permits sharing of ebooks as well as audio books. Typically the Lumiread Reader features 3G connectivity required to obtain access to associate booksellers, whilst WiFi can be utilized for internet exploring.

Acer has recently agreed upon contracts with Barnes & Nobles, a respected United states organization providing above a million titles in their e-books shop, Libri.de, a Germany’s top Web e-book store providing above 4 Million titles, that also markets to e-book merchants via the wholesaler Libri GmbH, Founder, considered one of China’s state-of-the-art as well as important high-tech organizations, to supply localised material in English, German and Chinese language.

But additionally French as well as Italian readership will have the ability to read ebooks in their own different languages, because of additional contracts which are nearly prepared to be formalized.

Acer LumiRead is sold with 6-inch display, it’s just handful of millimetres in thickness and enables to hold a whole catalogue as high as 1,500 ebooks within a several grams. With non-glare, no backlight e-Ink screen display, it provides a paper-like reading sensation, quite possibly beneath vivid sunshine.

Backed up with 2GB expensive memory space, it can store greater than a 1000 ebooks and its total capacity can be simply extended simply by including a MicroSD card. A cutting-edge ISBN scanning device enables to read ISBN codes to help you make your own wish-list and also search on backed on-line libraries as well as book shops.

Acer LumiRead is abundant of awesome features made to provide a much better encounter. The QWERTY key pad makes it simple to surf the internet and discover as well as share info on publications.

The Amazon Kindle DX is a very attractive eReader featuring a nice price ($379), updated Kindle software, quicker page turn times, and a crisp, high contrast screen. The core education crowd may not like this device too much because it lacks note export options and its keyboard leaves something to be desired.

Amazon updated the design of DX by updating the display and giving it a more attractive color. The new graphite color is a lot more attractive and easier to keep clean than the white case that the 1st generation DX featured. In all other ways, the Amazon Kindle DX is unchanged.

The device is 10.4 x 7.2 x 0.4-inches. This is just 2.4 inches wider and 1.9 inches longer than Kindle 2. It weighs 18.9 ounces. While it may have trouble fitting into a purse, it goes into a messenger or backpack with little additional bulk or weight. While two stereo speakers are placed on the back of the device, a 3.5mm headphone jack can be found at the top.

Since the back side of the Amazon Kindle DX is covered in brushed aluminum, the device features a premium quality feel. Amazon says this version is able to hold 3500 books; nonetheless, it lacks a removable battery and memory card slot (which the original has) and the back is not detachable.

Amzon Kindle dx Review – Keyboard & Buttons:

On the right side of the DX, you will find the Next & Previous page buttons. On the Kindle 2, you will find these 2 buttons on the left, and then you will find the Next button repeated on the right. It would be good if the DX had a design like this so that it would be equally user friendly for right handed and left handed people.

It would have been better if Amazon had left the text on the buttons instead of using < and >. The buttons were easy to press and comfortable to the touch. It’s easy to turn pages because, as with Kindle 2, they are inward turning.

There are no changes on the QWERTY keyboard on the Amazon Kindle DX. The oval keys look like Tylenol pills. I like the Kindle 2 round buttons better. They are more natural for typing. Particularly missed is the Kindle’s dedicated number row which is useful when entering passwords. DX users will need to hold down the ALT key to get to them.

Display: A new, great-contrast 9.7-inch eInk screen comes with this version of the DX with sharper text and images. The letters appeared somewhat darker and more noticeable on the screen compared to the Kindle 2. When viewing the cover of N. K. Jemisin’s The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, it was found to be readable; however on the DX, it was definitely darker. It also appeared to be a bit muddy and didn’t have good contrast. The screen resolution is 1200 x 824-pixels, and it looks good even when reading in the sun. It displays magazines, news and books well and has a large enough screen to read comfortably.

Similar to its previous iterations, the Amazon Kindle DX allows landscape viewing via a built-in accelerometer. It took one second to reorient the screen when the unit was placed on its side. If you click the Aa button, you will adjust the screen orientation manually. You can also use this button to change text size.

Book Choices & Whispernet: The Kindle DX operates on AT&T’s 3G network, patented Whispernet, so a PC is not required to upload content. Thanks to the integrated internet connection, users can download books anywhere in the world. It is not necessary to have Wi-Fi coverage. This is very handy for world travelers.

The Kindle DX boasts more than 630,000 available titles and 106 of the 110 bestselling books as listed by the New York Times. Notably missing books are the very popular Harry Potter series and titles from very well-known authors such as John Updike. The price range of books varies. Regardless of recent struggles to get publishers to lower their prices, new books frequently cost almost ten dollars. An area focused on textbooks is also found within the Kindle store, and it contains over 30,000 selections.

Be that as it may, an informal survey of 14 required textbooks for many classes revealed that only one (Business Analysis Using Regression: A Casebook by Robert Stine) could be purchased and read on Kindle. These titles ranged in subject from astronomy, to math, to psychology, economics and sociology. They were required reading at UPenn, Gettysburg College, and Northwestern University.

The Kindle DX is incapable of reading EPUB files, which other new eReaders can. While users can get some books from providers such as eBook stores that sell non-DRM .mobi files, by and large, they are limited to the tremendous selection provided by Amazon. Be aware that books bought from Amazon cannot be ported over if you are thinking about moving on to another eReader device.

Thanks to the larger display now available on Kindle DX, it is very easy to read newspapers and magazines. At present, there are 65 magazines which you can buy per issue or through a subscription. There are subscriptions available in a price range of $1.25 to $10.49 monthly. The price for one issue of the New Yorker is $3.99, but others, like Newsweek cost $1.99. You can subscribe monthly to The New Yorker and Newsweek for $2.99.

From the 134 newspapers that are available now, you can either buy single issues or purchase a subscription. The monthly costs are variable and can be as low as $1.75 or as high as $14.99. Only a few exceptions exist. For instance, the monthly price for the New York Times is $19.99, but the price for one issue is just 99 cents. You can buy a copy of the Wall Street Journal for 99 cents; however, you can subscribe for $14.99 monthly.

When you purchase a subscription to a magazine or newspaper, you will have 2 weeks to cancel if you change your mind. The nice thing about having a subscription is that you will get new editions nightly or any time you activate Whispernet.

Evaluating the Reading Experience: Similar to the previous DX generation, as well as Kindle 2, this unit presents an enjoyable reading experience. The screen is crisp, page turns are quick, and the font controls are easy to access via the Aa button. It was hard to hold the DX and read it while commuting; however, increasing the font size made it possible to set it on my lap and read it without having to hold it up.

There is an indicator bar at the bottom that shows you how far along you are in the book you are reading. By clicking Menu, you can view the table of contents or the cover, shop the Kindle store, or simply turn off your wireless service to save your battery. You can read the description of a book, highlight passages, add notes, bookmark pages, start at the first page of a book, or jump to any page within.

It was easy to navigate the sections of the New York Times (National, International, Arts, and so on). This feature allowed us to skip around the paper with ease. Although, clicking the Next Page button every time to read lower down seemed a little strange initially.

DX page turn times are faster now. Currently this eReader turns pages in only a second. This is the same as the Kindle 2, and it is faster than the Alex – at 1.5 seconds. It is also faster than the Entourage Edge – at 2 seconds. Disruption is less because; even though, the screen does flash when you turn the page, it is only very briefly (less than a second).

By activating the Text-to-Speech feature found on the Kindle 2 and the Amazon Kindle DX, you can listen to books read aloud from the text via the speakers or through the top-mounted 3.5mm headphone jack. The concept with this capability is to allow you to enjoy content when your hands are otherwise occupied, such as exercising.

A slower, default, faster speed option is available as well as a choice of male or female voice. The “default” setting sounds the most normal. The “slower” setting has an underwater sound to it. The “faster” setting is unintelligible.

In general, it was a robotic sounding voice. Of course, you lose the context and emotion of the story if you use this feature to read a book. Text-to-speech was unsuccessful when used on a New York Times article relating to the economy. The voice was quite inconsistent, rushing some words and dragging others out. It caused the meaning of the sentences to be lost. The fact that the text-to-video start-up XtraNormal uses these same computer generated voices makes it a little confusing. Of course, you’ll be stuck with imagining cartoon dogs reading your books aloud and arguing over SmartPhones if you have seen the iPhone4 vs. HTC Evo video.

Browsing the Web & Listening to Music: When you click Menu on the home screen then select Experimental you will arrive at a page of experimental services. This page includes the Text-to-Speech reader mentioned earlier. It also includes an MP3 player and a free web browser. If you want to scroll down a webpage, you need to do what you would with a digital newspaper, which is to hit the Next Page button. NationalGeographic.com loaded incorrectly due to the multimedia content, but it did have links to the main stories. We can forgive the so-so performance of web browsing, since the Kindle DX wasn’t created for that.

It’s easy to transfer songs to your Amazon Kindle DX so that you can listen to music while you read. This feature also makes listening to audio books very easy. You can plug the Kindle DX into your PC by unplugging one end of its cable from the power adapter and just plugging it into a USB port. While reading, we used MP3 to play back 2 Meiko tracks that we had transferred to the device earlier. Audio exceeded expectations, as music was both loud and clear through the two speakers included in the Kindle DX.

Your Kindle DX will have its own e-mail address, thanks to Amazon, so you can simply mail it files in Word, TXT, PDF, or HTML. You can drag and drop files from your computer to your device for free; however, if you download from Amazon via Whispernet to your Kindle DX, it will cost you 15 cents a megabyte. PDF files can be accessed through the main menu thanks to the built-in PDF reader.

Amazon’s leather cover costs $54.99 when purchased separately; however, it was included with our unit. It’s a really good idea to get one, since the display can get scratched by items inside a purse and it could be bumped. The hinge locks securely on the aesthetically pleasing leather cover. To release the device from its cover, just press a little button on the hinge.

Amazon claims that the battery in the Kindle DX can last an entire week with wireless on. If you turn off 3G, your Kindle DX will probably last over two weeks. After using the DX off and on for five days, the battery meter remained near full. Sadly, you won’t be able to take out the battery which must be replaced by Amazon when it malfunctions.

Basically, even though it is $110 less than it was originally, the $379 Amazon Kindle DX still is not the best choice for its core education audience. It presents limited access to notes, as well as an inability to create or export notes on side-loaded documents. Additionally, the typing experience leaves a lot to be desired. Therefore, it is hard to recommend this device to academicians. If you just read mainstream bestsellers, you may not need a reader with all these options; however, if you read newspapers, magazines and books voraciously, this may be the device for you.

Entourage Edge has 2 screens (causing it to weigh in at three pounds). It costs almost $500; however, it does have excellent note-taking capacity. If you only want to read mainstream books (both fiction and non-fiction) you will be better off with the Kindle 2 for just $189. It costs less, and it’s easier to carry around. The bigger screen size of the DX may be worth the price if your intent includes a lot of magazine content and newspaper usage.

I hope you enjoyed reading the Amazon Kindle Dx Review have a good day.