Comments on: Good Things Come to Those Who Wait

By: marlene

marlene — Thu, 19 Oct 2006 20:23:29 +0000

Hello,
I don’t normally post online but I thought I would this time. I have been reading my ebooks with the Ebookwise 1150 Ereader for a year now. It’s about the size of a paperback book. Even though the text resolution is not the best, I’ve found it extremly easy to read for long periods of time without any eye strain (eventhough it doesn’t employ anything fancy like E ink technology). The backlight is great. I wouldn’t buy an ereader without one. There are many times that I read in low light conditions such as airplanes, in bed, camping trips, ….. Depending on how you set your brightness and contrast settings on the 1150, its battery can last up to 20 hours. For me personally, I get around 16 hours/charge. There’s also a great dictionary look up feature. The best part about it (at least for me) is that it is affordable. It’s around $125 compared to most other ereaders that I’ve seen that cost about the price of a intro level laptop (sometimes more!).

Between the eBookwise Publisher and the Ebookwise Librarian I can pretty much convert any book I want into the Ebookwise ereader format (.IMP). I will say that it took a little bit of learning on my part to be able to use these two programs properly. But now I that I’ve gone through the learning curve, I can pick out a book, download it to my computer, and copy it to my ereader in just a few minutes very easily.

So, if you’re looking for an affordable, easy to read ereader, check out the Ebookwise Ereader. Hope this helps.

By: Jan

Jan — Mon, 02 Oct 2006 13:47:27 +0000

I think the Sony device looks interesting, but IMO it is too expensive for what it can do. I had a Toshiba pda about 5 years ago which I loved, but no longer use because it has a short in the recharging cord. I can’t justify spending another $300+ to read ebooks.

These days I use ubook software on my laptop when I read ebooks (which isn’t too often anymore). I like to read at night and I always carry a book with me, but now it is a pocket book. Until it becomes less expensive to buy a multifunction device and less of a hassle with all the different ebook formats and copyright issues with giving away or selling the used ebooks I will probably stick with regular books.

By: Jane

Jane — Mon, 02 Oct 2006 03:05:07 +0000

I don’t think the ubook “zip” thing works for the Palm OS.

As for changing htmls to rtfs, yes you can do it that way, but Shana Abe’s book had 22 files to convert from html to rtf in order for that one to be readable on the Sony Reader. That’s way too much effort for me.

By: Miki S

Miki S — Mon, 02 Oct 2006 03:02:29 +0000

Robin – donÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t forget to download and install GowerpointÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s ubook light for Palm devices. Then you can read html files without conversion!! Yeah.

Even better, you don’t have to unzip it from it’s ZIP file (well, I know that’s true on the PocketPC version). So you don’t have to use up valuable PDA space to keep a few (dozen) books on hand.

There is no real winning program for conversion to RTF. Remember, SonyÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s conversion software, unlike Ebookwise Librarian, does NOT convert htmls.

Maybe I’m missing something, but when I want to take an HTML file and make RTF (so I can convert it with my free ETI eBook Publisher software), I just select the text in the HTML file, copy, then paste it into Word. Save it as RTF.

Unless you’re picky about formatting, it’s quick. Me – I have to insert page breaks at every chapter, reformat the text, delete paragraph indents, yadda yadda yadda. So it usually takes me an hour or two to convert a book. But it’s mostly my own fault for being anal retentive!

To demonstrate, I once saw a sweatshirt that said “Does anal retentive have a hyphen?” I’ve mentioned it to friends and they all laugh. I didn’t get the joke. When I read it, I just thought, “Well, yes, but only if it modifies a noun.”

By: Nicole

Nicole — Mon, 02 Oct 2006 01:34:23 +0000

Well, asked him, and apparently the acrylic they use is something special to diffuse the light, so no go. Darn it. :-)

By: Robin

Robin — Sun, 01 Oct 2006 19:29:23 +0000

Robin – donÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t forget to download and install GowerpointÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s ubok light for Palm devices. Then you can read html files without conversion!! Yeah.

Thanks, Jane. I’m still just trying to figure out how to use this thing on the most basic levels, as it’s my first integrated handheld device. But I will definitely install this app.

By: Jane

Jane — Sun, 01 Oct 2006 18:40:14 +0000

I am surprised at how many people at Mobile Read were so resistant to integrated lights. They keep saying how it is a big drain on the battery and so forth but I am happy to recharge my IPAQ every day, like my cell phone.

Nicole – a Lightwedge type of thing would be great. I thought it might be neat to have lights at the top and the bottom and then the whole page would be evenly illuminated. Let us know what engineer DH says.

Keishon – I know you have a VGA device like I do and I don’t get any eyestrain from reading on it. I do think a slightly bigger screen would be marvelous.

Rae – yes, do join the blogging ranks or I would be happy to post your review here at DA.

Dena – They are expensive. I think if the Sony Reader was around $200.00 i would have pre ordered it.

Robin – don’t forget to download and install Gowerpoint’s ubok light for Palm devices. Then you can read html files without conversion!! Yeah.

By: Robin

Robin — Sun, 01 Oct 2006 17:47:50 +0000

I JUST got a Treo 650 and a 1gb memory card (only $13.50 from a tech seller on Amazon!), so I’m going to use that for a while. As a dedicated Mac user, I hope by the time I’m ready to upgrade, Apple will have released a device, too. While I would love the look of a “real page” on my reader, the Sony device seems expensive and limited to me. My Treo — a phone, ebook reader, MP3 player, plam organizer, etc. — was only $200! And it has a backlight.

By: Dena

Dena — Sun, 01 Oct 2006 17:31:49 +0000

I wish these devices were more affordable. Like all newer technology the price goes down after a bit,so I’ll wait a little longer.Hopefully they will also become easier to use for those,like me that aren’t very techo smart,lol.

By: Rae

Rae — Sun, 01 Oct 2006 16:36:59 +0000

Jane – I’ll gladly let you know my thoughts as things progress. I may even add to the cacophony of blogs out there. As an early-adopter, I can honestly say good things do come to those who wait, but being impatient can be wicked fun, too.