Aug

9

Ereader Devices and the Traveler

Filed Under Kindle, Reader, Reviews, e-Book, eReader, jetBook | Leave a Comment

The potential usefulness of ebook reading devices for travelers has not escaped the attention of bloggers and journalists. For example, we’ve recently noted a review from a Sony Reader user who was about to take the Reader along for a week at the beach, another review about taking an Ectaco jetBook along on a cruise vacation, and the Amazon Kindle’s presence on Time Magazine’s list of “gotta have” travel gadgets.

Concierge.com has also weighed in on the topic of ereaders for travelers. Tom Loftus recently explained why he views the Amazon Kindle as the “most important piece of travel technology since the inflatable neck pillow”:

Say you’re on the road and you suddenly realize that you must have–must have!–Oprah’s new book. All you need to do is turn on the Kindle and connect to the store. (The connection is through Sprint’s EV-DO network. It’s free.) You’ll have to pay for the book, but it will be cheaper than the dead-tree version. Or, if you wish, you can download sample chapters for free.

Earlier, a gear review at Concierge.com discussed the value of the Sony Reader to travelers. Noting a perceived tepid response to the Sony Reader in some quarters, the reviewer had this to say:

To these arbiters of judgment, I offer a single and uncontestable fact: My 80-day circumnavigation would have been much less pleasurable without my Sony Reader. Thanks to it, I was able to take part–whenever I wanted, and for long, memorable stretches–in one of my most favorite of activities: reading.

So if you have a getaway planned for these last few weeks of summer or the upcoming Labor Day weekend, you might want to think about giving the ebook reader of your choice a “field test” during your getaway.

Jul

25

Ectaco jetBook Gets Accessorized

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The Ectaco jetBook - it’s not just for lovers of the color Burgundy anymore. PR News Now reports that the jetBook is being made available in a variety of colors, and with additional accessories:

As the release of jetBook has become a market success, Ectaco Inc. presents it in new colors. Now, in addition to the Burgundy edition there will be White, Gray and Graphite jetBooks. The line of jetBook accessories has also been extended by the Earlight (a spot-light device which allows reading in darkness with more comfort for the eyes) and the Silicon Sleeve (a skin-thin transparent dust protection cover). More accessories and colors are on the way . . . .

Mar

26

Where Are the Books (for the Ectaco jetBook)?

Filed Under News, Uncategorized, eReader | Leave a Comment

Over at Digital Trends they’ve asked an interesting question about Ectaco jetBook Reader: Where are the books for this device?

What’s missing here—besides technical information on what sort of document formats the jetBook supports—is the most obvious thing: books. We’re assuming the jetBook can handle the ASCII content in (say) the texts available via Project Gutenberg, but what about Word documents and PDFs? What about audio books, and the various DRM-protected formats used to distribute them? When Amazon launched its Kindle reader, it had distribution deals in place with major publishers to bring (ahem) top-shelf content to the Kindle immediately. Ectaco doesn’t seem to have any sort of distribution deals to bring content to the jetBook, noting only that “thousands of books can be downloaded for free.”

Continue reading . . .

Mar

26

Another Ereader Enters the Market: Ectaco jetBook

Filed Under Kindle, News, Reader, eReader, jetBook | Leave a Comment

From DVICE comes word of another Ereader to compete with the Amazon Kindle and the Sony Reader: the Ectaco jetBook.

If the Sony Reader and Amazon Kindle ebook readers just aren’t doing it for you, now there’s a third choice, the Ectaco jetBook that rolled out today. While this $349.95 reader’s 5-inch screen is smaller than the Sony Reader or Kindle (both with 6-inch screens), its 7.5-ounce weight makes it easier to carry around than both the 9-oz Sony Reader and even heftier 10.3-oz Kindle.

Continue reading . . .