July 9, 2010 at 22:28Zhelezyak Planet # 2: About e-books
Something stalled my digest initiative , but I did not abandon it - I’ll definitely continue. On the other hand, this post can easily pass for one of the issues ... well, yes, let it be so.
If you are incapable of smelling something in this generation, then you’re having to do my remoteness - you have the honor to read and, for the most part, that the e-mailing of King can make you a placenta. Today, the review will focus on five devices at once.
I tried to take into account some organizational issues - for example, now in the digest issues I will try to stick to any specific topic. But always only about what I personally used to use. Today in release:
- Pocketbook 360
- Pocketbook 302
- Orsio b731
- Sony PRS-900
- ASUS EeeTablet
Books are arranged in ascending order of screen diagonal. Well, or prices - the dependence is almost the same.
The smallest representative of electric books from those that I have ever seen. Only 5 inches of the screen (at the same time, the resolution is the same as that of the older brothers - 800x600, 200dpi, 16 gradations of gray). All this fit in a very compact case (124x145x10mm with a weight of 150 grams) - so compact that the device can easily fit in the side pocket of bridges, in the inside pocket of the jacket, in the tiniest section of the backpack - anywhere. And this, as it turned out, is a very big plus - sometimes I didn’t take the book because there was no place for it. There is no such problem here, the dimensions of the Pocketbook 360 are one of the main advantages. What can’t you say, for example, about the removable protective cover - I always had nowhere to put it on, it only got in the way (but you can’t do without it - the screen of books is the most fragile part).
Clickable
The case is black or ivory. Cheap enough plastic, but the price is very appropriate. Only two buttons, which are part of the case - it is because of this that they are very tight, which is annoying for a long reading. There is also a 5-way joystick - I liked it)
But despite the size, the book has absolutely every means of reading and even more. Firstly, a large battery life - from a single charge of the order of 8,000 “flipping”. Secondly, a rich assortment of supported formats - TXT, DOC, PDF, DJVU, RTF, EPUB, FB2, JPEG, BMP, GIF, HTML and CHM. As you can see, there are no MP3s and other audio formats on the list, so audiobooks are in flight. But there is a slot for microSD memory cards - this is also a plus. Excellent screen contrast and a fairly high speed - another spoonful of honey. And besides all of the above, there is a built-in dictionary from Lingvo, which is very convenient to use (as far as the touch screen allows). Well, if there is no reader among you, then you can play chess, solitaire (especially funny bw icons of suits), sudoku, sea battle, etc. - The rest can be downloaded online.
It’s clickable.
It’s good for everyone, but it hangs often, the infection - sometimes on a completely flat place. There is nothing pleasant about this. Pros and cons Small and light High speed The presence of a sensor to rotate text depending on the position of the device in space Support for many formats, the possibility of flashing It will be equally convenient for both right-handed and left-handed users Compatible with microSD memory cards Cheap plastic housing Does not support audio books Periodic hovering Tight buttons Price : from 9000 rubles.
The company released this device relatively recently and, apparently, a very big bet was made on it. So big that they forgot to bring to mind such an integral part of the device as software. It is frankly raw - if there were practically no freezes, then sometimes the book simply struck with its dullness. Or here are the settings ... they are full, there are even a lot of interesting ones. But I still couldn’t get Wi-Fi to work (like Bluetooth) - judging by the reviews, I am far from alone. And judging by the reviews, it still would not work - whoever handled the settings received a helpless browser as a reward :) In general, a very controversial set of zeros and ones as firmware is the only hope that they will be sawed and skinned to justify it null, so sooner or later the software matches the hardware stuffing.
Although ... and the device did not impress me externally (Literally scratching the plastic with a fingernail, a terribly creaky case - without gaps, but with an unnecessary chrome insert. Big buttons on the sides that I use ... well, I don’t know. Only the touch screen saved the situation (6 '', 600x800, 16 shades of gray), which hides all the imperfections for a while, it’s convenient to use, it’s convenient to control the device, it’s convenient to draw something in notes, etc. - it seems that the touch screen is still a plus for the book, rather than minus only sensory properties draw I have a number of disadvantages - the screen becomes more "blikabelnym", with slightly darker, not so contrasting.
Clickable
In terms of interface - there is much in common with the 360th book. Of the most pleasant changes is a noticeably revised dictionary, which is even more convenient to use on the touch screen. There was a notebook for sensory doodles, a couple of new applications (the game Snake, for example) and an MP3 player.
Accordingly, new formats have appeared - you can add MP3, ZIP, TIFF and PNG to the ones mentioned above. Accordingly, you can already listen to audio books, for which they made a 3.5mm headphone jack. They also made a USB host (a full-fledged USB port, damn it!))) And a microSD card slot.
Clickable
In general ... I expected much more - perhaps everything will change with the advent of firmware, but so far I have never been impressed. In stores, they ask for it 12,000 rubles - in principle, it’s only a thousand or two more than they ask for the previous (301st) model. Is a touch screen worth the money? I do not exclude it.
Pros and cons.
Large touch screen.
Good overall speed.
It will be equally convenient for both right-handed and left-handed users.
Support for many formats (including MP3), the possibility of flashing
USB, a microSD memory card. The
software is frankly raw.
The housing is made of cheap plastic, it is scratchy and prone to scratching
The screen is darkened due to the touch film
Price
Price : from 12000 rubles.
I will not tell you anything about this book for the reason that a year ago I did a meticulously detailed review and put it here only for completeness. Therefore, I will only say a few words over time.
The book almost does not freeze - for all the time it was 1 or 2 times. I did not count the exact number of flipping, for which the battery lasts, but there are no problems with the charge. The manufacturer promised to release a lot of firmware - yes, they were and I carefully monitored them, but by and large there were only cosmetic improvements. Either the logo will be changed when turned on, the progress bar will be moved, or something will be mixed in the settings. In general, I expected more, but on the whole I am not upset - there is more than enough for what is comfortable for reading. Speed is good too.
The price almost did not fall, the device still costs from 10 to 13 thousand rubles - in my opinion, it is no longer worth the money. Maybe, of course, it’s worth it, but for the same money you can find quite a few more advanced devices. And this one is already morally old - doesn’t know some formats, doesn’t have a dictionary or anything else. Well, you will have to get used to the controls - the buttons are on the sides and I still sometimes get confused.
I wore it only in a case, but still did not peel off the transport film from the screen - it doesn’t interfere, okay) The book is like new.
By the way, the company is preparing a new model, Orsio b751 - it seems like it will be relatively budget.
Clickable Pros and Cons Lightweight and made of soft-touch Large contrast screen Good speed
MP3 player function
SD card support
Some formats are not supported
Inconvenient operation, tight buttons
Price
Price : from 10000 rubles
One of the most enjoyable devices in the digest;) If only because it costs more than everyone, which imposes an obligation on the manufacturer to do something worthy. And they did.
It all starts with unpacking the box - I was surprised to see a large hard wicker cover for transportation. You can’t put such a lump in your pocket - unless in a briefcase or in the trunk. But then you can not worry about the safety of the device in it - it will not get wet or crush. Wow.
But there is a “case” on the device itself - in the form of a folding hard cover made of leather. The latter is non-removable (or I did not understand the shooting - it’s better to misunderstand than to re-understand) and this is not very convenient - when open, it almost doubles the thickness of the device. Anyway, it’s better to keep the lid separate, as is the case with the Pocketbook 360.
Clickable An
oblong touch screen with a diagonal of 7 inches (800x1024, 16 shades of gray) - the stylus is hidden in one of the chrome ends, but just in case there are a few hardware "buttons for control. All this is in a neat and stylish matte metal case, which is in every way more reliable than plastic. No squeaks, no backlashes - what is needed in everyday life.
Removable battery (as many as 15,000 flips) under which there is ... a SIM card slot! True, the joy was incomplete - so far only SIM cards from overseas AT&T are suitable there (I hate this company). But there are already two slots for memory cards - for large SD-cards (and all similar ones) and for Sonia memorials. As a bonus - a headphone jack.
High speed - turning over occurs almost instantly. Navigating the menu is also very nimble - nice. Not many formats are supported (TXT, DOC, PDF, RTF, EPUB, JPEG, BMP, GIF, PNG, MP3, AAC), but the sound is very high-quality (and not nasty by ear), and you can take notes in text documents - select something, draw-mark. Well, there is a new Oxford dictionary. Nice interface, but there are not as many settings as we would like from this kind of device. Everything is in English, but it seems like localized firmware is also available on the network - I did not recognize it.
By and large, only positive emotions remained, but as someone already said, “burn it for such a price with fire” :) Everything in Sony’s best traditions is quality, crap with formats and at a high price.
Clickable
Pros and cons.
Excellent equipment.
Excellent build quality, metal case.
Large touch screen.
High speed.
Support for two types of memory cards.
Function of an MP3 player.
Screen flashes.
3G module has not yet worked.
No support for some formats.
Price
Price : from 15500 rubles
This is already a bonus for those who may have missed the news. Not so long ago (in June at Computex 2010), ASUS made its debut in the e-book market by launching a digital tablet reader. I was one of the first to use it (although only half an hour), but this was more than enough to make a good impression.
I already wrote in detailbut in short - a stylish and high-quality metal case (I liked it much more than a premium-book from Sony), 2-megapixel camera, Wi-Fi, passive LCD-screen without backlight (outwardly exactly the same as e-ink, but allows you to scroll through images as an example faster than all the devices mentioned above), a built-in voice recorder and an MP3 player. Well, a wonderful touch screen - even in the crude engineering version, a notebook was available in which it was possible to draw with different "colors" and different "thicknesses".
But the most pleasant bonus that awaits us is the price. According to the promises, already at the beginning of the school year it will amount to “up to $ 300”, which in terms of our currency will be similar to the amounts that are now being asked for all kinds of pocketbooks. Therefore, it may make sense to wait.
Clickable
No, ASUS has nothing to do with it, I’m almost never contacting them;)
Last month, we went to St. Petersburg for an economic forum and one person from IXBT rode with us in a compartment. Then we had quite a lively conversation (if not a dispute) about the future of electronic books. Apparently, they definitely have it and are quite bright - the technology has been worked out, the production process has been established, nothing portends trouble. But they discussed not so much the problem of books, but ... material that can be uploaded to them. It’s clear that there will always be some kind of content, but what about authors of books like the same Bushkov or someone else? As far as I know, now they live on the fact that they have a% of the sales of the circulation of their works, and in the case of electronic books this percentage will no longer be. After all, you can buy an electronic version of the book and immediately spray it on all the Internet - here no copy protection will help.
Therefore, it would be interesting to know the opinion of readers in this regard. E-books - the beginning of the end of Dontsova or ...? Only fans of their work will remain (how long ago, when they wrote without profit) or ...? There will be many hacked (sooner or later) content protection mechanisms that will only complicate life, or ...? In general, we then had a lot of “or” and we did not come to a common denominator)
The rest of the e-book is an extremely useful device, the choice of which must be approached wisely. The slightest mistake and you have to live with it all the time) After all, a book is a rather expensive gadget with a large resource. But, again, useful: knowledge is power! Although all people are different, and if you have never read (and are not ready for such changes), then no book will help here, with or without a touch screen. Among other things, an e-book can also be a great universal gift. And it’s great if I managed to somehow help you with the choice;)
Thank you aMac online store for providing Sony PRS-900 for the test.
Thank you Marina Rozhkova for the provided pocketbooks for the test.
Thank you ASUS CEO for entrusting me with EeeTablet
Thank you for buying Orsio b731 a year ago :)
Write topics that interest you!
To be continued.
Usepkhov!
If you are incapable of smelling something in this generation, then you’re having to do my remoteness - you have the honor to read and, for the most part, that the e-mailing of King can make you a placenta. Today, the review will focus on five devices at once.
I tried to take into account some organizational issues - for example, now in the digest issues I will try to stick to any specific topic. But always only about what I personally used to use. Today in release:
- Pocketbook 360
- Pocketbook 302
- Orsio b731
- Sony PRS-900
- ASUS EeeTablet
Books are arranged in ascending order of screen diagonal. Well, or prices - the dependence is almost the same.
1. Pocketbook 360
The smallest representative of electric books from those that I have ever seen. Only 5 inches of the screen (at the same time, the resolution is the same as that of the older brothers - 800x600, 200dpi, 16 gradations of gray). All this fit in a very compact case (124x145x10mm with a weight of 150 grams) - so compact that the device can easily fit in the side pocket of bridges, in the inside pocket of the jacket, in the tiniest section of the backpack - anywhere. And this, as it turned out, is a very big plus - sometimes I didn’t take the book because there was no place for it. There is no such problem here, the dimensions of the Pocketbook 360 are one of the main advantages. What can’t you say, for example, about the removable protective cover - I always had nowhere to put it on, it only got in the way (but you can’t do without it - the screen of books is the most fragile part).
Clickable
The case is black or ivory. Cheap enough plastic, but the price is very appropriate. Only two buttons, which are part of the case - it is because of this that they are very tight, which is annoying for a long reading. There is also a 5-way joystick - I liked it)
But despite the size, the book has absolutely every means of reading and even more. Firstly, a large battery life - from a single charge of the order of 8,000 “flipping”. Secondly, a rich assortment of supported formats - TXT, DOC, PDF, DJVU, RTF, EPUB, FB2, JPEG, BMP, GIF, HTML and CHM. As you can see, there are no MP3s and other audio formats on the list, so audiobooks are in flight. But there is a slot for microSD memory cards - this is also a plus. Excellent screen contrast and a fairly high speed - another spoonful of honey. And besides all of the above, there is a built-in dictionary from Lingvo, which is very convenient to use (as far as the touch screen allows). Well, if there is no reader among you, then you can play chess, solitaire (especially funny bw icons of suits), sudoku, sea battle, etc. - The rest can be downloaded online.
It’s clickable.
It’s good for everyone, but it hangs often, the infection - sometimes on a completely flat place. There is nothing pleasant about this. Pros and cons Small and light High speed The presence of a sensor to rotate text depending on the position of the device in space Support for many formats, the possibility of flashing It will be equally convenient for both right-handed and left-handed users Compatible with microSD memory cards Cheap plastic housing Does not support audio books Periodic hovering Tight buttons Price : from 9000 rubles.
2. Pocketbook 302
The company released this device relatively recently and, apparently, a very big bet was made on it. So big that they forgot to bring to mind such an integral part of the device as software. It is frankly raw - if there were practically no freezes, then sometimes the book simply struck with its dullness. Or here are the settings ... they are full, there are even a lot of interesting ones. But I still couldn’t get Wi-Fi to work (like Bluetooth) - judging by the reviews, I am far from alone. And judging by the reviews, it still would not work - whoever handled the settings received a helpless browser as a reward :) In general, a very controversial set of zeros and ones as firmware is the only hope that they will be sawed and skinned to justify it null, so sooner or later the software matches the hardware stuffing.
Although ... and the device did not impress me externally (Literally scratching the plastic with a fingernail, a terribly creaky case - without gaps, but with an unnecessary chrome insert. Big buttons on the sides that I use ... well, I don’t know. Only the touch screen saved the situation (6 '', 600x800, 16 shades of gray), which hides all the imperfections for a while, it’s convenient to use, it’s convenient to control the device, it’s convenient to draw something in notes, etc. - it seems that the touch screen is still a plus for the book, rather than minus only sensory properties draw I have a number of disadvantages - the screen becomes more "blikabelnym", with slightly darker, not so contrasting.
Clickable
In terms of interface - there is much in common with the 360th book. Of the most pleasant changes is a noticeably revised dictionary, which is even more convenient to use on the touch screen. There was a notebook for sensory doodles, a couple of new applications (the game Snake, for example) and an MP3 player.
Accordingly, new formats have appeared - you can add MP3, ZIP, TIFF and PNG to the ones mentioned above. Accordingly, you can already listen to audio books, for which they made a 3.5mm headphone jack. They also made a USB host (a full-fledged USB port, damn it!))) And a microSD card slot.
Clickable
In general ... I expected much more - perhaps everything will change with the advent of firmware, but so far I have never been impressed. In stores, they ask for it 12,000 rubles - in principle, it’s only a thousand or two more than they ask for the previous (301st) model. Is a touch screen worth the money? I do not exclude it.
Pros and cons. Large touch screen. Good overall speed. It will be equally convenient for both right-handed and left-handed users. Support for many formats (including MP3), the possibility of flashing USB, a microSD memory card. The software is frankly raw. The housing is made of cheap plastic, it is scratchy and prone to scratching The screen is darkened due to the touch film Price Price : from 12000 rubles.
3. Orsio b731
I will not tell you anything about this book for the reason that a year ago I did a meticulously detailed review and put it here only for completeness. Therefore, I will only say a few words over time.
The book almost does not freeze - for all the time it was 1 or 2 times. I did not count the exact number of flipping, for which the battery lasts, but there are no problems with the charge. The manufacturer promised to release a lot of firmware - yes, they were and I carefully monitored them, but by and large there were only cosmetic improvements. Either the logo will be changed when turned on, the progress bar will be moved, or something will be mixed in the settings. In general, I expected more, but on the whole I am not upset - there is more than enough for what is comfortable for reading. Speed is good too.
The price almost did not fall, the device still costs from 10 to 13 thousand rubles - in my opinion, it is no longer worth the money. Maybe, of course, it’s worth it, but for the same money you can find quite a few more advanced devices. And this one is already morally old - doesn’t know some formats, doesn’t have a dictionary or anything else. Well, you will have to get used to the controls - the buttons are on the sides and I still sometimes get confused.
I wore it only in a case, but still did not peel off the transport film from the screen - it doesn’t interfere, okay) The book is like new.
By the way, the company is preparing a new model, Orsio b751 - it seems like it will be relatively budget.
Clickable Pros and Cons Lightweight and made of soft-touch Large contrast screen Good speed
MP3 player function SD card support Some formats are not supported Inconvenient operation, tight buttons Price Price : from 10000 rubles
4. Sony PRS-900
One of the most enjoyable devices in the digest;) If only because it costs more than everyone, which imposes an obligation on the manufacturer to do something worthy. And they did.
It all starts with unpacking the box - I was surprised to see a large hard wicker cover for transportation. You can’t put such a lump in your pocket - unless in a briefcase or in the trunk. But then you can not worry about the safety of the device in it - it will not get wet or crush. Wow.
But there is a “case” on the device itself - in the form of a folding hard cover made of leather. The latter is non-removable (or I did not understand the shooting - it’s better to misunderstand than to re-understand) and this is not very convenient - when open, it almost doubles the thickness of the device. Anyway, it’s better to keep the lid separate, as is the case with the Pocketbook 360.
Clickable An
oblong touch screen with a diagonal of 7 inches (800x1024, 16 shades of gray) - the stylus is hidden in one of the chrome ends, but just in case there are a few hardware "buttons for control. All this is in a neat and stylish matte metal case, which is in every way more reliable than plastic. No squeaks, no backlashes - what is needed in everyday life.
Removable battery (as many as 15,000 flips) under which there is ... a SIM card slot! True, the joy was incomplete - so far only SIM cards from overseas AT&T are suitable there (I hate this company). But there are already two slots for memory cards - for large SD-cards (and all similar ones) and for Sonia memorials. As a bonus - a headphone jack.
High speed - turning over occurs almost instantly. Navigating the menu is also very nimble - nice. Not many formats are supported (TXT, DOC, PDF, RTF, EPUB, JPEG, BMP, GIF, PNG, MP3, AAC), but the sound is very high-quality (and not nasty by ear), and you can take notes in text documents - select something, draw-mark. Well, there is a new Oxford dictionary. Nice interface, but there are not as many settings as we would like from this kind of device. Everything is in English, but it seems like localized firmware is also available on the network - I did not recognize it.
By and large, only positive emotions remained, but as someone already said, “burn it for such a price with fire” :) Everything in Sony’s best traditions is quality, crap with formats and at a high price.
Clickable
Pros and cons. Excellent equipment. Excellent build quality, metal case. Large touch screen. High speed. Support for two types of memory cards. Function of an MP3 player. Screen flashes. 3G module has not yet worked. No support for some formats. Price Price : from 15500 rubles
5. ASUS EeeTablet
This is already a bonus for those who may have missed the news. Not so long ago (in June at Computex 2010), ASUS made its debut in the e-book market by launching a digital tablet reader. I was one of the first to use it (although only half an hour), but this was more than enough to make a good impression.
I already wrote in detailbut in short - a stylish and high-quality metal case (I liked it much more than a premium-book from Sony), 2-megapixel camera, Wi-Fi, passive LCD-screen without backlight (outwardly exactly the same as e-ink, but allows you to scroll through images as an example faster than all the devices mentioned above), a built-in voice recorder and an MP3 player. Well, a wonderful touch screen - even in the crude engineering version, a notebook was available in which it was possible to draw with different "colors" and different "thicknesses".
But the most pleasant bonus that awaits us is the price. According to the promises, already at the beginning of the school year it will amount to “up to $ 300”, which in terms of our currency will be similar to the amounts that are now being asked for all kinds of pocketbooks. Therefore, it may make sense to wait.
Clickable
No, ASUS has nothing to do with it, I’m almost never contacting them;)
The end
Last month, we went to St. Petersburg for an economic forum and one person from IXBT rode with us in a compartment. Then we had quite a lively conversation (if not a dispute) about the future of electronic books. Apparently, they definitely have it and are quite bright - the technology has been worked out, the production process has been established, nothing portends trouble. But they discussed not so much the problem of books, but ... material that can be uploaded to them. It’s clear that there will always be some kind of content, but what about authors of books like the same Bushkov or someone else? As far as I know, now they live on the fact that they have a% of the sales of the circulation of their works, and in the case of electronic books this percentage will no longer be. After all, you can buy an electronic version of the book and immediately spray it on all the Internet - here no copy protection will help.
Therefore, it would be interesting to know the opinion of readers in this regard. E-books - the beginning of the end of Dontsova or ...? Only fans of their work will remain (how long ago, when they wrote without profit) or ...? There will be many hacked (sooner or later) content protection mechanisms that will only complicate life, or ...? In general, we then had a lot of “or” and we did not come to a common denominator)
The rest of the e-book is an extremely useful device, the choice of which must be approached wisely. The slightest mistake and you have to live with it all the time) After all, a book is a rather expensive gadget with a large resource. But, again, useful: knowledge is power! Although all people are different, and if you have never read (and are not ready for such changes), then no book will help here, with or without a touch screen. Among other things, an e-book can also be a great universal gift. And it’s great if I managed to somehow help you with the choice;)
Thank you aMac online store for providing Sony PRS-900 for the test. Thank you Marina Rozhkova for the provided pocketbooks for the test. Thank you ASUS CEO for entrusting me with EeeTabletThank you for buying Orsio b731 a year ago :) Write topics that interest you!
To be continued.
Usepkhov!