May 16, 2007 at 20:00Devices with electronic ink screens
Immediately agree that we will only talk about those devices that you can really buy. BlueChute and others are not considered, due to the fact that these are prototypes. The text will be a little messy and I give my feelings according to my feelings, I apologize right away. So, let's begin.
To date, there are only FOUR devices and they are all built on screens from eInk. All other screens are in prototypes. There is another screen, but it does not come anywhere except for its brand.
I want to immediately refute the existing misconception about the cheapness of this technology, described in various media. Yes, indeed, in those days when this technology was just beginning to develop, the cost of producing such screens was lower than the cost of similar TFT screens (with which they are constantly being compared). But since then, a lot of time has passed and the cost of the TFT screen has fallen significantly, and the cost of eInk has remained unchanged. And now a TFT screen of the same size costs about 2 times cheaper than a similar eInk. In a device with an eInk screen, the cost of the screen is more than half the total cost of the device.Screen quality ALL devices are the same !!! Whiter-grayer, more contrast-paler, these are all subjective judgments. For example, devices 1,3 and 4 receive screens from ONE warehouse with the same part number. Draw your own conclusions. The screen in device 2 supports 16 shades of gray, but believe my considerable experience, you will not appreciate the difference between 4 and 16 on a monochrom in pictures :-). The speed of updating information on the eInk screen is not instantaneous. For simplicity: about the same as you spend turning over a regular paper page in a book.
Device 1. STAReBOOK
Screen 6 "SVGA 600x800 2 bit. Produced in Taiwan in extremely small batches. Very thin and light, not interesting for the Russian market, and therefore not for sale. It only supports its Chinese comics, software for preparation is appropriate. We managed to fasten the Russian language to this device but it’s almost unreadable, the font is one, there are no spaces)). Bringing to mind is difficult and expensive.
Device 2. iRex ILiad
Screen 8.1 "XGA 768x1024 4-bit. Philips announced its product long before the release, which generated a lot of rumors. The funny thing is that after the release, half of the rumors appeared on the device’s official website :-). According to them, this device has just pies the oven will not be :-). What do we really have? By the quality of execution, I would put 6 out of 5! And for the rocking chair (this is the button for turning pages, which is the main tool in the electronic book) I would put a monument to them! True those who use the device say intensely that the paint quickly peels off. Now about the functionality. Pros. A large screen of 8 "which makes it quite acceptable to read pdf documents. Touch screen that allows you to take notes in books. It's comfortable. It has its own memory on board and is expanded by SD cards. On this, the advantages of this device ended ... It's a pity. Of all that the company said it really works: reading pdf and txt documents. All. Not mp3 and anything else! Let's go about the cons. Text documents can only be scaled to + -1 point in a single font. No mp3 support. Built-in network facilities (WiFi and ethernet 100m) are used only for updating firmware. There are some hacks that seem to allow you to go online, but we only consider official things, because anything else could void your warranty. The device is sold through the official online store on their own website. The cost of the device is 600 euros. Delivery to Russia is, but only through FedEx, respectively, it will not be possible to import duty-free. The cost in Russia is about 100 euros. And now the most important minus: Of all that the company said it really works: reading pdf and txt documents. All. Not mp3 and anything else! Let's go about the cons. Text documents can only be scaled to + -1 point in a single font. No mp3 support. Built-in network facilities (WiFi and ethernet 100m) are used only for updating firmware. There are some hacks that seem to allow you to go online, but we only consider official things, because anything else could void your warranty. The device is sold through the official online store on their own website. The cost of the device is 600 euros. Delivery to Russia is, but only through FedEx, respectively, it will not be possible to import duty-free. The cost in Russia is about 100 euros. And now the most important minus: Of all that the company said it really works: reading pdf and txt documents. All. Not mp3 and anything else! Let's go about the cons. Text documents can only be scaled to + -1 point in a single font. No mp3 support. Built-in network facilities (WiFi and ethernet 100m) are used only for updating firmware. There are some hacks that seem to allow you to go online, but we only consider official things, because anything else could void your warranty. The device is sold through the official online store on their own website. The cost of the device is 600 euros. Delivery to Russia is, but only through FedEx, respectively, it will not be possible to import duty-free. The cost in Russia is about 100 euros. And now the most important minus: Text documents can only be scaled to + -1 point in a single font. No mp3 support. Built-in network facilities (WiFi and ethernet 100m) are used only for updating firmware. There are some hacks that seem to allow you to go online, but we only consider official things, because anything else could void your warranty. The device is sold through the official online store on their own website. The cost of the device is 600 euros. Delivery to Russia is, but only through FedEx, respectively, it will not be possible to import duty-free. The cost in Russia is about 100 euros. And now the most important minus: Text documents can only be scaled to + -1 point in a single font. No mp3 support. Built-in network facilities (WiFi and ethernet 100m) are used only for updating firmware. There are some hacks that seem to allow you to go online, but we only consider official things, because anything else could void your warranty. The device is sold through the official online store on their own website. The cost of the device is 600 euros. Delivery to Russia is, but only through FedEx, respectively, it will not be possible to import duty-free. The cost in Russia is about 100 euros. And now the most important minus: which seem to allow you to go online, but we only consider official things, because anything else could void your warranty. The device is sold through the official online store on their own website. The cost of the device is 600 euros. Delivery to Russia is, but only through FedEx, respectively, it will not be possible to import duty-free. The cost in Russia is about 100 euros. And now the most important minus: which seem to allow you to go online, but we only consider official things, because anything else could void your warranty. The device is sold through the official online store on their own website. The cost of the device is 600 euros. Delivery to Russia is, but only through FedEx, respectively, it will not be possible to import duty-free. The cost in Russia is about 100 euros. And now the most important minus:the device works on a single charge no more than 12-13 hours! And in order to recharge it, you need to connect a special adapter with a size of 13x30x200mm to which to connect the PSU. Conclusion: the device is relevant only to those who have to read a lot of pdf documents.
Device 3. Sony Reader PRS-500
Screen 6 "SVGA 600x800 2 bit. This is the reincarnation of the famous Sonevsky Librie, which was the first eInk book and sold exclusively in the Japanese market. Rumors also started to circulate about a year before the device was released. The device came out as expected. Very high-quality performance, support txt pdf jpg mp3. Expansion of memory MS, SD. In my opinion not very convenient usability, only under the left hand. Russified by changing firmware. Officially sold only in the USA. Cost in Russia about 15,000 rubles. Works under the control of its own modification Linux, requires shutting down, working time is about 6000 pages, yes, the working hours of devices with eInk screens are calculated in pages, because the energy is spent mainly on updating information on the screen
.LBook eReader V8 We
got to the most interesting and easiest to use device :-). Screen 6 "SVGA 600x800 2 bit. The device was developed by Panasonic, then it was transferred to the Chinese company Tianjin Jinke Electronics Co., LTD. Which manufactures it under OEM licenses for the Russian and Ukrainian markets. The quality of performance is 4. In reality, the device looks much better than in the photo, all because of the glossy varnished case. Firmware was rewritten for the Russian-speaking reader. Therefore, the main one is there. It supports the formats: txt, html, wolf. Wolf own raster format. The converter is a virtual printer that allows anyadapt the document for this device. Supports table of contents. HTML does not support images. But txt does not require conversion, it offers a choice of 8 fonts (with the ability to load your own), vertical and horizontal page orientation. You can set 3 bookmarks. Support for playing mp3 in parallel with reading a book. the equipment for sale is the most complete: device, PSU, headphones, flannel case, SD card 512MB, USB 2.0 SD adapter. Cost from 9750 rubles to 12000 in some libraries with access to paid content. Warranty in Russia 12 months. The device uses a universal Nokia BL-5C battery. Operating time from one charge to 10,000 pages, from practice, this is about a month of intensive reading.
That's all for now. About prospects in the next release :-).
Update: a bit at all. Shouts: yes why do I need it when I have a PDA for less money I hear all the time. The fact is that this screen needs to be seen. Mandatory. Then you will understand everything. You will forget about reading from the PDA as a nightmare. The screen really looks like text on paper. No fatigue or harmful effects on the eyes. Believe my experience, if you read a lot, then it's worth it.
Now about the backlight. 1. it is harmful to the eyes, ask any ophthalmologist. 2. (as I answer everyone) and you ask the newspaper at the kiosk konfereik to read it under the covers at night? :-)
To date, there are only FOUR devices and they are all built on screens from eInk. All other screens are in prototypes. There is another screen, but it does not come anywhere except for its brand.
I want to immediately refute the existing misconception about the cheapness of this technology, described in various media. Yes, indeed, in those days when this technology was just beginning to develop, the cost of producing such screens was lower than the cost of similar TFT screens (with which they are constantly being compared). But since then, a lot of time has passed and the cost of the TFT screen has fallen significantly, and the cost of eInk has remained unchanged. And now a TFT screen of the same size costs about 2 times cheaper than a similar eInk. In a device with an eInk screen, the cost of the screen is more than half the total cost of the device.Screen quality ALL devices are the same !!! Whiter-grayer, more contrast-paler, these are all subjective judgments. For example, devices 1,3 and 4 receive screens from ONE warehouse with the same part number. Draw your own conclusions. The screen in device 2 supports 16 shades of gray, but believe my considerable experience, you will not appreciate the difference between 4 and 16 on a monochrom in pictures :-). The speed of updating information on the eInk screen is not instantaneous. For simplicity: about the same as you spend turning over a regular paper page in a book.
Device 1. STAReBOOK
Screen 6 "SVGA 600x800 2 bit. Produced in Taiwan in extremely small batches. Very thin and light, not interesting for the Russian market, and therefore not for sale. It only supports its Chinese comics, software for preparation is appropriate. We managed to fasten the Russian language to this device but it’s almost unreadable, the font is one, there are no spaces)). Bringing to mind is difficult and expensive.
Device 2. iRex ILiad
Screen 8.1 "XGA 768x1024 4-bit. Philips announced its product long before the release, which generated a lot of rumors. The funny thing is that after the release, half of the rumors appeared on the device’s official website :-). According to them, this device has just pies the oven will not be :-). What do we really have? By the quality of execution, I would put 6 out of 5! And for the rocking chair (this is the button for turning pages, which is the main tool in the electronic book) I would put a monument to them! True those who use the device say intensely that the paint quickly peels off. Now about the functionality. Pros. A large screen of 8 "which makes it quite acceptable to read pdf documents. Touch screen that allows you to take notes in books. It's comfortable. It has its own memory on board and is expanded by SD cards. On this, the advantages of this device ended ... It's a pity. Of all that the company said it really works: reading pdf and txt documents. All. Not mp3 and anything else! Let's go about the cons. Text documents can only be scaled to + -1 point in a single font. No mp3 support. Built-in network facilities (WiFi and ethernet 100m) are used only for updating firmware. There are some hacks that seem to allow you to go online, but we only consider official things, because anything else could void your warranty. The device is sold through the official online store on their own website. The cost of the device is 600 euros. Delivery to Russia is, but only through FedEx, respectively, it will not be possible to import duty-free. The cost in Russia is about 100 euros. And now the most important minus: Of all that the company said it really works: reading pdf and txt documents. All. Not mp3 and anything else! Let's go about the cons. Text documents can only be scaled to + -1 point in a single font. No mp3 support. Built-in network facilities (WiFi and ethernet 100m) are used only for updating firmware. There are some hacks that seem to allow you to go online, but we only consider official things, because anything else could void your warranty. The device is sold through the official online store on their own website. The cost of the device is 600 euros. Delivery to Russia is, but only through FedEx, respectively, it will not be possible to import duty-free. The cost in Russia is about 100 euros. And now the most important minus: Of all that the company said it really works: reading pdf and txt documents. All. Not mp3 and anything else! Let's go about the cons. Text documents can only be scaled to + -1 point in a single font. No mp3 support. Built-in network facilities (WiFi and ethernet 100m) are used only for updating firmware. There are some hacks that seem to allow you to go online, but we only consider official things, because anything else could void your warranty. The device is sold through the official online store on their own website. The cost of the device is 600 euros. Delivery to Russia is, but only through FedEx, respectively, it will not be possible to import duty-free. The cost in Russia is about 100 euros. And now the most important minus: Text documents can only be scaled to + -1 point in a single font. No mp3 support. Built-in network facilities (WiFi and ethernet 100m) are used only for updating firmware. There are some hacks that seem to allow you to go online, but we only consider official things, because anything else could void your warranty. The device is sold through the official online store on their own website. The cost of the device is 600 euros. Delivery to Russia is, but only through FedEx, respectively, it will not be possible to import duty-free. The cost in Russia is about 100 euros. And now the most important minus: Text documents can only be scaled to + -1 point in a single font. No mp3 support. Built-in network facilities (WiFi and ethernet 100m) are used only for updating firmware. There are some hacks that seem to allow you to go online, but we only consider official things, because anything else could void your warranty. The device is sold through the official online store on their own website. The cost of the device is 600 euros. Delivery to Russia is, but only through FedEx, respectively, it will not be possible to import duty-free. The cost in Russia is about 100 euros. And now the most important minus: which seem to allow you to go online, but we only consider official things, because anything else could void your warranty. The device is sold through the official online store on their own website. The cost of the device is 600 euros. Delivery to Russia is, but only through FedEx, respectively, it will not be possible to import duty-free. The cost in Russia is about 100 euros. And now the most important minus: which seem to allow you to go online, but we only consider official things, because anything else could void your warranty. The device is sold through the official online store on their own website. The cost of the device is 600 euros. Delivery to Russia is, but only through FedEx, respectively, it will not be possible to import duty-free. The cost in Russia is about 100 euros. And now the most important minus:the device works on a single charge no more than 12-13 hours! And in order to recharge it, you need to connect a special adapter with a size of 13x30x200mm to which to connect the PSU. Conclusion: the device is relevant only to those who have to read a lot of pdf documents.
Device 3. Sony Reader PRS-500
Screen 6 "SVGA 600x800 2 bit. This is the reincarnation of the famous Sonevsky Librie, which was the first eInk book and sold exclusively in the Japanese market. Rumors also started to circulate about a year before the device was released. The device came out as expected. Very high-quality performance, support txt pdf jpg mp3. Expansion of memory MS, SD. In my opinion not very convenient usability, only under the left hand. Russified by changing firmware. Officially sold only in the USA. Cost in Russia about 15,000 rubles. Works under the control of its own modification Linux, requires shutting down, working time is about 6000 pages, yes, the working hours of devices with eInk screens are calculated in pages, because the energy is spent mainly on updating information on the screen
.LBook eReader V8 We
got to the most interesting and easiest to use device :-). Screen 6 "SVGA 600x800 2 bit. The device was developed by Panasonic, then it was transferred to the Chinese company Tianjin Jinke Electronics Co., LTD. Which manufactures it under OEM licenses for the Russian and Ukrainian markets. The quality of performance is 4. In reality, the device looks much better than in the photo, all because of the glossy varnished case. Firmware was rewritten for the Russian-speaking reader. Therefore, the main one is there. It supports the formats: txt, html, wolf. Wolf own raster format. The converter is a virtual printer that allows anyadapt the document for this device. Supports table of contents. HTML does not support images. But txt does not require conversion, it offers a choice of 8 fonts (with the ability to load your own), vertical and horizontal page orientation. You can set 3 bookmarks. Support for playing mp3 in parallel with reading a book. the equipment for sale is the most complete: device, PSU, headphones, flannel case, SD card 512MB, USB 2.0 SD adapter. Cost from 9750 rubles to 12000 in some libraries with access to paid content. Warranty in Russia 12 months. The device uses a universal Nokia BL-5C battery. Operating time from one charge to 10,000 pages, from practice, this is about a month of intensive reading.
That's all for now. About prospects in the next release :-).
Update: a bit at all. Shouts: yes why do I need it when I have a PDA for less money I hear all the time. The fact is that this screen needs to be seen. Mandatory. Then you will understand everything. You will forget about reading from the PDA as a nightmare. The screen really looks like text on paper. No fatigue or harmful effects on the eyes. Believe my experience, if you read a lot, then it's worth it.
Now about the backlight. 1. it is harmful to the eyes, ask any ophthalmologist. 2. (as I answer everyone) and you ask the newspaper at the kiosk konfereik to read it under the covers at night? :-)