Yeah, it isn't a computer, but who gives a fuck?
I'm going to order the Aluratek Libre eBook Reader Pro with 2GB card for all my naughty books. $169, but if I had ordered it during black friday, I could have had it for 137 thru newegg. dogfuckers.
http://aluratek.com/product_info.php?products_id=102&display=All
Hopefully, the PDF support isn't a joke.
Quote from: Ed Anger on December 05, 2009, 06:38:42 PM
Hopefully, the PDF support isn't a joke.
Lemme know. S' father has been blathering on and on about wanting an ebook reader. I'm kind of having a :blink: moment when I look at the specs and realize it doesn't support PNG images, though. I'd think they would want to encourage PNG to keep file sizes down.
Yeah, keep us posted. I've been thinking of getting one.
The credit card I use for online purchases (low limit, blah blah) decided to be a bitch. purchase delayed while I yell at someone over the phone.
Should have waited to next summer.
Looks like the e-book reader market is really starting to expand. I might get one when they start to edge down closer to $100.
Okay, after yelling at multiple people regarding one of my cards , I ordered the ECTACO one.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16858723001
Expect a terse, short review in my usual style.
Quote from: derspiess on December 07, 2009, 01:23:52 PM
Looks like the e-book reader market is really starting to expand. I might get one when they start to edge down closer to $100.
Me too.
They really are gonna be the ipod of the next 5 years.
Quote from: DontSayBanana on December 06, 2009, 08:42:06 PM
Lemme know. S' father has been blathering on and on about wanting an ebook reader. I'm kind of having a :blink: moment when I look at the specs and realize it doesn't support PNG images, though. I'd think they would want to encourage PNG to keep file sizes down.
:rolleyes:
One of my brothers just got an iLiber for his birthday. They are all more or less equal, 8 levels of grey, 6" screen, inner memory plus SD card, doubling as mp3 player... He's really happy with it, with only a few minor problems: many pdfs aren't adapted for small screens, and color comics are almost illegible (black&white ones are perfectly readable, tough) and supposedly on occasions special characters like the spanish 'ñ' aren't rendered correctly, but he hasn't found any example until now.
Hopefully we start seeing more of these on display in stores. The only one I've had a chance to get my hands on was the Sony model they had on display at Target. Liked it, but didn't "like it-like it". Amazon might have sold me a Kindle at some point if I had been able to play with one.
An e-book reader is something I would be spending a lot of time with, so I would want to make damned sure I like the control, layout, & interface before I buy one.
That having been said, if I had money to burn & I weren't still boycotting Barnes & Noble, I'd buy a nook in a heartbeat to hack it & get free 3G web browsing :D http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/17/nook-hacked-with-web-browser-facebook-and-twitter-for-starters/
Quote from: derspiess on December 17, 2009, 11:17:17 AM
Hopefully we start seeing more of these on display in stores. The only one I've had a chance to get my hands on was the Sony model they had on display at Target. Liked it, but didn't "like it-like it". Amazon might have sold me a Kindle at some point if I had been able to play with one.
An e-book reader is something I would be spending a lot of time with, so I would want to make damned sure I like the control, layout, & interface before I buy one.
That having been said, if I had money to burn & I weren't still boycotting Barnes & Noble, I'd buy a nook in a heartbeat to hack it & get free 3G web browsing :D http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/17/nook-hacked-with-web-browser-facebook-and-twitter-for-starters/
I read on mobile read that one of the brands has gotten itself in IGA supermarkets. I know when I go in a supermarket, I'm looking for consumer electronics.
Quote from: Ed Anger on December 17, 2009, 03:19:57 PM
I read on mobile read that one of the brands has gotten itself in IGA supermarkets. I know when I go in a supermarket, I'm looking for consumer electronics.
Awesome. Is the brand on par with the mp3 players you find in CVS stores? :D
Centon, better than iPod.
Quote from: Ed Anger on December 17, 2009, 05:01:04 PM
Centon, better than iPod.
Craig FTW. You get cutting edge design *and* quality.
Quote from: garbon on December 17, 2009, 02:42:41 AM
:rolleyes:
Uh, what? PNG comes in much smaller than JPEG and anti-aliases a lot nicer because PNG supports an alpha channel. If you wanna stick with dithered, newspaper-quality JPEGs, be my guest. I'm just saying that PNG would make for better illustrations. In terms of quality, it's RAW>BMP>TIFF>PNG>JPEG>GIF.
Got my jetbook today. I need to charge it overnight before I can give it a whirl.
Keep us posted.
I don't think I'm getting one until the technology matures and they sort out all the ass-retarded DRM bullshit.
The jetbook has no DRM issues. It can't play DRM files. :lol:
Which isn't a problem, I've stored up ebooks for the past 5-6 years, squirreling them away.
Also, there will be no "unboxing" video, as that is one of the stupidest things on the internet.
MAH FLESHLIGHT IS HERE! LET ME FILM THE UNBOXING!
The fucker is quite readable, I'll give it that.
Also, the Pdf support seems okay. I popped a pdf of Gates of Fire on it, and it still seems snappy. Unlike the Sony Reader which seems to choke on PDF files.
Alrighty, quickie impressions of the ECTACO Jetbook:
Nice LCD 4"x 3" screen. Very readable in good light. No backlight. Doesn't flash when you turn the page like on e-ink readers.
Is held easily in my hand. Chicks and small handed homos may have to use both hands.
The bar you can use to turn the page on the left of the device is useless. Thankfully, there is a turn page button on the front.
Only 2 fonts. I WANT COMIC SANS. :P You can boost the size to 32 though.
Only seen it choke a bit on the front cover and maps.
Any book with maps would be useless, as the maps are unreadable.
The adapter is a switch adapter, meaning I can charge this in commie Euroland. So instead of watching cheese making shows in my hotel room, I can read mediocre sci-fi.
Quote from: Ed Anger on December 21, 2009, 06:36:45 PM
Also, there will be no "unboxing" video, as that is one of the stupidest things on the internet.
MAH FLESHLIGHT IS HERE! LET ME FILM THE UNBOXING!
Wait, so people actually film themselves taking shit out of a box and post it on the internet? What the hell? :huh:
QuoteAny book with maps would be useless, as the maps are unreadable.
As in the resolution is too crappy to display them properly? I guess images have the same problem?
Quote from: HisMajestyBOB on December 27, 2009, 07:35:45 AM
As in the resolution is too crappy to display them properly? I guess images have the same problem?
I didn't even try the image viewer, since the machine isn't color.
The maps in the freebie version of Pournelle's
Falkenberg's Legion was unreadable, as the print inside the map was tiny.
Battery life is about 12 hours, 8 hours shorter than the 20 promised. That was expected, as the manufacturer battery life is always a fantasy.
I give the device a 7.5 out of 10.
Quote from: HisMajestyBOB on December 27, 2009, 07:35:45 AM
Wait, so people actually film themselves taking shit out of a box and post it on the internet? What the hell? :huh:
Oh yeah. What's best is when they had already opened it up & played around with the device, and are pretending like they're opening it for the first time. I guess it shipping with all the greasy fingerprints, then?
Anyway, Ed: Does your Ecto-taco have an LCD display, then? I assumed it would have e-ink. How does it compare to e-ink, other than not having the refresh delay?
Quote from: derspiess on December 30, 2009, 09:50:35 AM
Quote from: HisMajestyBOB on December 27, 2009, 07:35:45 AM
Wait, so people actually film themselves taking shit out of a box and post it on the internet? What the hell? :huh:
Oh yeah. What's best is when they had already opened it up & played around with the device, and are pretending like they're opening it for the first time. I guess it shipping with all the greasy fingerprints, then?
Anyway, Ed: Does your Ecto-taco have an LCD display, then? I assumed it would have e-ink. How does it compare to e-ink, other than not having the refresh delay?
It is LCD. It is less white than the e-ink screens and more gray. Personally, I think it might be a bit more readable than e-ink.
As long as you have good light it is fine, since there is no backlight.
I have really enjoyed the Sony PRS-505 I got last year. This year for Xmas I got a new cover with a built in light.
I wish I had bought one earlier. it would be great for business trips.
Quote from: Ed Anger on December 30, 2009, 01:00:23 PM
I wish I had bought one earlier. it would be great for business trips.
Good for not only reading on planes but also, when I have to give presentations, I can download the text into the reader and I can review my notes without taking a bulking laptop.
edit: another big bonus is downloading magazine articles directly without having wait for the delivery - partcularly for things like the Economist which seems to take days to get delivered.
Also, the best freebie program I've found for converting books is Calibre:
http://calibre-ebook.com/
I'm really not getting where the cost is on these. They're really basic stuff, just text readers that struggle with graphics. Is it the uber battery life or the e-paper which bumps up the price?
Quote from: Tyr on December 30, 2009, 06:28:51 PM
I'm really not getting where the cost is on these. They're really basic stuff, just text readers that struggle with graphics. Is it the uber battery life or the e-paper which bumps up the price?
The e-ink is a good part of the reason, though that is sure to become less of a factor as more of these are cranked out. Lack of competition has also been a factor, but that seems to be changing as well.
We had been stuck at the early part of the curve, but I think the Kindle finally started making e-books less of a novelty (even thought it didn't initially do much to help prices come down). Give it a few months & these things will be much cheaper, with more variety.
They are down to 150 smackers with the oldest, the fictionwise one, is at 89.
The jetbook lite with AA batteries instead of the rechargeable battery, was 119 this holiday.
Just discovered the major flaw with the Jetbook:
USB 1.1. Egads, talk about slow transfers. :lol:
And after a month of use, the thrill is gone. :lol:
Blimey:
http://consumerist.com/2009/07/amazon-deletes-your-books-has-always-been-at-war-with-eastasia.html
Quote from: Tyr on January 25, 2010, 06:06:56 AM
Blimey:
http://consumerist.com/2009/07/amazon-deletes-your-books-has-always-been-at-war-with-eastasia.html
You really hadn't heard about this? Hereby your nerd license is suspended. Please turn in your glasses and your pocket protector...
In other news, I agree with this man
"Already purchased ebooks residing on consumers’ Kindles should have been left alone. Amazon should have simply removed the ebooks from its bookstore. And the proper thing to do would have been to give current customers of the aforementioned books the option to voluntarily sell it back to Amazon. Of course, Amazon should have sweetened the deal with an extra dose of credit. And that wouldn’t have been strange. Or scary."
The deletion is scary enough, the arrogance is scarier... but the amount of ignorance displayed (George Orwell, no less... do Amazon staff actually read?) is even worse.
Using the jetbook again, I noticed the LED is always BLINKING. Which is apparently normal. :lol:
I felt like Shatner during
Airplane II.Quoteget them to blink in sequence!
For those waiting for the readers to drop to 99 bucks or lower, Walgreens.com has a reader for 99 bucks.
Quote from: Alatriste on January 25, 2010, 06:52:12 AM
In other news, I agree with this man
"Already purchased ebooks residing on consumers' Kindles should have been left alone. Amazon should have simply removed the ebooks from its bookstore. And the proper thing to do would have been to give current customers of the aforementioned books the option to voluntarily sell it back to Amazon. Of course, Amazon should have sweetened the deal with an extra dose of credit. And that wouldn't have been strange. Or scary."
The deletion is scary enough, the arrogance is scarier... but the amount of ignorance displayed (George Orwell, no less... do Amazon staff actually read?) is even worse.
:lol: What evidence do you have that this is "arrogance" and not simply the step the law requires them to take if they discover they have been selling fraudulently obtained property?
The ignorance being displayed in this case is, I would argue, being exhibited by those who assume that Amazon was somehow acting dishonestly or arbitrarily in this case. It may be that Amazon didn't have to "retrieve" the illegal copies, but to assume that they didn't is unwarranted and :tinfoil:
Quote from: Ed Anger on March 10, 2010, 10:06:44 AM
For those waiting for the readers to drop to 99 bucks or lower, Walgreens.com has a reader for 99 bucks.
Lol is it made by: Coby?
Quote from: derspiess on March 10, 2010, 11:40:23 AM
Quote from: Ed Anger on March 10, 2010, 10:06:44 AM
For those waiting for the readers to drop to 99 bucks or lower, Walgreens.com has a reader for 99 bucks.
Lol is it made by: Coby?
:lol:
Delstar. http://delstar.net/
Quote from: grumbler on March 10, 2010, 11:27:15 AM
Quote from: Alatriste on January 25, 2010, 06:52:12 AM
In other news, I agree with this man
"Already purchased ebooks residing on consumers’ Kindles should have been left alone. Amazon should have simply removed the ebooks from its bookstore. And the proper thing to do would have been to give current customers of the aforementioned books the option to voluntarily sell it back to Amazon. Of course, Amazon should have sweetened the deal with an extra dose of credit. And that wouldn’t have been strange. Or scary."
The deletion is scary enough, the arrogance is scarier... but the amount of ignorance displayed (George Orwell, no less... do Amazon staff actually read?) is even worse.
:lol: What evidence do you have that this is "arrogance" and not simply the step the law requires them to take if they discover they have been selling fraudulently obtained property?
The ignorance being displayed in this case is, I would argue, being exhibited by those who assume that Amazon was somehow acting dishonestly or arbitrarily in this case. It may be that Amazon didn't have to "retrieve" the illegal copies, but to assume that they didn't is unwarranted and :tinfoil:
Man, trolling after 40 days? Is this some Old Testament thing?
All I'm going to say is this. And I mean it.
1. If you are claiming the law required Amazon to erase those books without prior warning, it's
you who must present at least a tiny pretense of evidence. Instead of that you are requiring me to provide evidence that the law didn't force Amazon to act in that way, and that is odd even by your standards...
Until such evidence is presented, I will consider the absence or prior warning by Amazon as arrogant and using their power to delete files on Orwell books of all things, incredibly ignorant. What did they expect, cheering and applauding?
2. Amazon can access your Kindle, check what you have stored on it, and keep complete control over the device you bought.
They can delete files in your Kindle, not only the books they sold you, but also things like the notes you took. Tinfoil? Hah!
3. I didn't say anything about Amazon behaving 'dishonestly or arbitrarily'. I said what happened was scary, and that the arrogance and ignorance displayed by Amazon was worse. Not the same things... One can be at the same time honest, lawful, scary, arrogant and ignorant. Paladins, for example. :P
I got a Kindle when I went back to the States a few weeks ago. I've been using it here in Korea, and it's pretty cool. It's very useful to buy books for $6.00 online, instead of 18,000 won in the book stores.
And I've backed up my e-books, even the Amazon ones, by zipping them to my hard drive. Take that Alatriste's Vast Amazon Conspiracy! :tinfoil:
Quote from: HisMajestyBOB on March 11, 2010, 07:57:47 AM
I got a Kindle when I went back to the States a few weeks ago. I've been using it here in Korea, and it's pretty cool. It's very useful to buy books for $6.00 online, instead of 18,000 won in the book stores.
And I've backed up my e-books, even the Amazon ones, by zipping them to my hard drive. Take that Alatriste's Vast Amazon Conspiracy! :tinfoil:
Let me be the first to say it: I don't wanna hear it when you have to keep putting them back when firmware updates force you to delete them over and over again. :contract:
Quote from: Alatriste on March 11, 2010, 02:34:53 AM
2. Amazon can access your Kindle, check what you have stored on it, and keep complete control over the device you bought. They can delete files in your Kindle, not only the books they sold you, but also things like the notes you took. Tinfoil? Hah!
Tinfoil in the truest sense. Had I a kindle I'd be wrapping it in tinfoil to keep the evil amazon beams out :p
Quote from: DontSayBanana on March 11, 2010, 08:13:23 AM
Quote from: HisMajestyBOB on March 11, 2010, 07:57:47 AM
I got a Kindle when I went back to the States a few weeks ago. I've been using it here in Korea, and it's pretty cool. It's very useful to buy books for $6.00 online, instead of 18,000 won in the book stores.
And I've backed up my e-books, even the Amazon ones, by zipping them to my hard drive. Take that Alatriste's Vast Amazon Conspiracy! :tinfoil:
Let me be the first to say it: I don't wanna hear it when you have to keep putting them back when firmware updates force you to delete them over and over again. :contract:
It's called "Turn Wireless Off" :P
Quote from: Tyr on March 11, 2010, 02:03:51 PM
Quote from: Alatriste on March 11, 2010, 02:34:53 AM
2. Amazon can access your Kindle, check what you have stored on it, and keep complete control over the device you bought. They can delete files in your Kindle, not only the books they sold you, but also things like the notes you took. Tinfoil? Hah!
Tinfoil in the truest sense. Had I a kindle I'd be wrapping it in tinfoil to keep the evil amazon beams out :p
I know I said I wasn't going to say anything more, but this is just too funny to resist :lol:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/18/technology/companies/18amazon.html
Quote
In a move that angered customers and generated waves of online pique, Amazon remotely deleted some digital editions of the books from the Kindle devices of readers who had bought them.
We can discuss the ethics and the legality of the action until our tongues fall off and/or our fingers get cramps, but it's a fact Amazon can delete files in Kindles. They have done it.
And, HMBob, you took actions to protect your books from being deleted - a move I fully approve - and turned your wireless off to keep Amazon's nose out of your Kindle, and still you think there is no "vast conspiracy"? Then, why have you deliberately crippled your Kindle?
Backups are deliberately crippling my Kindle? :tinfoil:
And while I usually have the wireless off to save battery (I rarely need to use it), I'd only have to permanently turn it off if they kept trying to delete something.
And odds are, I could easily thwart Amazon's attempts by finding software online capable of converting their DRM format to something else. Just like for nearly every DRM-protected file format. :lol:
Quote from: HisMajestyBOB on March 12, 2010, 06:41:58 AM
Backups are deliberately crippling my Kindle? :tinfoil:
And while I usually have the wireless off to save battery (I rarely need to use it), I'd only have to permanently turn it off if they kept trying to delete something.
And odds are, I could easily thwart Amazon's attempts by finding software online capable of converting their DRM format to something else. Just like for nearly every DRM-protected file format. :lol:
You are being deliberately obtuse, that much is evident.
Once more unto the breach, dear friends [sigh]
1. Amazon has access to Kindles.
2. Amazon has used that access to delete files preemptively, without informing the buyers.
Of course you can turn off your wireless permanently to avoid it... and that equates crippling the device, IMHO.
I won't even enter in the legality of removing DRMs, since I'm no expert on the field, but this I have to say, and I'm repeating myself: How can you think of keeping your wireless always turned off and looking for shady DRM removers on the net, and still claim anyone criticizing Amazon's stance on this question is nuts?
It's not just a matter of 'OMG, they erased my book and I hadn't finished reading it!!!!' It raises a lot of questions regarding our privacy and our rights over the devices and the software we 'buy'... or perhaps lease would be a better term.
Also, Amazon's goons will beat in my door, beat me up and break my Kindle. :tinfoil:
The Kindle-Orwell affair was one of the most overblown tech stories in the past few years. If Amazon is as big a boogeyman as it gets, I think we're okay.
Quote from: Alatriste on March 12, 2010, 02:41:37 AM
I know I said I wasn't going to say anything more, but this is just too funny to resist :lol:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/18/technology/companies/18amazon.html
We can discuss the ethics and the legality of the action until our tongues fall off and/or our fingers get cramps, but it's a fact Amazon can delete files in Kindles. They have done it.
Note I'm the guy who posted the original link. I was joking but being serious about evil amazon beams ;)
Quote from: derspiess on March 12, 2010, 10:51:06 AM
The Kindle-Orwell affair was one of the most overblown tech stories in the past few years. If Amazon is as big a boogeyman as it gets, I think we're okay.
:yes:
It was one freaking book that Amazon didn't have the rights to sell. They have since apologized, re-imbursed everyone, and promised to never, ever do it again.