For some E Ink haters: The ECTACO jetBook reader
Want more contrast between text and background than E Ink machines offer? And no flashing when you turn the page?
Flawed but intriguing, one possibility would be the new ECTACBO jetBookReader, shown to the left with the Sony Reader and Kindle.
Mike Cane the other day sighted the ECTACBO at J&R in New York, where it was going for $299 on the spot. For now, it’s sold out. I don’t know how many units J&R carried originally.
"Crip and very white screen"
Yep, we’ve covered this one before. But here are more details. "I didn’t realize when I micro fondled it that it wasn’t an eInk screen," Mike writes. "I did notice that it was a very crisp and a very white screen."
Remember, though. There’s no backlight, so the view on the reflective VGA TFF still won’t be optimal in dim light. The screen size is five inches, smaller than rivals such as the Kindle and Sony Reader.
Also the ECTACO doesn’t read the popular DRM-infested formats, which means you can forget about access to most best-sellers. Worse, the version at J&R can’t even do HTML for now. Supported formats are ".TXT, .PDF, .JPG, .GIF, .PNG, .BMP, .MP3, free format." Oh, and the books it comes with are all in Russian.
Still, Mike praises the ECTACO for its stylish looks and certain other features.
Related: Dr. Ellen Hage on the ECTACO. She found that ECTACO is working on the HTML issue. In fact, ECTACO sells the M218B reader, an English/Chinese model, with HTML support. I found more on the M218B here. Notice the white color?
August 11th, 2008 at 2:17 pm
Another post, with videos:
http://mikecane2008.wordpress.com/2008/08/10/more-about-that-ectaco-jetbook-ebook-reader/
August 15th, 2008 at 6:06 am
You got me curious. Now it arrived, and I would say that it is a mixed bag. The display, with its distinctly LCDish greygreen background, reminds me of the Franklin Reader of the olden days. Next to the PRS 505 and the Kindle, the screen looks a little dull (but slightly better than first-generation eInk). I could live with that.
The greatest advantage of eInk is its paper-like independency from external light–as long as there is sufficient light, you are good. The jetBook, however, changes its contrast, depending on the lighting angle. You will find yourself aligning it to the sun, or the window, or your desk lamp.
As we all know, the redraw of the Kindle and the Sony is slow due to the properties of eInk. But the redraw of the jetBook is slow too - apparently, the hardware is a little under-powered for the job. Also, the display is way smaller, and the resolution leaves much to be desired. Perhaps the jetBook could evolve into a portable library for 3rd world countries one day? Unfortunately, the device is about as expensive as the competition… Personally, I will wait for the next generation of the jetBook’s display, before I try again.
And yet, I guess that the jetBook will finds its friends. There are many nice ideas in the UI. Plus, it is in Russian, which I once learnt in school.
August 15th, 2008 at 11:00 am
Yikes! I wasn’t looking to *encourage* anyone to purchase it. I distinctly said it was just about useless, doing unformatted text and painful PDF only.
August 15th, 2008 at 9:17 pm
Joscha, sorry your experience wasn’t better. We did note the problems that Mike had in dim light. In your situation I wouldn’t hesitate to send it back. Meanwhile thanks for the warning to others! David