Any avid reader should have one.
Written: Feb 08 '02
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Product Rating:
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Pros: comfortable to read; backlight; good battery life
Cons: price of new ebooks
The Bottom Line: If you love to read and you like electronic gadgets, you should have one.
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| schnauz's Full Review: RCA REB1100 |
I received one of these as a Christmas gift and haven't put it down since. It is very portable and the screen is very comfortable to read. The backlight allows you to read in any lighting and it is adjustable (so you can turn it down when you're reading in a dark bedroom). The battery life seems to be about 15-20 hours with the backlight at the default setting, and it takes less than 2 hours to charge fully. The device comes with 8MB of memory, but I added a 32MB Smart Media card, which allows me to store a ton of ebooks on it. I have read about 4 ebooks on it so far, and my wife has used it to read a few issues of Newsweek. We both find it very pleasant to use.
One of the only real complaints I have about the REB1100 is about the way it is marketed. They are too busy stressing the fact that you don't need a computer to use it (you can use the built-in modem to order and download ebooks). If you're like me, you will want to use the REB1100 in conjunction with your computer. I want to take this opportunity to explain that this device does have connectivity with your computer - in case you're confused from the descriptions of the product, as I was when I was reading about it. It comes with the eBook Librarian software, which lets you download and store ebooks on your PC. When you're ready to transfer them to the REB1100, you simply plug it in to a USB port and send the ebooks to it. When you purchase an ebook on Gemstar's online bookstore, you can instantly download to your PC to be transferred to your REB1100 at your convenience. You can also access your account online at any time to download any editions you've purchased (though the website still says Rocket eBook). The eBook Librarian software and the drivers for the REB1100 have worked flawlessly on my Windows XP system. I have also used the built-in modem, which is a great feature, but I prefer to store all of my ebooks on my PC.
The new Gemstar online bookstore is another definite plus. You can browse all the available ebooks and purchase them online for immediate download to your PC (they will also be available on your online bookshelf so you can download them using the built-in modem). You can also buy rb editions at powells.com, but they seem to be a little cheaper when you buy them directly from Gemstar.
The only other complaint I can think of about this device would be the price of new ebooks. I don't understand why a new ebook only costs $5-$10 less than a hardcover copy of the book, when the publisher doesn't have any of the associated printing and materials cost to produce the ebook. The price of ebooks seems to drop to around $5-$6 after the book has been out for a while though, and this price seems reasonable to me. So it's about the same as waiting for the paperback edition of a new book instead of buying the hardcover - just wait for the price to drop before you buy an ebook. The number of books that are available in this format appears to be expanding nicely.
I have read some earlier reviews of this product that state that there are problems with the hardware, but I have had no problems whatsoever with mine. The REB1100 itself, as well as the eBook Librarian software and USB connection, have worked great. I would definitely recommend this product to anyone who loves to read.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 149
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Epinions.com ID:
schnauz
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Reviews written: 4
Trusted by: 0 members
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