Portable eBook Readers

Posts Tagged ‘Ectaco’

Now a new and improved version of the popular Jetbook eBook reader by Ectaco supports many more file formats and comes in 4 different colours.

Please note that this review of the Ectaco Jetbook is dated November 2009. Why is this important? Well, if you search for Jetbook reviews you will find many but they are outdated with the latest reviews from July 2008. As you can imagine, the technology behind ebook readers are constantly improving, and the Jetbook is no exception.

New Features in the Jetbook

The older reviews all stated that the Jetbook was limited to only 3 file formats (txt, pdf, and fb2.) Now though, the Jetbook has increased the available file formats so that you will have no problem finding all your favourite books. In fact, the Jetbook now offers more file formats that most of the other ebook readers; .txt, .pdf, .fb2, .epub, .mobi, .prc and .rtf file formats, plus .jpg, .gif, .png, .bmp formatted images.

Some people didn’t like the burgundy case colour. Now the Jetbook comes in a total of 4 colors; burgundy, grey, white, and charcoal. I don’t think anyone can complain about the choice as most of the other ebook readers come in either black or white.

Unique Features of the Jetbook

LCD Display – Nearly every ebook reader now uses e-ink technology but the Ectaco Jetbook uses LCD. The state-of-the-art VGA reflective monochrome 5-inch TFT screen provides readers with an easy to read display that’s easy on the eyes. The Jetbook also has more typefaces and font sizes than any other ebook reader; you can choose from 6 different font sizes compared to the normal 2 from other manufacturers.

Multilingual Support – Not only has the Jetbook more file formats it also is the only reader to support multiple languages, including Albanian, Catalan, Danish, Dutch, English, Faeroese, Finnish, French, Galician, German, Icelandic, Italian, Norwegian, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish, Croatian, Czech, Estonian, Hungarian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Polish, Romanian, Russian, Slovak, Slovenian and other European languages.

Available Accessories – Extended 2 year warranty, power USB cable, Hi-Speed USB 2.0 memory card reader, car adapter, external loud speaker for audio books and MP3 music, Safety strap for subway / bus reading, protective silicone sleeve, embossed leather travel wallet case, 1GB and 2GB SD cards with libraries, ear-light (night reading light), Travel kit with power plugs for different countries.

Number of Titles – As opposed to the Sony Reader and Amazon Kindle, the Jetbook has unlimited titles. Apart from buying ebooks in many different formats you can also find hundreds of thousands of free books and audio books from over 30 popular websites.

Other Features

• High-resolution 5-inch display and a viewing angle close to 180°
• 105mm x 79mm edge-to-edge reading field
• Weighing only 7.5 ounces, it fits in jacket pockets
• True pocket-sized portability for thousands of eBooks
• Bidirectional dictionaries for European languages are available
• MP3 player, picture viewer, built-in dictionaries
• Multilingual interface options that include German
• Pre-loaded with CIA World Factbook and a German Dictionary
• Collection of books pre-installed
• Bookmarks allows text to be searched and cross-referenced
• Auto page turn functionality and immediate page turn
• Screen rotation support for both portrait and landscape modes
• Built-in MP3 player that supports background playback
• Built-in 112 MB flash memory for up to 1,000 books
• SD card slot accepts interchangeable SD cards of up to 2 GB for 10,000 books, audio books and pictures
• USB mass storage capability
• Rechargeable internal Li-ion polymer battery for up to 20 hours of use
• Compatible with both Mac and Windows-based PCs
• Comes with Power adapter, USB 2.0 cable, Storage Pouch, User’s Manual, Bonus CD

Summary

Compared to the earlier version of the Jetbook, Ectaco have brought out a fantastic ebook reader that should satisfy even the critics of the earlier version. The biggest improvement of this Jetbook has to be the multiple file formats that are now supported.

Also, the range of features, many unique to the Jetbook, will make the future developments in ebook readers very interesting as other manufacturers will try to incorporate them. For pocket sized and lightweight convenience and comfort, the Jetbook is hard to beat – it is also the cheapest portable ebook reader on the market at under $200.