"Planet Pile of Iron" # 2: About e-books
My digest initiative stalled, but I didn’t abandon it - I’m about to continue. On the other hand, this post can easily pass for one of the issues ... well, yes, let it be so.
If in this presentation you feel something, then pirimte is my portage - you can read it and it’s possible that you can be a kid. Today, the review will discuss five devices at once.
I tried to take into account some organizational issues - for example, now in the issues of the digest I will try to stick to some specific subject. But always only about what personally happened to use. Today in the issue:
')
- Pocketbook 360
- Pocketbook 302
- Orsio b731
- Sony PRS-900
- ASUS EeeTablet
Books are arranged in ascending order of the screen diagonal. Well, or prices - the dependence is almost the same.
The smallest representative of the electro-books that I have ever seen. Only 5 inches of the screen (at the same time, the resolution is the same as that of the older brothers - 800x600, 200dpi, 16 shades of gray). All this fit in a very compact case (124x145x10mm with a weight of 150 grams) - so compact that the device easily fits into the side pocket of the breeches, into the inside pocket of the jacket, into the tiniest department of the backpack anywhere. And it turned out to be a very big plus - sometimes I did not take the book due to the fact that it did not have a place. There is no such problem here, the size of the Pocketbook 360 is one of the main advantages. You can not say, for example, about a removable protective cover - I constantly had nowhere to put it, it only interfered (but without it you can’t - the book screen is the most fragile part).
Clickable
Body black or ivory. Cheap enough plastic, but the price is very appropriate. Only two buttons, which are part of the body - because of this, they are very tight, which during long reading strains. There is also a 5-way joystick - I liked it)
But despite the size, the book has absolutely all means for reading and even more. First, a large battery life - from a single charge of the order of 8000 "turning over". Secondly, a wide assortment of supported formats - TXT, DOC, PDF, DJVU, RTF, EPUB, FB2, JPEG, BMP, GIF, HTML and CHM. As you can see, there are no MP3 and other audio formats in the list, so audiobooks are in the span. But there is a slot for microSD memory cards - this is also a plus. Excellent screen contrast and high enough speed - another spoonful of honey. And besides all of the above, there is a built-in dictionary from Lingvo, which is very convenient to use (as far as the non-touch screen allows). Well, if the reader is none of you, then you can play chess, solitaire (the color icons of the suits are especially funny), sudoku, sea battle, etc. - The rest can be downloaded online.
Clickable
All good, but hangs often, infection - sometimes on a completely level ground. There is nothing pleasant about it.
Advantages and disadvantages
Small and light
High speed
The presence of the sensor to rotate the text depending on the position of the device in space
Support for many formats, the possibility of flashing
It will be equally convenient for both right-handers and left-handers.
Compatible with microSD memory cards
Cheap plastic case
Does not support audiobooks
Periodic freezes
Tight buttons
Price : from 9000 rubles.
The company released this device relatively recently and apparently, a very big bet was made on it. So large that they forgot to bring to mind such an integral part of the device as software. It is frankly raw - if there were practically no freezes, then sometimes the book simply amazed with its stupidity. Or here are the settings ... they are full, there are even quite a few interesting ones. But I couldn’t make Wi-Fi work (like Bluetooth) - judging by the reviews, I’m far from alone. And judging by the reviews, it would still have done nothing - those who coped with the settings received a helpless browser as a reward :) In general, a very controversial set of zeros and ones as firmware is the only hope that in justification it will be cut and skinned Nuke that sooner or later the software matches the hardware stuffing.
Although ... and apparently the device did not impress me (literally scratched plastic with my fingernail, terribly creaking body - without gaps, but with an unnecessary chrome insert. Large buttons on the sides, to use which ... well, I don’t know. The touchscreen saved the situation (6 ", 600x800, 16 shades of gray), which hides all the flaws for a while, it’s convenient to use, it’s convenient to control the device, it’s convenient to draw something in notes, etc. - it looks like the touch screen is still a plus for a book than minus. Only here sensory properties draw I have a number of disadvantages - the screen becomes more "blikabelnym", with slightly darker, not so contrasting.
Clickable
In terms of the interface, there is a lot in common with the 360th book. Of the most pleasant changes, a noticeably reworked dictionary, which has become even more convenient to use on the touch screen. There was a notebook for touch scribbles, a couple of new applications (Snake game, for example) and an MP3 player.
Accordingly, new formats have appeared - you can add MP3, ZIP, TIFF and PNG to the ones mentioned above. Accordingly, it is already possible to listen to audiobooks, for which they made a 3.5mm headphone jack. We also made a USB host (a full-fledged USB port pancake!))) And a slot for microSD cards.
Clickable
In general ... I waited for much more - perhaps everything will change with the arrival of the firmware, but so far I have never been impressed. The stores ask for 12,000 rubles for it - in principle, this is only a thousand or two more expensive than asking for the previous (301st) model. Is the touch screen worth the money? I do not exclude.
Advantages and disadvantages
Large touch screen
Good overall performance
It will be equally convenient for both right-handers and left-handers.
Support for many formats (including MP3), the possibility of flashing
USB, microSD memory card
Soft frankly soft
The case of cheap plastic, creaky and prone to scratch
The screen is dark due to the touch film
Price
Price : from 12,000 rubles.
I will tell almost nothing about this book for the reason that a year ago I did a meticulously detailed review and insert it here only for completeness. Therefore, I will say a few words over time.
The book almost does not freeze - for all the time it was 1 or 2 times. I did not count the exact number of page turning over which is enough for the battery, but there are no problems with the charge. The manufacturer promised to release a lot of firmware - yes, they were and I carefully followed them, but by and large there were only cosmetic improvements. When the logo is turned on, it will be changed, then the progress bar will be moved, then something in the settings will be mixed. In general, I waited for more, but in general I am not upset - what is there is more than enough for comfortable reading. The speed is also good.
The price almost did not fall, the device still costs from 10 to 13 thousand rubles - in my opinion, this money is no longer worth it. It may, of course, be worth it, but for the same money you can find quite a few more advanced devices. And this one is already morally tired - it does not know some formats, it does not have a dictionary or anything else. Well, the management will have to get used to - the buttons are on the sides and I still sometimes get confused.
I wore it only in a case, and I still haven’t peeled off the shipping film from the screen - it doesn’t interfere and well) The book is like new.
By the way, the company is preparing a new model, Orsio b751 - it seems like it will be relatively budget.
Clickable
Advantages and disadvantages
Lightweight and made of soft-touch
Large contrast screen
Good speed
MP3 player function
SD card support
Some formats are not supported.
Inconvenient control, tight buttons
Price
Price : from 10,000 rubles
One of the most enjoyable devices in the digest;) If only because it costs more than all that imposes on the manufacturer the obligation to do something worthy. And they did.
It all starts with unpacking the box - I was surprised to see a large, solid woven case for transportation. You can't put such a lump in your pocket - except in a briefcase or in the trunk. But you can not worry about the safety of the device in it - not get wet or crush. Great.
But the "cover" is on the device itself - in the form of a folding hard leather cover. The latter is non-removable (or I didn’t figure out the shootings — it’s better not to figure out what to do), and this is not very convenient — when it is wide open, it almost doubles the thickness of the device. Well, okay, this is better than holding the lid separately, as is the case with the Pocketbook 360.
Clickable
Oblong touch screen with a diagonal of 7 inches (800x1024, 16 shades of gray) - the stylus is hidden in one of the chrome-plated ends, but just in case there are several "hardware" buttons to control. All this is in a neat and stylish matte metal casing, which is more reliable than plastic. No squeaks, no backlash - what is needed in everyday life.
Removable battery (as much as 15000 pages), under which is ... a connector for the SIM-card! True, the joy turned out to be incomplete - only Sims from overseas AT & T (I hate this company) are still there. But there are already two slots for memory cards - for large SD-cards (and all similar ones) and for Sonevsky memorial-sticks. As a bonus - headphone jack.
High speed of work - turning over happens almost instantly. Navigating the menu is also very smart - nice. The file formats can be supported not so much (TXT, DOC, PDF, RTF, EPUB, JPEG, BMP, GIF, PNG, MP3, AAC), but the sound is very high quality (and not nasty by ear), and in text documents you can take notes - select something, draw-mark. Well, the new Oxford dictionary is. Nice interface, but not so many settings as I would like from this kind of device. Everything is in English, but localized firmware seems to be available online — I did not recognize it.
By and large, only positive emotions remained, but as someone has already said, “burn it for the price with fire” :) Everything is in the best traditions of Sony - quality, quality with formats and at a high price.
Clickable
Advantages and disadvantages
Excellent equipment
Excellent build quality, metal body
Large touch screen
High speed
Support two types of memory cards
MP3 player function
The screen flashes
3G module is not working yet
No support for some formats.
Price
Price : from 15500 rubles
This is already a bonus for those who may have missed the news. Not so long ago (in June at Computex 2010), ASUS debuted on the e-book market by launching a digital tablet reader. I happened to be one of the first to use it (albeit only half an hour), but this was more than enough to create a good impression.
I have already written in detail, but in short - a stylish and high-quality metal case (I liked much more than the premium Sony’s book), a 2-megapixel camera, Wi-Fi, a passive LCD screen without backlight (it looks exactly the same as e- ink, but allows you to scroll through the images in the example faster than all the above-mentioned devices), built-in voice recorder and MP3 player. Well, a beautiful touch screen - even in the raw engineering version a notebook was available in which you could draw with different “colors” and different “thicknesses”.
But the most pleasant bonus that awaits us is the price. According to the promises, already at the beginning of the school year, it will be a figure of "up to $ 300", which in terms of our currency will be similar to the amounts that are now being asked for all sorts of poketbooks. Therefore, it may make sense to wait.
Clickable
No, no, ASUS has nothing to do with it, I’m almost not in touch with them;)
Last month, we went to St. Petersburg for an economic forum and one person from IXBT was traveling with us in a compartment. Then we had a rather lively conversation (if not a dispute) about the future of electronic books. Apparently, they definitely have it and are fairly light - the technology has been worked out, the production process has been adjusted, nothing foreshadows trouble. But they were discussing not so much the problem of books, how much ... material that can be downloaded to them. It is clear that some content will always be, but how to be the authors of books like Bushkov or someone else? As far as I know, they are now living due to the fact that they have a% from sales of the circulation of their works, and in the case of electronic books this percentage will not be. After all, you can buy an electronic version of the book and immediately spray it on all the Internet - here no copy protection will help.
Therefore, it would be interesting to know the opinions of readers on this subject. Electronic books - the beginning of the end Dontsova or ...? Will only fans of their work (as long ago when they wrote without profit) or ...? Will there be a lot of hacked (sooner or later) content protection mechanisms that will only complicate life, or ...? In general, we then had a lot of "or" and to a common denominator, we never came)
The rest of the e-book - an extremely useful device, the choice of which must be approached wisely. The slightest mistake and you will have to live with it all the time) After all, a book is a rather expensive gadget and with a great resource. But, again, useful: knowledge is power! Although all people are different, and if you have never read (and are not ready for such changes), then no book here will help, neither with a touch screen, nor without. Among other things, the e-book can be also an excellent universal gift. And it's great if I managed to somehow help you with the choice;)
Thank you online store aMac provided for the test Sony PRS-900
Thanks to Marina Rozhkova for the poketbooks provided for the test.
Thanks to ASUS CEO for trusting me to play with EeeTablet
Thank you for buying Orsio b731 a year ago :)
Write topics that interest you!
To be continued.
Husband!
If in this presentation you feel something, then pirimte is my portage - you can read it and it’s possible that you can be a kid. Today, the review will discuss five devices at once.
I tried to take into account some organizational issues - for example, now in the issues of the digest I will try to stick to some specific subject. But always only about what personally happened to use. Today in the issue:
')
- Pocketbook 360
- Pocketbook 302
- Orsio b731
- Sony PRS-900
- ASUS EeeTablet
Books are arranged in ascending order of the screen diagonal. Well, or prices - the dependence is almost the same.
1. Pocketbook 360
The smallest representative of the electro-books that I have ever seen. Only 5 inches of the screen (at the same time, the resolution is the same as that of the older brothers - 800x600, 200dpi, 16 shades of gray). All this fit in a very compact case (124x145x10mm with a weight of 150 grams) - so compact that the device easily fits into the side pocket of the breeches, into the inside pocket of the jacket, into the tiniest department of the backpack anywhere. And it turned out to be a very big plus - sometimes I did not take the book due to the fact that it did not have a place. There is no such problem here, the size of the Pocketbook 360 is one of the main advantages. You can not say, for example, about a removable protective cover - I constantly had nowhere to put it, it only interfered (but without it you can’t - the book screen is the most fragile part).
Clickable
Body black or ivory. Cheap enough plastic, but the price is very appropriate. Only two buttons, which are part of the body - because of this, they are very tight, which during long reading strains. There is also a 5-way joystick - I liked it)
But despite the size, the book has absolutely all means for reading and even more. First, a large battery life - from a single charge of the order of 8000 "turning over". Secondly, a wide assortment of supported formats - TXT, DOC, PDF, DJVU, RTF, EPUB, FB2, JPEG, BMP, GIF, HTML and CHM. As you can see, there are no MP3 and other audio formats in the list, so audiobooks are in the span. But there is a slot for microSD memory cards - this is also a plus. Excellent screen contrast and high enough speed - another spoonful of honey. And besides all of the above, there is a built-in dictionary from Lingvo, which is very convenient to use (as far as the non-touch screen allows). Well, if the reader is none of you, then you can play chess, solitaire (the color icons of the suits are especially funny), sudoku, sea battle, etc. - The rest can be downloaded online.
Clickable
All good, but hangs often, infection - sometimes on a completely level ground. There is nothing pleasant about it.
Advantages and disadvantages
Small and light
High speed
The presence of the sensor to rotate the text depending on the position of the device in space
Support for many formats, the possibility of flashing
It will be equally convenient for both right-handers and left-handers.
Compatible with microSD memory cards
Cheap plastic case
Does not support audiobooks
Periodic freezes
Tight buttons
Price : from 9000 rubles.
2. Pocketbook 302
The company released this device relatively recently and apparently, a very big bet was made on it. So large that they forgot to bring to mind such an integral part of the device as software. It is frankly raw - if there were practically no freezes, then sometimes the book simply amazed with its stupidity. Or here are the settings ... they are full, there are even quite a few interesting ones. But I couldn’t make Wi-Fi work (like Bluetooth) - judging by the reviews, I’m far from alone. And judging by the reviews, it would still have done nothing - those who coped with the settings received a helpless browser as a reward :) In general, a very controversial set of zeros and ones as firmware is the only hope that in justification it will be cut and skinned Nuke that sooner or later the software matches the hardware stuffing.
Although ... and apparently the device did not impress me (literally scratched plastic with my fingernail, terribly creaking body - without gaps, but with an unnecessary chrome insert. Large buttons on the sides, to use which ... well, I don’t know. The touchscreen saved the situation (6 ", 600x800, 16 shades of gray), which hides all the flaws for a while, it’s convenient to use, it’s convenient to control the device, it’s convenient to draw something in notes, etc. - it looks like the touch screen is still a plus for a book than minus. Only here sensory properties draw I have a number of disadvantages - the screen becomes more "blikabelnym", with slightly darker, not so contrasting.
Clickable
In terms of the interface, there is a lot in common with the 360th book. Of the most pleasant changes, a noticeably reworked dictionary, which has become even more convenient to use on the touch screen. There was a notebook for touch scribbles, a couple of new applications (Snake game, for example) and an MP3 player.
Accordingly, new formats have appeared - you can add MP3, ZIP, TIFF and PNG to the ones mentioned above. Accordingly, it is already possible to listen to audiobooks, for which they made a 3.5mm headphone jack. We also made a USB host (a full-fledged USB port pancake!))) And a slot for microSD cards.
Clickable
In general ... I waited for much more - perhaps everything will change with the arrival of the firmware, but so far I have never been impressed. The stores ask for 12,000 rubles for it - in principle, this is only a thousand or two more expensive than asking for the previous (301st) model. Is the touch screen worth the money? I do not exclude.
Advantages and disadvantages
Large touch screen
Good overall performance
It will be equally convenient for both right-handers and left-handers.
Support for many formats (including MP3), the possibility of flashing
USB, microSD memory card
Soft frankly soft
The case of cheap plastic, creaky and prone to scratch
The screen is dark due to the touch film
Price
Price : from 12,000 rubles.
3. Orsio b731
I will tell almost nothing about this book for the reason that a year ago I did a meticulously detailed review and insert it here only for completeness. Therefore, I will say a few words over time.
The book almost does not freeze - for all the time it was 1 or 2 times. I did not count the exact number of page turning over which is enough for the battery, but there are no problems with the charge. The manufacturer promised to release a lot of firmware - yes, they were and I carefully followed them, but by and large there were only cosmetic improvements. When the logo is turned on, it will be changed, then the progress bar will be moved, then something in the settings will be mixed. In general, I waited for more, but in general I am not upset - what is there is more than enough for comfortable reading. The speed is also good.
The price almost did not fall, the device still costs from 10 to 13 thousand rubles - in my opinion, this money is no longer worth it. It may, of course, be worth it, but for the same money you can find quite a few more advanced devices. And this one is already morally tired - it does not know some formats, it does not have a dictionary or anything else. Well, the management will have to get used to - the buttons are on the sides and I still sometimes get confused.
I wore it only in a case, and I still haven’t peeled off the shipping film from the screen - it doesn’t interfere and well) The book is like new.
By the way, the company is preparing a new model, Orsio b751 - it seems like it will be relatively budget.
Clickable
Advantages and disadvantages
Lightweight and made of soft-touch
Large contrast screen
Good speed
MP3 player function
SD card support
Some formats are not supported.
Inconvenient control, tight buttons
Price
Price : from 10,000 rubles
4. Sony PRS-900
One of the most enjoyable devices in the digest;) If only because it costs more than all that imposes on the manufacturer the obligation to do something worthy. And they did.
It all starts with unpacking the box - I was surprised to see a large, solid woven case for transportation. You can't put such a lump in your pocket - except in a briefcase or in the trunk. But you can not worry about the safety of the device in it - not get wet or crush. Great.
But the "cover" is on the device itself - in the form of a folding hard leather cover. The latter is non-removable (or I didn’t figure out the shootings — it’s better not to figure out what to do), and this is not very convenient — when it is wide open, it almost doubles the thickness of the device. Well, okay, this is better than holding the lid separately, as is the case with the Pocketbook 360.
Clickable
Oblong touch screen with a diagonal of 7 inches (800x1024, 16 shades of gray) - the stylus is hidden in one of the chrome-plated ends, but just in case there are several "hardware" buttons to control. All this is in a neat and stylish matte metal casing, which is more reliable than plastic. No squeaks, no backlash - what is needed in everyday life.
Removable battery (as much as 15000 pages), under which is ... a connector for the SIM-card! True, the joy turned out to be incomplete - only Sims from overseas AT & T (I hate this company) are still there. But there are already two slots for memory cards - for large SD-cards (and all similar ones) and for Sonevsky memorial-sticks. As a bonus - headphone jack.
High speed of work - turning over happens almost instantly. Navigating the menu is also very smart - nice. The file formats can be supported not so much (TXT, DOC, PDF, RTF, EPUB, JPEG, BMP, GIF, PNG, MP3, AAC), but the sound is very high quality (and not nasty by ear), and in text documents you can take notes - select something, draw-mark. Well, the new Oxford dictionary is. Nice interface, but not so many settings as I would like from this kind of device. Everything is in English, but localized firmware seems to be available online — I did not recognize it.
By and large, only positive emotions remained, but as someone has already said, “burn it for the price with fire” :) Everything is in the best traditions of Sony - quality, quality with formats and at a high price.
Clickable
Advantages and disadvantages
Excellent equipment
Excellent build quality, metal body
Large touch screen
High speed
Support two types of memory cards
MP3 player function
The screen flashes
3G module is not working yet
No support for some formats.
Price
Price : from 15500 rubles
5. ASUS EeeTablet
This is already a bonus for those who may have missed the news. Not so long ago (in June at Computex 2010), ASUS debuted on the e-book market by launching a digital tablet reader. I happened to be one of the first to use it (albeit only half an hour), but this was more than enough to create a good impression.
I have already written in detail, but in short - a stylish and high-quality metal case (I liked much more than the premium Sony’s book), a 2-megapixel camera, Wi-Fi, a passive LCD screen without backlight (it looks exactly the same as e- ink, but allows you to scroll through the images in the example faster than all the above-mentioned devices), built-in voice recorder and MP3 player. Well, a beautiful touch screen - even in the raw engineering version a notebook was available in which you could draw with different “colors” and different “thicknesses”.
But the most pleasant bonus that awaits us is the price. According to the promises, already at the beginning of the school year, it will be a figure of "up to $ 300", which in terms of our currency will be similar to the amounts that are now being asked for all sorts of poketbooks. Therefore, it may make sense to wait.
Clickable
No, no, ASUS has nothing to do with it, I’m almost not in touch with them;)
The end
Last month, we went to St. Petersburg for an economic forum and one person from IXBT was traveling with us in a compartment. Then we had a rather lively conversation (if not a dispute) about the future of electronic books. Apparently, they definitely have it and are fairly light - the technology has been worked out, the production process has been adjusted, nothing foreshadows trouble. But they were discussing not so much the problem of books, how much ... material that can be downloaded to them. It is clear that some content will always be, but how to be the authors of books like Bushkov or someone else? As far as I know, they are now living due to the fact that they have a% from sales of the circulation of their works, and in the case of electronic books this percentage will not be. After all, you can buy an electronic version of the book and immediately spray it on all the Internet - here no copy protection will help.
Therefore, it would be interesting to know the opinions of readers on this subject. Electronic books - the beginning of the end Dontsova or ...? Will only fans of their work (as long ago when they wrote without profit) or ...? Will there be a lot of hacked (sooner or later) content protection mechanisms that will only complicate life, or ...? In general, we then had a lot of "or" and to a common denominator, we never came)
The rest of the e-book - an extremely useful device, the choice of which must be approached wisely. The slightest mistake and you will have to live with it all the time) After all, a book is a rather expensive gadget and with a great resource. But, again, useful: knowledge is power! Although all people are different, and if you have never read (and are not ready for such changes), then no book here will help, neither with a touch screen, nor without. Among other things, the e-book can be also an excellent universal gift. And it's great if I managed to somehow help you with the choice;)
Thank you online store aMac provided for the test Sony PRS-900
Thanks to Marina Rozhkova for the poketbooks provided for the test.
Thanks to ASUS CEO for trusting me to play with EeeTablet
Thank you for buying Orsio b731 a year ago :)
Write topics that interest you!
To be continued.
Husband!
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/98731/
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