Tablet & Ereader Reviews

I think deep inside everyone there’s conflict going on between what is practical and what looks awesome. The Entourage eDGe is billed as the market’s first dualbook: an ereader, tablet, notepad and media player in one machine. It is available in bright red, midnight blue or Ice blue, dark red and the standard piano black or glacier white. From afar one would speculate when closed, it looks like a spiffy netbook, after closer inspection though you will observe dual-screens and perhaps the reflection of the smug grin on your own face.

The left screen is a great sized E-Ink display which is touch-enabled. The right screen is an additional touch screen display, this time LCD. The right screen is where you can manage applications like a browser and e-mail. It can link via WI-FI or (which is just so convenient) using the SIM card position for its own broadband connection. It is also designed with an audio player, webcam and mic.

This nifty gadget is marketed for students. They will be able to keep the left reader screen active while taking notes during a lecture in the right display. And for those like me who find it hard to rid yourself of the paper notebook (because I must scribble) you are able to hand write information within the E-Ink tablet as well.

An additional plus for me about this tablet device is that left handed people like me can rotate each screens to be able to hold the reading screen on the right and the LCD screen where you type or take notes on the left(how great is that lefties?). I additionally think that the pop up software key pad is simply so ‘Star Trekkie’ if you ask me. You are also provided with a built-in stylus but if that still does not suit you then you can plug in a computer keyboard to the USB.

And so now let us look at it from a purely eReader standpoint. The E-Ink screen has 8 grayscale contrasts which will make readability adjustable according to the surrounding illumination. As for downloading books to the device it is a snap because you can WI-FI it from the LCD side. The types of files it supports unfortunately is not as numerous as the Sony reader as it reads only PDF and ePub formats. The internal memory space is big compared to other readers at a hefty 4GB internal memory and it also has SD card position should you need to browse the encyclopedia. Page turning is actually snappy and easy. The large display is also an option for those who buy the oversized paperback books.

The cons however (which is why it’s a tug of war between functionality and desire) really do prevent you buying the gadget. The eReader’s function is comparable to it’s competition but it is simply too big at 3 lbs. It is larger than the netbook I’m currently typing on. Another issue, and some would say the deal breaker is the price, an astonishing $499. Yes, it costs nearly as much as an iPad and we all know which gadget consumers may pick if they had the $499 to spend. The company is going to produce pocket edition though. If this costs $220 or less, I’m purchasing.

Martin Sweeney is a self confessed ebook junkie and the co-creator of eReader Review HQ your one-stop-shop for all things eReader! Check it out for eReader reviews, news and buying guides! Coming soon the coolest eReader accessory reviews!

If you are looking for the eReader that is just right for you, or even the one that is just right for a gift, it can be a confusing proposition. The field of eReader’s is getting crowded with every major online eBook seller now having their own eBooks reading their own specific formats. The following is a breakdown that might help to compare some of the possible options for you

Nook Color

This e-reader has full access to the “android” network. Because of this there is a ton of functionality that make it far superior in many ways to all of the other choices, except the iPad. That is as much of a bad thing as a good. It has a ton of neat features. You can watch video’s, play games, surf online, and of course it is in color. You can do anything that you can do with your android, but on the larger screen of the Nook.

BUT… This e-reader is a little bulkier than the other eReaders. It has a far shorter battery life. Put simply, though not “bad” it is just not quite as good of an eBook reader.

For multi-purpose use, it defeats the other eReaders easily. The problem is that for multipurpose use you would have to then compare it to the iPad, which puts it to shame in every category but cost. So it is not quite as good of a book reader and not quite as good as the iPad. This is not to say that it is not a worthy compromise purchase, but for anyone with an iPad this reader is pointless, where the Kindle or Sony would still be nice additions to have.

Sony Reader

The biggest strength of the Sony Reader is that it uses standard ePub format. That is important because the books you buy are readable on many other formats. Unlike a kindle where the books you purchse must be read on a Kindle, books bought in ePub format may be read on many other devices. Battery life is far longer on the Sony E-reader than on the Nook Color, though not as long as on the newer versions of the Kindle 2. (8 hours for Nook Color, 14 Days for Sony, 30 Days for Kindle 2)

KOBO

Kobo is one of the new entries into the e-reader market. Kobo is a product from Borders meant to compete with all the other online bookstores for a share in the market. Kobo is late to the game, poorly advertised and has no real features that make it stand out. In many ways it is similar to the Kindle 2. When it was first released it was drastically lower than the kindle 2 in price, but now that Amazon has cut the price to lower than the Kobo, this reader has lost all its appeal. Unless new features are released avoid the Kobo.

iPad

The iPad is king of the tablets. The size makes it a little difficult for long term reading. The Battery life is far shorter than Kindle and Sony for travel. But for all around capabilities nothing even comes remotely close. The Nook Color and its access to the android network is the only eReader that even makes an attempt to compete with the functionality of the iPad and it does not even begin to approach it.

Kindle 2

In some ways the kindle 2 is still the eReader to beat. If you desire functionality, it pales in comparison to the Nook Color, and is in a different universe from the iPad. But for PURE eBook reading it may be the best…but by a very narrow margin.

eReader Comparison

These eBook readers are still tough to compare. Many have good points. Click here for an more in depth Comparison between Nook Color and Kindle. For a more in depth review of ALL Ebook Readers, check out: eReader Comparison.

How does the BeBook Neo stack up against my questions?

Is it lighter than a 500 page hardcover book and Is it smaller than A4 (11.7″x 8.3″) so that it slips into my on-board luggage?
The Neo is a slick looking device with an overall size of 7.7 “x 4.8″ x 0.4″ with a 6″ diagonal E-Link touch screen (care of Wacom technology) weighing in at 10.5 ounces. Navigation is via a stylus pen which means the facility for annotation and adding notes; could be useful for reviewing textbooks, lecture notes and presentations.

Can I read it in the dark and in the direct sunlight on the beach in Waikiki or Turtle Bay?
It comes with 16 levels of grey scale and thus is comfortable on the eye and can be read at any angle. It is ok to read in the direct sunlight.

What is the capacity of the battery?
The battery lasts for what seems like a standard 7000 page turns (slightly less than the kindle models) and takes 3 hours to charge (an hour faster than the Kindles) although tests have shown up to 10,000 page turns. I wonder if the battery is removable?

How long does it take to charge and Can I charge the device up on the plane via USB?
The device has a 3 hour charge time.It comes with a USB cable and USB travel charger so you don’t need your laptop for charging.

What is the storage capacity?
It has an internal memory of 512MB storing up to 1000 books with capacity for extending it to 16GB adding more user options. At the moment I just want a device for reading books.

What types of formats does the device support?
The document formats supported by this device include: EPUB, DRM, PDF, TXT, HTML, RTF, MOBI, CHM and PDB – now I don’t even know what most of these formats are. The image formats supported include: JPEG, PNG, GIF, BMP and TIFF. This makes the BeBook compatible with nearly every major document and image formats around the world. It also supports MP3 formats.

Can I increase size of text for readability?
Yes, it comes with one-click zoom-in

Can I purchase my e-books from any provider with this e-reader?
Fully open source allowing the user to choose where you want to purchase your e-books from (and what country) unlike the Kindle versions or Sony reader and Nook.

What accessories come with the device?
Some are offering a case with your purchase; however a number of accessories are available such as: screen protectors, travel chargers, memory cards, wacom replacement stylus and a variety of covers.

How much does the device cost?
$299 from the manufacturer – it’s a bit pricey given what you can get a Kindle 3 for – $139

Good to know

• Comes with a stylus – navigation via stylus and not finger
• Can access e-book market via Wi-Fi
• Able to read Newspapers and blog
• SD slot for expandable memory
• Built in Google for browsing
• Portrait or landscape viewing
• Has a dictionary look up function
• Bookmarking capabilities for sketching, annotation and text mark up
• Has capacity to jump to bookmarks and annotations
• No Bluetooth or 3G/4G
• Email support, with online FAQs, manuals and documents – doesn’t appear to have phone-line support?

This could be a go as I do not like to be corralled by companies/technologies into using only their stuff.

I have always loved reading from when I can remember as a very young boy. The only thing that has changed since then is my choice of book or rather genre of book; and more recently how I can maintain my habit while I travel from country to country. On-board luggage is weight restricted and on-board movies are sometimes lacking in good content; for me the obvious choice is a good book. Read the rest of this entry »

If you are looking for the eReader that is just right for you, or even the one that is just right for a gift, it can be a confusing proposition. The field of eReader’s is getting crowded with every major online eBook seller now having their own eBooks reading their own specific formats. The following is a breakdown that might help to compare some of the possible options for you

Nook Color

This e-reader has full access to the “android” network. Because of this there is a ton of functionality that make it far superior in many ways to all of the other choices, except the iPad. That is as much of a bad thing as a good. It has a ton of neat features. You can watch video’s, play games, surf online, and of course it is in color. You can do anything that you can do with your android, but on the larger screen of the Nook.

BUT… This e-reader is a little bulkier than the other eReaders. It has a far shorter battery life. Put simply, though not “bad” it is just not quite as good of an eBook reader.

For multi-purpose use, it defeats the other eReaders easily. The problem is that for multipurpose use you would have to then compare it to the iPad, which puts it to shame in every category but cost. So it is not quite as good of a book reader and not quite as good as the iPad. This is not to say that it is not a worthy compromise purchase, but for anyone with an iPad this reader is pointless, where the Kindle or Sony would still be nice additions to have.

Sony Reader

The biggest strength of the Sony Reader is that it uses standard ePub format. That is important because the books you buy are readable on many other formats. Unlike a kindle where the books you purchse must be read on a Kindle, books bought in ePub format may be read on many other devices. Battery life is far longer on the Sony E-reader than on the Nook Color, though not as long as on the newer versions of the Kindle 2. (8 hours for Nook Color, 14 Days for Sony, 30 Days for Kindle 2)

KOBO

Kobo is one of the new entries into the e-reader market. Kobo is a product from Borders meant to compete with all the other online bookstores for a share in the market. Kobo is late to the game, poorly advertised and has no real features that make it stand out. In many ways it is similar to the Kindle 2. When it was first released it was drastically lower than the kindle 2 in price, but now that Amazon has cut the price to lower than the Kobo, this reader has lost all its appeal. Unless new features are released avoid the Kobo.

iPad

The iPad is king of the tablets. The size makes it a little difficult for long term reading. The battery life is far shorter than Kindle and Sony for travel. But for all around capabilities nothing even comes remotely close. The Nook Color and its access to the android network is the only eReader that even makes an attempt to compete with the functionality of the iPad and it does not even begin to approach it.

Kindle 2

In some ways the kindle 2 is still the eReader to beat. If you desire functionality, it pales in comparison to the Nook Color, and is in a different universe from the iPad. But for PURE eBook reading it may be the best…but by a very narrow margin.

eReader Comparison

These eBook readers are still tough to compare. Many have good points. Click here for an more in depth Comparison between Nook Color and Kindle. For a more in depth review of ALL Ebook Readers, check out: eReader Comparison.

Some Options for Mobile Computing With a Tablet

Although Apple started the new revolution of mobile computing with its wildly popular iPad, many smartphone and netbook manufacturers are now jumping on the bandwagon. With so many consumers purchasing the Apple iPad, it just makes sense that the PC industry would want a piece of the tablet mobile computing pie. Dell, Samsung, Avaya, Lenovo, and Cisco have all recently announced plans to bring their own touch screen tablets to the market in the next several months.

With all these new tablets entering the market, how can you decide which one will provide the maximum computing, collaboration, and mobile unified communications capabilities? There are several considerations to take into account before shelling out your cash on a new mobile device.

Shopping for a Tablet? Factors to Consider

Let’s start with operating systems. Of course, the iPad uses Apple’s iOS, but the majority of new tablets hitting the market will be based on the Android OS made popular by the latest smartphones. The Android platform has already proven its exceptional capabilities for a wide variety of utilizations. Lenovo is the sole exception, opting for Microsoft’s Windows 7 OS.

Along with the Android OS, all will utilize 3G, the third generation of developments in wireless technology for increased bandwidth. Only one, the Avaya DVD, is instead offering Dongle for security authorization.

What about size and weight? At just a half a pound and with a tiny five-inch screen, the Dell Streak is the smallest of the new tablets. It’s also one of the cheapest, with a proposed price of $550; of course it also has the fewest features. At the top end of the scale is the Lenovo X201, which weighs in at three pounds but features a screen just over twelve inches.

When it comes to Wi-Fi technology standards, the choices are 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, or 802.11n.Apple and Cisco are the only two manufacturers to currently offer them all.

As far as features in relation to price and size, none of the new tablets really comes anywhere close to what you get with the Apple iPad. Since it’s been on the market for a while now, the price has come down and it’s the beefiest when it comes to computing capabilities.

Tablet Mobile Computing Success

Unfortunately, tablets are not the best choice if you need heavy-duty computing functionality. But when it comes to communication and collaboration, a tablet is a good smartphone alternative. Email access, texting, and media playing are the best features on a tablet, taking smartphone capability to the next level by offering a larger screen. Another advantage of a tablet over a smartphone is the ability to use it as an eBook reader.

Since communication and collaboration are the two advantages of a tablet, it’s best to connect these devices with synchronization service for your business. Choose a service that updates data between devices immediately and wirelessly. It’s also a good idea to ensure that the synching works across platforms so that Apple and Android users can share calendars, contacts, and project notes. Some mobile syncing applications will offer extras, such as free antivirus and anti-spam service.

Some Disadvantages of Tablet PCs

The biggest disadvantage of a tablet is data input. Yes, the touch screen is larger than a smartphone, but tablets just aren’t set up to easily input data other than through check boxes. Freeform text and graphics are often a requirement of mobile computing in many businesses and any of the tablets currently available or proposed do not address this capability. Read the rest of this entry »