According to ECTACO it won't be the Amazon Kindle or the Sony Reader that changes the way we read—it will be their new jetBook. Why? Well, first of all it is red and everyone knows that red is the color of learning. Second, it features a 5-inch, high-res TFT display, an MP3 player, bookmarking capability, multi-language support and an SD expansion slot. There is no word on how much memory is built-in, but we do know that the device will set you back $349.95 and there is no e-book store. So, you are on your own when it comes to finding content. [ECTACO via Gearlog]
ECTACO's jetBook E-Book Reader "Will Change the Way We Read Forever!"
6:10 PM on Mon Mar 24 2008
By Sean Fallon
3,863 views
24 comments











Comments
This is made in China - components + firmware. Why are you posting Chinese stuff?
Finding content wouldn't be a problem, there's lot's out there... depending on file format support. There's no indication on the website which formats this device supports, which may mean that it's some unknown proprietary thing (so that you have to buy their dictionaries). So if it's a proprietary format, AND there's no place to buy content, fail....
50 bucks more gets you some sort of wireless access with amazon. Why buy this?
This is 50 bucks MORE than the Sony reader and has a smaller screen...so wtf?
eeem, and in how far is the absence of a dedicated eBook shop by Ectaco in any way a disadvantage for the reader? What's with ebooks.com, ereader.com, mobipocket.com etc. etc.? You somewhat lost me there...
If it can read plain old PDFs, I'm all for it.
Snide comment of the day: Wow, blue font on a red background. That's so fashionable.
@JJ910: If they didn't post Chinese stuff, Gizmodo would have 4 new posts a week.
can this stupid thing stream youtube?
NAEB DRM free eBook reader FTW.
[naebllcc.ipower.com]
This thing changes the way I think about red e-books.
Being (backlit) TFT instead of ePaper I'm afraid it reads as lousy as any computer monitor. But I do see logic in choosing TFT technology, as ePaper is still b&w and has an unacceptable low refresh rate. So TFT sure would do more justice to my digital playboy subscription where its 'reading' benefits most from the color and motion qualities of TFT (and even under the blankets, woohoo).
@yogibimbi: Because there is no mention of supported formats: If it doesn't support mobi, pdf, lit, pdb, etc, then it's of limited use -- especially if they don't offer anything themselves... Even if there is an available format conversion tool, then you're spending valuable reading time converting things.
Am I the only one who looks at this and thinks about the old joke about the boss using an etch-a-scetch as his laptop?
I feel bad for this company in advance, I really do.
I heard it is fully compatible with Word Star.
First thing I thought of when I saw the picture was "Sweet, its an Etch-a-sketch!", I don't see this product surpassing the Kindle any time soon especially as Amazon and Sony probably have a tonne more marketing dollars behind them.
"MP3 player, bookmarking capability, and an SD expansion slot"
So does the Sony Reader and it is $100 cheaper.
yes yes , besides Sony reader has got 8000 page flips battery life. you could stay on same page for years and continue reading.
the amazon thingmabob is bulky with funny buttons.
TFT = heavy + short battery life. No thanks.
Looks like an Etch-A-Sketch.
50 buck more gets me a real laptop (admitedly low end) with a colour 15 inch screen, DVD and wifi.
worth $99
jetBook has a comparison between it, the Sony Reader and the Kindle. See the info below
[www.jetbook.net]
This actually seems like a pretty good device.
Another thing that looks nice on this device, after reading the manual is the file maintenance. From the device you can copy files from the SD card to the internal memory, you can rename files, and you can delete them. That's pretty sweet.
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