Comments on: $89 e-reader can display zillions of books from Google, Feedbooks, Manybooks and Gutenberg—aided by Calibre

By: Kara Lynn Russell

Kara Lynn Russell — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 01:54:35 +0000

Thanks for the tips about reading pdf files. I’ll look into Calibre. I used to copy and paste pdf files into a Word file. Then the Word file could be transferred to the reader. In the last year or so I’ve had problems with that. The spacing in the Word copy gets all messed up.

I, too would love a Nook or Kindle, but for now I am happy with my ebookwise. I’ve had it for years and it still works perfectly.

By: Lori

Lori — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 20:36:19 +0000

Good point about the Smart Media cards. I found mine on eBay, and picked up 2 just to be safe.

By: Felix Torres

Felix Torres — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 19:48:08 +0000

The most recent firmware reads IMPs not RB. (Nice UI, though.) But eBookwise librarian (among others) easily and cleanly converts RBs to IMPp. Should be no issue.

http://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/IMP_software

The biggest handicap to the reader (which is really nice–it has the best ergonomics of any reader out there) is the use of Smart Media cards; they’re getting hard to find and are absurdly priced.

By: Luqman

Luqman — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 19:04:21 +0000

My understanding is that the Ebookwise only reads .imp books, not .rb ones. Am I wrong?

By: Brad Vertrees

Brad Vertrees — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 18:36:46 +0000

I have thought about buying an ebookwise because I have heard a lot of good things about the device. Right now I have the Sony Pocket Edition, which I love. But the Sony/Amazon/B&N devices are very expensive.

The ebookwise has a good price tag that will hopefully entice more newbies to ebooks to take a chance on a device that is inexpensive and easy to use.

By: Rob Preece, Publisher

Rob Preece, Publisher — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 17:44:56 +0000

Left a long post but it seems to have been eaten. I love my eBookWise. At this price, it’s a great gift, a nice introduction to eBook reading, and it has back lighting so you can read it in bed.

For those who are waiting for next year’s Kindle/Nook, why not buy an eBookWise while you wait?

Rob Preece
Publisher

By: Lori

Lori — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 16:09:41 +0000

I bought my eBookwise years and years ago, and while I’ve been coveting so many of the new readers out there, I’ve been waiting for something that perfectly suits all my needs (picky, aren’t I?). I’ve found that there isn’t much I can’t convert to work on the eBookwise, so, primitive as it seems compared to what’s out there now, it still works perfectly for me. And the adjustable backlight for reading in bed is still the best thing out there.

And Kara, you can convert your PDFs to HTML or Word and upload them. Even without Calibre.

By: David Rothman

David Rothman — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 15:21:05 +0000

Thanks, Kara. Actually, via Calibre, you my be able to read nonDRMED PDF. As for going out of biz, I doubt that eBookwise is about to do that, but if so, the people at ETI might be one place to turn for support. Garth and friends have been involved with this class of hardware for years. – David

By: Kara Lynn Russell

Kara Lynn Russell — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 14:38:02 +0000

I have had one of these readers for years and I’m very happy with it. The only problem is it does not read pdf files. The ebookwise site is easy to use. Uploading my own files is no problem.

In light of the many recent advances in readers, I do wonder how long the ebookwise reader will be around. This $89 sale sounds a bit like “going out of business” to me, especially as it comes right after the introduction of the Nook.