- Support of ePub, Mobi, PRC, RTF, txt, pdf, fb2, jpg, gif, png, and bmp file formats
- Support of DRM format through Barnes & Nobles. True pocket-sized portability for thousands of eBooks.
- Support for eBook contents Screen rotation support for both portrait & landscape modes. SD card slot. Batteries 4xAA
- Bidirectional dictionaries for certain European languages (including German and Spanish) are available.
- Pre-loaded CIA World Factbook. Bookmarks and auto page turn functionality. Adjustable font type and size.
- Multilingual interface options that include German and Spanish.
Product Description
ECTACO is happy to present you its second line of electronic eBook readers: ECTACO jetBook Lite – the most affordable eBook Reader on the market with better performance than in most of its competitors.
The main difference between the ordinary jetBook and the jetBook Lite is the fact that the accumulators are replaced by usual AA batteries which does not only make it possible to reduce the price, but to also economize energy used by the screen. Now you can read not 2… More >>
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
I had a Sony pocket reader that my daughter kept borrowing, so I thought I would be thrifty by getting the Ectaco reader to have as a second ereader around the house. All the features advertised about the Ectaco are true. However, if you can’t get the files you need onto the reader, the device is completely useless. When we first got the device, we were able to download files onto it. Somehow along the way, my files became corrupt and I couldn’t access anything on it, nor could I download any new files onto it. In our frustration, we blurted out some expletives and resisted the temptation to toss the device across the room. Needless to say, my daughter and I are back to sharing the Sony pocket reader again. I am very happy with the Sony device and for the slightly extra cost for it, the price is well worth it. You will actually be able to download your files and read everything comfortably. I take my Sony pocket reader everywhere. The Ectaco device is now resting in a box along with all my other antiquated, useless, cheap, and dysfunctional electronics up in my storage closet.
Rating: 1 / 5
i was moderately happy with this, hence 3 stars. the cons are: it is VERY slow. clicking and expecting a fast response just will not be the case. you need adapt to that. at first when i clicked and had no response, i clicked again; and by the time the device caught up i had overshot what was sought.
i enjoy using my asus netbook for in bed reading as a light is not needed and i do not disturb my wife. there is no way to read this jetbook in bed without having some lightsource; which then didturbs the other person’s sleep. and the glare on the screen from that light source is hard to ignore.
the dictionary is but a very poor one, and again very slow to access a word. when the word does come up, to me, the definitons are inadequate, and sometimes wrong.
the alpha-numerics at the side are in both english and RUSSIAN..why russian??? the languages supported are also to me bizzare; russian, polish??? i can understand spanish, german…but why not french, itaian…rather than polish or russian.
there is every possibility of the screen becoming damaged. it has no protection to scratches or worse; when carried in a purse, pocket etc. my wife will sew a case for me.
the weight is up there when the batteries are in, without batteries it would meet their standards, not so when in. when reading in bed it is fair to middling to access the controls using one hand; i.e. reading with the device in one hand while with that same hand using the thumb to click controls is awkward, and i can see how the device could slip from the grasp when doing that…possible screen damage.
putting the device on a table could also result in screen damage as the screen is flat on the table,,,so one need always mind setting it down with the screen facing up…minimizing but not eliminating damage issues.
i am not all that happy witht he screen tones; the flat grey background to me makes it more difficult reading; i’d perfer more contrast with a lighter background. when they say it is like papaer, they must mean a very old book with paper-aging.
and lastly there is no ability to control brigtness; so in dim light it is VERY hard to read. once again you NEED another light source. with my laptop or netbook, this is no issue as the brightness can be controlled. i also like the screen lighting from the netbook..better contrast. i find reading the netbook does not cause my eyes to get tired but on this ectaco jetbook the eyes do get tired. more so with a room that is dim. i also found it hard to read in direct sunlight, if not impossible without turning the screen to some shadow…which is not always possible, say on the beach.
i do like the replaceable batteries, the size is fine, the weight is ok-ish, it seems well made and on sale it is a fair deal…but only under a hundred-fifty; more than that and i would not buy.
addendum: this is the LITE version not the better version, and i just saw it on sale elsewhere for a hundred-twenty! so this is way way overpriced. i should have googled.
Rating: 3 / 5
The JetBook Lite ereader performed well for the first two battery changes; with the third set of batteries, it refused to turn on. I finally got it going (several hours later) by hooking it into my desktop and I’m not sure how we got from there to ‘on’ but now it will not open several .EPUB books (the biggest offenders) and will only stay ‘on’ (which it must be to transfer books onto it from the desktop computer) for minutes at a time. Then it cycles off and one must restart it to finesse more titles (whether on or off). I ended up purchasing a card-reader elsewhere just to save my sanity. (Oh, yes, it takes a SD card.)
The ‘dictionary’ seems to be tied to format, as well. Sometimes there is one, sometimes there is not.
With many book formats, one can only change pages with the left hand; there are no page turning buttons on the right hand side. Except sometimes.
There is no User’s Manual on-line. The quick-start pamphlet doesn’t get you anywhere near troubleshooting or answers. And it is either translated from another language, or English was nowhere near the writer’s first language, so it is difficult to figure out exactly what they might be trying to imply with what few directions are there.
Little is intuitive with this device. Trial and error can take a long time to figure things out.
The automatic page turn isn’t a scroll but an actual page turn, so you dial in your frequency preference in seconds and either dally waiting if it is a short page or scrambling to figure it out if it is densely written.
There is no case or protective wrap to purchase for this unit. Traveling with it, even slipping it into a purse or pocket (or, EEK, into a suitcase) seems to be asking for a broken screen or jammed device.) I bought a neoprene sleeve intended for a netbook to protect mine.
All this being said, as long as one stays away from EPUB documents (well, they are the worst offenders so far, anyway) and don’t find the above too much of a pain, the JetBook Lite is really a nice machine. It takes a while, as I said, to figure it out, but the font is clear and precise (even if, again, the ability to change fonts seems to depend on the book format), it is, for the price, a nifty little gadget.
If you are looking for rock-solid ease and stupid-simple operating functions, you might want to pay more and buy something else. But you may pay a LOT more for the ‘something else’ and I hear that those ‘elses’ are also have problems with various formats.
Rating: 3 / 5
This product was suppose to be epub format compatable. Our local library uses epub but it was not compatable with this product. It is suppose to be compatable with Barnes and Noble DRM. I was able to download samples of books without any problem. Whan I bought a book, an error message would not let be open the book. It wanted a unlock code. I called Barnes and Noble for support. They informed me that this product is not compatable but the unlock code is my credit caed number. I tried my credit card number. The Jetbook Lite would not let me open the book. After playing with it for an afternoon, I decided to return it. I have bought other electronic gadgets in the past many times without any frustration.
Rating: 2 / 5
I bought one for my wife as a birthday present and I find that it is a great backup to my primary ebook reader the Aztak EZReader Pro 5″ which is the most versatile reader in it’s size/price range.
Rating: 4 / 5