COOL-ER eBook Reader: the Future of Book Publishing?

[Nick]

(Ed. note: I considered adding this to the "Kindle" thread, but finally decided that a new entry into the e-book race deserved its own thread.)

What's in a name?

Is this very colorful "COOL-ER™" e- book, the latest entry into to e-book reader field, good enough to top Kindle -- or even Sony?

http://www.coolreaders.com/images/cool-er-image.jpg

At $249, the COOL-ER is the newest and current low-cost leader in the e-book race. But what about content? Can any e-reader ever overcome Amazon Kindle's monstrous lead in content, availability and ease of access? I seriously doubt it.

Personally, I like the COOL-ER's lower price, bright colors and hip (cool?) style, but when all is said and done, content and availability are King -- or Queen, if you prefer.

And another thing -- what's with these peculiar names? Even though I've become somewhat accustomed to the "Kindle" name, I still don't get it. Same with "COOL-ER". But, what's in a name? :whatdidid

Anyway, for more info, read on --

COOL-ER web site: www.coolreaders.com/default.asp

MediaBistro review: http://www.mediabistro.com/galleycat/web_tech/cooler_ebook_reader_the_future_of_book_publishing_ 118538.asp

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[spartanstew]

Why can't they just make these darn things universal, so they all have access to the same libraries. It's like having CD players that can only play certain CD's.

[Drew2k]

And another thing -- what's with these peculiar names? Even though I've become somewhat accustomed to the "Kindle" name, I still don't get it. Same with "COOL-ER". But, what's in a name? :whatdidid
Ah, one of these I can help with! Amazon chose the name "kindle" for it's definition, and cites one on the box: 2. inspire, stir up.

Other definitions include "to illuminate" and "to ignite", so take that for what it's worth!

As to the newest ebook reader, I need to check out the web site, but if those buttons on the left side are for turning pages, they may cause some accidental page turns! That was a chief complaint of Kindle 1, and the Kindle 2 resolved that, so I would want to check that out carefully.

[Drew2k]

Why can't they just make these darn things universal, so they all have access to the same libraries. It's like having CD players that can only play certain CD's.There are some universal formats, such as epub and mobi, but Sony and Amazon created their own proprietary formats. The good news is that both readers accept the universal formats, so if you obtain a public domain ebook it can be read on either reader.

I do join you in wishing for interoperability and transparency, though. The bottom line for the for-profit sellers is they don't want ebook trading/sharing and loss of revenue, and they want to protect the content, so all the resellers would have to get together to adopt some new standard that includes security and protects revenue ... Could be a long wait.

[P Smith]

"Largest e-bookstore with over 750,000 titles" - is that real claim ?

[spartanstew]

The bottom line for the for-profit sellers is they don't want ebook trading/sharing and loss of revenue, and they want to protect the content, so all the resellers would have to get together to adopt some new standard that includes security and protects revenue ... Could be a long wait.

Yep, but I bet they'd all sell a lot more readers if the consumer knew they could view any book with it. Heck, that's the main reason I haven't bought one and I'm sure I'm not alone.

[pfp]

Yep, but I bet they'd all sell a lot more readers if the consumer knew they could view any book with it. Heck, that's the main reason I haven't bought one and I'm sure I'm not alone.

$250 for a device to read a book! Yeah, it's the incompatable formats keeping me away. :lol:

[Tom Robertson]

$250 for a device to read a book! Yeah, it's the incompatable formats keeping me away. :lol:

If you travel a lot, especially with a large collection of reading or work related books, $250 is well worth the weight savings.

Hence, content is king.

[Drew2k]

If you travel a lot, especially with a large collection of reading or work related books, $250 is well worth the weight savings.

Hence, content is king.And on top of that, you're saving some trees, too. :)

[dmspen]

I like it because I can bring it into work! In my place, we're not allowed to bring any wireless devices into many areas. Having a reading device without wireless is perfect for me.

Now the rant...
I was browsing on Coolers ebook site and noticed that there are public domain books for sale. Authors like Edgar Rice Burroughs. Also, how can you justify a price of $19.96 for an ebook? Many stores, even places like BOrders, will give you coupons to drop the price of physical books.

I looked at one book that Cooler wanted $22.36. I can buy the paperback from Amazon for $7.99. That's nearly triple the price. And the book is 10 years old!

I would still consider buying one of these because I already have hundreds of ebooks and documents that I read. I may have to get a scanner with autoload so I can buy the paperbacks and scan them!

[P Smith]

All Kindles have ability to turn off WAN, as I saw in manuals.

[Drew2k]

I like it because I can bring it into work! In my place, we're not allowed to bring any wireless devices into many areas. Having a reading device without wireless is perfect for me.

Now the rant...
I was browsing on Coolers ebook site and noticed that there are public domain books for sale. Authors like Edgar Rice Burroughs. Also, how can you justify a price of $19.96 for an ebook? Many stores, even places like BOrders, will give you coupons to drop the price of physical books.

I looked at one book that Cooler wanted $22.36. I can buy the paperback from Amazon for $7.99. That's nearly triple the price. And the book is 10 years old!

I would still consider buying one of these because I already have hundreds of ebooks and documents that I read. I may have to get a scanner with autoload so I can buy the paperbacks and scan them!
Just do a search on "public domain ebooks", or visit MobileRead forums (http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=41937) for links to free ebooks. There are a LOT of them out there.

Before you buy any reader, though, make sure you know what formats it will accept!

Also, if you buy a reader, consider installing Calibre (http://calibre.kovidgoyal.net/) on your PC. It's a great tool for copying content to the reader and can even go to web sites and create e-versions of engadget, USA Today, etc. that you can send to your ebook reader on a schedule you decide.

[bobukcat]

If you travel a lot, especially with a large collection of reading or work related books, $250 is well worth the weight savings.

Hence, content is king.

Or if you just read a lot of books, paying $9.99 for a new release or best seller that's going for $15-$18 even with membership discounts at places like Barnes & Noble or Borders can add up to some significant savings pretty quickly. Getting the books delivered instantly without a trip to the store or shipping is another savings that adds up. I don't have one but I'm very close to buying one for my wife's b-day next month.

[dmspen]

Won't fly... they cannot have wireless capability regardless of powered state. My work laptop had to be 'emasculated' before I could take it to my desk!

All Kindles have ability to turn off WAN, as I saw in manuals.

[P Smith]

Won't fly... they cannot have wireless capability regardless of powered state. My work laptop had to be 'emasculated' before I could take it to my desk!
Superstitious.
All the devices (cell phones, Kindles, etc ) while RF is off removing power from WAN modem, so there is no way to emit radio-waves.

[fluffybear]

Maybe someone who owns one of these e-readers can answer something for me.

Can you sell your e-book once you finished with it or is it registered to your specific reader?

If you can sell them, this might be a great tool for students as they can sell them as soon as they have completed their class. My wife will be in her final semester (masters) and the one thing we have come to like with paper is being able to sell the book on Amazon for around 75% what we paid. If we can not get that with the e-book then I don't see a unit (at least in our situation) being worth much.

[Ken S]

Why can't they just make these darn things universal, so they all have access to the same libraries. It's like having CD players that can only play certain CD's.

Spartan,

The Kindle will read a wide variety of formats as will many of the others. But...as with music there are some DRM issues.

[Ken S]

Maybe someone who owns one of these e-readers can answer something for me.

Can you sell your e-book once you finished with it or is it registered to your specific reader?

If you can sell them, this might be a great tool for students as they can sell them as soon as they have completed their class. My wife will be in her final semester (masters) and the one thing we have come to like with paper is being able to sell the book on Amazon for around 75% what we paid. If we can not get that with the e-book then I don't see a unit (at least in our situation) being worth much.

No, they're locked to your account. You can transfer them to another device in your name, but for the most part you can't sell them.

My wife bought me a Kindle 2 for my birthday and it has been one of the best gifts I've ever received. The book selection is very good (not great), but being able to carry literally hundreds of books with you and not need to worry about syncing/connecting to a PC or really even constantly charging a battery (battery life is weeks... not hours) is fantastic. As a note most airlines (I've flown several recently) are NOT requiring you to turn the Kindle off during take-off and landing. When I asked Delta, British Air and US Air told me they consider it no more dangerous than a digital watch as long as the WAN is turned off.

[dmspen]

Superstitious.
All the devices (cell phones, Kindles, etc ) while RF is off removing power from WAN modem, so there is no way to emit radio-waves.

But what if you accidentally turn it on? I know that security is paranoid, but gotta follow their rules. I leave my pocket pc and cell phone in a little locker in the hall.

[P Smith]

I don't see how it could happen - for turn WAN on you should press a few buttons, navigate thru menu, etc.

[dmspen]

I don't see how it could happen - for turn WAN on you should press a few buttons, navigate thru menu, etc.

I agree, but security personnel are paranoid. There's a rule and we have to follow it. We can get away with IR ports. They place metal tape over the IR emitter and that's good enough.

Sux.