Customer Reviews

RCA eBook Reader (REB1100)

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

I will admit, that this is a very nice package. The unit is a good weight and it looks wonderful... BUT...( and that's a big but).. this unit is proprietary! You can not convert .html, .txt, or anything else, into the .rb format. The software does not allow it and there are (according to customer support) no plans to create such software. This means you can not use your own content on this unit.

If you're going to buy something, do NOT look at this unit.

I kinda wish they'd put this stuff on the box (supports MMM filetypes) so I wouldn't have wasted my time buying it. Now I'll have to trek back to the store where I purchased it, to return it... and start looking all over again.

I was reluctant to try ebook readers for many reasons, but when the prices started to drop, I decided to give the REB1100 a shot. I'm very glad I did.

The REB1100 is a versatile, easy-to-use little reader that worked perfectly first time out. Controls and page-orientation can be swapped for lefties, the backlit screen allows for night or dim-light reading, you can change the fonts and the font size, and with adjustable brightness and contrast, you can reasonably extend the battery life to 30 hours.

Registration and downloading worked without trouble, and there is a wide variety of books, magazines, and newspapers available for the reader. I'm using mine for reading on the bus, and currently have all of Shakespeare's plays, three classic novels, and a handful of short stories all loaded up--and that's with the onboard 8mb of memory. With a Smart Media card, you can extend that up to 72mb--that's a lot of books in your pocket.

Highly recommended.

I really believe that this device, the RCA REB1100 represents the future of reading. It is small and compact and light --easy to carry. It is backlit and the resolution of the words is quite good -- better than PDA's that I have seen. With an optional memory card, you can store up to probably 30-40+ novels on one simple device. Moving through pages is simple and you can mark bookmarks, write notes, underline etc if you are an active reader. I got mine in October, 2001 and have used it everyday. I love it! Everyone who sees it is impressed by it. It is NOT a PDA, but a device specific to reading. With something like this, I don't need to ever walk into another bookstore; instead, my books come to me and are mine forever. Downloading is a snap.
Give it a try!

Just a note to future readers -
If you take Gemstar up on their offer to "upgrade" this model you will receive some nice new features, however what they don't tell you is that your machine will become PROPRIETARY! All the books you had before will become unreadable and your ebook will only be able to "read" Gemstar books in the future. This means you are force to buy all future books from the Gemstar catalog only!
The new features that come with this upgrade to the 1150 model are hardly worth being locked into one ebook vendor forever. The openness of this little model is it's beauty - it's the last one of it's kind, as all future models are proprietary.

My congratulations to RCA for making a highly affordable, convenient way to take your reading with you. I have had mine for only a week and can't believe how much I'm enjoying it. You don't have to worry about having sufficient background lighting, either. I teach, and my peers are very impressed with the ease of downloading current books and how I don't have to carry bulky reading material with me anymore. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is an avid reader and loves the convenience electronics brings into their lives.

Initially, the registration and software update process was twitchy and annoying, and the books offered through their modem service/catalog are a joke. Despite these obvious flaws, it has been wonderful. RCA just doesn't tell you about a couple of the advantages, wanting to sell you a bunch of overpriced and overcontrolled downloads. I got my unit about eight months ago, probably use it in excess of 2 hours a day, and have enjoyed it immensely. I actually prefer it to a hardcover book. It is, by far, the best reader out there, especially with its integrated dictionary and notetaking functions.

I use it to download large work documents into the reader (you can make new files using the open source app rbmake). Then I take notes in the reader on the plane, or in the bathroom, or wherever. With all the Project Gutenberg books available in an easy-to-convert format, you have literally thousands of the greatest books ever available for free download, as well as current books available for purchase online. I'm buying several for relatives for Christmas, along with a CD-ROM full of pub-domain books to get them started.

I received the reb1100 as a gift in September 2001. Since then, it has been nothing but trouble. Registration was tedious, and my power unit would not recharge my ebook. After contacting customer service and describing the problem, I was told to send in the ebook. A week later I got a "refurbished" unit - that still didn't work! Within hours (spent trying to register the new ebook), the battery was empty and I could not use the ebook at all. I decided to bypass customer service and bought a universal adapter. That didn't work, either. I contacted customer service once again and was told that I would receive a new battery and power unit within 4 to 5 business days. After more than 4 weeks of waiting, nothing has arrived. Calls to customer service simply result in apologies for the inconvenience and to note that they "are working on it." Three months after receiving the ebook, I have not been able to use it once - much to my surprise for a device that is touted as making my life easier and more convenient. Other web sites refer to users with similar problems, but knowing that I am not alone is not much solace. I would recommend that, before deciding to buy or give an ebook, you consider simply burning your money. It would probably be much more efficient than dealing with a company that produces an defective product with exceptionally poor customer service.

My old and much loved EB500 was knocked to the floor one Friday
and turned into several pieces, so I decided to replace it.

First, I checked out the 'ebookman', but quickly discovered that,
through a combination of greed and stupidity, the .rb format is
not supported. I returned it and purchased a new REB1100.

The REB1100 is a updated model of the older EB500 and has a few
things right about it.

The new surface and lighter weight are real pluses. Until I
rubberized the surface of my old EB500 I was prone to cramps
in my hand and wrist.

The ability to use flash memory cards is a nice touch. I now
have the ability to carry hundreds of books with me when I travel.

The modem is of no use to me. I store all my books on computers.
Hundreds of books. NONE of them encrypted or keyed to a specific
piece of fragile hardware. That means I can replace the hardware
and still read my books without forking out a lot more money.
Why anybody would put themselves in that position is beyond me.
It's like buying encrypted movies that the only work in the
VCR you own today and having to buy all new movies when you
replace that VCR.
[Sorry, greed and stupidity always irritate me.]

[They tried the same stunt with the DVIx formatted DVD's. Buy
it now then pay again and again if you want to watch it. Oh
yes, and let us track all this too. Greedy, stupid and no longer
around. ]

Anyway, back to the story ... the new REB1100 was defective.
The USB port didn't work. I made a first guess that I had a bad
device driver.

I have 3 home computers, all with USB devices hanging off them.
In every case the systems would detect when I plugged the ebook
in, but the RocketLibrarian software would not connect. Also,
the OS's reported that the device driver on the CD was not
written for the ebook.

I tried tech support. Closed for the weekend. Tried web sites.
The URL given in the software returned a 404 (not found) error.
I finally found a working web site, but support is non-existent
and there are/were no downloadable drivers.

The end result of many hours of testing was that I determined
that the problem was in the eBook itself. The store tells me I
should send it in for repairs. At my own cost. And the users
guide says that I may get a refurbished unit back. Reviews on
CNET give the same warning.

Gee. I get to pay for a new and defective product. Pay again
to ship it off for repair. Wait for several weeks, then I
might be the proud owner of a used (refurbished ) eBook.

Wrong Answer.

Jevon Grimes at eBook Technical Support got back to me and
let me know that Microsoft didn't include USB support in
Windows ME (wrong) and that I could contact "RCA Warranty
Support for a replacement CD".

This seems like a stock answer to me, so maybe the device
drivers on the CD are defective, like the OS reported. If
that is the case, why can't I download them from the web site?
They are not very large. Can anybody say 'Customer Support'?

I checked out a friends working eBook and found that the eRocket
Librarian software is also defective. On my old EB500, when the
eBook was plugged into it's cradle, the software listed the
files that it found on the eBook. A little green box would
appear across from the book title to indicate that what was
loaded. Not so any more. There is no indication as to what
is actually on the eBook. Oh, the column is there, labeled 'On
eBook'. It just doesn't work.

My old EB500 came with the ability to view html files. Not
so the new and improved REB1100. My old EB500 also came with
software that allowed me to convert text and html files to
the rb format the REB1100 requires. No more.

It's as if somebody sat down and decided to kill the market
for the eBook.

There are a number of other problems with this product, but
it all comes down to a lack of quality control, customer
support or intent to develope a market.

The real problem with this from my point of view is that I
really loved my old ebook and was forced to try to find a
working REB1100. [I hate rewarding greed and stupidity!!!]

I never did find one with a working USB port, so I load my
books on the flash memory card and then plug the card into
the REB1100. This works, but they included NO provision to
eject the memory card and it is very hard to get a grip on
it without the risk of breaking it. I ended up putting a
tape flap on the card that I can pull on when I need to swap
cards.

These are my experiences. Your mileage may vary.

Kirk Sauber
ksauber@cisco.com

I was very pleased with my REB1100, and when GemStar sent me an offer for an OS upgrade (making my reader into a GEB1150), I readily agreed.

WARNING! The software in the new system makes your REB1100 completely proprietary to GemStar! As a GEB1150, you can no longer backup your titles to your PC, you can no longer purchase titles from anywhere but from GemStar, and you can no longer create your own RB files to read on your eBook.

As a novelist, I used to review and edit my books on the eBook, saving me paper and time. Now, I can no longer do that. Also, all of the titles I bought from other sources I can no longer download to the eBook.

So while the REB1100 is a GREAT product, be aware of the possible problems with upgrading.

I started using ebooks with the old Rocket, Mom to the Reb1100. Loved the concept and flexibility. Ended up dropping it and bought a demo Reb1100 to replace it. My account transferred easily so I still have access to all my books. Love the Reb1100!

Advantages to this version: lighter than the Rocket; rubberized surface (less chance to drop!); nice reflective screen, about the size of a paper-back; excellent backlight; ability to upgrade the memory (normally I carry it with about 20 books, so haven't really needed the upgrade yet); GREAT battery - really does go 20-40 hours between charges, much better than on my PocketPC.

Someone else here was bend because they couldn't use their own content - NOT true! - and had problems with the USB driver. You do have to use the eBook Librarian, rather than the Rocket Librarian because of the USB connection. To use your own content, install the old Rocket Librarian (it automatically installs to a separate folder), then use the Rocket version to create the .rb files of your content. Import the .rb file into the eBook Librarian and your own content is added to your library and can be sent to the Reb1100.

By the way, I prefer to manage my books on the PC, rather than by modem. It's nice to be able to download books directly to the unit when away, but I think it's easier to see what you have, search, categorize, etc. on the PC using the librarian software. This is also why I won't be upgrading to Gemstar's newer versions, even though the color one is tempting. The new versions (starting with the 1150) don't support software on the PC for managing the books - you have to go online to update your unit. Plus: the battery life is much less; the cost is way too high - even involves subscription (Hah!) for some units; and they do NOT support personal content.

Bottom line: The Reb1100 is great!