[APRIL FOOLS] New original jetBook firmware - 0.35a!

[heffe2001]

Originally Posted by .rob.

The jetBook.net site is no help, and since I ordered it through newegg, ecTaco is a big zero as well.

What's ordering it through Newegg got to do with anything? Mine came from Newegg, and I'm running .34c on it now. It was pulled due to problems loading the firmware (you had to upgrade to .34b first, THEN upgrade to .34c). I'll see if I can find those versions on my system, and stick them up somewhere people can get them if anybody wants...

[jlg432]

I purchased my JB from Ectaco website in the USA. I recieved my unit from their office in Toronto and it has firmware V0.34c and patch v15.

It was purchased Jan 30, 2010 and this release does not have DRM. I now have a procedure for removing ePub drm so now I don't care too much if it shows up or not. I can still go ahead and purchase from any online store that supports ADE ePud drm and resolve my issue after the fact.

[heffe2001]

With the right tools, you can pretty much buy a book from about any store, and remove the DRM encoding (B&N, Adobe ADE, Ereader, etc).

[.rob.]

Originally Posted by jlg432

... I now have a procedure for removing ePub drm so now I don't care too much if it shows up or not. I can still go ahead and purchase from any online store that supports ADE ePud drm and resolve my issue after the fact.

And... uh... how ~do~ you remove the DRM? For the last 4 months, I've been searching the 'big box' sites for the books I want, and then hunting them down for 'free' on the web (eg, 4share, burgermeister, etc) with sometimes sys-crushing results. I'm now running Linux because of the last wipe-out.

[.rob.]

Originally Posted by heffe2001

What's ordering it through Newegg got to do with anything?

ecTaco won't answer ANY of my inquiries because I didn't purchase it through them. So say their response emails.

[bob1xxx]

HELLO MODS????? WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO TAKE THIS BAD TASTE POS APRIL FOOLS DAY JOKE DOWN ITS OLD AND IM TRIED OF SEEING PEOPLE GETTING SUCKERED IN TO POST ON THIS CRUEL STUNT HELLO? IS THIS MACHINE WORKING?

[heffe2001]

Originally Posted by .rob.

ecTaco won't answer ANY of my inquiries because I didn't purchase it through them. So say their response emails.

I bought both of my JB's from NewEgg, and have very good communication from Ectaco. They even offered to replace my regular JB with a Lite for DRM purposes (didn't take them up on it though, I like my white regular JB ).

Could you post one of the replies you're getting thats telling you that you aren't supported since you didn't buy it from them? I'd like to ask them what the score with that is, and would rather it not be a 'he said but I have no proof' kind of thing..

[.rob.]

Originally Posted by heffe2001

Could you post one of the replies you're getting thats telling you that you aren't supported since you didn't buy it from them? I'd like to ask them what the score with that is, and would rather it not be a 'he said but I have no proof' kind of thing..

This was the response I got to an inquiry about DRM:

"Dear Robert,

Thank you for your mail.

Please note that the JetBook supports not-protected ePub, Mobi, PRC, RTF, .txt, .pdf, .fb2, .jpg, .gif, .png, and .bmp formats now.

Should you need any other assistance please let me know.

Thank you for choosing our products.


<Please include the original message text in your replies>


Best Regards,
Val Reaves,
Sales Manager,
ECTACO, Inc.
mailto:valyar@ectaco.com
http://www.ectaco.com"

;;;I then responded with:

"thank you for your reply.... but HOW do i know if the files are protected or not? ---before--- i purchase them...."

;;; These were sent back and forth in early Feb, and I have not hear anything since. I have called the 800 number on the JB three times and have yet to hear from them.

I've figured out to NOT buy any books from websites because I can't yet remove the DRM, and am tired of buying books I can't read.

The free search link of the jB site would be nice, but that one tells me :

"Dear Sir / Madam,

Thank you for registering to the Free Book Search service for JetBook users. Our current records do not indicate you as a current owner of JetBook, but we would be glad to help.
Since the Free Book Search service is limited only to those who already own a JetBook, you can find additional information about it online http://www.jetbook.net/specifications.php
As soon as we receive your order you will be fully eligible for our service.

However, we deeply apologize for any inconvenience in case you already bought a JetBook and our records were not properly updated.
Please email us at info@jetbook.net or fax at 1-718-728-4023 a proof of purchase with the serial number of your JetBook (found on the back side of the case) and we will be glad to assist you.

Best regards,
Maria Izquierdo,
JetBook Project Manager
mailto:info@jetbook.net
Tel. 718-228-1201
http://www.jetbook.net"

;;;Not really cripplingly inconvenient, but it's still a service 'covered' by the purchase price, right?

Oh well.
~I still love my jB!~

[DoctorOhh]

Your statement

Originally Posted by .rob.

ecTaco won't answer ANY of my inquiries because I didn't purchase it through them. So say their response emails.

seems to be BS from the info you provided.

Originally Posted by .rob.

This was the response I got to an inquiry about DRM:

;;;I then responded with:

"thank you for your reply.... but HOW do i know if the files are protected or not? ---before--- i purchase them...."

They answered your question. This is info that was on the box of the reader and you should have known before purchasing. It's not their fault you are buying books you can't read. Asking the site you're purchasing from or reading the web site info before you buy is simple enough.

Originally Posted by .rob.

I've figured out to NOT buy any books from websites because I can't yet remove the DRM, and am tired of buying books I can't read.

The wiki here has a list of sites that have DRM free books.
It also lists sites where you can get free ebooks.

I hope the lists help you.

Originally Posted by .rob.

The free search link of the jB site would be nice, but that one tells me :

Thank you for registering to the Free Book Search service for JetBook users. Our current records do not indicate you as a current owner of JetBook, but we would be glad to help.

...~~~...

However, we deeply apologize for any inconvenience in case you already bought a JetBook and our records were not properly updated.

Please email us at info@jetbook.net or fax at 1-718-728-4023 a proof of purchase with the serial number of your JetBook (found on the back side of the case) and we will be glad to assist you.

All they want you to do is register your device to use this service. Seems reasonable to me. Drop them an email with your serial number and start using their service.

[.rob.]

Originally Posted by dwanthny

Your statement seems to be BS from the info you provided.



They answered your question. This is info that was on the box of the reader and you should have known before purchasing.

It was purchased for me by a relative. NewEgg said nothing about DRM at the time, and the purchaser wouldn't have known what it all meant anyway.

Originally Posted by dwanthny

It's not their fault you are buying books you can' read. Asking the site your

're

Originally Posted by dwanthny

purchasing from or reading the web site info before you buy is simple enough.

As I said, it was a gift from a loving family member that did some research on the product and had even read other reviews about the product stating the same thing; if it isn't purchased through ecTaco, they won't help.

Originally Posted by dwanthny

The wiki here has a list of sites that have DRM free books.
It also lists sites where you can get free ebooks.

I hope the lists help you.

Thanks for the link. I've been to a few of those sites, and some of the free ones. Didn't know where to find additional trusted sites.

Originally Posted by dwanthny

All they want you to do is register your device to use this service. Seems reasonable to me. Drop them an email with your serial number and start using their service.

The emails from them say to email my serial number (which I've done 4 times in the last 3 months), and have not received a response to ~those~ emails. I also called the phone number provided and left a detailed message on the vmail box. Name, phone number, email address, even home address. That was in February.

I understand that it's no big deal, and that it is to be expected to not get the full services/support when buying through a secondary vendor, but it just doesn't seem right. It is, however, the only 'complaint' I have about my jB; in the future, the purches will be made directly from the manufacturer if possible.

[heffe2001]

I purchased both of my units from Newegg, and not had any problems with my inquiries to my units, they never even asked where I purchased. I've asked the tech support rep before if the units were under warranty if they weren't purchased from them directly, and they stated that yes, the units had their normal warranty period even if you bought it from Newegg or anywhere else (just like any other product you buy).

[DoctorOhh]

Originally Posted by .rob.

It was purchased for me by a relative. NewEgg said nothing about DRM at the time, and the purchaser wouldn't have known what it all meant anyway.

DRM can be confusing, it didn't mention drm then because it didn't support drm. At least now they say,

Access to new releases through DRM PDB support

Gifts from family are great and when dealing with new tech some things will go under the radar. The family member ought to be able to log on to newegg and print out the invoice. I always use this as proof of purchase/date. When shopping online this is your receipt.

Originally Posted by .rob.

're

Some folks might think this is picky, but I hate it when I do this so thanks for pointing it out.

Originally Posted by .rob.

Thanks for the link. I've been to a few of those sites, and some of the free ones. Didn't know where to find additional trusted sites.

I PMed you one other trusted site.

Originally Posted by .rob.

I understand that it's no big deal, and that it is to be expected to not get the full services/support when buying through a secondary vendor, but it just doesn't seem right.

You certainly have been given the cold shoulder. I think you are wrong this is a big deal and you should expect and receive 100% support of any product under warranty. Here in the States warranties are covered by laws and not something optional, if a company claims a warranty you have every right to expect service.

[.rob.]

Thank you, dwanthny, for all your info and support!
I felt bad/awkward asking the family member for the invoice from the purchase, but it seems that is the only recourse I have left to get ecTaco's assistance.
I just wanted it known that I had exhausted all available resources and was still at a loss. I'll pm you back with an update after I send them a copy of said invoice.

(Sorry about the /'re/.. the whole your/you're, their/there thing is a pet peeve of mine.. I feel 'txt'ing' is weakening the written word and it should be up to every one of us to remain personally vigilant. I don't usually point it out, and I sincerely apologize...)

[DoctorOhh]

Originally Posted by .rob.

Sorry about the /'re/.. the whole your/you're, their/there thing is a pet peeve of mine.. I feel 'txt'ing' is weakening the written word and it should be up to every one of us to remain personally vigilant. I don't usually point it out, and I sincerely apologize...

My "Thank You" was sincere, no apology necessary. This truly irritates me as well but many times my old slow fingers don't keep up with my brain.

The thing I find I do the most is forget the n't after does or could, completely screws up the meaning of some of my posts. Usually I catch it while previewing the post, but it happens more often then I would ever want to admit.

[heffe2001]

I'll say it again, but in all the back and forth with Ectaco, I've never had to supply any type of invoice/receipt for my unit to get anything done. They know when the unit was shipped out from their distributor by the serial number, and that should be enough to say if it's in warranty or not.

I would try to contact someone in tech-support directly, I've had very good response from Pavel & Phil:

Pavel - technical support
Pavel@ectaco.com
Ectaco INC,
Phone: (718)728-3605
Fax (718)728-4023

Phil - technical support
Ectaco INC,
Phone: (718)728-3605
Fax (718)728-4023
mailto Phil@ectaco.com


As for removing DRM, took all of 30 minutes for me to get all the software and scripts for removing DRM from all the sites I use (from my library, to B&N, to Adobe ADE, etc). It's not very difficult, and makes it much easier to work with my books (I can convert them to other formats like FB2, which the Jetbook will pull the metadata from for the title/author, unlike epub). Tech support isn't going to be able to help with DRM or removal on the Jetbook until they release firmware that is DRM enabled for it.

I agree with the txt'ing comment, and while it really bugs me when I get a txt from one of our kids, I'll also say that internet forums have stunted the younger generation in their word & vocabulary usage. Just go to any gamer site, and I'd bet you'd go into bad grammer/spelling overload. (Look of leet or 7337 speak if you don't know what I mean, that stuff REALLY bugs me).