What to expect from an eReader - 3 questions

[vans]

I bought an Elonex 621 ebook reader a few weeks ago and I have a few questions about what you should be expected in an ebook reader.

When I turn the Elonex on it does not go directly to the last page I was reading.

Question
Are there readers go directly to your last page after they have booted?


What happens is the Elonex boots to the home screen you then have to click recently read and then click on the book, it then opens to the correct page. The process takes 55 seconds, which seems a long time.

Question
Is 55seconds a long time to start reading?

Question
Do any e-ink readers come with a backlight as an option that can be turned on or off as required?


Background

I was an early ebook adopter but I have been using laptops, tablets and an Ipad. This Elonex is my first e-ink reader. I bought it because it was on special offer and I was also given a gift card for the bookshop so it did not actually cost me much. I also read a reasonable review that said its screen was as good as Sony e-ink readers.

[crich70]

Well I don't know about others but with my Kindle 3 the reader stays on the page I left off on (though it does go to sleep mode if I don't turn pages for a while). I don't usually turn it off though, just let it go to sleep mode. If I'm on the home page and go to one of my collections it can take a few seconds to open the folder but part of that I think also depends on how full the reader is too. The Kindle 3 can hold up to 3,500 books (depending on their size) so it takes a lot to fill it up. I've never heard of an Elonex reader so I can't say if your experience is typical or not of the type. My own 1st e reader was a Franklin Ebookman. Mobipocket stopped giving support to it and they were the only book source I knew at the time for the format so I ended up bound to my desktop or netbook for a time too. Also the unit was a battery hog. If you were lucky it held a charge for 4 hrs then you needed fresh batteries.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by vans

Question
Are there readers go directly to your last page after they have booted?

Not that I know of, but you don't "boot" most readers; they go to sleep and resume where you left them.

Question
Is 55seconds a long time to start reading?

For a reboot? No, it's pretty much normal but, as I say, most readers never actually turn off, they just go to sleep. Waking up a Sony, Kindle, etc, takes about 1-2 seconds.

Question
Do any e-ink readers come with a backlight as an option that can be turned on or off as required?

eInk cannot be backlit, for the very simple reason that an eInk screen is opaque, hence cannot be lit from behind.

[vans]

Thanks for both replies they were very helpful.

I expected the Elonex to sleep, but if I haven't used it for a while I have to press the power button to start it again. There is a little progress bar at the bottom of the screen and it goes through a process that I can only describe as booting.

I think Elonex is a UK brand and a couple of its eReaders are commonly available in the UK. I paid £70 for mine which is good value in the UK.

If you are interested here is a link to a review

http://ebookreaderz.co.uk/ebook-read...reader-review/

Apart from being cheap it is very light and the battery seems to go on for ever and it reads ePub.

I think I will keep it for a while, but I am sure I will change it eventually for an eReader that sleeps.

[AJ Starr]

If it is an "eink" you do not need to keep turning it off. They only reason would be to protect "page turn" when you carry it around, then the screen lock would be OK. When you turn it back on, NOT reboot it, then it should be where you left it.

If your are turning it totally OFF and back on and lose the page, I have to guess that is the internal software.

If yours is a "lcd" not an "eink" then, yes, you need to turn it off when not using it, and someone one else will need to add their two cents worth on the pages. The one "lcd" I bought for my husband turns to the book list screen with the "last read" as the first selection. He gets to the book in seconds.

Reboot means restarting the operation system like when you press the little hole on the back when the screen freezes.

Also, as I just noticed on the Astak thread, someone ran into the problem where, if there is a space in the folder name it does not return to the last page open. The solution to that is to eliminate the spaces in the folder names, e.g., "Smith_Jane" instead of "Smith, Jane".

Good luck

AJ

[Dulin's Books]

Many ebook readers will go to the last page read from completely off.

As the Elonex is a Netronix clone it might be able to as well. check the settings for an option to toggle

[vans]

Originally Posted by AJ Starr

If it is an "eink" you do not need to keep turning it off. They only reason would be to protect "page turn" when you carry it around, then the screen lock would be OK. When you turn it back on, NOT reboot it, then it should be where you left it.

If your are turning it totally OFF and back on and lose the page, I have to guess that is the internal software.

If yours is a "lcd" not an "eink" then, yes, you need to turn it off when not using it, and someone one else will need to add their two cents worth on the pages. The one "lcd" I bought for my husband turns to the book list screen with the "last read" as the first selection. He gets to the book in seconds.

Reboot means restarting the operation system like when you press the little hole on the back when the screen freezes.

Also, as I just noticed on the Astak thread, someone ran into the problem where, if there is a space in the folder name it does not return to the last page open. The solution to that is to eliminate the spaces in the folder names, e.g., "Smith_Jane" instead of "Smith, Jane".

Good luck

AJ

Thanks for your reply.

It is certainly an eink reader and it does turn itself completely off requiring a reboot.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by vans

Thanks for your reply.

It is certainly an eink reader and it does turn itself completely off requiring a reboot.

In fairness, it's not the only reader to do that. "Sleep" functionality is a huge time-saver. Most of the readers based on the old Netronix hardware seem unable to "sleep", though - I guess there's probably something in the hardware design which prevents it.

[vans]

Originally Posted by Dulin's Books

Many ebook readers will go to the last page read from completely off.

As the Elonex is a Netronix clone it might be able to as well. check the settings for an option to toggle

Thanks for the reply

I have just checked the setting and the default setting, out of the box, is to turn itself completely off after 20 minutes.

There is no "sleep" option, but there is an "always on" option. I have selected that. I assume because it has an e-ink screen this will not have much of an impact on battery life or the life of the screen?

I was very interested to read that there are ereaders that go to the last page read from completely off. I am hoping you might be able to suggest one or two?

Thanks

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by vans

I was very interested to read that there are ereaders that go to the last page read from completely off. I am hoping you might be able to suggest one or two?

It's not really a relevant question, vans, because you never turn off the overwhelming majority of modern readers: Kindle, Sony, nook, Kobo, etc. All the "power switch" does is to put them to sleep. Slide the power switch again and 1-2 seconds later you're at exactly the same display you were when you "turned off". What these devices do when they boot really doesn't matter, because you DON'T boot them except in exceptional situations.

[Dulin's Books]

Originally Posted by vans

I was very interested to read that there are ereaders that go to the last page read from completely off. I am hoping you might be able to suggest one or two?

Thanks

I meant check the settings for an option "when starting- open at menu/open at last page read"


PocketBook 360, 360 Plus , 602, 902, 603, 903
Onyx A60 x60 M90
NextPapyrus PageOne

I of course sell the PocketBook and Onyx models so Im not unbiased. I believe the Sony's can as well but Id have to go play with one again to make sure.

With the PocketBooks there is even a little user hack that will use your last page read as the Boot Screen. So what you do is, just before turning it off, change page to the next one you will read then while its booting next time you can read that page. by the time its done booting you are ready to move on


Harry's right of course, with allot of ebook readers you arent ever really turning them off. so they wake in only a couple seconds onto the page you left off at. That's what that power option on your Elonex means. it will just sleep and not shut off completely.

[jbcohen]

Below is a photo on an elonex:

[vans]

Thanks for all the helpful replies.

I have just checked the user manual and played with all the controls. I can say with certainty that this eReader is either fully on or fully off.

When it goes off, pressing the power button is the only way to start it again. The screen is blank, then for a few seconds a progress bar appears after this a notice is displayed "Loading" and after about 45 second it finally gets to the home screen.

I assume the firmware is a bit basic.

However, as I have said, it has a lot going for it, very light, great screen so I will keep it for a while. I will eventually get fed up with the 55 second delay and buy a replacement (I quite like the look of the new e-ink Nook).

[MikeB1972]

Try leaving it on all the time and see if it does anything to the battery - the old bebook/hanlin v3 never needed to be turned off (mine doesn't seem to lose much in the way of power just went on holiday for a couple of weeks and it hasn't dropped a bar while I've been away).

[vans]

Originally Posted by MikeB1972

Try leaving it on all the time and see if it does anything to the battery - the old bebook/hanlin v3 never needed to be turned off (mine doesn't seem to lose much in the way of power just went on holiday for a couple of weeks and it hasn't dropped a bar while I've been away).

Yes thanks, I have been trying that for a few days and there is no noticeable impact on battery life. In any event, it is such a simple eReader (no 3G or WiFi) that the battery goes on forever.

I read somewhere that e-ink screens only use power with the page is changed, so perhaps it will use less power to keep it on than it would to keep booting it?