RCA REB1200 eBook

CNET editors' rating: 2.0 stars Mediocre
Detailed editors' rating
Overall score: 4.0 (2.0 stars)
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Product summary

CNET editors' review

• Reviewed by: Ken Feinstein
• Reviewed on: 02/21/2001

The REB1200, with its large color screen and sleek design, promises to fill a niche at the high end of dedicated e-book readers. However, the limited selection of available books, the inability to display other types of documents, and the mediocre screen keep it from excelling at its sole task.The REB1200, with its large color screen and sleek design, promises to fill a niche at the high end of dedicated e-book readers. However, the limited selection of available books, the inability to display other types of documents, and the mediocre screen keep it from excelling at its sole task.

The book of riches
Taking the $699 REB1200 in hand, we couldn't help but feel a sense of luxury. Open the attached leather cover, held closed by two magnets, and the unit turns itself on, revealing a large (8.2-inch diagonal, 480-by-640-pixel-resolution), color touch screen. Unfortunately, on closer inspection, we found the screen to be extremely sensitive to viewing angle and the displayed text to be quite pixelated. Though the display didn't strain our eyes, we think that many readers will long for the printed page after a few hours with this electronic version. On a more positive note, the easy-to-use contrast and brightness controls let you adjust the display for any lighting conditions, so you can read in the dark. It's also easy to increase the font sizes.

The device weighs a hefty 33 ounces, which makes it less portable than a paperback. It runs for 5 to 10 hours on the rechargeable lithium-ion battery; that's only about a quarter of the time of the cheaper, black-and-white REB1100. The REB1200 connects to the outside world using the 56kbps modem or an Ethernet adapter, allowing you to download compatible books that you purchase into its 8MB of onboard memory (that's about 8,000 pages' worth). However, there's a very limited universe of books to choose from. It supports only books released in the Gemstar eBook format, which currently consists of the top-selling nonfiction and fiction titles, a few periodicals, and a smattering of classics. The REB1200 won't display books in the Microsoft Reader or Adobe Acrobat eBook Reader formats. And the books you buy can only be read on your e-book, not on your PC or on a friend's e-book. Continue reading

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