Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I preordered this from Amazon back in early December and finally received it last week. After playing with the EBM-911 for a week, this is my impression of it.
The Good: Big screen size compared to other PDA's. The ability to listen to music and audio books as well as basic PDA functions. The main reason I bought this thing was for its ebook capabilities. I had my doubts but reading on the eBookman is not bad at all, the text is very sharp and clear. I just hope Microsoft releases the MS Reader soon so I can actually start downloading stuff I actually want to read since there is not that many titles available in the Franklin reader format.
The Bad: If anyone is thinking of buying this primarily for its mp3 capabilities, don't. You would be happier getting a dedicated MP3 player. The eBookman doesn't play mp3's; you'll need to convert your mp3's to Franklin's proprietary compression format. I can live with that but wish the sound quality was a tad better. The two songs I transferred sounded a bit worse than FM quality. Also, on my unit there was a high-pitched humming noise that was emitting from the tiny speaker. It's not noticeable at all unless it is totally quiet in the room, very annoying if you are trying to read in bed. The eBookman is not easy to setup, you'll need to download the manual from Franklin since the quick start guide included in the box is useless. Buggy software.
The Ugly: I just changed the battery the other day and everything was gone when I turned the unit back on. I had to transfer the OS and applications all over again! I removed the battery two more times to see if it would happen again and it did. Imagine that you are on a trip and do not have access to the computer that syncs with your eBookman and your battery runs out...can you say screwed big time? I understand now why they sell the power adapter accessory for the eBookman.
I like the features that the eBookman has, it is everything that I would want or use in a PDA but I don't know if I would have purchased it if I had known about the issue with the battery. Losing all of its memory every time you change the batteries is a big problem.
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Franklin eBookMan EBM-901 provides you with the best reading experience available in pocket-size electronic format. Use eBookman cartridges, download books and MP3 music and read or listen to them anywhere at anytime. It is also a PDA device - letting you Record your voice and take notes in your own handwriting, make schedules, appointments and to-do lists. The array of programs comes in the package with your eBookman device, others can be purchased or downloaded form the Internet. Install the included dictionaries on your eBookman using the standard installation procedures. With this eBookman you can read, listen to music, organize your activities and easily handle translations with help of the 7 dictionaries included! Language pairs: EnglishDutch, EnglishGerman, EnglishItalian, EnglishPortuguese, EnglishFrench, EnglishSwedish, EnglishSpanish. Each of the 7 dictionaries has a word base of 400,000. Display: 16-level grayscale display and high-resolution touch screen with enhanced polarizers; Hardware features: USB port. MultiMediaCard (MMC) slot. Headphone jack. Speaker. Microphone. Backlight; Accessories: Stylus. Removable lid. Cradle with USB connector (serial cradle sold separately); Memory: 8 MB SDRAM. MMC slot for expandable memory; PC system requirements: IBM-compatible 486 PC or higher. 256 color VGA monitor. Mouse or other pointing device. Windows NT 4.0, Windows 98, or Windows 2000. 50 MB free disk space. 32 MB RAM (recommended). available serial or standard USB port3. Internet connectivity. Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0 (or later) OR Netscape Navigator 4.02 (or later); Desktop software: eBookMan Desktop Manager with Outlook synchronization powered by Intellisync for eBookMan; Core applications: Franklin Viewer. Franklin Reader. Audiobook Player. Music Player. Date Book. Address Book. Voice Memo. Memo Book. ToDo Book. Calculator.
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