Tech From an E-booker’s Viewpoint

In a perfect world I would have been able to purchase every piece of technology that caught my eye.  Sadly, the world is not perfect and like most people I have a limited tech budget.  In light of that I really tried to make the most of what I had to spend and it didn’t always work out.  The bad results were that I ended up either with something that I really didn’t want or something I had to send back (and pay the restocking fee).  My resolution this year is to research my purchases with more scrutiny and then wait an extra few weeks to make sure that I really want my new toy.  Will it work?  Only time will tell.  There are more than a few things I bought in 2007 and the following are my top worse and best choices:

Worse:

Tablet Kiosk UMPC:  I thought that I could rotate the screen, but could not. This was important since I really wanted to be able to read in portrait mode.  Since this was before I had Lasik, I had a hard time reading the screen.  I tried to adjust it, but I immediately got frustrated.  I hastily sent it back and ended up paying a 15% restocking fee. I really should have read more reviews and watched the online videos.  I still think that the Tablet Kiosk is a nice UMPC, but it just wasn’t for me. 

iLiad:  I hate listing this as a worse buy.  I knew it was too expensive, but I am not complaining about that.  I only placed it here because I really didn’t get much more bang in my reading experience.  It’s a great machine, but its advanced features are more than what I currently need.  I did have fun installing the hacks (I think that’s the correct phrase) and add on applications I read about on Mobileread.  The e-book reader did boost my Linux confidence.

Best:

Nokia N800:  Since I live in an area that has limited hot spots, the N800 coupled with my Razr has allowed me to browse the Internet and check my email anywhere I go.  As a bonus I can read my books at night. The big plus is that I can easily read the screen.

DT375 Web Tablet:  Yes it is old tech, but as an e-book reader it is just great.  In addition to a color screen and backlight, I now have a device with MS reader, Palm reader, uBook, and Mobipocket reader.

Eee PC:  It’s just a great little notebook.