I've always loved taking things apart. I remember, as a child, trying to sneak a set of screwdrivers onto a transatlantic flight. I wanted to see how the aeroplane worked and figured that unscrewing vital components while in flight would be just fine. I've (mostly) grown out of the habit of tearing down things which are currently useful, and tend to wait until they reach their natural end before poking them with sharpened metal. In late 2009, I purchased the Elonex E511EB from Waterstones. My …
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Four months ago, I wrote to Waterstones about an error in an eBook I purchased from them. I've finally received a reply... Dear Terence, Some time ago you contacted us regarding the following eBook title, "One of Our Thursdays is Missing (eBook): Thursday Next Series, Book 6" (ISBN: 9781444713039). We have had our eBook supplier investigate the content issue of this eBook title in conjunction with the publishers. They have confirmed that this title has been corrected. Our suppliers have…
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Like many people, I've been frustrated by the lack of firmware updates to the Elonex 511EB ebook reader. There are several bugs which are frustrating to many users - as judged from the comments on this blog. With the Amazon Kindle dropping to a lower price, this ebook reader really needs to be updated if it wants to stay competitive. Well, I'm pleased to say that it looks like there will be a firmware update - and soon! (more…) …
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So, the Kindle finally launches in the UK. This blog has become something of a Mecca for users of the Elonex 511EB. The comments on my reviews run in to the hundreds, I get thousands of page views a month on them, I regularly answer private emails about the device. So, why am I abandoning Elonex? Simply put - Elonex abandoned me. Their staff and website promised updates which never came. We're not just talking about additional features - there are some serious bugs in the device. They…
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Well, it's been ages coming, but it's finally here. Elonex have released V0.47 of the 511EB software. V0.47 was released on 12th March 2010. The previous firmware (V0.41) was released on 18th January 2010. The next release should include note taking functionality. You may be interested in part 1 and part 2 of my review. This firmware update resolves some issues when processing very large eBooks, word wrapping issues and some minor bugs with symbols. You can now mount the eBook on Linux - I…
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I've been blown away by the number of comments and visits to my original review of the 511EB. To clarify some of the points and answer some questions, I've decided to post another video review. This shows the speed of page turning and some of the idiosyncrasies of the eReader. Run VT, Errol! Startup Screen Click to download full size I've set my startup screen to show my phone number and email address. Combined with the startup password, it's a fairly simple way to protect your device…
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When I was younger, I was taught that a roll of papyrus in ancient Egypt cost the same as the monthly wage for the average citizen. Nowadays the cost of paper is negligible. That's how it goes with new technology - it's frightfully expensive to begin with, but after a while it's as ubiquitous and disposable as paper. Ebook readers are the latest in a long line of "written-word" technology. From clay tablet to papyrus to the printing press, humans have always found better ways of displaying w…
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