Earlier I posted about a couple of Icarus ereaders that I found listed on Amazon. I also found another oddball ereader that I hadn’t noticed before, even though it’s been listed on Amazon since April of last year.
The ebook reader in question is the Energy eReader E4 Mini put out by a Spanish electronics company that goes by the name Energy Sistem. I haven’t posted about any of their ereaders since 2010, but they are still in the game, it seems.
The Energy eReader E4 reminds me a lot of the Pyrus Mini that I reviewed last year. It has a similar feature-set and nearly identical design, but with some extra buttons on the front and the added support for audio files and a headphone jack.
It seems to have the same 4.3″ epaper screen not from E Ink but from a competing company. It has high pixel density (230 dpi) with an 800 x 600 resolution on the small 4.3″ screen. The device only weighs 95 grams, or about 3.35 ounces.
It’s a basic ebook reader. It doesn’t have a frontlight or a touchscreen. It doesn’t even have Wi-Fi.
But it does support Adobe DRM for ePub and PDF ebooks, and it comes with 4GB of memory, a microSD card slot, and a battery that can last up to one month on a charge. Other supported formats include TXT, PDB, FB2, HTML, RTF, MOBI. For music MP3, WMA, WAV, FLAC, AAC, and OGG.
The list price at Amazon is pretty tempting at just $51.11, but shipping adds and extra $20. That’s basically the same price as the Pyrus Mini imported from Amazon UK, which is about half of what it costs on Amazon.com. Even without the extra shipping charge, I’d say the Kobo Mini is still a better value for $59 with the touchscreen and Wi-Fi, but it’s good to have choices.
Hi, I’ve been searching for an e-reader with e-ink (or other paper-type) display that I could use for writing as well as reading. I’m wondering if this Energy Sistem e-reader could be a possibility since it does accept TXT and RTF formats — although I do realize those formats are supported for READING purposes, and not necessarily for writing. Still, I thought it was worth a shot to ask.
In order to write on an e-reader, the device would need to be capable of utilizing a word processing app as well as a bluetooth or wireless keyboard. So far I haven’t found any tablet or e-reader with e-ink display that has these capabilities. If you happen to have some suggesitons, please let me know! Thanks so much … Maureen.
p.s. love your blog; I just discovered it.
Unfortunately there aren’t any E Ink devices that are made specifically for writing. I would like one too. Some people go as far as hacking something like the Kindle DX with its larger 9.7″ screen to use it as a second monitor. The Nook Touch has also been hacked to hook up a USB keyboard. There was also a recent IndieGogo campaign for an E Ink device as a second monitor; in fact it looks like they hit funding and actually shipped some units. I don’t want to have to use a computer to use it, though. I’d rather have the software onboard.
The Earl has bluetooth and runs on open Android.
https://www.meetearl.com/
It might do the trick but it’s a bit miscast for this role.
Thanks to both of you for the info. fjtorres, that Earl thing looks fascinating! Never heard of it, but just visited the site and I think it could work! I’ll do a little more research on it.
I’ve been wanting to go on Shark Tank with a prototype tablet meant solely for writing. Anyone want to join me? In my quest to find such a device, I’ve discovered I’m not alone in my quest; everywhere I look I find more forums of writers and students looking for this kind of thing. On Flickr, there’s even an AlphaSmart group who have jumped through hoops rigging the AlphaSmart word processor with a tablet as the monitor.
The e-ink display is a bonus for me, since I can’t tolerate regular displays for long due to Lyme complications. But it seems many others like the e-ink display for its simplicity and ease on the eyes.
Thanks again for your help! I’m off to learn more about this Earl …