Cheap Franklin EBM-901 eBookman (Metallic Black) (Electronics) (Windows 2000, Windows 98, Windows NT) Price
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Here at Cheap-price.net we have Franklin EBM-901 eBookman (Metallic Black) at a terrific price. The real-time price may actually be cheaper — click “Buy Now” above to check the live price at Amazon.com.
In addition to being an e-book reader, the eBookMan also plays audio files (both audiobooks and MP3s), records voice messages, and functions as a respectable PDA. A flip-up cover and hard rubber outer coating afford protection for the device. With a USB-connected cradle, transfers between desktop and the eBookMan proceed quickly.
While the eBookMan offers a date book, address book, memo application (using natural handwriting recognition), and voice memo recorder, its main angle is still as a book reader. The large screen and powerful backlight makes reading literature in the Franklin Reader format clear, though the backlight did seem to drain the batteries rather quickly in our demo unit.
Ironically, the eBookMan's versatility also draws attention to its limitations. While the unit will play MP3 files, it can only store two or three songs at once with its 8 MB of memory (the top-of-the-line model, the EBM-911, comes with 16 MB). However, if you pick up an optional MultiMediaCard with up to 64 MB of memory, it is possible to adapt the eBookMan into a more respectable MP3 player.
While you'll need to spend a little extra to money to get your eBookMan to reach its full potential, the unit's low original cost and variety of applications make it an excellent gateway into the world of electronic literature. --J. Curtis
Pros:
- Very versatile--PDA, e-books, audiobooks, and MP3s in one device
- USB connection
- Large display
- Not currently compatible with Microsoft Reader
- Short battery life
- Gray scale only
| PLATFORM: | Windows 2000, Windows 98, Windows NT |
| CATEGORY: | Electronics |
| MANUFACTURER: | Franklin Electronics |
| FEATURES: | 8 MB handheld multimedia reader and content player with large, backlit display area, Download and read thousands of electronic books or documents, or listen to audio books, Listen to your favorite music in MP3 format, Write notes in your own handwriting, and record messages in your own voice, Keep track of your important numbers, dates, and appointments |
| MEDIA: | Electronics |
| MPN: | EBM-901 |
| # OF MEDIA: | 1 |
| ACCESSORIES: | |
| UPC: | 084793992278 |
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Customer Reviews of Franklin EBM-901 eBookman (Metallic Black)
Here's what I think and what you should do... Straight forward: you should buy this. <
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>Here's the pro's and cons <
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>Pro's: <
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>1 It has a nice screen, even though it is B&W, that would never get in the way. The screen is nice and large, perfect for the ebook-type person. With 3 different font sizes, you can see it in your way. <
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>2 It has a lot of features. It has a book reader (Mobipocket Reader, a nice program), MP3 player, Date Book, To-Do, Calculater, Audio Book Player, and Address Book. Plus, you can download programs from places such as Windows Market Place or C Net downloads.com <
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>3 It has handwriting recignition (or a touch screen keyboard). I always found this handy and while it's not always right, the people at Franklin really got this down. <
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>4 The whole thing is touch screen. This means you can play games on it and not be restricted to only a certian area. I had this problem with my last PDA. This also means you can download games. <
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>5 MMC cababilty. You can have gigabytes plus the 8mb on the RAM. The ebookman also allows you to back up data, a handy feature for battery drainage. <
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>6 The software is easy to use. The simple drag and drop-download system is a breeze. While some people say that downloading the OS (operating system) from the site is a pain, they didn't mention that the CD already comes with the OS. <
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>7 Convienient side scroll wheel with push in ability. You can use this instead of the scroll bars, and you can push the wheel in to enter. It's cool! <
>Con's: <
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>1 The batteries go fast! I advise to have a spare set, and back up the data on an MMC. Don't use the backlight, that is what burns it up. The handy thing is that it has a battery indicator, so you know when it is time to change up. <
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>2 Limited file types. The ebookman allows mostly its own versions of files, such as audio books and ebooks. However, it does accept .txt (Notepad) and .MP3 (music), plus a bunch more. <
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>3 While it has a speaker, if you plan to lisen to something you should bring some headphones. The speaker is nice, yet quiet. <
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>4 The date book's alarm is very quick. What is cool about the alarms is that there is over 20 alarms that you can choose. However, the alarm only does one cycle, and then it stops. It uses an internal speaker, so you can barely here it while it is in a pocket. <
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>Otherwise, the ebookman is pretty good. While I got this from my aunt and didn't pay a penny, I think that if this is your first PDA, it's a good choice to get it for your money. And if it is true that this is your first time, you also want to get a case, screen protectors, and MMC cards (for more memory). This won't total up to more than $20. <
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>Many say the batteries are drained quickly. This is true (in about 2 weeks for frequent users), however if you do not use the backlight much you will be ok. The backlight for the 7 inch screen is the burner of all batteries. Watch the convienient battery power indicator, and you should be ok. That's what I think; the desision is up to you.
Great device for the money
I bought one of these when they were on clearance for less than $30 and it works wonderfully. A lot of the complaints out there are because people don't know how to use this device correctly
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>1) You have approximately 30 seconds to change the batteries. Once the AAAs are out of the unit, the memory is kept alive through the use of a capacitor. I know, I've tried it myself. So don't wait until the batteries are dead to change them. That defeats the purpose. And as with any electronic device, you should have a spare set of batteries on hand. 30 seconds is a lot of time. If you can't change the batteries in 30 seconds, well, then...
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>2) The little humming noise that I've experienced is only when the backlight is on. This is nothing more than stepped up voltage powering the EL backlight.
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>3) There is an onboard file manager if you can't find the file you're looking for. You can even assign to each file the folder under which it should appear (to a limited extent - works better with program files). If that doesn't work, then the synch software should display your file.
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>4) I have a scr***le-like game, pacman, periodic table of the elements, a few songs on my 64MB mmc, some books that were free off the internet, and lots of other neat little programs. Everything works fine. Music quality is amazing for something that i think is slower than my 386DX. Ok, it's not THAT good, but for less than $30 it makes one cheap "mp3" player.
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>5) The character recognition system is in my opinion, much easier to use and remember than that of other PDAs (Palm comes to mind). It more closely matches how normal people write.
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>6) You can backup all of your files to a 64MB mmc. That way if you forget to change the batteries in a few months, you can always restore the system from the mmc, which is much faster and more convenient than reinstalling from scratch. Again, all it takes is a standard backup, like you would a PC.
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>All in all, this is a great device. There are a lot of free software out there for this device, and if you know how to use it correctly, it should be a joy to have.
Great Value and Impressive Features
I bought the Ebookman 901 without knowing anything about it, and I have been very pleasantly surprised at how versatile it is. Just add a 128 MB MMC card (which are now pretty reasonable on E-bay) and you can have 2 hours of music to go! I have another 64 MB MMC card in it on which I have all the books I have downloaded. A 64 MB card will hold almost 100 regular books! The MobiPocket Reader is great for casual reading, and the Franklin Reader has all the navigation features to make it great for references. I can read any book in HTML or TXT format, and there are thousands for free on the web. The Ebookman also has some nice accessories like a car stereo adaptor and an AC adaptor for home use. The PDA functions like Address Book and Memo Book and Date Book are very handy. There are some really fun games. I take this unit when I am traveling, and am never bored. I think if you read the manual and learn how to use it properly, you will love this device. And now you can find them on E-bay and Heartland America for less than 50 bucks. WOW!