VEB620 Reader
Viewsonic is building up a family of eBook readers. One of the latest additions, the Viewsonic VEB620, follows in the footstep of the VEB612 when it comes to plain styling. Various improvements in software, however, enables the VEB620 to offer better readability and bigger library storage.
Features – Hardware and Software
Instead of a rounded wheel, the VEB620 now sports a square D-pad. Gone is the gray pattern that contrasts the device’s silver finish. The shortcut buttons are now found below the screen. Weighing 7.7ounces only, the VEB 620 is one of the lightest eReaders around.
The Viewsonic VEB620 also sports a 6-inch screen with 800 x 600 pixel resolution that is framed by 7.4 x 4.9 x 0.4 – inch chassis. However, there’s a noticeable improvement in clarity and sharpness of text – that’s because Viewsonic doubled the grayscale level from 8 to 16.
There’s a big improvement in built-in memory, too. The device can now hold up to 1500 books (2GB) and add 1000 more via SD card.
The Viewsonic VEB620 supports ePub, FB2, HTML, HTM, PDF, TXT, and RTF and can play MP3 files. Fonts can be resized into Small, Medium, Large, Extra Large, or Extra Extra Large. A single charge still gets you 8000 pages or about 20 Harry Potters.
The Bottom Line
The Viewsonic VEB620 is targeted for European release. It is definitely an improvement over the VEB612, though it does need more software tweaks to make it competitive with other no-frills eReaders like the Sony Pocket Edition. Nonetheless, if you’re looking for a super light eReader that’s readily accessible in Europe, the Viewsonic VEB620 is the key.
Pros As with Sony Readers, you can digitally dog-ear book pages using the bookmark function. You can then revisit the bookmarked page at a later time using the menu system. Another nice addition is the G-sensor. For one, it automatically rotates page following orientation of the device. Two, it makes page turning either forward or backward very easy: you can achieve this by gently shaking the device. Cons The first thing we noticed about the VEB620 is how glare-y the screen is. That’s quite baffling, given that the device has no added touch layer. Another thing that will immediately call your attention is the slowness of the device in nearly everything – loading books, loading application, or turning page. Navigation is a bit of labor, too. Though the device has page turn buttons on both of the screen (with interchangeable function), the device is not really designed for one-handed use. You need to hold the device with both hands to go to the next or previous page. Library can’t be organized into categories. Books are only listed in alphabetical order; you can’t search by title or author. If you have only five or ten books, this won’t be much a problem, but it’s a different story when you have lots of books in your library. In-book navigation is also not good. You can’t go to a specific item in the table of contents, you can’t jump to a specific chapter in a book. Hit the forward or backward button and you get an annoying flash between page turn. As with the VEB612, PDF viewing is also problematic. The texts don’t fit the screen. You can zoom out, but that leaves you with very small, barely readable fonts. With the prices of major eReaders like the Nook and the Kindle now below $200, the $189 (£175) price of the VEB620 looks ridiculous. The first thing that consumers will ask: what makes it better than the Kindle 3 or the Nook WiFi or Sony Readers? Finding none, they’ll find that VEB620’s price is unreasonable.
What’s in the box • Viewsonic VEB620 eReader • AC Adapter (5V1A, UK, EU, UL, AU) • USB Cable • Quick Start Guide • Ear phone • Leather Cover • Strap
Main Features • 6-inch eInk screen with 800 x 600 pixel resolution • 16 shades of gray • Lightweight: weighs 7.7 ounces only • 2BG onboard storage + SD card slot • 8000 refreshes Key Features • Accelerometer/G-sensor (shake the device to turn to next page) • Multi-language support • Adjustable font sizes • Bookmarking • Text search Bonus Features • MP3 player
Everything I’ve read about this device is unfortunate. I’d be interested to know if future firmware updates will address any of the issues.