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Color eReaders are becoming a technological trend these days, and Skytex, a maker of netbooks, tablet PCs, and portable media players, is not one to be left behind. Already available in the market is the company’s Skytex Primer Color eReader and Media Player, a 7-inch mobile device that consolidates multiple mobile entertainment, such as watching videos, browsing the web, and reading eBooks. Does it live up to what it advertises?

Features – Hardware and Software

On the hardware front, the Skytex Primer 7” Color eReader and Media Player bears some resemblances with the Ematic”710B eReader. Both feature a cheap plastic casing, a numeric keypad below the screen, and two sets of oddly placed buttons on the right side.

Screen display looks antiquated; after all, it uses pixel resolution of 800 x 480 only. In comparison, the 7-inch Nook Color comes with a 1024 x 768 screen resolution. The Skytex Primer also uses the older ARM9 400MHz processor, which provides decent download and operational speed.

The device packs 2GB internal memory, which can hold up to ten thousand books and thousands of songs. If you insert a 16GB MicroSD card into the expansion slot, you can carry tons more of book, music, and video files on the go.

Advertised battery life is 10 hours but, at most, you get 7 hours of reading, 5 hours when you play music while reading. Surfing the web or watching videos can drain the juice even faster.

The Skytex Primer Color Reader and Media Player reads EPUB, TXT, PRC, PDF, and HTML files.  It can display 18 different languages.

The Bottom Line

Basically, what the Skytex Primer 7” Color eReader and Media Player has done is improve on the capabilities of a smartphone. Overall, though, the device is clearly lacking in quality and design. However, if you are looking for an affordable starter device or gift, the Skytex Primer’s $99 price is hard to beat.

Pros

The Skytex Primer 7” Color Reader and Media Player is ultra affordable. For a device worth $99, it offers a lot. The Skytex Primer is an open format device so you can get books from any eBookstore. Students who want to be able to record lectures will find the built-in recording software and microphone a plus.

Cons

If what you’re looking for is quality built and unique design, you won’t find it in the Skytex Primer. It seems Skytex sourced the hardware from the same source in China as the Ematic Reader and a host of other cheap color eReaders going by different names. Setting these devices side by side will give you nearly the same set of specs and features. The biggest issue with the Skytex Primer though has something to do with its battery. It doesn’t seem to charge completely even when you leave it charging for hours. The battery life is also terrible – you just get about 7 hours of reading per charge. Directories or folders can be confusing. For instance, device lists the music files in the ebook folder, too. Zoom feature definitely needs improvement. Although you can zoom in on a page, you need to return to default page view in order to turn the page.

What’s in the box:

• Skytex Primer 7” Color eReader and Media Player
• USB Cable
• Power Adapter
• Quick Start Guide
• Earphones
• Protective Sleeve Cover

Main Features

• Multimedia color eReader
• Runs on ARM9 400MHz processor
• 7-inch screen with 800 x 480 pixels resolution
• 2GB internal storage plus support for 16GB SD cards

Key Features

• Supports 5 book formats: EPUB, PDF, TXT, HTML, PRC
• Supports JPG and PNG image files
• Supports MP3 music files and WMA, APE, FLAC, AAC, RMVB, VOB, DAT, MP4, FLV, 3GP video files