After several months of waiting, a shipment of five REB1200 arrived in mid-March for use in the LSTA Electronic Book Evaluation Project.  This gave me the opportunity to do a side-by-side comparison of the original SoftBook to the new REB1200 in a similar method to my comparison of the Rocket and REB1100 in the newsletter's last issue.

Improvements of REB1200 over SoftBook-

• The REB1200 weighs 33 ounces making it just shy of a pound lighter than the SoftBook. The REB1200 is approximately 1" narrower and 1.5" shorter.  Overall, the size is much more manageable.
• An immediately obvious difference between the models is the upgrade from a grayscale to a color screen.  The blues and reds of the REB1200 are particularly vibrant.
• REB1200's A/C adapter is much less bulky than the SoftBook's.
• The screen image of a drop-down keyboard on the REB1200 was increased in size, making it considerably easier to enter in a search term or account information.
• A series of radio button control settings were added to allow the user to adjust the inking width of the stylus and the sound level of the modem and error message noise.  Contrast and brightness are still adjusted with analog dials along the side of the device.
• The ethernet connection is very easy to configure and the data transfer is remarkably fast.

Setbacks of REB1200

• In spite of shedding almost a full pound, the REB1200 still feels heavy.  Particularly when you are accustom to the lighter weight of the REB1100 or a PDA.
• The modem connection with the Gemstar Bookstore has been very unreliable for me.  The connection is frequently lost.  This is particularly frustrating when you are trying to download the REB1200 software update, a process that takes approximately 15 minutes.  If the update process is interrupted, you have to repeat the 15-minute download in its entirety.    At one point during the update download, I received a message indicating that an error had occurred.  This message was accompanied by a button labeled "Rats!" which, when pushed, removed the error message from the screen.  Rats?  The choice of wording for the button seems inappropriate to me.  An apology for my inconvenience and frustration would have been more in order!

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• According to the User's Manual, currently the REB1200 modem can only connect with the Gemstar Bookstore if you are located in the U.S. or Canada (eBook User's Guide RCA REB1200, 2000 edition, page 63).  Therefore, if you were going to purchase a REB1200 in order to have access to your ebook library and subscriptions as you traveled the world, you might want to reconsider. 
• Although the REB1200 has a color screen, the content does not appear to be reformatted to take advantage of this.  Most of the magazine issues that I viewed (Newsweek, Fast Company and Time) contained only a single color image-- that of the magazine's cover.  The remaining content was text-only.  So what is the justification in paying the additional $400 (price difference between the REB1100 & REB1200) for a color screen when there is no color content to be viewed?
• I was disappointed that several of the improved features of the REB1100 were not included on the REB1200.  For instance:
  • Before any purchase can be made from the Gemstar Bookstore using the REB1100's internal modem, a password is required, thereby protecting the user's credit card and account information.  However, the passcode feature of the REB1200 is optional and does not protect account information-- it only shuts out an unauthorized user of the device, by requiring a passcode once a day, once an hour or each time it is turned on.  In other words, the REB1200 passcode protects only the device at limited intervals of time, while the REB1100 password protects the user's account information. 
  • All of the various ports and jacks on the REB1100 are protected by flexible rubber covers.  On the REB1200, the ethernet and modem jacks, as well as the A/C adapter port, remain uncovered and exposed to sand, dirt, etc.