Choice of EBook Devices Expands by One

In late September the newest ebook device is scheduled to hit the US and Canadian markets. Created by Korea ebook Inc., the hiebook combines the functionality of a dedicated ebook device with that of a PDA. At only 8.8oz, the hiebook is almost half the weight of Gemstar's REB1100, but has a grayscale screen that is equal in size. Running on a rechargeable Lithium-Ion battery, the charge on a hiebook lasts about 10 hours. The device comes with 16MB of memory which is expandable with a Smart Media Card slot. An adapter, earphones, USB cable, stylus and protective case are included with the purchase of a hiebook device.

The functionality of the hiebook is very similar to the Franklin eBookman. In addition to reading ebooks, the hiebook contains an MP3 audio player, voice recorder, address and date books (which can be synced with Microsoft Outlook), image viewer, calculator and games. Font size and backlighting are adjustable and the ebook software supports annotations, bookmarks and full-text searching. Ebooks and MP3 files are downloaded onto the device via a USB port on a Windows 95, 98, 2000 and ME computer-- a Macintosh version is in the works. A crucial piece of information that is missing from the product announcements and FAQs is what ebook formats the hiebook device will support. A message posted onto the ebook listserv "ebook-community" explains that the hiebook will read a proprietary .hi file which can be created from .html, text and OEB source files using a utility that is similar to the RocketWriter software that came with the original Rocket eBook devices. Unfortunately, there are few OEB files that do not include some additional proprietary formatting; therefore, the selection of available hiebook ebook titles will be very limited-- at least in the near future.

The hiebook can be pre-ordered (shipping in late September) for $249 from eBookHome.com. All pre-ordered devices will come with a free 32MB expansion memory card, as well as a $10 gift certificate for any ebook purchase at eBookHome.com. For more information about the hiebook, go to eBookAd.com.