Imagin IMEB-5 colour e-book reader
Crude awakening
Review When so much of the cheap, no-brand electronics kit coming out of China is junk, it's nice to find something that, for once, works better than you expect it to.
Imagin IMEB-5: right size for an e-book reader
Case in point: the Imagin IMEB-5 colour e-book reader, produced by that household name Tivolli which is so well known that I really don't need to mention that it specialises in digital photo frames.
Not an auspicious ancestry, perhaps, and on paper you'd wonder why anyone would be daft enough to hand over the hundred notes that most retailers want for it. But used solely as a small, handy gadget for reading e-books, it's surprisingly good.
As the model number suggests, the IMEB-5 has a 5in display. Its resolution is an unimpressive 480 x 800, but for a screen this physical size, that makes for a pixel density capable of rendering reasonably crisp text.
Covers in colour
Being a colour LCD, it's capable of presenting still and moving pictures in a way that E Ink readers can't, but you're really not going to want to bother. A limited colour depth, that low resolution, a truly awful UI and a none-too-bright backlight made greyer by the screen's anti-glare coating make this a poor platform for photography and an even worse one for video.
Next page: Brought to book
COMMENTS
Chocolate teapot - crap battery life
The battery life - which you don't specify, is three hours for e-books only, and it's supposed to be charged for 12 hours at a time the first few times it's charged.
It's not worth buying, even for 65 quid. E-ink on the Kindle is so much better than any other display you care to mention it's not funny (with the minor pointless exception of trying to read it in the dark; there the soothing turquoise backlight of my ancient mono Handera 330 palm handheld is better)
I was sceptical about the Kindle, and thought I might want an Android tablet. After actually trying the Sony e-book readers, the Kindle and the Samsung Galaxy Tab my opinion is : Android tablets are currently too immature - wait a while. The Kindle is a lovely device, the e-ink is stunning. The only things the Kindle is missing are a touch screen, an Interactive Fiction interpreter, more format support and possibly a reading light. Plus of course reasonable e-book pricing..
Battery life
It's also crying out for someone to add what the battery life of this thing is...
Utterly pointless and terrible in all respects
It's one of those parasitic products that only exists so people like my mum can pick them up as presents thinking she's got a bargain compared to the wasteful brand people actually asked for, thus guaranteeing a slightly awkward christmas morning of faked 'thanks' followed by the frustrating sound of still-quite-a-lot-of-money hitting landfill come boxing day.
Stuff this unfit for purpose should be banned both for environmental reasons and because, just once, I'd like to have christmas lunch without everyone having to uncomfortably feign enthusiasm for crap
weight, battery life
Does the XXg mean you're running a guess the weight competition?
Also very important, what's the battery life? One of the best things about E-Ink readers is that with any wireless radios turned off they run for a month of normal use.
Seriously though, this thing looks junk to me. The only thing it has going for it is a colour screen but from your review the screen is useless for video and photographs. The device is underpowered so page turns take an age. All the advantages of a colour LCD over e-ink are lost and you're just left with the disadvantages.
£65 is pretty cheap though.
