The Jetbook Color’s product page is now live on the Ectaco website, and it looks like the 9.7″ color E-ink e-reader is going to cost a little more than I expected.

When I announced the US launch for the Jetbook Color, I had been told that it would cost $350 and be available in December. It is going to cost $350, but that’s the price for schools (volume purchases, probably). The retail price for this ebook reader is going to be $500 when it is released on 15 January.

Yes, I’m disappointed. I would maybe have gotten one at $350, but $500 is a little much.

My rule of thumb for any tablet like device is to compare it to the iPad. Does it offer a better deal? In this case, no. For the consumer, the iPad or any other $500 tablet is probably a better value than the Jetbook Color. Tablets do so much more for that price.

The Jetbook Color will ship with a suite of educational software, including test-taking, scheduling, reference sheets, and other apps that schools have requested. It will also have TTS. In terms of hardware, the Jetbook Color is using a color E-ink screen, with a grayscale resolution of 1600×1200 and a color resolution of 800×600. It has a Wacom touchscreen, Wifi, and a microSD card slot. The color quality on the screen is marginal compared to LCDs (washed out is a good description), and you cannot use the touchscreen without a stylus.

The iPad, on the other hand, is built into a huge ecosystem of apps and developers. I don’t know if it has educational apps similar to the Jetbook Color, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it did.

Okay, the JC does still have value, but wow is it expensive.

Source: The Digital Reader

Jetbook Color e-book Reader Pictures

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