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Pocketbook 302 Review, pt 1 (hands on video)

I got one of the first PB302 while I was at the O’Reilly conference last week. I’m going to follow my usual pattern of posting my impressions before posting a full review. I’ve covered the Pocketbook 302 before, and I’ve taken several photos (here and here).

It’s a 6″ ereader with touchscreen. The design is sparse, but the buttons are well placed. There is a stylus, microSD card slot on the upper edge, and the headphone jack & 2 USB ports on the bottom edge (it has USB host). The battery is user replaceable (there is a panel on the back). The PB302 also has an accelerometer, Bluetooth, and Wifi, and includes support for WPA and WEP security. The Wifi works rather well.

There are only 5 buttons on the front of the PB302. There are 2 on either side of the screen, and an escape button below the screen. Normally, I’d name all the buttons based on their function, but here’s the first neat feature of the PB302: you can remap the 4 buttons so they perform different actions. They default as page turns, but you’re offered a broad selection of alternatives. I’m frankly surprised at how many different actions there are; I honestly can’t think of one that’s not in the list. You also have the option of mapping functions to the power button. Press and hold will always turn off the 302, but tap and double-tap can be set to any of the options.

Reading software

It’s using Adobe Reader Mobile and FBReader. It appears to have full feature support for FBReader. Screen refresh is slightly faster than the Nook. Since we know the Nook has one of the latest generation Marvell chips (and the 302 doesn’t), I’d say that the PB302 comes out ahead in this comparison. I’m quite happy with it as a reader.

General Impressions

The touchscreen is highly reflective (I’m told they’re working on it). Even so, I’m satisfied with the PB 302 as a reader. It meets my minimum requirements: sleep mode, adequate format support, & one handed operation. I’ve gone though most of its abilities and I can’t find any shortcomings.

Extra Features

With the 302, you have the option of installing your own apps. It comes with about a dozen apps installed: games, dictionary, clock, sketchpad, web browser, RSS feed reader. It was the browser and RSS reader that originally caught my eye. Both of them work rather well.

I wish it had an email client, though.

Video

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Comments


Cin March 1, 2010 um 1:25 pm

Isn’t this reader priced at near the $400 price mark? I like the sleep mode function and the wi-fi.


Luqman March 1, 2010 um 3:00 pm

It’s available from the Pocketbook USA website on pre-order for $339.


First Impressions of the Pocketbook 302 – hands on video | Nate’s Ebook News « eKsi??eczki March 1, 2010 um 4:26 pm

[…] First Impressions of the Pocketbook 302 – hands on video | Nate’s Ebook News First Impressions of the Pocketbook 302 – hands on video | Nate’s Ebook News. […]


Hands-on review of the PocketBook 302 eReader | BestTabletReview.com March 1, 2010 um 9:54 pm

[…] Nate’s Ebook News has a great review of the PocketBook 302 eReader including a video walkthrough and demo. […]


Kell March 2, 2010 um 2:38 am

How much does the battery last with WiFi on at all time?


Scott March 9, 2010 um 10:57 pm

Can the web browser on this device work with Safari books online? That’s the only feature I’m really looking for.

Nate the great March 10, 2010 um 12:21 pm

At this point, probably not. The browser has a minor bug; text entry i s broken (you can’t log in).

Chris Meadows March 12, 2010 um 5:31 pm

Does the new firmware that came out 3/10 fix that?

Nate the great March 12, 2010 um 6:09 pm

There’s a new firmware? Between the con and travel I’ve been busy this week and I must have missed it.

I’m downloading it right now, and I’ll let you know how well it works.


Pocketbook 302 review: Preconceptions | TeleRead: Bring the E-Books Home March 13, 2010 um 7:16 am

[…] USB interface), with the addition of wifi and some apps including RSS, Sudoku, and—according to the Nate’s Ebook News review of it—a web browser. It has 512 megabytes internal storage, accepts an up-to-32-gig SD card, and reads […]


Odds n Ends | Find eBook Readers Blog March 13, 2010 um 4:46 pm

[…] the Great has several video reviews of the PocketBook 360 and the Pocketbook 302 that are well worth watching.  The PocketBook 360 looks like a good and very portable ereader […]


Pocketbook 302 Review, pt2 | The Digital Reader March 16, 2010 um 7:51 pm

[…] I was lucky enough to get one of the first review units. This is part 2 of the review. I posted the first part of the review last week, and it has a fair amount of detail. If you haven’t read it yet, you should. This […]


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