IMPORTANT LATER ADDITIONS:
1: Since writing this post, I have been overwhelmed by the interest and positive comments from so many of you about this device, that I have changed my views on it, and will shortly be writing a hands-on review of the device.
The bottom feeders have arrived!
On my arrival here in Australia, my Daughter in Law, Caro, shoved a flyer into my travel exhausted hand, which I peered at blearily, and saw it was a gaudy ad for $98 ereader, of a make I had never heard of.
It seems that we now have a whole plethora of cheap ereaders available to us from the shops that work on the principle of “stack ‘em high and sell ‘em cheap”. Once I realised what it was I was looking at, I set to and hunted around the net to see if this was a one off, or a new development in the ereader world. I quickly discovered that without my noticing it, lots of similar stores, both high street and online are now offering what they blithely call ereaders for sale at well under $100 in Australia, America and at least one in Europe.
Backstreet things……..
What these ereaders all have in common is that they are cheaply made Chinese ereaders, not made by one of the large and reputable Chinese companies, but knocked out in the sort of back street “factories” I saw so many of while I was living in China, and thus they are really rather nasty devices, not something I would dream of recommending to anyone.
The particular one that Caro showed me is called the MiGear ereader, and is sold both online and in the stores of an Australian store, called BigW,and I shall discuss it as a typical example of this development.
Not surprisingly, given the unit price of a real e-Ink screen, this one has a TFT screen (similar to the screen on a laptop) as these can be purchased at a very low unit price by such factories, which means it has all the normal problems associated with such screen technology, glare and short battery endurance between charges, on the other hand, it is colour, which some people prefer.
No DRM support… thus no copyrighted books work on it:
This screen is a pleasantly large 7 inch one, so that part of it is OK, and it supports all the normal formats for ebooks too, but, and this is a big but, it does not support DRM protected ebooks, which unless there is a work around to this (I shall look into this matter soon) means that one can not read any books one has paid for, but only use it for ebooks that are copyright free.
What I mean by a work around is not can you strip the DRM from your ebooks, I know you can do that, if you are reasonably nifty with a computer, but if it is possible to work legally with Adobe and this ereader.
I have waded through lots of threads on various Australian websites about this device, and the general finding was that it is slow, almost no functions apart from being able to read your non-copyrighted ebooks on it and a whole litany of other complaints on just about every aspect of the thing. Added to which, if you should buy it in the store, they mostly refuse to open the box and let you try it out in the store… so you have to buy the thing on the basis of the description on the outside of the box…. Whilst the handbook claims it gives you a 1 year warranty, BigW only offer a 21 day return policy, and then only if the thing is defective… So the fact that it is almost useless doesn’t count I would imagine.
Important correction:
I have just been told, both by MiGear themselves and by several readers of this blog, that it now supports DRM, and for those who bought their MiGear before 1st December, you can download the necessary software to enable DRM from this link: http://www.migear.biz
Avoid it….!
I feel very strongly that ereaders such as this one are to be avoided at all costs……. They will give a completely wrong impression of the pleasure one can get from using an ereader, and turn people completely off the whole idea.
Given that one can buy a perfectly good, fully functional ereader for about $40 more, I see no point in buying such a device.
Not everyone hated it:
Having said that, I came across a number of comments by people who, recognizing the limitations of this device, were none the less perfectly happy with it, as they only wished to read out of copyright ebooks, which they felt it did perfectly well, or others who were computer savvy enough to know how to strip the DRM protection off ebooks, and thus could buy and read ebooks from any ebook sellers…. So, as with everything, if you know what you are doing, and don’t mind having to sort things out for yourself, this could be a useful device.
As a phenomena, it is interesting however, as it shows clearly that the concept of ereaders has definitely arrived, since shops like this never stock items they are not 100% sure they can sell, so shortly we shall see lots more of these cheap devices, piled up beside the MP3 players that are shaped like small pink dogs or whatever……
Anyhow, for what it is worth, here are the specifications of this particular example of this development:
Price: $ 98
Colour: Black
Product Height: (CM) 23 cms
Product Weight (KG): 0.465
Product Width (CM): 15
Battery Life Up to 8hrs of constant reading.
Built In Memory 2GB
Colour Screen: Yes
Display Type: TFT colour screen.
Expandable memory: Micro SD card (not included).
Memory Card Slot :Yes
Playback Function: View your photos and play music.
Screen Size (Inches): 7
Supported Formats: Supports eBook formats PDF, TXT, EPUB, CHM, RTF, HTML.
Battery Type: Rechargable
Share with us:
Any thoughts on this development? Do share them with us here.
.
October 16th, 2010 at 9:46 am
You mention “Given that one can buy a perfectly good, fully functional ereader for about $40 more, I see no point in buying such a piece of junk” What would you recommend?
October 16th, 2010 at 9:58 am
Hi Peter,
The ereader I had in mind at that point was the Kindle, but in fact any “normal” ereader would be a better bet, a Nook, a Kobo, a Sony… whichever, basically any ereader that supports DRM protected ebooks.
The MiGear does not support DRM protected ebooks, so you can’t read them on it, unless you are prepared to go to the lengths of stripping the DRM from the ebooks of course. And for the price of the MiGear (AUD 98), that seems an unnecessary amount of trouble to go to.
October 20th, 2010 at 7:29 am
Your review is almost as bad as you claim the migear to be.
October 20th, 2010 at 9:10 am
Hi, I am sorry you feel that way about what I had to say about the MiGear. Could you perhaps explain what was so bad about my thoughts upon this ereader?
Thanks, Tony
October 21st, 2010 at 4:56 am
For me, the lack of DRM support is not a big deal. I already have a sony.
But I am considering this one for the kids to read on.
http://www.archive.org has about 2.5milion books, an many many of the classics.
Since it supports colour, the DJVU versions of the books will even have colour illustrations.
My only concern is : Does it support DJVU. If it does, I will buy one or two. If not, no sale.
October 21st, 2010 at 5:07 am
Hi, Nice thought that…. I am afraid that it doesn’t support DJVU format, so not what you want. To be honest, off the top of my head I don’t know which ereaders do support that format I am afraid.
Also, even Calibre wont convert that format to another one I am afraid, so you are a bit stuck there.
But there are a lot of LCD or other colour screen devices out there now that one can use as an ereader that might well meet your needs…..
I agree with you about Archive, an incredible website… I use it a lot, both for ebooks and for radio shows from way back when… Love it!
November 6th, 2010 at 1:48 pm
Did you actually lay your hands on one of these ? It sounds like you totally got your review from reading one single thread on the Whirlpool website. Yes, it is cheap, but feels really well made. The screen is crystal clear and very easy to read.
My wife is wrapped in it as an entry level eBook reader. We have found so many eBooks on the net that she is set for many months. It certainly isn’t slow. Opening one extra large pdf took a while the first time, but was fine after that.
Yes, we did consider the Kindle from Amazon for $149, but it only reads books from Amazon, and they don’t carry any of the Australian books that she is interested in. The Sony 6″ would have set us back $299, and its only got 6″. Her’s has got 7″ !!!
I’m using Calibre to build the book library and it interfaces very well to the MiGear. We bought ours from Dick Smith Electronics and it came with a bonus home usb charger and a car charger. All in all, very good value.
The only thing I can agree with you is the sad lack of DRM support. I would be very happy to buy ebooks from the retailers if I could strip the protection off for my own use. I didn’t know this was easy, but from your review I might need to go looking.
November 7th, 2010 at 1:50 am
@ David.
Hi, no, it wasnt simply the result of reading one long thread about this device, I took the trouble to hunt around the web, and came across a relatively large number of such “no name” ereaders out there, and in general the comments by people who had bought them were much the same the world over. I took the MiGear as a typical example of its species.
As I believe I pointed out in the post, a number of comments were – as with you – perfectly favourable about the thing, but I felt, and still do, that the idea of an ereader that cant work with DRM is a bit of a misser.
Obviously you can buy ebooks from anyone, strip the DRM, and then using Calibre, or any of the increasing number of online format changers to convert the ebook to make it work fine with a Kindle, if you happen to own a Kindle.
In fact, if you are prepared to indulge in a bit of computer work, it no longer matters what type of ereader you have, where you purchase your ebooks, as it is simple enough to get any ebook to work on any ereader. But in my experience the greater majority of ereader owners are not very comfortable with computers, so all those possibilities are not really available to them.
But by the sounds of it, you and your wife are OK with it all, and thus, for you, it was probably a good choice of ereader.
November 9th, 2010 at 7:48 pm
Hi Tony, I dont argue with your perspective. Up until now, Ive thought “Why buy an ebook reader when an ebook is a great excuse to crank up my iMac/iBook/Bondi Blue/mac mini/ B&W G3? ”
Well, my wife and I saw the MiBook in Dick Smith’s and given that store’s truly excellent “suck and see” return policy
(ask em first) we bought the MiGear ebook reader. My other name is Mr Pdf and Im rather a Luddite re the other formats or DRM. I thought “I bet it wont work with my Mac” “I bet I’ll go blind”
I loaded one my own pdf tomes onto it – shock horror – it mounted on the Mac desktop no worries. I thought ok Im gonna end up with a ghost image of the pdf on the reader – nope. I was able to reorientate and magnify the pages. It loaded all 350 pages of the pdf (lots of graphics) fine. For the money, well it aint an iPad, (is there any other brand) and yea, it cant do drm. But hey, its an EXCELLENT MP3 player. Regular ipod nano killer. People are using em as the worlds biggest thumb drive too.
I download a lot of technical pdfs and the Migear is fine for that. I downloaded Calibre software onto the mac and Im going to play with that.
The Migear reader has got me going on dedicated readers – if it wasnt cheap or in our face we wouldnt have got one.
Dont think we will buy a better brand. Probably next year, after having given Pioneer computers a few more months to advance their Dreambook ePad range (that can do drm and way more than a the best ebook reader – inclulding GPS)
we’ll get one of those. Big W is selling the Dreambook for $188 from Thursday this week, undercutting the Pioneer webstore by ten bucks. (wonder what version of Andriod OS the Big W item has – the factory is selling its item with AOS 1.8 . But thats another story. I like the MiGear. Anything thats not an Apple is crap anyway. So hey Im not fussed.
November 10th, 2010 at 1:44 am
@ Paul,
My review of the MiGear seems to have produced a lot of reactions, which I am happy about. I have to say that the idea of using it as a Memory Stick would never have occurred to me though!
Whilst I stick to my view that the MiGear, and all its cousins are too limited, I fully see the potential as a means of showing people the joys of an ereader, at a reasonable cost.
November 11th, 2010 at 1:47 am
I hate DRM anyway – I’ve had some bad experiences where DRMed content refused to play on an upgraded version of Media Player (obviously DRMed music). So now I’m cautious and avoid DRM material.
There’s enough free stuff out there to last a lifetime anyway.
Also, and this is IMHO more important for business users of the device. I want to be able to read Business Papers, strategies and reports on it. These are in MS Word format, so the theory goes that I can just convert them to PDF and read them in comfort.
I’ve got two questions about the device though;
1. Does it remember where you got up to in a book – even if you open several books?
2. Does it support CBR (Comic Book Reader) format. I mean, I could convert to PDF anyway but I’m just wondering if it would be suitable for reading comics on?
Thanks.
November 12th, 2010 at 10:45 am
I have to agree with Bruno, you could have done a bit better with your review. Actually using the device would be a minimum for a review.
but….saying that. My partner and I are the owners of the new generation kindle and we love it. No glare, long battery life, wifi, web browser etc. I use Calibre as bookmanagement software, click on a book and send it to my kindle somewhere located in the house.
Another way would be to simple use your kindle to buy a book on amazon (below 5 dollars and have it ‘delivered’ to your kindle in 60 secs.
I agree with you, quality comes with a pricetag. But cheap and nasty is always good for people who don’t have the ‘quality’ budget!
November 12th, 2010 at 11:58 am
@ Rens,
Hi, sorry you didnt like the post, it happens.
I agree absolutely with your comment about not everyone having the financial means to buy expensive devices… that rule applies to me too! But the price difference between the MiGear and, say a Kindle is not that great, and as you so correctly point out, with a Kindle, you have so many more possibilities,for not that much more money.
As you will have seen from the comments placed by other readers on that post, it seems that lots of people have found a way to be happy with the MiGear, which is good,, and pleases me.
As to having actually used a device before writing about it, to a point I agree with you, obviously, but given the rate at which they are appearing just now – several new ones each week, and not many manufacturers are prepared to let people like me test them. So, I hunt around the net, download user manuals (if possible) read loads of threads from people who have used the device in question, and then, using all of that, plus my own reasonably wide experience, write a post about them. But I never write in the form of “I found this ereader to be……..” when I have not actually handled it.
November 12th, 2010 at 12:08 pm
@ Gavin.
I am sure it doesn’t support CBR, files, so that is not much use if you wish to read comics and don’ want to change the format.
From what others tell me (I have not actually handled one (except briefly in a shop), it does remember where you were OK.
November 12th, 2010 at 3:27 pm
I’m looking for a hand-held electronic device that will allow me to use something like Word or Excel to catalogue and search the titles of the physical books that I own (so that when shopping for more books I don’t accidentally double up!). Can anyone tell me whether or not this is possible with an ereader – any brand, I’m not fussy!
November 13th, 2010 at 1:42 am
@ Sharon.
From what you say, you would be best advised to buy one or other of the wide range of tablets, as most of them are able to do the sort of work you mention. Dedicated ereaders, such as the Kindle, Sony or similar are not designed to do that.
But before buying one, make sure it is capable of doing what you want.
However, all ereaders come with a function that allows you to see a list of the titles you have in it, so if all you wish to do is consult the list to see which ebooks you have in it, than any ereader will meet that requirement.
I hope this is a help.
November 15th, 2010 at 4:17 am
Hi Tony,
Thank you for your review on Migear. I am wanting to purchase an ereader that will allow me to download journal articles,textbook readings and lectures for university purposes.
Is there a particular ereader that you would recommend for what I need? They are usually pdf docs or microsoft powerpoint slides. Do I need to get a kindle or kobo or do you think Migear will be sufficient for what I need it for..Does anyone else have any suggestions?
Thanks
Zaves
November 15th, 2010 at 6:37 am
Update: I bought one of these. It doesn’t read CBR or DOC but handles PDF, TXT, HTML and CHM files neatly. I’ve already read a 380+ page computing textbook on it and it went well.
It does remember where you were up to – and you can add bookmarks as well.
I’ve also converted some business documents, like our Disaster Recovery Plan and my list of Movies I want to hire to PDF. It displays them nicely. There are plenty of free PDF printers and there’s a lot of freely downloadable reading material on the web.
I have noticed that PDFs can be a little small to read (you can zoom but then you’d have to scroll) but I wouldn’t be surprised if the Kindle has the same problem. Straight text seems to be the most flexible format (for zooming etc) but obviously then you miss out on diagrams.
I’ve also converted some CBRs to PDF. It literally takes seconds to do – and I’ve read a 150 page comic on the device with no issues (I have a long commute to work).
For the price, it’s pretty good considering that the Kindle is about 50% more cost.
November 15th, 2010 at 3:24 pm
@ Zaves.
Well, to my surprise I find myself suggesting that for what you want an ereader for, perhaps the MiGear is actually the ideal ereader for you.
If you read the comments from Gavin here, you will see that you both want roughly the same things in your ereader,and the MiGear is cheap as well.
November 16th, 2010 at 7:11 am
LOL…thanks Tony!!
also thanks to you Gavin for the info. Being that I am on a student budget, $99 is more affordable. I wonder if I can claim it on tax….
Zaves
November 16th, 2010 at 7:19 am
LOL.. Good luck with that idea!!!!!!!!!!!
November 16th, 2010 at 2:27 pm
I work for Big W, and have seen how the migear has sold. Generally, they don’t sell well. Not when the kindle is easily affordable thanks to the Aussie dollar. But I can say that the rate of return is nothing alarming – on average we see more iPod touches returned. I also should point out that the 21 day return policy is for refund or exchange. Between 21 days and 12 months, the device is covered by a repair warranty. Having had a play with the migear I agree that it is not a sophisticated device and I don’t find it as intuitive as the iPad, Kindle or Nook. So I agree with you. It is cheap and unpretty. But for people who want a cheap ebook, I guess it’s their choice and a lot of people seem happy with it. Mind you, many of our customers prefer the Pioneer Dreambook that we recently took to stocking.
Also, I should point out that my opinions are my own and do not reflect the opinions of Big W or Woolworths Ltd. Just an observation from someone who sells the stuff!
November 17th, 2010 at 1:45 am
@ Nerrida.
Thanks for your comment, I found it very interesting. Makes a change to get the views of one who actually has to deal with purchasers of an ereader – and other devices.
November 21st, 2010 at 1:38 am
I bought a Migear for my 12 year old son, downloaded about 50 books on my computer (in PDF and Epub formats) sorted the collection into categories ans sub-categories and then copied the whole lot on a mini Sd card. The ebook has no trouble to navigate through this set-up. Any new books get straight away sorted through my ‘H’ drive into it’s correct folder
Gavin mentiond that PDF is a bit small to read, but if you zoom in to largest setting and then flip it on its side with the button next to the ‘back’ button, it comes out great
November 21st, 2010 at 4:40 am
@ Stef.
Seems my thoughts about the MiGear were wrong, to judge from the comments it generated! I am very happy to be wrong this time, as it seems a lot of people have found it to be a perfectly usable and cheap device to own. I share his worry about PDF files, but to be honest, i have never enjoyed using them on anything less than a 21 inch monitor, let alone an ereader, but you appear to have found an acceptable method of dealing with that too. Good on Ya Mate!
November 24th, 2010 at 3:31 am
I went to Dick Smith in Hobart, the salesman there was very helpful, I’ve yet to download anything on to it but so far have had no trouble with it. However, that might change when I do try to download an ebook onto it. It came with 100 titles on it, and option inexpensive extended warranty. It seems simple enough to use, music and pics can be downloaded on to it as well. It seems a nifty little gadget for the money but, as I said, I’ll have to wait and see if it really is as bad as others have said.
November 24th, 2010 at 5:31 am
@ Chienne.
Well, as you will probably have noted, in spite of my rather damning post about the MiGear ereader, loads of people have bought it and are perfectly happy with it, recognizing that it has its limitations, and living with them.
Seems to me that as long as you don’t want to buy copyright protected ebooks for it (DRM), then you should get on fine with it. And after all, a bit of a hunt on the internet, or even on my blog, will bring you to dozens of sites where you can download non DRM protected ebooks of all sorts, and for free too….
Let us know how it goes with your newest gadget
November 28th, 2010 at 4:23 am
I bought this email reader two days ago and I have not been able to charge it. It will work for a few minutes and then drop out. I have charged it for the 4 hours required with no luck – then for 8 hours – still no luck. So I can only read it when plugged in.
When I read it this way, it keeps dropping back 2 or 5 or 10 pages from the point where I am reading so every 5 minutes I have to spend time to find the page again that I was on. You can’t advance more than 1 page at a time, so I have to write down each page as I turn to it, and use the page find option. The pdf files I use need a scroll down each page, so I always have to scroll to find the spot where I was reading even if I locate the page.
Also, my music files will play only a short period, up to one minute and then switch to the next song. Most of the time, it will play a few bars then switch to the next one.
The last two problems could be due to the lack of charging however.
Nevertheless It is going back next week.
November 28th, 2010 at 6:39 am
@ Anne,
What a sad tale of woes….. It would seem you had the same experiences as a lot of other people whose equally sad stories litter the ereader forums…. I am sorry that you were not one of the lucky ones who appear to have found it a perfectly usable device.
As regards PDF files, no ereader I know of handles them very well, sadly. If you have to work a lot with PDF files you should look for the largest screen you can find, to minimise the scrolling left, right and up and down.
November 29th, 2010 at 8:55 am
I brought my ereader a week ago after playing with my sisters’ expensive e ink reader(bebook)which she has had for the last 12 months. I knew I wouldn’t get good quality but truth be told it beats reading e books on my computer or net book. I quite like the tft as I can read in the dark unlike my sister who had to purchase a lamp! However the text is quite small so would not recommend this for those who like bigger text. The text size doesn’t get very big even with the zoom but I’m still fine with it. In NZ there aren’t many ereaders around so keen ebook fans will probably buy one of these readily available from Dick Smiths. Its a good entry level reader, I wouldn’t say I love it but its probably ok for what I paid for it? Lets see how long it lasts!
Also to Anne, check the settings for your music player on the migear, sounds like you must have it set on ‘intro’ which only plays a few bars of each song. Change this to ‘once’ under repeat mode (found when menu button is pushed while music is playing)
December 8th, 2010 at 7:26 am
Hi all, I just bought this eReader in BigW and when I went to their website, it says there is available upgrade for those who purchased this product before November which doesn’t have the Adobe Program installed as yet. Mine has, wlould this resolve the problem of DRM?
My initial reaction when I bought this prodcuct is it has a sturdy construction, good screen size, affordable price and the buttons has a good feel to it. Will try it out further and update this post =)
December 8th, 2010 at 7:31 am
Tony, here is the link:
http://www.bigw.com.au/electronics/computers-office/drives-storage/hard-drives/bpnBIGW_0000000250648/migear-ebook-reader-7
“If you bought a MiGear eBook from Big W in September/October or November 2010 and it does not have an Adobe Reader Sticker on the box, this download will allow you to read DRM (Digital Rights Managed) files through ‘Adobe Reader Mobile’. The MiGear eBook Upgrade Tool can be downloaded here. Instructions for the download process are here.
The MiGear eBook Reader allows you to access your entire eBook collection anywhere. eBooks can be stored on your eBook Reader’s 2GB of built in memory, or on a Micro SD card (not included). A large 7″ TFT colour screen gives you the best viewing of all your eBooks, eMagazines and pictures. The eBook Reader offers a stylish design, is easy to use and also comes equipped with digital bookmarks.”
December 8th, 2010 at 8:51 am
Hi Ron, Interesting what you tell us. I would be very interested to know if that works, and allows you now to install DRM protected ebooks that you buy, for example from Borders, to name but one ebook seller operating in Oz.
Do let us know how it goes.
It is amazing how many people seem interested in the MiGear, so far almost 3000 people have visited this post! And there was me, writing about what a lousy device it is….. LOL
December 8th, 2010 at 8:56 am
Hi
Ive just seen an ad from BIGW,about migear,and it says “now supports DRM protected files”.
I want some device to be light in wight and easy to read screen,and also i want to read books in other language than English,does it make any differnet in what ereader i should buy??
and now with the DRM,is there any other major problem with migear?!
I really apreciat any help and advise.
I desperately need one,as i couldnt find any printed book in my language here,in australia.
Thanks
December 8th, 2010 at 9:25 am
Tony, I think because other eBook Readers here in Oz cost heaps i.e. $199-299 and people are just looking for ‘value for cheap money’. I was initially thinking of getting an ipad or galaxy tab but I was thinking what can these devices do that my laptop can’t. With the amount of hits you have with this product (as your review stands out when you search in google) do you think you need to update your review or create another one? hehe!
December 8th, 2010 at 9:35 am
Hi again Ron (of Australia, where I am also just now, suffering in the endless rain that is pouring down onto the famously, and perhaps erroneously, named “Sunshine State!).
You have a point, I was also beginning to wonder if I should go out, buy one and write a new post, given the number of positive comments about the device here. Hmmmmmmm…..
December 8th, 2010 at 2:55 pm
Hi Ati,
I understand your problem. Most ereaders will support a number of languages, but you need to be sure yours is supported, particularly if it uses a different alphabet, such as Arabic, Chinese or Cyrillic for example. The MiGear supports the following languages and alphabets:
English Deutsch Italiano Portugues Hollands Francais Spanish Polski Turkce Cistina Dansk Japan Svenska Korean Chinese, so I suspect your language is supported OK.
The DRM support on the MiGear seems to be a mobile phone App as far as I can see, rather than the normal Adobe Digital Editions one normally sees on ereaders, but I am reasonably sure it will work and allow you to buy ebooks from any online ebook seller, both DRM protected and non DRM protected.
Not knowing what your language is, makes it tricky for me to suggest possible sources of ebooks in your language, but there are hundreds of online ebook sellers now all over the world, so a simple search on Google should lead you to sources of ebooks in your language.
As a last point, in spite of the numerous very positive comments here about the MiGear, there are many more people out there who have found it to be a lousy ereader, so think carefully about that before you buy one. It seems that if you are lucky, it works fine, and is thus a good, cheap ereader, but a lot of people have had many problems with them I have found.
If you need more help, give me a shout, and I shall do my best to help you find what you want.
December 8th, 2010 at 4:33 pm
Hi There this is MiGear Support, we now have official Adobe DRM licence for all MiGear ebook readers and all new models are shipped with Adobe DRM firmware preloaded. For those customers who purchased the version 1 models that didnt have DRM software we offer a FREE firmware upgrade. Simply visit http://www.migear.biz to download the DRM firmware upgrade for your model.
December 8th, 2010 at 4:34 pm
Now this is good news indeed!!! Seems the MiGear has become a reasonable ereader to buy. Given that it now has full DRM support, and at its price, it has to be an attractive ereader for people who don’t wish to spend large amounts of money on their ereader.
Also, thanks to the MiGear support person who sent in this comment, it is good to have hard info from the horse’s mouth.
I shall see if I can get my hands on a review model and write a new post about the MiGear, as there is so much interest in it in Australia apparently (hits on this page are now well in excess of 3000).
December 10th, 2010 at 1:25 pm
It is what it is. I just bought one and am reasonably happy with it.
It’s not lightening quick, and the screen isn’t mind blowing.
But for those such as pensioners, or short on cash, who have saved for a while it’s not a bad option (I’m not a pensioner, just a tight wad)
It does the job, but I am thinking that I might treat myself to a better one down the track, if this one gets much use.
December 12th, 2010 at 6:50 am
I never read a book in my 70 years of life, when I saw this Migear for 99 Dollars in Australia…As I was off overseas, the fact that it had 100 books inside made me buy it. I liked the colour change of the writing, and surprise surprise, it could show pictures from my camera….At first I had some problems charging it….it needs the computer to charge it but you must click off the drive that is built in….The music was another surprise, it has good fidelity….so I love it….one thing I would like as a feature (and please inform me if you know of a reader that can do it) is, when I see a word I do not understand, click on the word and the meaning is defined. Another feature I would like is that the reader reads the book for me into my headphone….otherwise this reader does more than I bargained for….the complaint about purchased books not supported, does not as yet bug me as I need to read the 100 free books that came with the unit….Well done Migear….
December 12th, 2010 at 7:19 am
Hi Herwig,
I am happy that your MiGear has been such a positive experience for you.
To answer your questions, most of the more expensive ereaders (Sony, Kindle, Nook, Kobo and so on) come complete with built in dictionaries of one sort or another, which function exactly as you describe,
If you bought your MiGear this month (December), it should have he necessary software to allow you to purchase DRM protected ebooks online, and if you bought it before December, you should visit http://www.migear.biz to download the necessary software to enable you to install DRM protected ebooks.
Ebooks that can be read to you are a problem, for contractual reasons most publishers will not allow this function to happen. But you can find many audio books on line, which your MiGear will happily read to you, treating them as the music you already listen to on it.
I hope this is a help, if you need more help, give me another shout and I shall do my best.
Tony
December 13th, 2010 at 1:38 pm
Hi Tony I’m actually contemplating on buying this particular ebook, however I’m not quite sure whether or not it’s worth it? I’m not looking for anything special really, just something that’d hold my collection of books and maybe a few songs… All the mixed reviews have me a little confused?
I’m not sure if you mentioned this in your review, but would it be charged like an ipod-connected to the computer- or like any other appliances on a standard powerpoint?
I’m not fussed by specifics
Thanks heaps
December 13th, 2010 at 1:43 pm
Hi Ceza,
Well, the MiGear seems to work for a lot of people who are not looking for a sophisticated piece of equipment, and would probably meet your requirements quite well, given that you are not looking for a device that can do everything, except make a decent cup of coffee for you.
Much like most ereaders, this one is charged by means of the USB port on your computer.
Good luck,
Tony
December 14th, 2010 at 9:17 am
Hi Tony
I just wanted to let you know that the fix posted by MiGear for the DRM works. I just purchased my first book from an on-line bookstore (one of Terry Pratchetts) and it was transferred to my reader no problems. The fix is easy to install, just follow the instructions. So if you want a no frills ereader MiGear is actually very good.
Kind regards
Deb
December 14th, 2010 at 9:48 am
@ Deb,
Hi deb, I have become convinced that even though many people have had a rough ride with the Migear, I was too severe in my discussion of it on this post.
I have already had a hands-on review from another happy MiGear owner which I posted a few days ago, in which Ron (who gave me the review) told us how happy he is with the device..
Since they organised DRM support for it, they have moved it from the realm of relatively limited to the realm of fully functional, of slow and not of the best build quality.
So, I am happy that you are happy….. And approve of your choice of ebook too, very fond of the Disk World series… especially Rinceweed and his ‘Luggage” with legs (The colour of magic).
December 14th, 2010 at 10:42 am
Hi Tony
Yes I too love the ‘Luggage’ with legs but my favourite has to be DEATH especially when he goes on strike. Anyway, great site and it was very useful to me as it generated so much discussion. Thanks
Deb
December 14th, 2010 at 10:52 am
@ Deb:
Perhaps we should set up a sort of “We love and want to discuss the Disk World” page here? I have been reading them all ever since he started writing them.. well, actually, ever since he started publishing them, of course!
I have been amazed at the reaction to this post… so far almost 4000 people have read it….. You Australians must be super keen to get your hands on an ereader……..
BigW and Dick Smith must be very happy.
Good thought, isn’t it?
December 15th, 2010 at 3:01 am
I’ve just bought one as an entry level e-reader, and so far i am very happy with it.
Some information in the OP is also wrong as the kindle 3 3G is not $40 more, but $140 more. I checked.
December 15th, 2010 at 3:12 am
@ Harry,
I assume that you mean you have bought yourself a MiGear? And as with all the other good people who have written positive comments here (and in emails) about it, I am pleased for you, in spite of what I said, it does seem (now that it has DRM support) to be a reasonable and cheap ereader.
However, I am puzzled by your statement that the Kindle costs $ 239, it is advertised on Amazon for $139. Where did you find it being offered for $239?
I was referring to the basic Kindle of course, the one with WiFi, not the 3G model, as I was trying to compare like with like, sort of…….
The 3G version of the Kindle costs $189.
December 15th, 2010 at 4:24 am
Wow,
So much information to take in. It has actually been great to read it all.
I am a writer who also does reviews for other Authors and at the present I am sitting with approximately 30 ebooks on my laptop to read and or review.
My reading time is of a night when I go to bed, normally with the faithful ink and paper books, my all time favorites but that means I have to cut into my writing time to do reviews, which means pulling all nighters to get them done.
My husband suggested I buy one so I can read it in bed.
Spoke to friends on the net who unfortunately were all American and they all raved about the Kindle and the Nook but as it was getting so close to Christmas, we have chosen to go ahead and purchase a Migear.
Yes because it is cheap and we are on a strict budget and yes because I am an ebook reader virgin.
I am so looking forward to getting mine and can’t wait to see how it handles. I especially liked the fact that it has color as I can then download some books for my 3 year old Grandson as we don’t have enough room in the house at this stage for me to start buying him a collection of books.
I wish everyone a great Christmas and hope you all have brilliant, fascinating New Year.
December 16th, 2010 at 3:42 pm
I purchased a Mygear ereader about 2 months ago and i’m happy with the unit. The DRM firmware upgrade works well and for an entry level ereader it does its job well. The color screen is a bonus and its ability to read many book formats is great. PDF’s can be a little difficult to read, sometimes the print is too small and often scrolling is neccessary, but many ebooks have the same issues with PDF’s (i’ve started converting most PDF’s to epubs for this reason).
Well worth the $98 IMO.
December 17th, 2010 at 4:34 pm
Geez, this is a lot to take in!
I have been contemplating on buying an e-book reader for a month now. It will be my first so I’ve been browsing in the web checking different e-reader makes. As far as I know, Kobo e-reader has just been introduced here in NZ lately this year and only available in Whitcoulls and Noel Leeming. I found Dreambook and a brand-less e-reader being auctioned in Trade Me since last week, too. I thought of buying Kindle on-line because it seems it’s got better value for money compared to Nook and Sony e-reader. And today, while I was checking for a new cellphone in Dick Smith, I found that they are selling MiGear e-reader (for only NZ$129)! I was there just last Friday looking for an e-reader. Since I am keen to purchase an e-reader, I immediatedly asked for one. And surprise!…this particular Dick Smith shop sold out their MiGear e-reader stock! I have to check in their other shops here in Auckland. Question though, since MiGear has got a TFT screen, this won’t be good to read under the sun, like while sitting on the beach in broad daylight, right? Just a thought because I have sensitive eyes.
December 17th, 2010 at 5:23 pm
Yup, that screen will be tricky in bright light…. think laptop screen and you will know the effect. Sit on the beach with a towel over your head perhaps?
December 19th, 2010 at 10:46 am
I have sat here and read all the reviews, and because I am not a very techno savy person, am a bit confused about what I am buying. I have an 11 year old daughter, who reads between 2 and 4 books a day, and at $10 – $20 a book (as the town library is limited for her age group, and what is available has been exhausted) I thought an ereader would be the way to go. For her age group, and my computer skills, would this one be the one to start with, Dick Smith is selling it here for $129, and everyone is talking $98. Am I being ripped off? I have actually laybyed one, and I hope it will be good enough for my daugher, Any comments????
December 20th, 2010 at 10:51 am
Thanks Tony,
I really need this sort of review to pick the good from the dross. My problem is that I want an e-reader that let’s you download from lots of different websites, & not stuck with a designated website {i.e Kindle only allows books from Amazon, & Sony e-reader doesn’t let you download from Amazon etc…) I’m not savy to be able to do any ‘fixing’ of them. I’d like to find an e-reader that truly allows me to surf the many different e-book sites & let me download adhoc from them.
December 20th, 2010 at 10:57 am
@ Dollee,
Well, not just thanks to me, but also all the folk who have posted their comments here – it has turned into a very lively debate seems to me.
Don’t forget, any ereader apart from the Kindle, that can work with ePub will give you the freedom to get ebooks from hundreds of sources.
December 20th, 2010 at 12:51 pm
Absolutely nothing wrong with the MiGear reader. I’ve had one for 3 months. Cheap it is, but it ain’t nasty. It does what I want which is a good light reader, decent battery life, And a MP3player to boot. So I recommend it to someone wanting a good easy reader.
December 20th, 2010 at 1:04 pm
I should have added to all those worrying about formats. An easy format changer is Calibre for txt/lit/epub/pdf and a few more. ( http://calibre-ebook.com/ ) Sigil is also OK, tho I don’t use it myself.
It is also quite easy to strip DRM out of files but I leave that to yourself to find out how. (Tony the mod can delete the last paragraph if he wants, it is illegal)
December 21st, 2010 at 8:22 am
I agree with you Keri. Got a MiGear for my birthday. Was a bit annoyed that I could not download the real book that I wanted to read. But nowsince dowloading the DRM it is working properly and and I am quite pleased with it.
December 23rd, 2010 at 6:46 am
An odd thing I noticed about Win7 with the MiGear is if I plug in the USB to charge while the computer is on I can’t read a book, but I can transfer files. But, if I switch off the pc, connect up the usb and then boot the pc I can read a book while it’s charging, but not transfer files to it. i dunno if that makes sense. Also if i reboot with the MiGear connected I cannot see my external HD. These are just oddities, not real problems as there are workarounds. I only have win7 on my laptop and desktop pcs, dunno if WinXP is similar
December 23rd, 2010 at 5:57 pm
@ Keri.
How strange, I wonder why that is….. Anyone got any useful ideas as to what might cause that to happen?
December 23rd, 2010 at 6:45 pm
Tony,
Thankyou for your review of this e reader which has had so many replies. i have been tossing up over the last couple of days which reader would be right for me.
i have decided to give the migear a go and then upgrade later.
thanks again.
and merry xmas….
December 23rd, 2010 at 6:51 pm
@ Aaron,
Glad the review was a help….. I am still trying to come to terms with the reaction to that post, in which, lets be honest, I slammed the device. But to judge by the comments here, and the numerous emails I have received about it, I was wrong…….
So far about 4500 people have read that post, which makes it the most visited post on this blog, interestingly, the second most read post is the one about the ebook telling you how to look after a Guinea Pig! LOL
Well, I hope you enjoy your MiGear, and also, I hope you have a very enjoyable Christmas too.
December 24th, 2010 at 8:53 am
I decided to buy a MiGear eReader from Big W, even after readling this blog, and I am very pleased with it so far. My local library has just started eBooks and I can read the ones I have borrowed from there on it. Also I can read eBooks I have bought from Borders, etc. (I did not want to spend the extrra money for a Kobo reader). I also have a Kindle but get very frustrated that a lot of the titles on the Amazon Kindle site are not available in Australia! I feel they all should be available in Australia, maybe one day! Anyhow I am finding the MiGear eReader a very affordable way to read my eBooks (other than the Kindle ones of course)
December 24th, 2010 at 9:29 pm
Well Tony and the whole ereader community, I thank you for your comments, and although nobody answered my queries directly, I think I too am going to go to the migear to start with, remembering it is for my daughter who is only 11, and we will update at a later date, and when we are more financial. I have read this blog from start to finish, and am convinced. Have a wonderful Christmas, and happy reading to all.
December 25th, 2010 at 8:45 am
@ Michelle,
Sorry no one answered your questions, I shall do my best, albeit belatedly.
Price: Well the normal price in Australia is $ 98,so if someone is asking more, you should query it. The $ 98 is the price at BigW.
As it now supports DRM protection (once you have installed the Adobe software that you should get with the ereade), you will be able to use any library that lends ebooks.
For the rest, I have to confess, in spite of my initial dislike of this ereader, it is probably ideal for the purpose you have in mind.
So, go for it!
The MiGear people have been in contact with me, and are now sending me a review sample of the MiGear, which I shall be giving a thorough road test to, and I shall then write a new review of the device, so wait for that which should happen in the next week.
In the mean time, Have a splendid Christmas and a very happy New Year
December 25th, 2010 at 7:28 pm
Hi ,
About to purchase a MIGEAR from Big W. Am curiious, how many books does it hold in totalk before you have to start deleting them? Thanks :>
December 25th, 2010 at 7:36 pm
oops, a few more questions.
1. Does the MI gear connect to the internet?
2. How much memory does it hold.
3. If I purchase a kindle do they come with e books already included on it like the MI gear does?
Think that’s it for now, thanks
TANYA
December 25th, 2010 at 7:53 pm
@ Tanya,
Hi,
It doesn’t connect to the internet, so you will need to use your computer to get hold of ebooks.
I can’t remember how much internal memory it has, but that will be sufficient to hold a goodly number of ebooks, probably several thousand, also you can use SD cards, so that means that you have the possibility of having many thousands of ebooks at a time…. enough to keep you happy for many years I would think.
I don’t think the Kindle comes with pre-installed ebooks, but since these pre-installed ebooks are always out of copyright books, that is pretty unimportant, as you can download them all for free from sites such as Gutenberg.org…..
I hope this is a help.. If you need more, give me a shout
December 25th, 2010 at 8:11 pm
thanks Tony, i have been googling all night and now am maybe pointing in the direction of an apple i pad????????????????? HMMMM, hard to choose huh. Saw the e book reader cheap in Big w and thought it was a good place to start but I guess if it can;t connect top the net then i really am just buying a book in some ways. Would it be a waste of time getting a MI gear and then later getting an apple i pad? Big w have the i pads out cheap at the moment too so want to get myself a xmas present .
Thanks
tanya
December 26th, 2010 at 5:23 am
@ Tanya,
So, Googling all night? Hmmmmm…
I have admit that I am not a fan of the iPad, I find it too big, too expensive and too limited, though there are now thousands of Apps that make it almost into a useful device.
It is really a case of what you want your new toy to be able to do for you, if all you want to do is to read ebooks on it, then something like the MiGear, or any of the better ereaders would be OK for you (many of which can connect to the web either via built in WiFi or 3G connectivity).
If it is basically a device that you can use to read ebook with, as well as other computer type things, then you would do best to look at the various tablets that are now on the market, most of which are markedly cheaper than the iPad, and generally smaller, and thus easier to cart around with you. Oh, and do more too…………
I sort of feel that the iPad is the electronic equivalent of a coffee table book, very pleasant to read whilst sitting in your favourite armchair at home, but not much joy to take on a bus.
But, I feel it would be silly to go out now and buy a MiGear or any other dedicated ereader, and then in a couple of months to get an iPad, duplication and expense I would say.
Hope these ramblings are a help… In any event, enjoy whatever it is you decide to buy yourself…
December 26th, 2010 at 8:27 am
Hi,
Is it worth buying a Kindle if I am in Australia? Lots of reviewsseem to say that people are having difficulty downloading
December 26th, 2010 at 10:34 am
@ Tanya.
Sure it is worth getting a Kindle if you live in Oz, lots of people have them in Oz and get on fine with them. Like people in most parts of the world, other than the USA you will run into the problem of geographical distribution (the publishers and author’s agents make different deals in different parts of the world), but this problem is the same whatever ereader you own.
The only other reservation I have about the Kindles is the fact that Amazon have their own ebook format, so you have to get your paid for ebooks from Amazon only, unless you are OK to use a format changing program such as Calibre to change ePub – or whatever – to the Amazon format.
Equally, public libraries almost all use the ePub format, which once again means you would have to change the formats of any ebooks you borrow from a library before you could read them on your Kindle.
December 26th, 2010 at 6:02 pm
Hey what do people prefer- Kindle, kobo or mi gear????
December 26th, 2010 at 6:04 pm
or RADIO RENTALS have HANVON for $248??
December 27th, 2010 at 6:24 am
“I have admit that I am not a fan of the iPad, I find it too big, too expensive and too limited, though there are now thousands of Apps that make it almost into a useful device.”
I’m gonna go out on a limb here and say that just like with the MiGear, you’ve never actually used an iPad…
“…most of which are markedly cheaper than the iPad, and generally smaller, and thus easier to cart around with you…”
It doesn’t even cross your mind that there’s a demographic out there that WANTS larger screens for reading purposely, particular when it comes to magazines, newspaper and other picture-based material… You repeatedly make this mistake of thinking that what you need and what you want is what every one needs and wants. If you had understood the reality, the varied needs, you wouldn’t have so quickly dismissed the MiGear and been so baffled by the device’s positive reaction, nor would you so frequently refer people to the Kindle (as though everyone buying the MiGear is thinking, “Kindle is great, I wish I could have one but I don’t want to spend that much money…”). Try to imagine that out there somewhere there’s people interested in reading comic books, scans of old books, magazines, so many things more than than just text…
“…on the other hand, it is colour, which some people prefer.”
People don’t just prefer colour, they need it, it’s vital element to what they’re interested in reading. Maybe for you it’s a question of preference, and that goes back to what I was saying, but what about the person who wants to read comic books or magazines or picture books or how-to books, etc, etc?
I don’t mean to be overly critical here, I just think you really need to understand that people have wants for their eReader apparently beyond your own personal wants. You’ve also been a fair bit misleading here in your “review.” You’ve never even touched the MiGear and while you admit this at the outset you then go on to talk as though it’s sitting within arm’s reach. Many people commenting obviously seem to believe you own one or have hands-on knowledge and you seem to be welcoming this, which I don’t is right when these people are planning to put down money in the end.
December 27th, 2010 at 6:48 am
@ Charles.
You make a number of very good points here. I shall answer a few of them if I can.
Firstly, I will be getting a review example of the MiGear in the next couple of days, and will give it a fair and good test and will then write a post with my feelings about it, and make sure that the original post has a clear link to the review. I have also posted a hands on review by a guy who has a MiGear, and likes it.
As regards the iPad, I have used it, so I do know what I like and dislike about it. As I said I feel that it is an ideal home use device, much like a large book. Obviously for those who desire a large screen, it is a good choice, and I have said as much in a number of posts specifically related to the iPad.
Further, as a tool for use in meetings and presentations I can see how useful it can be, but when looking at it as a portable electronic alternative to a book for comfortable reading where ever you happen to be, it isn’t really a very handy device.
And it is very expensive.
I use the Kindle as a sort of reference ereader, and I have used them as well, by the way. Personally I use and am perfectly happy with an ancient Sony 505, but I do realise that other people have different needs to me, and welcome this happy fact too.
If you have a look at more of the posts here, I hope you will find I don’t make too many assumptions based entirely on my own preferences, but try and give a fair idea of what is out there.
I do admit however, that I was surprised at the positive reactions to the MiGear, which seemed to me to be a very inferior device when I first looked into it, (No DRM for example), but I have been shown very conclusively by people’s emails and comments that I was falling into the trap that many bloggers do, i.e we all want to spend several hundred dollars to get as complete a device as possible.
There is obviously a place in the world for very basic devices, whether they be MP3 players, DVD viewers or ereaders, and it was silly and wrong of me to ignore this point, not a mistake I shall make again, believe you me!
December 27th, 2010 at 10:09 am
I think the problem is that people get very defensive about their tech. Support the ipod and you’re a fan-boi. Go against it and you’re an Apple hater. Different solutions for different tasks. I have an i-pad, but I find it’s too big to read e books on, but good for newspapers and mags. I originally bought a MiGear as I couldn’t buy (in Kiwi) an e book reader at a reasonable price to see if I was comfortable with using one as opposed to paper books. I was quite pleasantly surprised and find they are quite good, so I’m looking for another (more expensive ) one.
Tanya’s post on the Hanvon was interesting, but I’ll wait ’til around July or so to see what else comes out. What I said about the ipad is my own opinion on that particular gadget, I’m not an Apple hater or fan-boi. I also didn’t like reading e books on an Acer Netbook, not very comfortable with the keyboard sticking out. I found a prog on the net that let you swing the text 90 degrees which made it a bit easier to use on the netbook. (FBReader)
December 28th, 2010 at 10:07 am
hi all-
I just purchased the MI GEAR from big w and can now say that I am not a fan. These are my reasons:
1. very basic- probably good for some one who is not up to date with technology or good for a beginner or child.
2. I am not impressed with the charging capacity- you can only charge it through a usb port.
3. The screen was not of very good standard , however it was very big.
4. It does not have internet WIFI or 3G meaning you can only downlod from your computer.
5. My free 100 books were not there!!!! ????????????????????
Overall I thnk personally I just need something a bit more high tech but the MI Gear was a great starting point. It was good to test it out and see what everyone was talking about. I bought the black one. I think I would prefer a screen with TOUCH capacity. It basically seemed like a nice cheap buy but it is very much outdated for today’s technology. Each to their own. A great buy for kids or people who aren;t very good with technology.
Now to go and get my money back- and contemplate purchasing an apple i pad, or i pod touch?
Tanya :>
December 28th, 2010 at 12:49 pm
@ Tanya.
Sorry to hear you are not happy with the MiGear. Some of your comments were what made me so rude about it when I originally wrote my post about it. As I mentioned to Charles I shall be lent a review example by MiGear in the next couple of days, and shall then see for myself what sort of a beast it is, and shall write accordingly.
However, if you plump for the iPod, would you care to write a review of it (as an ereader) for me? Many people seem very happy using their smart phones as ereaders, and I would be very happy to have a hands-on from someone who has done so.
If you would be interested in doing this, could you drop me an email and we can discuss it?
Tony
December 28th, 2010 at 1:53 pm
Thankyou all, for your comments and reviews….I got a MiGear for a chrissy present and have had no problems downloading and reading books from Borders…BUT i must say the 8 hour battery life has NOT been to go for me….frustrating if you like to pull ‘all-dayers’ reading while on holidays! Each time to recharge has seen about 6 hours via the laptop and still no full charge. I will keep using and recharging though hoping the battery will learn to fill up. The colour and brightness settings do not work on the Borders downloads, but I’m happy with it as an entry level reader. Photos look great on it. I download music from iTunes so the reader wont accept mp4….never mind. Other mini gadgets can cover that anyway.
Im happy with the reader, cheaper reads than paper, great to read in bed without the light on and disturbing others, but you dont have to recharge a book!
December 28th, 2010 at 3:00 pm
Hi – has anyone tried uploading music or photos yet? I can’t seem to get the music over – I’ve got the album names on the MiGear but no music. Help!!!!
December 28th, 2010 at 5:31 pm
Actually Tony – I think your negative review has helped balance out everything. It has brought out the *positive and some *negative* responses. In the end, the reviewer can say one thing, but its the experience of the ongoing users that supply feedback that others read that really helps the perspective.
I’m going to buy a MiGear in the next few days. Like many others I’d like to enter the ebook market and test the waters.
December 30th, 2010 at 9:08 am
Tracy, I found that if you switch off the pc, plug in the MiGear, power up the pc, it charges up full. The little battery symbol constantly moves up and down ’til ful,l then stops. I tested the charge with brightness low, black background and white font and I got 10.5 hours. On the back it says DC input 5V 1000mA. I emailed MiGear makers to ask about charging using this input, but no answers yet.
Marg, Music is OK for me. very low unless you use headphones. Photos Ok
Tanya, you can have my 100 books, I deleted them. but they are here http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page
December 30th, 2010 at 12:02 pm
Hi all- So I spent a few weeks researching e book readers, then purchased the MI GEAR from big w. found it too simple and lacking in technology so I returned it. Then was indecisive about purchasing an apple i pad or i touch to read books on. Finally purchased an i pod touch 4th gen and I am so so so happy with it. the screen is smaller, however the quality of the written text by far lets you forget how small the screen is. the applications themselves are in fact the same so no diffenernce there. i am loving it. You can adjust the brightness and it also has the capacity for you to read in the dark. i am so impressed.
December 30th, 2010 at 10:24 pm
I have a Migear on layby at Big W and am now worried about getting it seeing what people are saying about it, but being on a pension I needed something for when i am in hospital as carrying books to read is a lot to do and I am in there a lot, my manual says it supports this DRM thing, but am very confused now and wish to know if I have made a bad choice before I pay out the rest of layby and get something not eworth the money, can someone please let me know more, hm how do i get a answer to my question just noticed my email address doesn’t show uip lol.
Thanks Debby
December 31st, 2010 at 6:10 am
Hi Debby,
Yes, your email address is hidden from visitors to the blog, otherwise you would suddenly start getting hundreds of spams every day – I get on average about 300 a day here!
So I hope other readers of the blog will see your plea for help and answer you here via a comment, much as I am now doing.
The DRM thing means that you can buy ebooks from online ebook sellers and install them on your ereader. The handbook that comes with the MiGear ereader explains quite clearly how you do this, and how it all works.
You only need DRM support if you want to buy modern commercial ebooks, if you are happy with older books, then you can get thousands of them for free, without any DRM fuss and bother, and bung them onto you ereader and read them to your hearts content. I have written reviews of a number of free (and legal) websites where you can download non DRM ebooks. The best known one is of course good old Gutenberg, both the Australian one and the American one, but there are loads more of them out there.
Also, the MiGear comes with 100 ebooks already installed on it, almost all the old classics, but it is a wide range of books none the less, not just Jane Ayre and Dickens.
As to whether or not the MiGear is worth buying, that is harder to answer, lots of people seem very happy with it, but an equal number seem very unhappy with it.
Having tried one out rather fully (I am about to write a hands-on review of it), I would say that it is a reasonable device to read ebooks on and look at pictures and listen to music. But you have to remember that it is a cheap device, and as such has many limitations, but as a very basic ereader it seems to meet the needs OK.
Further, to use it you need to be reasonably computer literate, as it uses a computer for getting ebooks and charging. If this is a problem, you can always get a friend to put ebooks and music onto a Mini SD card for you and bring them to you in Hospital, so you can place that in your MiGear, and that way you can easily get new reading material.
I haven’t yet tested this but they claim it will work away for about 10 hours between charges (much less if you listen to music), but bear in mind that you will need your computer handy to recharge those batteries every day.
I think I would say go for it, if you simply want a no frills ereader to use when in hospital, and haven’t got much spare cash – I know that problem all too well!
Good luck,
Tony
December 31st, 2010 at 6:19 am
Debby,
It really comes down to an individual choice., I suggest still getting it , having a try and then BIG W are pretty good they’ll still give you a refund if you decide it is not for you. I just found that I needed something more up to date with today’s technology so I went with the Ipod- however much smaller screen- can still chaneg the font size. Good luck . Let us know how you go.
December 31st, 2010 at 7:39 am
Just to let you know. You do not need to use a computer to charge any USB device you can purchase a USB mains charger and also a USB car charger (great for camping trips when you want to read in the dark) from Office Works for $20 and $10. I Charge my Migear through mains power all the time.
January 1st, 2011 at 7:10 am
My daughter bought me one for xmas and have finished my first book. Awesome. I’m a happy chappy.
Then I read this review. What a load of bloody techno babble rubbish!!!! Just one long winded put down.
Do the right thing. Buy it, try it, then review it. You will find it actually works fine.
January 1st, 2011 at 10:26 am
@ Jack,
I now have one of them (lent to me by MiGear) for a proper hands-on review, which I shall be writing in the next couple of days.
My first article about the MiGear was based on a lot of comments, threads and articles by a wide range of people who had used the device, and the majority view of those people was that it was a terrible piece of junk.
As this lined up with my experiences of cheaply made Chinese electronics ( I lived for three years in Beijing) I put the article together with all of that in mind.
However,as you may have noticed, the reactions to that post by so many people who did like the device, plus my own experiences so far with it have caused me to change my opinions about it.
So, watch out for the review based on use, rather than other people’s opinions.
For the rest, I am very happy that you like your MiGear, and have leaped into the happy world of ereaders.
Best wishes for many happy hours with your MiGear and for the New Year,
Tony
January 1st, 2011 at 3:23 pm
The original poster really doesnt have any clue about this ebook reader. He obviously has never even touched one let alone used one. The review seems to be very negatively biased. I have purchased two of these and can say that it is great. Its well made, feels sturdy, durable yet light. The battery life last close to 10 hours on most of my uses and the color screen is very nice (better than eink). It supports all the main file formats and there are plenty of books to download and read on this. It does now have added DRM support (earlier readers can be updated). It loads files within a second or so though pdf files take a second or two longer, which is very fast as far as i am concerned. The ability to adjust (zoom in) the pages is nice and so is the ability to flip the reader sideways for larger text also.The page holder function is also very nice. All in all i couldn’t be more pleased with this ereader even if i had spent $300 on it and i only spent one third that price.
January 2nd, 2011 at 1:27 pm
Hi
what then is your sugestion?
AND COULD U GIVE MORE INFO
January 2nd, 2011 at 4:32 pm
Hi all, I have had a couple of emails from a reader, who has some problems with her MiGear. I have forwarded them to the MiGear Support people, but they dont seem to be answering her cry for help.
Can any of you offer her any useful advise perhaps?
Here are her emails:
i have a migear e reader, i am 69 not bright when it comes to these
kinds of gadget. i got the adobe digital editions programme download
ok, i think but when i try transfer a book to the ereader i get a
message
UNKNOWN COMMAND FILE TYPE
also the setting is on adobe flash
CAMERA on items on left of ADE screen.
and keeps recommending Auto play.
please can you help, i do not want to take the product back, but it is
frustrating.
And the second one:
i found where my attempted transfers to my ebook went. they turned up in windows media player screen and in windows photo gallery but unable to open (just front
cover with name of book). i also checked DRMdownload – microsoft advised “unknown file”. i also checked for logos on box and on ereader anything relating to DRM nothing except on ereader a sign “adobe readers’ mobile”.
hope this information helps your support team. it helped me just find the missing “transfered books”
January 2nd, 2011 at 6:35 pm
Bought one after christmas as did my sister and we love them!! ok yes the ones sold prior to december could not read DRM files but the new version does and you just have to check the box to see if its new or old version based on the Adobe sticker. So far we have purchased books from borders and A&R and have had no probs with the file types. I really believe that its a great product but by all means spend a fortune on a more expensive brand if you want… it is simple to use it does the job for us!
January 3rd, 2011 at 8:53 am
Janice: Thank you for the charger info, I have this charger but wrong plug, I will shoot up to Dick Smith and get the universal plug. I was too cowardly to try it first.
We’re kinda screwed here in Kiwi, No other ereaders except the Kobo or 2nd hand Kindles from Trade-me. My ipad is much too big to hold lying down and the netbook is a no-no.
Sometime in the next decade we in Kiwi will get a better choice of ereaders.
Maybe
January 3rd, 2011 at 9:01 am
Tony, ask your emailers to post the file format they are trying to load. .lit, .mobi don’t seem to be supported. I have a few .lit and .mobi files I will try out
January 3rd, 2011 at 12:30 pm
.Mobi is OK, but .Lit doesn’t show up at all. They transfers over to the reader OK but doesn’t open.
.Lit is MS reader, She’s need to convert these files with Calibre to .epub or whatever one that MiGear supports. If indeed they are .Lit
I bought the charger plug and it works great with my Nokia phone charger. Thanx again Janice.
I need an Edit Button.
January 5th, 2011 at 11:20 am
My partner was suckered in to buying an reader on the 23rd of december last year. Thinking it was a good idea he bought the Migear ereader. It took almost 24 hours to charge, did not come with the advertised 100 free books and did not display pictures. The screen on the ereader cracked after my cat (which weighs a total of 4kgs on a good day) decided to step on it when he was misbehaving on the dining table. I will never buy another migear product after reading this review and refuse to buy anything else electronic from BIG W. I would rather spend the extra $50 and buy something a bit more reliable!
January 5th, 2011 at 1:46 pm
I am interested in this ereader. Can someone advise as to whether or not it supports .mobi files. Keri seemed to be saying that .mobi could be read by migear though its not listed as one of the type supported.
Great price for an entry level device I think…
I’ve ordered a Kindle but will take 4 weeks to arrive and I’m eager to get started before then…
January 6th, 2011 at 9:59 am
It doesnt. I tried. I wouldnt waste your money on it.
January 6th, 2011 at 11:27 am
Marg: Ya, wasn’t too clear with the .mobi reply. They work on the reader. .Lit don’t. Both transfer but only mobi can be read.
.jpg pics are supported and work. That’s all i have tried so I don’t know about .bmp. similar mp3 is all I have tried.
Mel: My reader came with all books installed, tho I did delete them. They can be downloaded free at http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page
When you bought it with 24 hour charge you should have taken it back. My first full (PC) charge took 6 hours.When I got a mains charger, a full charge last night took 2.5 hours. A pc has only 500mA as opposed to the charger’s 1000mA which is what the reader is. Take it back anyhow.
January 7th, 2011 at 3:18 pm
Bought one in NZ. I modified it per their web-site, and have downloaded 10 books and quite a few music tracks. Also added some photographs. Now I can read my books with music in the background and very pleased with my Mi GEAR purchase.
January 9th, 2011 at 6:03 am
Keri: Could you please tell me, does your mains charger connect to the USB port of the MiGear or the DC socket?
I am trying to work out the best mains charger to buy.
January 10th, 2011 at 11:25 am
I have received quite a few emails asking for my help with various technical problems with the MiGear ereader since writing this post.
In the beginning I simply forwarded the emails to the Support team at the company who supply the device, to the complete satisfaction of the people with problems apparently.
As I am not really able to sort out specific technical problems (why doesn’t my MiGear battery charge…… I can’t download ebooks onto it… and so on), here is the contact address for the support team, who will be able to help you with any problems you might have.
Support@e3style.com
In my experience they respond very quickly and are very helpful, so wend your way to them if you have technical problems.
Good luck,
Tony
January 11th, 2011 at 1:13 pm
Stephen. Well actually both, I have a
(1) direct line from the main’s charger using my 5v 1000mA mobile phone charger, that goes in the DC input at the bottom.
(2)Plus a 5v 750mA mains plug with a usb attached. I should have mentioned that the charging times I gave were with the backlight light on a timer. That lowers the charging time as it turns the screen off except for the charging bar.
I usually use the 5v 750mA that I bought from Dick Smith’s , (about $30NZ)
http://www.dse.co.nz/dse.shop/4d2be55d04634d1a273fc0a87f3b0672/Product/View/M9942
I have emailed the MiGear people to check if the 5v 1000mA mobile charger is really OK, but they haven’t replied. I’m using it at the moment, no loud explosions.
January 12th, 2011 at 12:38 am
Er, not both chargers at the same time.
January 12th, 2011 at 6:37 am
DS changed the pic. here’s a hotlink
http://www.dse.co.nz/isroot/dse/images/products/M9942.JPG
January 12th, 2011 at 2:29 pm
Can anyone help????
From:
alannah bates
Please hep me, i cannot understand how to download the ebooks to my
MiGear e reader. Also i asked this question to BORDER ebooks and they
told me that my MiGear E reader was not compatible with their ebook
downloads. I have NO IDEA what to do, is it possible for you to guide
me step by step and to tell me what sites are compatible to MiGear? I
am older so its not easy and my friends have already given up trying
to download ebooks to their readers..i dont want to give up but i dont
understand how to use it, and the book doesnt help me. Please please
help. thank you
January 14th, 2011 at 2:04 pm
Tony. Can you send Allanah Bates my email address and I will try to help her. possibly thru ICQ/facebook/ or email.
January 14th, 2011 at 3:57 pm
Will do, that is very kind of you. Thanks
January 14th, 2011 at 6:38 pm
Hi Tony, thankyou for your email in regard to MiGear being closed due to floods. I was wondering if you know if there is such a thing as a cover for the MiGear Ereader? again thankyou for your kind help ..
January 15th, 2011 at 11:29 am
Hi, your welcome. Have you been in touch with Keri about your other problems?
To the best of my knowledge, no one makes a cover, or case, specifically for the MiGear, I would suggest that you contact the M-Edge people, who make a very large number of ereader covers, cases and bags, well made things too. Give them the measurements of the MiGear and they will probably be able to sell you a cover that would fit the MiGear.
Here is the link to their site:
http://www.medgestore.com/
Good luck, Tony
January 15th, 2011 at 12:10 pm
Hi Tony…so far have not had contact with Keri, i have sent an email though. I have attemtpe to d/load books,,,,one from Borders which i paid for and had no prob putting it in my MIGear, then being all hyped up at my success i attempted to do the same in a free ebook site…they said it downloaded but i cant find it…
…hubby said maybe i used the wrong format, so could you tell me which format im supposed to be clicking on to d/load the free books? I attempted to find them in the library on my MiGear but only the bought book from Borders is in there..I think a class on how to use the MIGear would be sooooooooo great. Fancy a job Tony LOL it wouldl require unending patience..(which i ran out of years ago ) haha….once again thankyou fro all your time and effort , you dont make me feel like an old fool, which i probably am. thankyou again.
January 15th, 2011 at 12:51 pm
@ Alannah
Hi, Glad to hear that you have managed to get a book from Borders onto your ereader.. Well done!
The ebook you downloaded from the free ebook site is obviously lurking somewhere else in your computer.
One way to find it is to use the Windows search function. You know, when you click on Start, a menu pops up above the Start button, and one of them is called Search, open that, select documents, write thename of the ebook in the small window, and tell it to search. Should find it. Then write down the name of the folder it is in, the full name… for example.. C: downloads/books/ or whatever it happens to be, and then simply copy and paste that ebook into the directory on your hard disk where you put the ebook from Borders, and then you should be able to bung it across to your ereader easily enough.
I hope this is a help….. Good luck,
Tony
January 16th, 2011 at 6:42 am
Bought one of these yesterday and, for the price, I’m quite happy with its functionality.
However – can anyone tell me what the buttons to the right of the 3 and the 6 are for?
January 16th, 2011 at 9:05 am
Sorry Alannah. My email was wrong. It’s TaGirl_Keri not TaGirlKeri. Must be the rum
I have changed it
Resend plz
January 17th, 2011 at 3:21 pm
What will happen to all my saved book on my e-reader if i press the reset button its a MiGEAR BSTE100?
January 17th, 2011 at 3:56 pm
@ Mark
Well I imagine that your ereader will return to the default settings, so any settings you may have changed will be lost. But your ebooks should be OK though. I assume that all your ebooks are safely backed up on your computer as well? If not, copy them to your computer before hitting the reset thingey, and then if they disappear from your ereader, all you have to do is bung them back on again.
Why do you want to use the reset, by the way? Any settings you don’t like you should be able to reset from the various menus.
Don’t forget, that as far as your computer is concerned, the ereader is exactly the same as any other portable memory device, such as an external hard disk or memory stick…. So you can access the files on your ereader by connecting it to your computer, going to “My computer” and selecting whichever drive is the ereader, and then simply open all the directories (Folders) you find there until you find the one that has all the ebooks in it, and off you go, just as you would with a memory stick.
By the way, the MiGear stores all media (ebooks, images, videos and music) in the same folder, and uses the extensions to select which ones to show you when you select a menu option. Thus if you have any ePub ebooks in there, it will show you all of them when you open the Books folder on your ereader, or any files with the extension JPEG will be shown to you if you open the folder called Pictures in that menu.
I hope this is a help…. Good luck
January 21st, 2011 at 10:12 pm
Hi everyone, I have posted this question from Les, can anyone help him?
Tony
Les
Comment:
I bought a MiGear BSTE100 which, according to the box is now supposed to support Adobe DRM books. Mine does not. It does not allow to transfer books from the Digital Editions and when I copy DRM files with the Window explorer, it does not work. Is there a solution? I believe that I installed and authorized everything according to the instructions. http://www.migear.biz is ignoring my question.
Also would anyone know, whether the DC socket on the bottom can be used for charging? I assume, that the voltage would be 5V but the polarity?
January 24th, 2011 at 1:17 pm
aitoid The button to the right of the 0 (Zero) is mp3 related play, pause. I suspect that the one below the zero is bookmark related.
tony I can’t help Les on his Adobe DRM problem. , but the unit can be charged at the 5v dc socket. I use a 5v1000mA mobile phone charger
heres a reply I got from MiGear about the charger
Thanks for your inquiry.
Yes, you can use the power adaptor as long as it has 240v input and uses USB mini 5 pin connector.
Let us know if you have further query.
Nothing about the dc plug, so I just plugged in my charger anyhow and trusted Janice’s post of 31 december
January 24th, 2011 at 1:28 pm
@ Keri,
Hi, thanks, i have emailed your comments on to Les, in case he doesn’t come here again… Many thanks, as ever for your helpful ways, appreciated (O:
January 24th, 2011 at 2:10 pm
I finally found out where I can buy the Sony PRS-650 in NZ. BUT none in stock til Feb. $NZ400.
Tony. Does the smaller than MiGear screen size make any difference? 6″ v 7″? It is the same size as an external HD I have and it seems small. (I’m going by screen size, not overall size inc keyboard)
January 24th, 2011 at 2:15 pm
6″ v 7″ Diagonal that is.
Memo to self… READ before posting
January 24th, 2011 at 2:21 pm
@ Keri,
LOL
January 24th, 2011 at 2:30 pm
@ Keri
Well, apart from the fact that I really do prefer e-ink screens to LCD ones, I have no problem with the screen size on the 650. It is small, but it takes up almost the entire front of the device, so paradoxically it doesn’t feel small. And given that it has about 6 font sizes, you can get a lot of text on the screen if your eyes are OK with tiny text sizes.
The keyboard is a virtual one, so unless you are using it, it simply isn’t there, so that is no problem.
I would hate to use it to read PDF files however, but then I hate reading them on my laptop too, I need a large monitor to feel happy with PDFs.
But, the 650 costs about 2 1/2 times as much as the MiGear………….
January 24th, 2011 at 3:24 pm
Dear Keri,
Thanks for this advise: ” the unit can be charged at the 5v dc socket. I use a 5v1000mA mobile phone charger”. Would you please let me know, whether the pin of your charger is + or – ? I do not dare to try my charger, because I am afraid that the wrong polarity can damage the unit.
January 24th, 2011 at 6:20 pm
Les: It doesn’t say on the charger. It’s just stamped input 100-240AC. Output 5v 1000mA DC
It’s a Nokia phone charger. There’s no + or – signs on it.
However if you’re doubtful you could use this which charges thru the USB port on the unit. Like wot the MiGear people seem to be saying in their email.
http://www.dse.co.nz/isroot/dse/images/products/M9942.JPG
This plugs into the wall,then the USB cord that came with the unit goes into it and the USB port on the unit. I have both. Both work the same. Advantage is that you can read or listen while its charging. You could also get a car charger, tho I haven’t one of those.
Sorry I cant help you with the DRM thingie, as mine came loaded with Adobe and I’ve had no probs. Also I have just noticed that my model is BSTE101 and yours is BSTE100.
Tony the Sony is nearly 4 times the cost of the MiGear here
However as I said the MiGear is for me to see if I liked using e-readers. It’s a very good entry level. I’ve put a Sony on order when they are shipped here during Feb sometimes
January 24th, 2011 at 7:21 pm
Les, you can download the Adobe program at the MiGear website.
sorry Keri, NZ needs to have a small social revolution to stop companies ripping you all off all the time………….
January 25th, 2011 at 3:38 am
Hi.
My good wife got one of these Mi Gear readers for Xmas. As she uses it mainly at night in bed, I would like to know how to properly adjust the Back light intensity as it it so bright.She says She cannot adjust it any further and the background color function and test color do not work. Please help.
January 25th, 2011 at 6:15 am
Thanks both, Keri and Tony for trying to help me.
Tony, I have downloaded the program from MiGear website, with the installation I got to Step 8 then it stopped. The reader went blank. The instruction leaflet talks about a driver not up to date, but I can not get it. I had to press the reset button on the reader, but still no DRM.
If Keri’s works, then probably I have a faulty unit. Probably I will have to return it. I wait one more day, maybe MiGear responds to to same question.
January 25th, 2011 at 7:37 am
@ Les,
I think you are right, sadly. return the ereader to MiGear and demand one with the DRM stuff already installed.
January 25th, 2011 at 7:40 am
@ Rob
As far as I can remember from the one I had briefly to review, one can adjust the light level to a degree, but I can’t remember now the actual menu one needs to use to achieve this. But I do remember that when I tried it in bed at night, I found even the dimmest setting rather glaring and bright, as I mentioned in my review.
http://www.ebookanoid.com/2011/01/02/migear-my-own-hands-on-review-of-this-low-price-ereader/
I hope that one or other of the folk who seem to visit this post regularly may be able to help you more with this problem.
January 25th, 2011 at 8:10 am
Rob,
To adjust the brigtness: Settings/Display Settings/Brigtness
To adjust background – When reading a book: M/Mode/
Be careful to change to different colour than the letters.
January 25th, 2011 at 8:37 am
@ Les,
Thanks for your help. I have emailed your solution to his problem to him to make sure he gets it.
This thread is rapidly turning into a sort of MiGear support forum, good eh?
Cheers, Tony
January 26th, 2011 at 3:06 pm
Some free ebooks here. http://manybooks.net//
February 5th, 2011 at 9:00 pm
You can get MiGear acessories such as mains charger and covers from Dick Smith shops or on line
February 7th, 2011 at 11:49 am
dammit. Sony (NZ)told me they have no more 6″ PRS650 and don’t know when they will get any.
The Sony PRS950 looks cool too, but no chance they will get to Kiwi. So I’m tossing up wether to get a PRS350 or not. 5″ screen seems small.
You had one or similar Tony, the one that was nicked, was it OK?
The Kobo would be OK, but no .txt format and I have about 15000 .txt ebooks and I don’t want to reformat that lot with Calibre
February 7th, 2011 at 12:32 pm
Hi, sorry you cant get a 650 in NZ……. The ereader I had was a 505, and that had a 6 inch screen, so the same as the 650.
Is it not possible for you to buy a 650 online from Australia for example?
The mere thought of reformatting 15 000 books gives me a head ache….. Dreadful idea.
February 8th, 2011 at 4:43 am
It doesn’t look like the 650 is for sale online in Oz. I spent an hour with google. Borders/sony/ etc all have the BUY ONLINE blanked out, but the 350 is available online as it is here. I wonder if Sony are just pushing/ selling the 350 and the 950 now. A few sites have ‘discontinued’ beside the 650. I may go over to Sony NZ and see if I can get any hands on exp.
February 8th, 2011 at 9:29 am
@ Keri,
I am astonished to read your remarks about the possibility that the 650 is being discontinued. I have heard nothing to that effect anywhere. Anyway, I have written to Sony to ask them if they would clear that one up for us, and if they even bother to answer my question, I shall post it on the blog. I will be very surprised if they are scrapping it, it has only been on the market for a relatively short time, and is a sort of important model, fitting nicely between the other two.
February 8th, 2011 at 11:26 am
http://www.sony.co.nz/product/prs-650
http://www.abt.com/product/48670/Sony-PRS650BC.html
I think they mean ‘out of stock’ or ‘coming soon’ as this whitcoull site implies http://www.whitcoulls.co.nz/ebooks/ebooks/45/
A Sony email to me. “Currently there are no New Zealand release details available for these products” yet the 650 was on sale there.
Sony are like the Amiga and Creative Zen. Best product and lousy marketing.
Ack, I won’t take up any more of your time with my maniacal ranting.
February 8th, 2011 at 12:47 pm
@ Keri,
That makes more sense to me…. Well, I will be interested to hear what Sony have to tell me.
I agree with you completely about lousy marketing. As one who went through the entire Amiga saga, owning at one time or another, every single model they made, and loving them. I hated watching such a good machine die simply because Commodore had about the same marketing skills as a small rodent living somewhere exceedingly remote has. Almost a crime against humanity I felt the demise of the Amiga to be! Left us with only PC’s and the ubiquitous Mac – not a happy situation.
February 23rd, 2011 at 10:36 am
I bought my MiGear EReader on the 4/2 and the date today is the 23/2 and im already having problems with it. It just kind of fizzled out today and the only way i can turn it on is by plugging it in.. and not even a minute later it will turn off. I tried the reset button but that wont work either..
February 27th, 2011 at 6:46 am
@ Skye,
Contact the MiGear support folk, they seem to be helpful generally, and I am sure they will replace it with one that works
February 27th, 2011 at 7:48 am
Sounds like a flat battery problem. Is it fully charged?
@Tony. I went to HK to visit my gramma, and while there I got a Sony650. Is good for daytime reading and the MIGear for nights.
February 27th, 2011 at 7:55 am
@ Keri,
Now that is what I call sensible thinking…… Well done Keri!
February 27th, 2011 at 11:58 am
I was thinking further on Skye’s problem and it could be a bad battery, a bad USB cable or a bad USB port on her pc. On my desktop pc I have a bad USB port at the back. Nothing charges in it or passes data.
She could test it by using another pc or a wall charger, or trying another USB cable. Or even trying another USB port on her pc of course.
March 3rd, 2011 at 4:00 pm
Hi,
I just wanted to say I LOVE MY MIGEAR EREADER!! My son bought it for me for Christmas, and I have hardly put it down (mostly to charge while I am at work). I have no idea what the DRM format is – but I obviously don’t need it since all the books I’ve purchased and read on my ereader don’t have it/need it. I would recommend this ereader to anyone, and have to everyone I know!!! I think the only downside was that I can’t read it while it’s charging…lol.
Katie
March 5th, 2011 at 1:07 am
Katie, If you get one of these from Dick Smith you can read and charge at the same time.
http://www.dse.co.nz/isroot/dse/images/products/M9942.JPG. This is a 5v 750mA mains charger that goes in the USB port on the Migear. If charging is slow with this plug or the norma lPC USB I recommend Settings/Display settings/Light Time set to 30 seconds from ‘Always On’ You can switch it back when charged. When it’s charging with the screen on it seems to nearly double the charging time.
March 8th, 2011 at 11:46 am
Bought my MiGear at BigW for $88.00 on special! The MiGear works – charges easily, bookmarks, plays audio books, music,shows photos to friends in full colour, views eComics – it just works!
My only gripe was the small font size, even at maximum zoom. However, if you change the font size of the file on your computer to around 18 to 20 before loading it on to your MiGear, you have much larger font size options. (Use Calibre to convert if necessary).
A word of warning though! You can change the menu language to any of 18 different ones. (Only changes the menu language. If you want to read in a different language, you would have to download the book in that language). I was mucking around with mine, and by mistake changed the language to Chinese. Then I couldn”t read the menu to find how to change it back to English! But, if all else fails, you can reset it via the pin-hole on the back.
All in all, an excellent purchase.
March 10th, 2011 at 3:55 pm
I am an electronic publisher from Australia – and have had to live with the woeful knowledge of ebooks in Australia for over 10 years. When I heard there was actually an ereader for sale in my rural town I was over joyed. I now had something I could show locals!
I bought one to test it out and I way prefer it to the Kobo, which is so clunky its not funny. I now read my ebooks on it all the time. I have shown people who have no clue what an ereader is and converted them to the idea of ebooks.
I read it at night beside my sleeping hubbie and don’t have to clip a booklight on it which makes an ereader top-heavy and awkward.
It may not have all the bells and whistles of the expensive ereaders but it brings ereading into the general public and is a great boon for the industry.
Sandy Cummins
Publisher
Writers Exchange E-Publishing – who BTW sells NON DRM ebooks!
March 10th, 2011 at 5:53 pm
@ Sandy,
Glad to hear you are happy with your MiGear, it seems to be proving a success in Oz, rather to my surprise I have to admit.
As to who sells non-DRM ebooks, well there are loads of sites on the web where you can buy all manner of contemporary writing, without any DRM.
It is a case of what sort of books do you want to read really. For Sci Fi and fantasy, Baen has a huge number of ebooks for free and for sale, and none of them have DRM on them. Otherwise you have good old Smashwords andd similar.
Calibre have just started a data base of online suppliers of non DRM protected ebooks, which might be useful for you to check out here is a link to them
http://drmfree.calibre-ebook.com/ and also a link to a post I wrote about this one:
http://www.ebookanoid.com/2011/03/09/open-books-calibre-launch-site-for-drm-free-ebooks/
Good huntiing
March 14th, 2011 at 4:01 am
About the only things that annoyed me about the MiGear was the Menu/ Enter button which is too small for big thumbs to use without also hitting a direction arrow at the same time, and the Up/Down and Page Turn buttons which I sometimes found hard to find “by feel”.
Sooo, I undertook some “extreme modding” to solve the problem – I attached to those five buttons, little stick-on googly craft eyes (the clear ones with with the jiggly black pupils inside).
Now I can find and use these buttons with certainty!
Be warned, though! Don’t do this if you’re a scaredy-cat, because sometimes the eyes follow you!
March 14th, 2011 at 9:23 am
heh, Ken. I did the same, except I used silver chrome masking tape cut in a small square. It catches the glow from the screen when reading in the dark.
March 14th, 2011 at 12:42 pm
Keri, you know what they say – “Nerds of a feather flock together”
March 16th, 2011 at 6:45 am
i find that if you chane the background to black and the txt to white, it cuts out the glare, makes it easier to read in the sun and the battery last longer, also helps if you have the brightness turned down..
March 25th, 2011 at 1:20 am
I have been sent a MiGear reader from my daughter in Australia – I live in France. I am totally computer ignorant so please can someone tell me how on earth I go about downloading a book! Sorry to all of you who understand all the computer ‘stuff’ straight away!!
(P.S. I think it’s a great little gadget – at least I’ve managed to turn it on and have charged it!!)
March 25th, 2011 at 12:33 pm
Libby @ Tony posted (at 5.53pm 10 March) two links to ebooks. They are DRM free. If you click the link then on the site click on price and get the free ones. Then you can download them and play around until you’re used to it. Of course you can pay for books on these sites if you’re confident.
Here’s some more free ones
http://www.manybooks.net//
http://www.writers-exchange.com/
There are some you can pay for also on there
March 26th, 2011 at 6:04 am
can someone tell me how to delete books of MiGear
March 26th, 2011 at 10:00 am
For Mark. The reverse of how you added the book. My Computer/Removable disk/name of book.(on my system)I can’t find a way to delete using the reader only.
April 12th, 2011 at 4:25 am
The MiGear can be very handy. I had a computer problem that involved possibly wrong settings in the BIOS. I was about to write down all the settings on the screen (lots!), when I had a BRILLIANT idea – I took digital photos of all the relevant settings shown on my monitor, copied them to my MiGear, and took it to my computer shop and the tech. could see exactly what was on my computer.
April 12th, 2011 at 5:53 am
@ Ken,
Now that is what I call inventive use of an ereader! Nice one Ken.
April 13th, 2011 at 4:10 pm
@Ken
When in doubt about bios, change back to default settings.
Otherwise you have a cmos battery, looks like a watch battery, pull it out, that forces default.
j
May 1st, 2011 at 2:40 pm
@Tony
Is your forum running? I have trouble registering.
May 2nd, 2011 at 7:55 am
Hi all, yes, it is now working, I had missed on bit in the configuration of the thing when I installed it, so now you can register yourselves OK there… Please do, it could be both fun and useful for us all I reckon. If anyone feels that I should create a particular subject forum, do let me know and I shall happily do so, as I want it to be a useful tool for us all to exchange thoughts on any topic relating to ereaders in the broadest sense.
May 5th, 2011 at 2:01 pm
Hi to all those people who are having trouble charging their reader……I have borrowed/stolen my daughter’s wall charger for her iPod. It has a USB input on it and I use that. Just plug it in and away it goes. I usually charge it overnight when I’m not reading or during the day when I am at work. It charges so much quicker than through the computer USB port. Also I have found if you change the back light time to the minimum of 5 sec it won’t suck out all the charge keeping the screen lit while charging.
Hope this helps someone.
May 6th, 2011 at 5:11 am
What Karen says. I use my Nokia phone charger and the screen off is very important. I also use black screen and white text, seems to make the battery last longer, tho that is personal taste
May 7th, 2011 at 7:55 am
Probably been discussed earlier …. BUT ;
I brought a Mi Gear – seems fine, even free downloads on it for my daughter to read –
However downloading ba book from amazon everything is directed at kindle ; key in your kindle serial # etc – so I use the option download to computer.
Thats fine, the Kindle page/logo pops up on the computer with my latest download -
I can open/read it on my pc -
But HOW can I transfer it to my GEAR ???
The kindle page/book that opens on the computer has no send to option -
any suggestions – and yes, correct ; I’m no online/computer expert
May 7th, 2011 at 10:00 am
Further ….. did manage to save the amazon brought book to a computer folder ; then was able to send to the MI GEAR – however the MI GEAR cant open it ; it just brings up the name of the book under ‘search’ … with a big ” ? ” beside it ! Even on my computer, I can only open it with ‘kindle’ … it wont open readibly using word/notepad/adobe etc -
So I still cant read my amazon brought book onMI GEAR -
May 11th, 2011 at 2:21 pm
How do you change the screen to black with white writing? I’ve had a look through all my settings and can’t find it. I got my reader at Christmas 2010, so its not too old. It doesn’t have the software to be able to load DRM books, would this make any difference?
May 11th, 2011 at 2:51 pm
@ Karen,
I cant help you on the matter of reversing the screen colours I am afraid, but you can downoload the Adobe software you need to allow you to read ebooks with DRM protection for free from here – http://www.migear.biz.
This has no bearing on the screen though…. Perhaps someone else here can help?
Good luck,
Tony
May 11th, 2011 at 4:02 pm
Here’s the proper way with my reader beside me.
FOR Karen
Open a book
Press the enter (center of the wheel at the bottom)
for text
SET COLOR (number 7)
Press Enter
Scroll down to 6 (white text)
press the back arrow to return to previous screen (it’s on the keyboard, last button)
For Screen Color
scroll down to MODE (number 9)
Press ENTER
scroll to 6
press back arrow
press back arrow
You should be back at your book with a black screen and white text
May 12th, 2011 at 8:23 am
Thank Keri, I’ll give it a go tonight.
May 15th, 2011 at 6:49 pm
Warren,
The Migear reader will not read the Kindle format. Bookdepository is a good place to purchase books compatible with MiGear.
I got a Gear2Go, same as Mi-Gear for mothers day. I love it. It had the DRM already, I have bought a DRM book and loaded it no drama through the Adobe program as per instructions in booklet.
Have loaded on other books with different formats and they all work great. PDF’s have to scroll but sidweays is the way to go there.
Great sound with the MP3′s…….I think it is great, it does all I need.
May 17th, 2011 at 4:32 am
For Warren – download the free Calibre software . I’ve used it to convert a number of book formats to read on MiGear. Haven’t tried it on a Kindle book, but it should work.
For Karen – wot Keri said!
BUT, the page with the “Set Colour” option for text may show option number 9 at the bottom of the page as “Remove Enter Set” when number 1 says “Page Jump”.
If so, scroll down the page beyond “Remove Enter Set” and you’ll find the “Mode” option.
May 17th, 2011 at 6:29 pm
Hi all!, I have found this blog fascinating and on the strength of the positive MiGear comments I bought my wife one for Mums Day. The only one left in Dick Smith’s was the display model. My thinking was : well, it obviously works, the battery has charge and the salesperson was able to go through a few features/books etc. (He also knocked a few bucks off). I also bought a digitor mains charger (IN 100-240V~50/60Hz 180ma OUT 5Vdc 500ma). When the time came to charge the battery we plugged it in , left it switched on (that seemed to be the only way it showed charge going in) and went out for a few hours. When we came home it had switched off. We assumed it had done it’s thing and was charged. NO. it wouldn’t switch on at all. Put it back on charge and still no screen. Some time later the screen appeared and disappeared at intervals. Tried unplugging and switching on, nothing. Have just about worn out RESET button on the back! tried all different combinations of plugged-in, not plugged in, reset.press on button several times,reset, plug charger in again.
May 18th, 2011 at 12:54 pm
Tried to charge with PC?
June 10th, 2011 at 4:31 pm
Hi Everyone,
After many hours of research and reading reviews , My Husband purchased a Migear ereader from Big W , the hot pink mothers day edition for me , and as this forum was a great help to me i would call back and leave my opinion.
I LOVE IT , i must say a few of the reviews had me a little concerned but after speaking to the sales assistant who assured me i could return it within 21 days i thought why not?
I charged the unit for a full 12 hours before attempting to do ANYTHING with it , and then proceeded to play with my new pink toy.
It didn’t contain the 100 free books but a lot of silly how to make things such as bath bombs and the like which i have since deleted, i then found a web site for free books and went mad down loading as many as i could .
I’m not at all Tech savvy but had no problems in getting the books from computer to reader, though i was still reluctant to purchase a book incase i stuffed it all up.
My husband travels a lot for work , and as i was so impressed with my reader i purchased one for him , he being more computer literate dove straight into the on line book store (borders books) and had no problems at all , he was able to transfer his 100 free books to my reader as well.
We are both VERY VERY happy with our readers and for a $98 entry level i would recommend one.
The only negative i have is the back lighting can be a little bright/harsh on the eyes if reading for long periods of time , but it eliminates the need for a reading light , I’m very interested in trying the black lit and white lettering to see if this helps ease the fatigue on the eyes.
Thanks Tony for starting this review it was a great help!
July 2nd, 2011 at 3:06 pm
Hi Tony,
I have to say that I agree with you. I was given my Migear ebook for my birthday in January. It was the first time I experience an ebook and found it was a god sent.
I found that I have to use the iPhone charger cable when I want to sit down and read because there is nothing worse than running out of battery life when you are half way through a page. Overall I thought is was great until I saw my friends iPad. My ebook looks like a dinosaur next to that.
Anyway, back to my main thought for writing this- I use mine every night for up to six hours.
Last night (six months after purchase) it died on me. I found that it will go on when plugged into the power point or to my computer but any book i read while using it this way my ebook will not keep the memory of what book I was reading or the page I was at.
As soon as I unplug it it dies and I can not turn it on with the power button…. IT IS DEAD!
Reset button does not do zilch when the device is off…. so ye! LEMON!
All I can think of is that there is a problem with the rechargeable battery supply as it shows the battery to be fully charged when I have it plugged into the wall.
Total mystery to me! The person that got it for me got it from BigW. He got himself one too. His died a month ago and took it into BigW and got a replacement under the warranty.
Unfortunately I think this ebooks are like everything else now-a-days…. Not made to last and part of our throw away society!
July 2nd, 2011 at 3:15 pm
Oh and by the way the troubleshooting section of the booklet that comes with it is totally useless….. I have been on the web and even on the Migear.biz site and I can not find any support on how and if I can fix the problem with my ebook. Very frustrating. Well like the old saying goes… a product is only as good as the support and service you get from the company that manufactures it! … detail and book I got with my ebook do not give me any details on who to go to if I have problems…. only warranty note is that it has 12 month warranty! Great support…NOT!
July 3rd, 2011 at 12:33 pm
@ Patricia,
Yes, batteries seem to be the main problem with the MiGear (and many other cheap Chinese ereaders, sadly). I suggest that you take it back to the shop you bought it from and get your money back, then go out and buy an ereader made by a company such as Sony, Amazon, Barnes and Noble or Kobo, they cost more, but work, and work well for a long time.
July 26th, 2011 at 3:41 pm
Both my sister and I have purchased MiGear ereaders and we have both had to take
them back to big w, mine because it was not able to turn on or off, just stuck on the charge picture. In my instruction book it had no troubleshooting section that my sister’s book came with. My sister didnt get the 100 free books but I was able to help her out there.
I think hers was from an older batch than mine though bought later, because as well as no free books, she had no adobe reader at all.
I bought us both covers,mine pink from china and hers purple from both were lovely….. but did not fit. I read that KIndle 3 covers fit but they dont.
When my sister returned her ereader to big w she bought a Lazer cover for 12.50 and it fits perfectly. I snipped and pulled and my pink cover almost fits now. I really wanted the pink ereader but they never had them when I tried to get one. I was very upset at that. oh well, all in all we are happy with our ereaders. I wish the text was bigger but that is all. robbie
July 30th, 2011 at 4:29 pm
My MiGear ereader 7″TFT came complete with 100 books installed. However up to now I have not been able to read more than 5 pages of any book without the ebook “freezing” .It has to be reset using a pin to reset the ebook .(so I carry a pin me with me ).
Support@migear.biz has tried to resolve the problem with little success.As I got this ebook as a gift I am unable to return or exchange it .(no proof of purchase) I dont believe Mi gear has an authorised representative here in melbourne australia. has any one got any suggestions?Randolph
August 5th, 2011 at 9:24 pm
I purchased a MiGear from Dick Smith about 6 weeks ago. It’s my first eBook reader and I could not be happier. There are issues with battery life (about 8 hours) but if you plan properly you can make it work without too much stress. I would like to be able to mark a book as having been read – so I don’t start re-reading book that I have already finished – but other than that it does everything I want it to. I use Calibre to manage my books and it interfaces nicely. I chose it because of the good price and the 7 inch screen. I thought it was black and white but was rapt to find that it was colour. Oh – and if I read a PDF book from the memory card it shuts down every few pages – so I only load PDF’s on the hard drive and there’s no problem. I can read in bed with the lights out so as not to disturb my partner, and if I fall asleep it just turns itself off in a few minutes. Yay!
November 17th, 2011 at 4:59 pm
Sweet blog! I found it while surfing around on Yahoo News. Do you have any tips on how to get listed in Yahoo News? I’ve been trying for a while but I never seem to get there! Thanks
November 20th, 2011 at 1:53 pm
I have been using the Migear from big w for nearly a year now,. Have had no problems with it.
Downloaded the Adobe digital editions software to my computer and could read the epub drm books.
PDFs good if you read in landscape not portrait.
If you turn the backlight to 5 seconds when charging you have no problems, the light used too much power while charging otherwise.
have read a number of books with this reader.
Good construction, not too heavy and a great entry level reader for someone not too sure.
love it
Anne
November 20th, 2011 at 3:35 pm
@ Anne
Thanks for this, I am pleased to hear that your experience with the MiGear has been positive. Good to hear good reviews among the bad.
There is a tendency to only put comments onto blogs like this if they are critical, very few people bother to write about how good they find a device, which skews the way people see such devices…
So it is good to get the occasional positive comments.
December 1st, 2011 at 9:23 am
I have just bought a MiGear from Dick Smith. I have found it OK as it uses all forms of text Epub Mobi etc.
Also plays video in many formats including AVI. It also comes with a case. As it was purple it sold for $au78.00. The only problem is the instructions are worse than useless and in two parts are wrong. and the volume only goes to 32 so even with ear phones (not the ones supplied their no good) it is hard to hear.
January 25th, 2012 at 1:19 pm
Just purchased a MiGear and my Macbook is not showing it? The manual included is useless and I have no idea how to delete books off the reader. Is it not compatible with Macbook? I don’t even know how to put books onto it!
Any advice is welcome!
January 25th, 2012 at 2:04 pm
i like the idea of being able to read in bed without disturbing my partner, but i also like to read in the car – presently i use a Dell laptop but if the sun shines in it’s hard to read. Some laptops i’ve seen have brighter screens, so i was wondering what the migear reader would be like for daytime car use?
Anyone have experience with this?
thanks.
January 25th, 2012 at 3:31 pm
@ Mike,
Sadly, as the MiGear has a normal LCD type of screen, it is exactly the same as any computer when used in bright light.
Might I suggest that you buy yourself an ereader with an e-Ink screen such as the Kindle, Sony, Nook or Kobo for example, these all work fiine in bright light, have a much longer battery life and with a small clip-on light, are fine to read in bed at night without disturbing your partner as well.
January 25th, 2012 at 3:36 pm
@ Kat,
I sympathise with your problem, and agree, the hand book is useless. The easiest way to get ebooks onto your MiGear is to treat it like an external disk drive once you have connected it to your computer via the USB cable.
Find the folder with the ebook in it on your computer, and then simply copy and paste it to the relevant folder on the MiGear, which you can discover easily enough by looking in all the various folders on it… if memory serves me right it is called something like media, but I haven’t had one of these ereaders in my hands now for about 6 months, and cant really remember which folder it uses for media.
I hope this is a help.
January 26th, 2012 at 7:56 am
I have the Migear and have had no problems with it at all as I said in a previous comment.
I have now bought a Kindle Keyboard from Big W Online and find this is much better for daytime or outside reading, and also much easier on the eyes, it has the E-ink screen and if you do not turn on the wifi I have had almost a month before needing to recharge, And I can charge it with my HTC phone charger adapter from the powerpoints.
But I still like my Migear as well.
As to putting the books on the migear I connected it to computer reads as extra disc but I do use an sd card to put the books on, just copy and pasted them.
hope this helps everyone
January 26th, 2012 at 10:33 am
I purchased a Migear Ereader last Nov. and it only cost $58.00. I was not sure if I would like an Ereader and at that price I was prepared to take the risk.
I have only one gripe and that is that when it is charging you cannot read on it. Apart from that it is great and I cannot understand why Kindles, Nooks etc cost so much more when this does the same job.
I also have a Motorolla Tablet which I have used as an Ereader but the MiGear Ereader is lighter and as clear and preferable to read on.
For the price I am very happy and have become an avid reader again.
March 12th, 2012 at 11:57 am
When I read a book in bed I might go for 4-5 hours. That’s why the eInk screen appeals to me especially. Like you I’d rather pay the extra $$ and get a good one.
The one I’m thinking of getting is a Nook Simple Touch. The reviews I’ve read are very positive. My only concern is I might have trouble getting books for it in Australia. Do you reckon I could buy books online, download them to my Macbook, and then copy them from the Macbook to the Nook?
I’ve already got a few books on my Macbook, a Kindle and a couple of Kobos, and I don’t know how to copy them because I can’t find the files in Finder, nor in iTunes.
Can you help me with that?
Thanks Tony
March 12th, 2012 at 1:53 pm
@ Anthony
In fact with the Nook Simple Touch you can use the Wifi connectivity that it has to buy as many ebooks as you want from Barnes & Noble’s online ebook store, so no problems there,
As to transferring ebooks you have on your computer to your Nook, well firstly, the Kindle ones wont work on a Nook, you will have to find a way to convert them to the ebook format that the Nook uses, which us e-Pub. Then it is simply a case of connecting the nook to your computer via the USB port, locating those ebooks on your computer and then copying them over to the appropriate folder on your Nook. I don’t know what that folder is called on the Nook, but as your computer will see the Nook simply as an external hard disk, it is simple enough to look in all the folders on the Nook until you find one that obviously has ebooks in it, and then simply paste your ebooks into that folder, and off you go.
I hope this is a help?
March 12th, 2012 at 2:06 pm
Thanks Tony
Two things:
1 – Did I mention I live in Austalia? I’ve heard that Barnes & Noble won’t sell to Aus.
2 – I’m not worried about finding ebboks on the Nook. I can’t find the ebooks I already own ON MY MACBOOK. I’ve bought several and have been reading them on the Mac with a Kobo app and a Kindle app.
Until I find them on my hard drive (MacBook), I can’t convert them to ePub and I can’t drag and drop them to the Nook when I buy it.
How can I find them on the MacBook? Any ideas where they’d be stored? I tried searching for the book title strings but no luck.
Also – where can I get a program to convert the kindle ebook to ePub? WHat’s it called?
March 12th, 2012 at 2:38 pm
@ Anthony,
The problem about living not only in Australia but anywhere in the world outside the USA is that publishers and Author’s agents refuse to allow some books to be sold in different parts of the world, so called geographical limitations, which means that as they make different deals with the authors for sales in different parts of the world, they wont allow the books to be sold outside the country of the book seller – if you see what I mean.
However, this only relates to some ebooks, not all, and anyhow, apart from B & N, there are no end of online ebook stores where you can buy ebooks of all sorts and types, just hunt in my blog for ebook sellers, or on Google… you may be amazed at how many you will find.
As to where on your hard disk you have filed your ebooks, I obviously have no idea. On my computers all things I download go first to a folder called Downloads. Might I suggest you download a random thing from the net, and then go and look at where it goes by default, and you will probably find your ebooks lurking there. Though I am surprised that if you run a search, giving the name of one of your ebooks, you find nothing…..
To change the formatting of your Kindle ebooks to ePub, you will first have to remove the DRM protection, and to be honest I can’t recommend any particular program for doing this, but a quick search on Google should produce any number of free programs to do this. After which I would recommend using Calibre to change the format to e-Pub. Link to Calibre is in my Blog roll to the right of the screen.
March 12th, 2012 at 5:35 pm
I appreciate your suggestions Tony.
If I might just make one clarification:
When I bought the ebooks online they were stored somewhere on my macbook. I didn’t deliberately file them anywhere, I just booted up the app and they appeared in readable form on the screen.
I found the kindle book just now, secreted in \(my_name)\Library\Application Support\Kindle\
And the file name is B001Q3LYJG_EBOK.azw
I’d say they didn’t want it to be found too easily.
There’s also a folder \(my_name)\Library\Application Support\Kobo\
but search as I might I haven’t been able to find anything that looks like an ebook in it.
Anyway, I guess that’s my problem. I thought you might’ve been in the same situation yourself, wanting to locate a book on your computer to copy to your ereader, and knew where I might look to locate it, or maybe knew what the filename extension might be for non-kindle/non-amazon books.
Cheers mate
March 12th, 2012 at 5:50 pm
@ Anthony
Well I am glad you have managed to sort things out a bit, and found those files. I agree, sometimes ebooks arrive with totally stupid and impenetrable names. I suppose the only way to locate them if you do not have a default download folder is to hunt for them by extension, which with ebooks will normally be the file sort, Amazon will tend to be name.mobi, or name.azw and with e-Pub ebooks, logically it should be name.epub
Occasionally you will get them as zipped files too, just to make life interesting. Best thing is to ensure that all files you download are placed in the same folder every time. You can later place them in a more sensible folder. This also will enable you to easily run a virus check on anything you download before opening it, a basic bit of computer security, and something not to be omitted.
June 9th, 2012 at 8:50 pm
I happened upon one of these MiGear ereaders going out at Dick Smiths on clearance for $29 odd. Figured I’d see what it was like given the cost. I am blown away by the video quality and smoothness it will produce from avi files and the like, with no further conversion needed. I’m not particularly fussed with ebooks at this point as I am more interested in the video side of the unit for my child to watch cartoons in the car, but I have browsed through some of the free one’s on it and they seem perfectly readable. The sound quality seems just fine too, so could also be used as an MP3 player. Given it takes a 16Gb microSD card as well as the 2gb built in, I can’t complain about it for the price. Kind of wish I bought 2 now!! Battery seems to go about 5 hours as specified. What I do wonder, if anyone knows, is what engine this little marvel has under its hood, cos video is so smooth, its faultless. I’ve had my ~3ghz laptop hiccup more!
June 10th, 2012 at 3:26 pm
Are we talking about the same ereader? My Migear is a BSTE100 reader,2GB internal memory, adequate enough at ebooks, music and pics, but does not play videos of any sort. doesn’t know what to do with them although their name does show up in ‘explorer’. If yours is the same, how does it play avi’s? I wonder if they upgraded the firmware to do this?
June 10th, 2012 at 4:10 pm
I have the same mishear as you. Does not play vids but there was another identical that did play them . Came out just
After I bought mine.
June 11th, 2012 at 9:01 pm
By updating the firmware i did get it to play videos. Most if not all you need to know to do this is in the posts here on this site. The video player seems to have only basic functions, for example, no fast forward or starting from any point except the beginning or where you last stopped watching (like the remembering where you got to in a book). The quality of playback is OK. The opening screen now shows it as a Skytex SX-EB700.
It also now shows a ‘record’ function where you can record your voice or whatever is happening around you – there must be an internal microphone although i can’t see it in the case, but i’ve tried it and it does work though what you might use it for i don’t know. If you want the details on how to do the upgrade let me know. It’s not too hard (now) although i had initial problems finding a driver for it.
June 27th, 2012 at 7:16 pm
Does the migear have a built in dictionary?
June 27th, 2012 at 8:08 pm
No. at least, not my version, though the later version with a video player i don’t know about, but i doubt it – it’s a pretty basic unit. Even the calendar is just a calendar, not a diary or personal information manager. Also, text entry is even worse than the earliest primitive mobile phones where you pressed the ’1′ key three times to get a ‘c’, so entering a word to check spelling would be painful at best.
July 5th, 2012 at 1:57 am
Thought I’d add my 2 cents even though this is a pretty old device now… I bought it on special like some other posters above for under $30 in Aust recently (April 2012). And for that price, it is a pretty capable device for my purposes (mainly for traveling). It holds my travel guides in epub and pdf formats nicely, as well as a heap of ebooks, and videos and MP3s.
I stumbled on this thread trying to find out more about this reader before I bought it, but since I’ve been using it for about 2 months now, things I should mention that may be contrary to what other previous posters have said:
My model I expect is running the latest MiGear firmware with Adobe Reader Mobile already there. It doesn’t say anything other than V0.0.00 in the “System Information” tab in the “System Settings” though.
Video capability – most video files I’ve put on it works fine. That’s MPG, MOV, MP4, AVI, MKV, (Flv files don’t appear to work). High Def files won’t play, but under 720p seems to work, and I most of the older encoding formats seem to work – H.264. encoded files seem to have trouble playing, as do some MP4 files from YouTube. I’ve tried lower resolution videos from my digital camera, and they work fine. I’ve tested the battery on playing videos and it lasts about 4 hours, so that seems ok to me (I’ve worked out a way to charge it by USB while using, but more below). You can navigate through the video by fast forwarding or rewinding by holding down the left and right arrows (both on the dial and on the side of the device). short pressing will skip to the next video. Pressing the “M” or OK button brings up a prompt that lets you skip to a time frame in the video file, adjust the screen to Full Screen or Original Frame, and adjust the brightness. The inbuilt speaker is pretty soft though, but with headphones or an external speaker it works great.
File Management – its clunky but works ok. Under the “Explorer” tab you can actually DELETE files from the device on the fly without having to use a PC. Both from the TF Card (MicroSD Card Slot) or the onboard Flash memory. Just highlight the file you want, then click the “Play /Pause” button. You get a prompt something like “do you want to delete – Yes/NO”. You cannot use the “Search” function for files stored on the TF Card slot – only on the onboard memory, which is really annoying.
Formats – epub and mobi files seem to work ok. epub files look really good (with nice fonts etc), although the default font for mobi files and text files is horrible, and cannot be changed. PDFs work, but if the pages have many diagrams/photos, it can be terribly slow to load, and I’m not sure why, at least on my purchased PDF travel guides, the zoom option seems poor – but it is quite legible. If the PDF (or epub) has chapters, you can go to them buy pressing the M (Centre “OK” button) and then selecting “Catalog” this should bring up the chapters. I wish this was quicker to access, but it works. I have had intermittent problems with epubs and PDFs either giving me random errors but they are infrequent, and do not seem to be consistent when they occur.
Photo viewer – Not many people I expect would use this function. But I use it to read manga comics. This reader does not read the mobile comic format, but extracting the images from the cbr or cbz files to JPG works nicely. The only gripe is that the zoom option is terrible, so if there is small text in the picture, the zoom doesn’t actually zoom in it just magnifies your view, leaving a nasty jaggy image that you can’t really use to read. And if you want to navigate around the zoomed image, its very slow and counter intuitive (the left button moves the screen right, and the up button moves the screen down).
Settings quirks – I do like that you can set the screen to automatically turn off, and the device to automatically shut down with a period of not being used, but I have found that the device off function does not work everytime unless you go into “Settings” then “Auto Shut Time” EVERY TIME it’s turned on. Even if the time was previously set, once you open a book format, or watch a movie or open some picture photos and manually turn it off, the device seems to forget the Auto Shut Time (even if its still selected!!). This can be annoying as if left on, even with the screen off, the device will run flat.
Battery and Charging issues – I didn’t expect this reader to have a decent sort of battery life, but reading ebooks on the lowest light setting (which is incidently still too bright!) I have gotten use for some 5-6 hours. As mentioned above, with the video playing I’ve gotten about 4 hours or so. A number of posts have addressed the fact that this device turns itself on when you plug in the USB cable to charge (even when doing it via AC or DC socket rather than a PC). The device LED blinks until it is charged, then stays a steady colour indicating it is charged. HOWEVER, once it is charged, the device doesn’t seem to turn OFF automatically as it is still connected to the USB so it seems the battery depletes and then the charging cycle starts again and the LED blinks. Seems silly to me. I have yet to buy an AC adapter with the correct plug to see if this happens when you use the AC plug instead.
Another thing I don’t like about charging with the USB Cable, is that you are unable to use the device at the same time. As others have mentioned, I know about “disconnecting the device” when using a PC’s USB output, but I bought this to use when traveling and I have a number of portable lithium batteries with USB outputs that I can use to extend the life while I’m using it. I have come up with a way around this problem while watching Videos, but cannot use the same method for ebooks or other features on the device. In Video mode, if you are currently watching a video file, and plug in the USB to charge, the LED starts blinking, and as long as the video stays playing and you do not press the stop or back button, the video file continues playing while charging. I have tested this via USB plugged into a wall charger, from my portable backup batteries, and from PC.
Turning the device on requires a long (5 secs) hold of the power button, but turning it off is a 1-2 sec hold. I’ve turned it off by mistake a few times, so this can be annoying, but at least the device will remember the page of the book you were last at if you go to “Browser History” and if watching a video, it seems to remember where you were last at (although a warning, if you do not click the Yes button to the “Continue Last Play” prompt within 7 seconds, it will disappear and you go back to the start screen.
In summary, for under $30 this was a great unit for me. I’ve plugged in a 16GB memory card, and used it in my travels, with text files of my itinerary (hotel and transport details), a few travel guides in PDF and epub format, a heap of ebooks, some videos files, webcasts and MP3s. And the best part is that if it gets damaged or lost while I’m traveling I won’t be as upset as if it was my Sony or Kindle!
July 5th, 2012 at 6:08 am
@ Keith,
many thanks for this very detailed comment, which I am sure will help a lot of folk out there to get the best from their MiGear ereaders. You have discovered stuff that I didn’t notice when I was playing with my review example.
January 19th, 2013 at 6:08 am
As one whose family owns many PCs, iPads, Kindles, etc., etc., I was astounded by the versatility, functionality and ease of file transfer of this wee machine. Sound is adequate with good headphones, viedo quality is as good as my main desktop PC and powered speakers and, to top it all off, I can read a bok in bed with automatic page turning; try doing that on a Kindle Paperwhite or iPad 2!
January 21st, 2013 at 9:20 am
So figure out how to remove DRM protection … easy!