E-Reader Reviews

I am an American who recently bought a Bebook Neo because: (1) I live half the year in Europe, and (2) I was convinced by a number of on-line postings that the Neo is an excellent, user-ready e-book reader, especially for use outside of the US. I was wrong to have made that choice. Based upon an entire week of trying to use the Neo, I decided to give it to a brother-in-law who is a computer expert, and to summarize my experience for the benefit of others who may be contemplating buying a Neo.

Here are five reasons to buy a Neo, and five reasons not to.

Five Reasons to Buy a Neo

1. You have an irresistible urge to try a reader, Neo, that is out of the main stream, and not settle for a tried-and-true reader such as Kindle.

2. You want to stimulate the world economy by spending a lot more than you have to for a reader: Neo $334 vs. $189 KIndle.  Neo  (299 reader + 25 S & H + 10 SD card = $334) 

3. You enjoy the challenge of trying to comprehend a user's manual that has tiny print, no index, no logical order of presentation, and, above all, virtually no useful information about such basic functions as downloading books, installing dictionaries, and updating firmware.

4.  You find it mentally refreshing and an excellent use of your time to spend untold hours trying to penetrate the mysteries of a white-colored "black box" called the Neo.

5.  You are subject to frequent fits of masochism that are assuaged by being unable to sit down and quietly enjoy the e-book of your choice with your new e-book reader.

Five Reasons Not to Buy a Neo 

1.  It costs too much.

2.  It is not user friendly.

3.  To use it according to directions, you must pair it up with Adobe Digital Editions, a program that has problems of its own.

4.  You are pretty much on your own when you need help or technical support.

5.  It simply does not hold a candle to the competition.