Review- Literati Ereader (long)

So for the past few months what I've wanted more than anything was an ereader.Now I finally have one! As I mentioned the other day I work at Bed Bath and Beyond and the Literati E-reader went on sale for just $39.99. Using my store discount (which is 20% same as if using a coupon) I got it for $32 plus tax and there is a $20 mail in rebate that ended Monday. So with tax I spent about $15 for an e-reader....not too shabby! You can still participate in this deal but the rebate is no longer active. But for about $35 (depending on tax in your state) you can get yourself an e-reader. Also if you already bought one from BB&B just bring in your receipt (you do not need to bring the reader or box it came in) and ask for a price adjustment.

My thoughts on it so far is that I really like it. It took 6 hours of charging before I could first use it. I admit there was some frustration in the beginning. The reader comes with free WiFi however to use the WiFi in my house I had to find out the security code for my router. Since I'm not very computer savvy and hubby was still asleep (I couldn't wait any longer to play with my new toy) it took a few searches on Google to figure out how to get the security code (btw if anyone wants to know how I can tell ya now). Once I got the security code and set up the wifi it automatically did two updates. I was upset at first because the free 25 books that it was supposed to come loaded with didn't show up. That should have been my first clue that more work was needed.

Literati works with Kobo so the first thing I did after setting up the WiFi was to download one of the free books they have there. The downside of their free books is that most of them are classics that you can get from everywhere on the internet. The WiFi only lets you download books from Kobo it does not let you surf the internet or check your email. It is also how updates are sent to your e-reader. I had no problems adding a book to the reader when I did it through the ereader itself. My next test was to try and add a book I already own on my computer to my reader. Literati recognizes epub and .pdf files. So the good news is you are not forced to stick with Kobo you can go to other sites such as Borders to get books. You will just have to add them to an sd card or your computer before transferring it to your ereader.

This is where the biggest frustration came for me. I could not get my computer to recognize the Literati. I spent an hour searching the internet trying to figure out what was wrong. I was about ready to tear my hair out. Then I came across a very helpful forum that suggested resetting the Literati (requires a paper clip inserted into the teeny tiny hole on back of reader). After resetting it the 25 free books suddenly appeared. The forum also suggested to download the free program Adobe Digital Editions I transferred all of my .pdf books to ADE and then turned on my literati (you must wait till it completely loads) then plugged in my usb cable. From there I had to hit control shift and E. I then enabled it to recognize my literati. From there I was able to drag and drop my .pdf files into the literati.

Now that I know how to load books and everything onto it I'm very pleased. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who just can't afford an expensive reader. The color quality on it is amazing! You may have some minor problems at first but once you figure out how to use it it really is a nice ereader.

Pros:
Cheap!
In Color
Can download directly from Kobo or other sites
Built in Dictionary
Bookmarks
Comes with nice leather case
Oh and did I mention Cheap!
Built in WiFi
The buttons for next pages are sensitive to the lightest touch.

Cons:
May have to reset it in order to get it work properly
On/off Button becomes hidden under one of the straps on the case
Not a very long battery life (make sure turn off WiFi to eat up less energy)
Free books are classics you can get at any site like Project Gutenberg
Rather large and bulky
Tech support is practically non-existent so be prepared to do lots of Google searches to solve problems
Small amount of memory so need to buy separate sd card for more memory
Not a touch screen and the screen does not come with a protective shield to prevent scratches.