In which I had no idea what time it was.

Yesterday I got my new gadget, my eBookwise ebook reader.

It’s so cute! And so far I’m giving it a total thumbs up (although I already have a list of things I want in the next OS update, like: font face changeability, categories, and an ‘undo’ function for markups). Both of my favorite ebook vendors (Fictionwise and Baen) offer books in the proper format for it, so I’ve been able to pack the thing full of stuff to read. Besides Rocket eBook formatted files, it’ll display HTML, .doc, and text files too.

Instead of having a local book-managing application (though there is one available for about $15), the device syncs with an online bookshelf at ebookwise.com. You can buy content from there or upload your own. The reader device has a built-in modem for direct dial-up connectivity, or a USB port so you can use your computer’s connection to the Internet.

There’s no way to organize books into reading lists or categories, which would get extremely unwieldy if there were like 200 books on it, but I think the idea is to keep the bulk of one’s library online and only current books on the reader itself.

It’s a little heavy at a tad over a pound, but that’s because the batteries are huge. It ran for 15 hours on a 3-hour charge, so that little bit of extra weight is worth it. The screen is backlit, glare-free and easy to read. The device is juuuust a tiny bit too big to fit into my coat pocket, but it came with its own cover so it doesn’t get banged up in my bag.

There’s a rotate screen option so I can be left-handed, but then of course the stylus ends up on the bottom and all the icons on the case are upside down. But at least there is a left-handed option.

The only glitch is that the 64Mb expansion card failed after about 2 hours. I got the device, registered it, connected it to my computer via USB and put books on it, then put it away. During my lunch hour I reconnected it to download a couple of books I’d just bought, but the device froze so I disconnected it and stuck a paper clip in the reset divot per the manual. Since then, the device hasn’t recognized the memory card. (I have an open trouble ticket with the OEM; they sent me some instructions with all kinds of groovy ‘hold this while pressing this’ voodoo I’ll have to try when I get home.)

Naturally I stayed up late last night reading, and I woke up early this morning for no apparent reason. When I saw my new toy lying beside the bed naturally I picked it up and started reading rather than going back to sleep. Unfortunately, I’d set its clock wrong, so when I thought it was 9:30 this morning, it was actually 10:30… when I went to connect the ebook reader to my laptop and was downloading more books (I’ve been rereading old sci-fi shorts), was startled by the time: it was 11:23 already! EGAD! The bus comes at 11:35 and it’s 2-1/2 blocks away!

I brushed my hair, got dressed, brushed my teeth, and made it to the bus on time.

Because I? Am superfast. Like, once or twice a year. Just to prove that I can.

Update: The fix I got from the OEM worked – I had to reformat the card and now it’s all good. Yay!