# Literati eReader $39.99 at Bed Bath & Beyond - Reads Library Books!



## Meemo

I posted this on a Literati thread but thought having the price in the subject line might get the attention of anyone interested in a cheap reader for library books.  I was at Bed Bath & Beyond yesterday and they had these on the shelf, for $40 I figured why not (original price was $149 at BB&B).  I'd seen them on sale online but figured I'd check the local store.  As soon as I got the wifi connected it told me it needed an update (it's actually a two-part update).  Overall I'm kinda liking this little thing so far - the package includes a cover, a wall charger and the USB cable.  It is a color LCD screen, you can control the brightness of the screen -  can change to a "night" mode (white print on black background), and when the brightness is turned all the way down the white background looks almost gray.  The screen is longer and narrower than Kindle or nook, which is a bit different.  Two fonts (serif & sans serif), 5 font sizes.  It only reads ePubs & PDFs.  I read in bed last night while DH was trying to get to sleep - in night mode with the brightness turned all the way down, it was nicely readable without putting out much light at all.  And the page turn "buttons" are actually capacitive, so you just touch them, no pushing, no clicking at all.  A bit of a problem when reading in the dark because you can't see where the arrows are!  But I've read that some put either a reinforcing paper ring there so you can feel where to touch.  

Page turns are fast.  Screen looks good.  The issues I've had were user error, I need to really read through the manual instead of learning by doing.  But I'm reading a library book on it now, so that function's working.  It's a pretty mixed bag when you read "reviews" online for it, and I might be totally reversing myself in a week or two.  But so far, not too heinous.  Especially for $40!

By the way Bed Bath & Beyond will honor expired coupons from their store, so if you've got one of those 20% coupons, even an expired one, you can save another $8.  And if they don't have any in store they'll call and find one for you and have it shipped to you.  They're showing as unavailable for online ordering, but again, if you call their 800 number they'll find one at a store and have the store ship it to you.  The one I got is the white model, by the way.


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## beesocks

thanks for the heads up.  For 39.99 its worth checking out at least


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## Tiersten

Interesting and cheap!  The only odd thing is that the screen is very tall but not very wide!


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## Meemo

Tiersten said:


> Interesting and cheap! The only odd thing is that the screen is very tall but not very wide!


Yes, the screen is definitely different, but after reading on it for a bit it's fine - in fact your eyes don't have to travel as much from side to side so it's not bad - just looks different.


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## MDB

Thanks Meemo. All of the BB&B near me are sold out. I guess that was a hint that I *didn't really* need one. Would have been nice though...


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## glindaharrison

I just bought one of these myself. Couldn't resist for the price. I am still playing with it to learn how to use its features. I wanted something that I could try library books with. So far, so good.

My only problem was that the cover that came with it had an extremely bad (almost mildewy) type of smell. Same for the battery charging cover I bought for it at the same time from BB & B. I am still trying to get rid of the smell.  I have ordered a zippered case from Amazon. I read my Kindles in their Oberon covers, but probably will read the Literati naked anyway because of its weight and style. So it may not be as much of an issue. I was just wondering if anyone else had a smell problem. Mine did have a display sticker, although it was sealed when I got it.


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## Meemo

glindaharrison said:


> I just bought one of these myself. Couldn't resist for the price. I am still playing with it to learn how to use its features. I wanted something that I could try library books with. So far, so good.
> 
> My only problem was that the cover that came with it had an extremely bad (almost mildewy) type of smell. Same for the battery charging cover I bought for it at the same time from BB & B. I am still trying to get rid of the smell. I have ordered a zippered case from Amazon. I read my Kindles in their Oberon covers, but probably will read the Literati naked anyway because of its weight and style. So it may not be as much of an issue. I was just wondering if anyone else had a smell problem. Mine did have a display sticker, although it was sealed when I got it.


Mine don't have much smell, and not a bad one - now my M-edge GO cover I'm still trying to get de-smelled. I'm thinking I'll put a fabric softener sheet or two in it and put it in a plastic bag for a few days.

Question on your battery cover - did it come with a USB charger? Or directions? I picked one up Saturday and it says on the box that it charges with an "included" USB charger but I didn't have one. And there were no directions at all. I sent an e-mail to Sharper Image, they sent me to Kobo. Kobo sent me an answer that was so far off the mark I responded with "Did you even read my question?" I've sent another e-mail to Sharper Image, don't much expect an answer though. At any rate, I had an old Motorola wall charger from an old cell phone so I used that to charge it and it worked fine. Just wondering if I'd gotten everything I was supposed to in the box. (And if I didn't I can't much complain, it was marked down so much.)

I've gotta say, for $50 + tax I'm pretty happy with this thing. It's especially nice for books with pictures in them, and it's also gonna be nice for cookbooks because as far as I can tell, it doesn't go to sleep! Even my laptop usually goes to sleep when I'm trying to use a cookbook on it.


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## glindaharrison

Meemo said:


> Question on your battery cover - did it come with a USB charger? Or directions? I picked one up Saturday and it says on the box that it charges with an "included" USB charger but I didn't have one. And there were no directions at all. I sent an e-mail to Sharper Image, they sent me to Kobo. Kobo sent me an answer that was so far off the mark I responded with "Did you even read my question?" I've sent another e-mail to Sharper Image, don't much expect an answer though. At any rate, I had an old Motorola wall charger from an old cell phone so I used that to charge it and it worked fine. Just wondering if I'd gotten everything I was supposed to in the box. (And if I didn't I can't much complain, it was marked down so much.)
> 
> I've gotta say, for $50 + tax I'm pretty happy with this thing. It's especially nice for books with pictures in them, and it's also gonna be nice for cookbooks because as far as I can tell, it doesn't go to sleep! Even my laptop usually goes to sleep when I'm trying to use a cookbook on it.


No, Meemo, no cable, no directions for my charger case either. Unless I dropped it in the couch cushions.... I was so distracted by the smell that I didn't notice. Like you, I think it was inexpensive enough that I am not going to fuss. But the smell issue makes me a little uncomfortable with the idea of ordering again from them, especially given the nature of the things they sell....


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## ReaderK

Long post, but for those of you who are thinking about this, here's my story. BTW, I have a K3, and my friend has a Nook. I don't know about other e-readers, but these are my frames of reference.

I just purchased 3 (yes, three) Literati e-readers yesterday at BB&B for me & my family - with my 20% off coupons, they were *$31.99* each, which you can't beat with a stick. For about $100 I was able to buy 3 e-readers complete with cases! My local BB&B only had the white version which I think is the better looking of the models. Calling the stores directly was useless and I was told the device wasn't even in their computer databases. Seriously, they couldn't find their own hindquarters with both hands, a map, and a mirror - the customer service at the BB&B stores I contacted was terrible.  However, corporate folks were great - call *1-800-GO BEYOND® (1-800-462-3966)* - they were able to find a nearby store with the readers I wanted. Here is the SKU #: *17494791*. Note that the devices are going really fast and BB&B will NOT be restocking them - once you get the info on where the devices are, call the stores to verify that the e-readers are there, and have the stores do a 24 hour hold on them. These readers were manufactured for Sharper Image which went belly up last year, and BB&B is trying to get rid of all SI's items. When they're gone, they're gone.

Don't get me wrong...I adore my graphite K3, but I want to read library books and glad I now have a device that reads epub without having to spend another $150. However, the _true _driving force of this purchase was our teenager who tends to be a little, er, forgetful when it comes to his things and we didn't want to invest $200 in a device/case that has a high probability of getting lost within a few weeks. He's also a bit rough on his electronics (RIP Nintendo DS), and I don't think the K3/Nook is sturdy enough for this boy's tender mercies. Here's the rub - he's recently begun to enjoy reading for pleasure (finally - yay!!) and we want to encourage that. He asked for an e-reader after seeing mine, but I want to give him a trial run to see if he's really ready to take care of a K3. It's kind of like a kid who asks for a dog, but you try him out with a fish first to make sure he can handle the greater responsibility. We (his father & I) felt it was a better investment to get a $40 e-reader that allows him to easily check out library books rather than spending a fortune at Books-A-Million and having to rebuy the books when he loses them on the bus a week later.

This is a great deal if you want to get your kids an e-reader without the risk (you won't cry when they put stickers on them), or for a spouse who doesn't read enough to justify a K3 but wants to sit with a book every now & again. It was also an inexpensive, albeit belated, Valentine's Day gift to the hubby. LOL Bonus! 

I played with the Literati for several hours and here's what I've found:

1. The Literati is cute, but bulkier than the K3 or Nook. Even nekkid, it's about twice as thick as my K3, 50% longer and about 20% skinnier; I still think the screen size is adequate, but a lot longer than what I'm used to. Ladies: you might not be able to slide this into a clutch purse as you would a K3/Nook, though it's ok for larger purses & briefcases. I personally prefer the size and look of the K3's screen, but for what the Literati is being used for, it's fine. It's comfortable to hold and has a nice and standard layout. Definitely not a toy - you won't mistake this device for a cheap knockoff. The screen can take some getting used to due to size and backlight. I don't think I could spend hours reading without eye strain, but there is a "night reading" setting which transposes the colors (white on a black background). You can change the fonts (serif/sans serif) and the size, and the intensity of the backlight. The backlit screen also means I don't have to buy a book light, and that means additional savings for me.

2. It comes with a case, which is more than I can say for the K3, and I think the Nook as well. I spent an extra $60 on the Amazon lighted case, so not having to spend that money again was welcome. Granted, the case is pretty barebones, but it does its job - it's a case, after all. Don't expect leather or fancy doodads. The case did have a strong smell when I took it out of the plastic bag, but after airing out overnight it seems to have dissipated a little. I might borrow the dryer sheet idea (ingenious! thank you for the great idea!). I was going to take an old handkerchief and spray perfume on it, then slip it behind the device - though the boy might not like that so much...or maybe I'll just nuke the plasticky smell from orbit and Febreeze the porous inside of the case and let it dry. Also...because the case was free, I won't feel bad by "personalizing" my case - I'm an arts & crafts freak, so I have a bunch of things at home I can use...Muahahaha! 

3. Using Calibre, mobi books converted beautifully into epub files and there was no problem with reading them. I tested this with books I got from www.gutenberg.org, which has thousands of legally free books, mostly classics. I downloaded files in multiple formats, including Kindle and epub, then converted the heck out of them before loading them onto the Literati. PDF files are ok as well but I haven't done a lot with those yet. I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of formatting and display. _You will NOT be able to read Amazon DRM files on this device, nor can they be converted._ At least not that *_I_* know of, and I'm not about to do anything illegal with my Amazon books.  So, don't think you can purchase a best-seller from Amazon and read it on the Literati. If you have DRM books (.azw files, I think), you'll still have to read those on your Kindle device/app. Not sure about the Nook.

4. Operations. The device is slow to boot up (takes at least a minute), and making it recognize that there are books on the SD card took something like 10 minutes for about 150 books. Once it processes those books, startup is a little quicker - but not by much. At first I thought the thing was broken, but it got better. The menu / book library layout is nice, and I like the color especially when looking at the books on my virtual bookshelf. I can see why Nook people love their devices! Page turning is slower than with a K3 or Nook but it's not a deal breaker for me; there is no button, per se, to turn the pages - just an arrow to touch. _Problem: The device can lock up a bit (won't respond to page turning at all unless you use the 5-way button by the keyboard). Rebooting the device fixes that problem, but it happened a few times last night to me and taking 5 minutes to shut down and reboot kind of sucked. I'd have been upset with the lock ups if I paid full price for the thing - but for the money, I can't complain. _

5. Memory. 256 mb internal memory is terribly inadequate for a device that was initially selling for $200, especially if you have a bunch of PDF's. However, the SD card slot is a really nice addition and it's a feature I wish the K3 had. We had an extra 1gb card floating around the house from an old camera that died, and that worked fine in the Literati. Amazon has 1gb SD cards for under $10 and I'm sure you can get one at your local Wal-Mart or office supply store for a very reasonable price. I could fit 150 books in about 100mb of memory, so you could probably get at least 1000 epub books on a 1gb card. The Literati supports SD cards up to 8gb, which should take care of just about anyone's library!

6. Wireless and other operations. Connecting the thing to wi-fi was a breeze. As soon as I connected it to the wi-fi, I had to do two software updates. These were done automatically with no input by me. _Please note that the Literati will turn off but will not automatically restart like the K3 does - so remember to turn it on again._ It's easy enough to turn wireless off through the menu, but not as easy as the K3. I think the only place you can surf to is to the Kobo / Borders bookstore to buy books and other reading material. The computer connection is a standard USB (not micro USB) port, which is great since we have eleventy billion of these cables scattered around the house and they're cheap to replace. The power adapter, however, seems to be specialized so don't lose that! The power is separate from the data port and my computer didn't have a problem recognizing the device. There's no audio capability at all, but since I don't use that on my K3 either, it's fine by me.

7. My devices came with: _e-reader, case, usb cable, adapter, quick start guide_. It said "charge your device for at least 6 hours before use". Pfft.  I used it right away and had no trouble. But it probably would be a good idea to power the thing up to full. Not sure what the battery life is like, but I am thinking it's far less than e-ink devices. If you need the manual, go to *http://www.literatireader.com/pdf/literati-manual_white_v3.pdf* and download the user guide! It is a good resource.

All in all, the Literati seems like a decent e-reader, though I'm not sure it's worth the $199.99 it was originally marketed at. However, for less than $50, it's a fantastic deal and I think it's a great "starter device" for folks who aren't sure they want to invest more in a Kindle, Nook or Sony (or other) e-reader. I'm looking forward to being able to get books from my library and it's nice having a backup device around in case anything happens to my K3.

I hope this post helped.


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## GreenThumb

Wow, excellent post, ReaderK!  I'm amazed you still found some on the shelves!

I also got 3 of these (one for each child, and one for moi).  My kids went absolutely nuts over the color screen.  I bought Angie Sage's "The Magykal Papers", which is a heavily illustrated companion to her Septimus Heap series.  It's gorgeous on the color screen.  Easy to buy from Kobo, and downloaded perfectly.  I'm very pleased with my $32 purchases!!


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## Meemo

Here's something that helped me for reading in the dark, which I love about the Literati in "night" mode.  The down side is you can't see the page-turn arrows.  It would've been nice if they'd put a little bump at the arrows, but they didn't.  So I took some small star-shaped stickers on the arrows - that way I can feel them in the dark if my hand gets out of place.  

I do think from reading other places that when you're charging it it's supposed to be turned on, and I haven't noticed that it goes into any kind of sleep mode so I have to remind myself to turn it off when I'm done for the night - luckily I usually put my Kindle or nook to sleep rather than letting it go by itself, so that hasn't been too difficult.

Like I said, I'm happy with mine, and I took it to bowling yesterday because a couple of my friends have been interested in an eReader - I think at least 3 people were planning a quick trip to BB&B (I should've just bought more of them when I got mine, not sure what I was thinking!!)  Actually I'll be halfway there this afternoon, I might run out there and see if I can snag another one while I'm out...

I don't expect a whole lot of customer support, though.  And what I get will probably be coming from Kobo.  Luckily there seems to be a Kobo rep on mobilereads who's answered some questions about the Literati.


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## PG4003 (Patricia)

I'm jealous of you guys now.  I wish I had gotten one of these to use for books for my grandkids.  They would like the color.  If anybody decides to sell one, let me know!


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## Meemo

I did see that Kohl's will have them on sale tomorrow morning for $69.99, an early bird special. They go up to $89.99 after 1 p.m. http://kohls.shoplocal.com/kohls/default.aspx?action=entryflash&AdRef=frombuyonline (It's the ad that's pink up across the top, page 3 of that ad.)


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## PG4003 (Patricia)

Thanks Meemo, we have a Kohl's here, I might have to take a look.


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## PG4003 (Patricia)

Meemo said:


> I did see that Kohl's will have them on sale tomorrow morning for $69.99, an early bird special. They go up to $89.99 after 1 p.m. http://kohls.shoplocal.com/kohls/default.aspx?action=entryflash&AdRef=frombuyonline (It's the ad that's pink up across the top, page 3 of that ad.)


I wonder if they'll let you use a coupon on those sale prices?


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## Meemo

PG4003 (Patricia) said:


> I wonder if they'll let you use a coupon on those sale prices?


I'm pretty sure they do - I remember when the Pandigital reader/tablet came out people were buying them dirt cheap by piling coupons on sales prices. Plus you'd get $10 in Kohl's cash.


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## PG4003 (Patricia)

Meemo said:


> I'm pretty sure they do - I remember when the Pandigital reader/tablet came out people were buying them dirt cheap by piling coupons on sales prices. Plus you'd get $10 in Kohl's cash.


Meemo, I've decided to pass on this for now. The only reason I'm interested in a color reader is for children's books and magazines. I looked at Kobo's site and they don't have any magazine subscriptions I'm interested in. Also, since I use ADE for my library books for my Nook, I don't know how it would work having 2 devices using ADE.


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## KindleGirl

They had them online a couple days ago but when I got online this morning they were already gone. I was going to pick one up for the kids to read library books. I didn't see any in the store I went to the other day either.


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## Meemo

PG4003 (Patricia) said:


> Meemo, I've decided to pass on this for now. The only reason I'm interested in a color reader is for children's books and magazines. I looked at Kobo's site and they don't have any magazine subscriptions I'm interested in. Also, since I use ADE for my library books for my Nook, I don't know how it would work having 2 devices using ADE.


Just for the record, it works fine. I can put the same library book on my nook & iPhone & Literati. I use the same sign-in info for B&N, Kobo & ADE. I do love it for night reading, and cookbooks.

On the other hand, I've seen varying reports of success with people getting them set up, and they definitely make one appreciate the Kindle in terms of ease of use. Compared to the nook ... it's probably a tie. I'm actually considering selling the nook, but I just got the perfect M-edge cover for it and it looks so cute now. That's how shallow I am! Actually I'd have to try reading an entire book on the Literati (day AND night modes) to see how I feel about the LCD screen during the day.


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## Meemo

Best Buy is still selling the black model - I'm wondering if they'll end up going on sale there too.  Might be an orphan product - but for $40 I can deal with that.  Well, actually Kobo is doing the support since apparently it's their software inside.


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## PG4003 (Patricia)

So you feel like the Nook and the Literati are equal in terms of set up and access and stuff like that?  OMG don't ever say that on Nookboards  

If I could have gotten one of the $40 deals, I probably would have gone ahead and gotten it, but $70 plus tax, that's a little expensive (to me) for no more than I would use it.

And thanks for the info about ADE, that's good to know.


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## Meemo

PG4003 (Patricia) said:


> So you feel like the Nook and the Literati are equal in terms of set up and access and stuff like that? OMG don't ever say that on Nookboards
> 
> If I could have gotten one of the $40 deals, I probably would have gone ahead and gotten it, but $70 plus tax, that's a little expensive (to me) for no more than I would use it.
> 
> And thanks for the info about ADE, that's good to know.


Oh I wouldn't (probably ) - they LOVE their nooks (like we love our Kindles). I've voiced my opinion of the nook enough that I'm already not the most popular poster over there! They aren't equal - I can't put B&N books on the Literati (well not without being naughty) because of B&N's DRM. If I could I'd still have a Sony reader. But yeah, it's as easy to put books on the Literati as on the nook using Calibre or ADE. There aren't any "collections", but honestly I'm not convinced of the usefulness of nook's "Shelves" anyway - it certainly isn't helpful to put a book in more than one collection - it just makes the "home page" longer.

Setup was simple. The keyboard is a little small and the D-pad (directional pad for navigating around) is pretty tight for pushing the up & left arrows. There's no light indicating that it's charging, so it's hard to know when it's been fully charged. There are a lot of little things like that where it falls short of Kindle and even nook, and makes me happy it was only $40, but just for putting books on it and reading them, it's good, and the wifi works with the Kobo store. One thing I love about it is the page turn buttons, you don't have to push them, you just touch them. No clicking. And they work every time, unlike the swiping on the nook.


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## PG4003 (Patricia)

It surely sounds interesting, you are making me re-think my decision now!  I looked on Amazon, they sell the Literati, and there is an Amazon seller who has one for $63.  I have some credit built up on Amazon so it's sort of tempting me.  It would be good for children's books.  I belong to the Philadelphia Library and they have just recently added a lot of children's books.  Do you know if there is any way to get other magazines on it besides the ones that Kobo offers?


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## Meemo

PG4003 (Patricia) said:


> It surely sounds interesting, you are making me re-think my decision now! I looked on Amazon, they sell the Literati, and there is an Amazon seller who has one for $63. I have some credit built up on Amazon so it's sort of tempting me. It would be good for children's books. I belong to the Philadelphia Library and they have just recently added a lot of children's books. Do you know if there is any way to get other magazines on it besides the ones that Kobo offers?


Good question. I have no idea about magazines.

I did see a bunch of Berenstain Bears books on Overdrive today - I think it was on FLP. Didn't check any out yet but need to soon. I've gotten a couple of free kids books on it and the color is really good.


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## PG4003 (Patricia)

Meemo, I'm getting one of these Literati ereaders. I've done a barter deal with someone - some of my work for the Literati, so good deal for both of us. I was looking at the Kobo site a little while ago and I notice they have a little asterisk and it says _Periodicals coming soon. _ Wonder if that means magazines? I hope I can get it set up OK. How does it work with ADE? I download something, it puts it in ADE and then I plug in the USB and transfer it? Like with library books on the Nook? You are right, the Philadelphia Library did add a bunch of children's books just recently.


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## Meemo

PG4003 (Patricia) said:


> Meemo, I'm getting one of these Literati ereaders. I've done a barter deal with someone - some of my work for the Literati, so good deal for both of us. I was looking at the Kobo site a little while ago and I notice they have a little asterisk and it says _Periodicals coming soon. _ Wonder if that means magazines? I hope I can get it set up OK. How does it work with ADE? I download something, it puts it in ADE and then I plug in the USB and transfer it? Like with library books on the Nook? You are right, the Philadelphia Library did add a bunch of children's books just recently.


It's the same as the nook as far as ADE is concerned - you connect the Literati to the computer, open up ADE, and ADE gives you the message that it's detected a new device, do you want to authorize it? I used the same e-mail/sign-in info for the Literati that I used for ADE, makes it a little easier for them to communicate, I think. If it isn't already updated, you'll want to do that first thing. If the person has already used the Literati, it's probably already updated. (You're looking for software version 2.)

I love trading & bartering - I'm trading Oberon covers for nook with someone from nookboards - my blue Van Gogh Sky for her red Wild Rose (I've always wanted a red Oberon, and I dearly love my black Wild Rose for my Kindle). And I traded Oberons once before here on KB.


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## PG4003 (Patricia)

Thanks Meemo, I believe it's already been used so it should already be updated.  I'm used to working with ADE and my Nook, so hopefully I'll learn this new one pretty quickly.  I sure hope they get more magazines, it would be neat to be able to read something like People digitally!  I subscribe to Reader's Digest on my Kindle and it's fine on there because it doesn't have a lot of pictures.  I'll come back and let you know how I'm doing with it after I get it.


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## ella_drake

Thanks for the heads up on this. I called around the Boston area to at least a dozen stores before I found one that had one.
I'd been wanting one for my kids. This is perfect!


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## Lilith

Anyone still finding these in their area?  Nothing for a 50-mile radius here . . . . 
I'd be very glad to send the funds for the reader, shipping and a bit extra for your trouble if you can find one.  I have  a 20% coupon I can email you. 
I can pay through paypal, with an Amazon card or with a check via snail mail.
Please PM me or respond on the thread and I will PM you. 
Thanks -
Lilith


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## PG4003 (Patricia)

A friend of mine who lives in MA is getting one today.  I emailed her with a link to your request.


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## Tabatha

Meemo said:


> Question on your battery cover - did it come with a USB charger? Or directions? I picked one up Saturday and it says on the box that it charges with an "included" USB charger but I didn't have one. And there were no directions at all. I sent an e-mail to Sharper Image, they sent me to Kobo. Kobo sent me an answer that was so far off the mark I responded with "Did you even read my question?" I've sent another e-mail to Sharper Image, don't much expect an answer though. At any rate, I had an old Motorola wall charger from an old cell phone so I used that to charge it and it worked fine. Just wondering if I'd gotten everything I was supposed to in the box. (And if I didn't I can't much complain, it was marked down so much.)
> 
> I've gotta say, for $50 + tax I'm pretty happy with this thing. It's especially nice for books with pictures in them, and it's also gonna be nice for cookbooks because as far as I can tell, it doesn't go to sleep! Even my laptop usually goes to sleep when I'm trying to use a cookbook on it.


Meemo, just got back with the last one in my area, new unopened box came to $33.99 after 20% coupon. In the box: Reader, case, ac charger that looked like the K1 charger, but skinnier, usb data cable with micro end like the motorola charger, red warranty card, and a quick start guide.

Also need to note, Sharper Image went bankrupt some time ago, that is why they are directing you to Kobo, and that is why stores are clearancing these out.


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## Meemo

Tabatha said:


> Meemo, just got back with the last one in my area, new unopened box came to $33.99 after 20% coupon. In the box: Reader, case, ac charger that looked like the K1 charger, but skinnier, usb data cable with micro end like the motorola charger, red warranty card, and a quick start guide.
> 
> Also need to note, Sharper Image went bankrupt some time ago, that is why they are directing you to Kobo, and that is why stores are clearancing these out.


Glad you were able to find one at BB&B - it's an amazing deal! (By the way, the battery cover I was asking about was a separate item from the reader itself - it's got a battery built in to the cover that can be charged, then you can plug the Literati into the cover - it has both a USB outlet and the charging outlet in the cover - and extend the battery life of the Literati.

Not all stores are clearancing them - a lot of stores are still carrying them full price (including Best Buy & Belk, I've seen the black model at BB, the black AND white models at Belk, in the past week or so). I was at BB&B a few days ago and noticed a few other Sharper Image items that weren't on sale (like their massaging chair cushions - I was hoping they had them clearanced out too!) Kobo provides the software support, since it's their software connecting to their store. For the hardware there's another company. I pulled the info below off a yahoo message board that spun off from the Yahoo Kindle board (kindlekorner). I got the same manufacturer 800 number from Sharper Image when I e-mailed them.

_The manufacturer of the Literati is Merch Source. Sharper Image only contracted thru them to sell the Literati.

They have 2 Customer Service numbers in case you have problems with the hardware.
800-374-2744
800-481-7938

866-204-4714 is the software help line at http://www.literatireader.com (it's actually Kobo) and are
hired to answer "how to" questions. _

Sharper Image still sells online, they did close all their stores as part of their bankruptcy though.


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## Lilith

Thank you, Patricia!  That was very kind!
Lilith


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## Meemo

Lilith said:


> Anyone still finding these in their area? Nothing for a 50-mile radius here . . . .
> I'd be very glad to send the funds for the reader, shipping and a bit extra for your trouble if you can find one. I have a 20% coupon I can email you.
> I can pay through paypal, with an Amazon card or with a check via snail mail.
> Please PM me or respond on the thread and I will PM you.
> Thanks -
> Lilith


Have you tried calling the BB&B 800 number? (1-800-462-3966) If you can get them to check their warehouse, or check to see if any stores still have them, they can still send one to you. The ones at the store where I got mine are all gone - I'm still kicking myself for not picking up a couple of extra ones for friends/relatives who I knew might be interested. Just didn't think of it at the time.


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## Lilith

Good thought, Meemo!  No, I have done that but will try it right now. 
Lilith


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## Tabatha

Meemo said:


> I've gotta say, for $50 + tax I'm pretty happy with this thing. It's especially nice for books with pictures in them, and it's also gonna be nice for cookbooks because as far as I can tell, it doesn't go to sleep! Even my laptop usually goes to sleep when I'm trying to use a cookbook on it.


Meemo,
There must be an auto shutoff on it, as I purposedly left it on, and on checking later, it had shut off.
Lois

edit: There is no screensaver on this, but it does shutoff automatically in about 10 mins. if left to do so.


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## Someone Nameless

I went to my BB&B to see about getting one but sadly they were all sold out and said that they were sold our all over our region.


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## Meemo

There's hope that there'll be discounts at other stores soon....

http://goodereader.com/blog/electronic-readers/sharper-image-developing-literati-2-e-reader/


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## Meemo

PG4003 (Patricia) said:


> So you feel like the Nook and the Literati are equal in terms of set up and access and stuff like that? OMG don't ever say that on Nookboards


You know sometimes I almost feel sorry for them - today there's a thread started by someone whose nook just developed the dreaded crack on the page turn buttons. She's all excited that she'll be getting her replacement in a WEEK. Next Thursday! It's all I can do to keep myself from saying "Y'know, if it were a Kindle you'd have your replacement TOMORROW!!!" Talk about low expectations....

That nook KoolAid is pretty strong stuff...


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## Tabatha

Stopped at local Kohl's yesterday, and they had a few of these Literati on sale, but price was 15% off-$89.99, with another 10% for the day. Still higher, so need to watch for it to go lower. They had 4 at that particular store. Only the reader, no other accessories.


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## PG4003 (Patricia)

I'm anxious to get mine.  My granddaughter won't know what to think of it!


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## Seleya

I wish I were in the U.S..
Just 2 months with a Kindle and I'm already considering supplementing it with another e-reader (a cheap one), to read EPUBs...


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## PG4003 (Patricia)

I hear you, Seleya.  I had my Kindle for about 3 months and then bought a Nook to use for library books.


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## PG4003 (Patricia)

I think I figured out how to find the type of books I'm looking for, I have to search by Children's Picture Books. I've finally found quite a few with that search method.


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## Antoinette

How/where do you go to find and download library books on the Literati eReader?


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## ReaderK

Kindle Gracie said:


> I went to my BB&B to see about getting one but sadly they were all sold out and said that they were sold our all over our region.


I contacted BB&B and they couldn't find one for me on a nationwide search.

My update: It's been a few weeks since I had the Literati, and I'll tell you - if I hadn't gotten such a bargain, I'd never have kept it. I can see why people have been complaining up & down the block on this thing. I've had to reset mine to factory defaults about 6 times now (that is, to redo all the settings from scratch, lose your bookmarks, etc.). I restart the thing on a regular basis because the page buttons won't respond. When it works, it looks good, but I don't like the fact that it takes so long to start and that if you change out SD cards to add or remove books, you can expect to wait 20 minutes for the thing to "process new content". And, if things get wonky, you'll lose your books/covers. Once it got funky and every book I had was bookmarked (even if I didn't open it yet) and I couldn't add any more bookmarks. Oh, and the battery life is the pits - maybe 2-3 hours on a full charge. I know it's because of the backlighting, but sheesh...curling up with your book for an extended period of time will require an outlet, which might suck if you are on vacation or on a long flight.

It's sufficient for young readers and kids, but for serious readers, it's kind of a "starter" e-reader - if you're a book-a-holic like me, you'll want to quickly upgrade to a Kindle/Nook/Sony/Kobo to save yourself a ton of frustration.


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## PG4003 (Patricia)

Antoinette said:


> How/where do you go to find and download library books on the Literati eReader?


Most libraries use what is called the Overdrive system. You have to have Adobe Digital Editions installed on your computer. You download the book through your library's Overdrive system, it goes into the ADE on your computer, you hook up your ereader with the usb cord and drag the books onto your ereader, it should show up in ADE when you plug it in. That's sort of the condensed version. The first thing you have to do is check if your library has ebooks to lend.


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## PG4003 (Patricia)

ReaderK said:


> I contacted BB&B and they couldn't find one for me on a nationwide search.
> 
> My update: It's been a few weeks since I had the Literati, and I'll tell you - if I hadn't gotten such a bargain, I'd never have kept it. I can see why people have been complaining up & down the block on this thing. I've had to reset mine to factory defaults about 6 times now (that is, to redo all the settings from scratch, lose your bookmarks, etc.). I restart the thing on a regular basis because the page buttons won't respond. When it works, it looks good, but I don't like the fact that it takes so long to start and that if you change out SD cards to add or remove books, you can expect to wait 20 minutes for the thing to "process new content". And, if things get wonky, you'll lose your books/covers. Once it got funky and every book I had was bookmarked (even if I didn't open it yet) and I couldn't add any more bookmarks. Oh, and the battery life is the pits - maybe 2-3 hours on a full charge. I know it's because of the backlighting, but sheesh...curling up with your book for an extended period of time will require an outlet, which might suck if you are on vacation or on a long flight.
> 
> It's sufficient for young readers and kids, but for serious readers, it's kind of a "starter" e-reader - if you're a book-a-holic like me, you'll want to quickly upgrade to a Kindle/Nook/Sony/Kobo to save yourself a ton of frustration.


I'm not at all surprised to hear all of this. The reviews on Amazon are terrible. That's why I plan to use this to read some picture books to my granddaughter and that's about it.


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## Meemo

ReaderK said:


> I contacted BB&B and they couldn't find one for me on a nationwide search.
> 
> My update: It's been a few weeks since I had the Literati, and I'll tell you - if I hadn't gotten such a bargain, I'd never have kept it. I can see why people have been complaining up & down the block on this thing. I've had to reset mine to factory defaults about 6 times now (that is, to redo all the settings from scratch, lose your bookmarks, etc.). I restart the thing on a regular basis because the page buttons won't respond. When it works, it looks good, but I don't like the fact that it takes so long to start and that if you change out SD cards to add or remove books, you can expect to wait 20 minutes for the thing to "process new content". And, if things get wonky, you'll lose your books/covers. Once it got funky and every book I had was bookmarked (even if I didn't open it yet) and I couldn't add any more bookmarks. Oh, and the battery life is the pits - maybe 2-3 hours on a full charge. I know it's because of the backlighting, but sheesh...curling up with your book for an extended period of time will require an outlet, which might suck if you are on vacation or on a long flight.
> 
> It's sufficient for young readers and kids, but for serious readers, it's kind of a "starter" e-reader - if you're a book-a-holic like me, you'll want to quickly upgrade to a Kindle/Nook/Sony/Kobo to save yourself a ton of frustration.


I've been pretty lucky with mine. I haven't had to do a factory reset, just a "paper clip" reset a couple of times. I extend my battery life by reading in night mode with the light turned all the way down. (I use it mostly for reading in bed anyway.) My page turn buttons work well, the silent, tap-to-turn page turning is one of my favorite things about it, actually. It's certainly slower than my K2, and the User's Manual is seriously lacking. There are things I've figured out on my own, like I need to turn it off-off (not just let it go to sleep) after charging so the battery icon resets to show it's full. I'm pretty happy with it for the price, especially since it's a secondary reader for me. But I'd have a lot less patience with it if I'd paid full price for it. And tempting as it's been to sell my nook now that I have the Literati, I just don't trust my luck with it to hold, I just know that if I sold the nook, the Literati would go belly-up within a week! 

I did see that there's supposed to be a Literati 2 coming out, maybe in a couple of months, so there might be deals still to be had on it for folks who are willing to take their chances.


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## spotsmom

I got one of the Literatis from BB&B a few weeks ago.  It is nowhere even comparable to the quality of the Kindle.  I got it specifically to use with library books, and it is working well for that.  But when I use it, I can hardly wait to get finished with the book and get back on the Kindle.  It's clunky to hold, weighs more than the Kindle, and the screen is a strange rectangular size.  I am a reasonably smart person, and I never could figure out how to connect to the Kobo store and download any of their free books.  I was able to connect to Adobe Digital Editions and get the book from the library and then on to the Literati without any trouble.  The user manual is truly not very helpful.  To be honest,  I don't have enough confidence in the thing to even feel like it will come on the next time I turn it on!  And it eats up the battery power, esp. when I've been used to the Kindle.

It was a fantastic deal for $32, but I really don't consider it worth much more than that.  I thought it would have been a great deal for grandkids, so Patricia I'm glad to see you got one!  Glad to read what others have had to say about it, because I think quite a lot of Kindlers bought the Literati when the sale was on.

Meemo (or anyone), have you found anywhere that sells cases for the Literati?  The one that came with it is "ok" (now that the smell is gone), but I'd like something else.  Didn't see any on eBay.  I thought for a minute that your picture here was of Literatis, but I'm thinking they are Kindles!!


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## PG4003 (Patricia)

spotsmom said:


> I got one of the Literatis from BB&B a few weeks ago. It is nowhere even comparable to the quality of the Kindle. I got it specifically to use with library books, and it is working well for that. But when I use it, I can hardly wait to get finished with the book and get back on the Kindle. It's clunky to hold, weighs more than the Kindle, and the screen is a strange rectangular size. I am a reasonably smart person, and I never could figure out how to connect to the Kobo store and download any of their free books. I was able to connect to Adobe Digital Editions and get the book from the library and then on to the Literati without any trouble. The user manual is truly not very helpful. To be honest, I don't have enough confidence in the thing to even feel like it will come on the next time I turn it on! And it eats up the battery power, esp. when I've been used to the Kindle.
> 
> It was a fantastic deal for $32, but I really don't consider it worth much more than that. I thought it would have been a great deal for grandkids, so Patricia I'm glad to see you got one! Glad to read what others have had to say about it, because I think quite a lot of Kindlers bought the Literati when the sale was on.
> 
> Meemo (or anyone), have you found anywhere that sells cases for the Literati? The one that came with it is "ok" (now that the smell is gone), but I'd like something else. Didn't see any on eBay. I thought for a minute that your picture here was of Literatis, but I'm thinking they are Kindles!!


I downloaded a library book on mine today and the text is so tiny I can hardly read it. It won't let me change the font size on the library book. I can increase the size of the screen, but then part of the text runs off the screen.

And regarding the cases, a friend of mine has spent quite a bit of time on line looking for additional covers but can't find any. The case that came with it is pretty pitiful, but oh well. I will probably only use this for kid's books, so I don't care too much about the case. I really don't like the little "U" shaped pocket on the bottom, I used to have a Nook case like that and sold it. I'm already thinking about how I could somehow make a slipcover for this thing! I'm thinking maybe elasticized or something?

I guess we are spoiled with our Kindles, and even my Nook is far superior to this thing, but it's a nice little toy to play with. I would really have been upset if I had paid $100 for it though.


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## Meemo

spotsmom said:


> Meemo (or anyone), have you found anywhere that sells cases for the Literati? The one that came with it is "ok" (now that the smell is gone), but I'd like something else. Didn't see any on eBay. I thought for a minute that your picture here was of Literatis, but I'm thinking they are Kindles!!


The pics in my avatar? Kindle on the left, nook on the right.

The only other cover I've seen is actually a "sport case" on Amazon, and I'm not sure it's made specifically for the Literati. And I don't see it there now.

Oh, to get the 125 free books from Kobo - go to the Kobo store while you're on the Literati (wireless will automatically connect if it can). Look up near the top left and click on "Free" - the 125 free classics you can access in addition to the ones that are already on it will come up.


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## spotsmom

It took me going to the users manual (!) to find out that to change the font size you use the up/down arrow on the 5 way!  I was used to the Kindle way.  So I got the font size to change but there's still lots of margin on either side.  Just ain't a Kindle!!

And thanks for telling me about accessing through the Literati itself in the Kobo store.  I'll give it a try!


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## PG4003 (Patricia)

I had to go to the on line users manual too to see how to change the font.  You can also hit Menu, then Display.  But when I'm in my library book, it doesn't even give me that "Display" option.  It won't let me change the font size in my library book.  But on the other books I was able to change it to a Sans Serif type and I like that better.


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## Tabatha

Finally tried mine last evening, and everything worked except for the forward/back buttons on each side. I could turn pages using dpad arrows only. Also, it keeps messing the date/time no matter how many times I set it. Plan to call tech today and see what they say, otherwise, I'll have to return as defective for refund.

EDIT:  Called CS, and had to do reset with paperclip on back, and all is well now. This reset doesn't erase anything on the unit, not like the Factory reset in settings. Couldn't explain about the date/time issue, but will watch it when I turn on each time to see if it is staying correct.


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## Meemo

spotsmom said:


> It took me going to the users manual (!) to find out that to change the font size you use the up/down arrow on the 5 way! I was used to the Kindle way. So I got the font size to change but there's still lots of margin on either side. Just ain't a Kindle!!
> 
> And thanks for telling me about accessing through the Literati itself in the Kobo store. I'll give it a try!


The margin depends on how the book's formatted - I've had one that had HUGE margins (it was a library book), but others that completely filled the page. There's probably a way to change that in Calibre but I haven't bothered.


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## Meemo

PG4003 (Patricia) said:


> I had to go to the on line users manual too to see how to change the font. You can also hit Menu, then Display. But when I'm in my library book, it doesn't even give me that "Display" option. It won't let me change the font size in my library book.  But on the other books I was able to change it to a Sans Serif type and I like that better.


I hate that - publishers apparently can format the book so that you can't change the font or font size at all (I've seen that on the nook as well). Yet another stupid publisher trick.


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