Loading Image...
For those of you that find the the Sony Reader too clunky, or the Amazon Kindle DX too large and cumbersome, this may just be the ideal portable ebook reader for you. Its very affordable price tag is bound to attract a lot of customers too.
The Interead Cool-er (yes, the name of the device is actually hyphenated) is small, light, and has the look and feel of an Apple iPod. It even has a circular navigation button that’s similar to the one on an iPod. I guess it’s always a safe bet to mimic a company that is well known for their trendy and eye-catching product design. 
Specs
- Weight - 6.3 oz
- Thickness - 0.4″
- Size - 7″ x 5″
- Screen Size - 6″
- Battery Life - 8000 page turns
- Storage - 1 GB internal + SD external slot
- Price - $250
The E Ink Vizplex screen mimics a matte book page and many owners have said they can read for hours without feeling any eye strain. A side button also lets you flick between portrait and landscape to suit your reading style or if the document your viewing requires a different layout.
With its 6″ screen size, this means you need to turn the page twice as often as you would with a typical paperback but most people find that easy to adapt to.
The Cool-er can hold around 300 books (that’s approximate based on the 1 GB internal storage). While this is far less than the Amazon Kindle 2 and DX, do most people even read that many books in their lifetime?
You can use the Cool-er to play audiobooks or music in MP3 format off the SD card. The eReader also lacks wireless connectivity which means all downloads have to be done via a USB connection. You download books onto your computer before moving them to the Cool-er. There is no automatic syncing like with the iPod.
Here’s a funny quote…Neil Jones the founder of Interread said, “Cool-er is designed - and priced - for people who love to read and share books. ‘This is the first ereader that people won’t be embarrassed to be seen with in public.” You know what, I can definitely see his point! I have noticed people staring when I’ve pulled out my Kindle DX on the subway.
Books can be bought from Interead’s own online bookshop (coolerbooks.com), or from other sites that sell ebooks.
Summary
While the Cool-er isn’t the most feature-packed electronic reading device, that’s not its purpose. It’s supposed to be an ebook reader for the masses. And it does that well. It’s quite affordable, well designed, and includes enough hardware and features for the average person. Heck, it even comes in 8 cool colors!
Keep in mind though, if you’re looking for something to read larger media like newspapers and magazines, or if you simply must have the latest technology like a touchscreen or WiFi, perhaps the Cool-er isn’t for you.
If you’d like to read more or buy a Cool-er you can here.
Rating:
(1 votes, average: 8.00 out of 10)
You need to be a registered member to rate this post.
Loading ...
Popularity: 31% [?]
Interead Cool-er Review | Portable Ebook Reader…
An in-depth review of the new, trendy Interead Cool-er ebook reader. Widely known as “The iPod of ebook readers”….
[...] more about the Interead Cool-er and electronic book [...]
[...] more about the Interead Cool-er and portable ebook [...]
Thank you! I would now go on this blog every day!
Hobosic
[...] more about the Interead Cool-er and electronic book [...]
[...] more about the Interead Cool-er and handheld ebook [...]
[...] more about the Interead Cool-er and portable reading [...]
[...] more about the Interead Cool-er and best ebook [...]
[...] more about the Interead Cool-er and digital book [...]
Where are you from? Is it a secret?
Jinny
Hey Jinny, the staff of Portable Ebook Reader is all from North America. We have a few people from Canada and the USA.
[...] 16 June 2009Interead Cool-er Review [...]
Hi. I like the way you write. Will you post some more articles?
Hi,
portable-ebook-reader.net to GoogleReader!
SonyaSunny
I’ve bought a cool-er and on the whole i like it,but there are a few things people should know before they buy. Firstly the product is good and works well, its not as cheap feeling as some reviews say and it dose exactly what it says it will do,show books in a readable format. The real big downside is the company,which is unbelievably poorly run.
This Ebook reader is said to be a simple easy to use book reader suitable for anyone to use, Not only dose it not come with a user manual my question to interead revealed that not only is there no user manual on there web site but THEY HAV’NT WRITTEN IT YET !!! The tiny start up leaflet dose not mention downloading a book onto the devise. Im an experienced computer user and it took we 2 days to work out how to do it even buying from there own book store!
When i ordered the product I was sent a direct link for payment…it did not work,nor did the next one… once i had the product I was sent a discount link to buy books from there store …it did not work.
I tried to call there UK help number …it did not work. This dose not give a buyer confidence when buying a computer related product. It really looks like they have rushed this product out too fast and they will pay the penalty for it im sure.
The reader IS simple and dose not have some of the extras that appear on other machines,wifi,keyboard stc but as a stand alone book reader you do not need these. The screen is very clear at all angles,one charge lasts for ever, its light and easy to slip in a pocket, I would like to see a protective jacket for it but perhaps that will come with the manual. A great little reader with lots of format options but no help in using them,interead are definatly sooting themselves in the footand its a pity because the product is a good cheap option.
OK, so how DID you manage to transfer a new book to the Coolreader? So far, mine is just a very expensive way to read War and Peace! I’ve downloaded a couple of books via Adobe etc but can’t get them across to the e-reader - HELP !
Hi Madzie,
Are you are using Adobe Digital Editions (ADE)?
If you are; once you have downloaded the book into ADE, connected the COOL-ER via the USB cable - a COOL-ER icon should appear in the “library view” - you then simple drag and drop the book to the icon. Disconnect the COOL-ER and look for the book in the folder called Digital Editions.
If you are not using ADE or any other protected formats, plug your COOL-ER into your computer in to your computer, open its files via “your computer” options and again just drag and drop the book.
I hope this helps. If you are still having a problem, please contact support@coolreaders.com who will be able to walk you through it.
Great review, keep em coming!!! I love ebook readers.
Who knew thta such a shiny device may some day rival the iPod? mhuhahahhaaha
I like how flashy and how many colors these Cool-ers come in. I think I’ll get one for my daughter for xmas.
Cooler E-Reader - Disappointing Quality and Support
We purchased 2 Coolers in July 09 when they first came on the market and unfortunately would not recommend them to anyone. While one has generally worked ok, less than 2 weeks into a 4 month trip to South America my wife’s unit started having problems – freezing up, getting caught in continuous loops while starting up, having the screen suddenly become garbled. A number of different fixes worked at different times but nothing actually solved the problems. Mine has also had some of the same problems but never as bad.
Eventually we were told to send hers back in mid-October (from Bolivia, paid by us, eventually reimbursed in Jan/10). Despite the fact we tracked it and knew they had received it before the end of October we never heard back until I hounded them in mid-November and finally got a response. I was told it was fixed but they were just waiting on a new software upgrade and would send it out next week. That turned out to be a blatant lie. Three weeks later I hadn’t heard anything and tried contacting them again – no response, no response.
Finally, in mid-December, I got fed up and sent an angry email to everyone in the organization I could find contact info for. That apparently got their attention as I received several replies and even a phone call. Their PR rep was very helpful and got a new unit sent out immediately (which was good because apparently they could no longer locate our original one). Of course, although she also promised to send us free credit in the Cooler Bookstore we never did receive this.
Now, while the new unit doesn’t seem to suffer from the original problems, the battery appears to be defective (it lasts about 10% as long as our other one – not even a full day). I once again contacted Cooler Support, even offering to purchase a new battery, and after a third try was told:
The COOL-ERs battery is easily removable. If you do find a replacment
battery at a local battery retailer please feel free to try one out. I
currently do not have a replacement battery to offer.
Best regards,
Julie
I thought it was very generous of them to “allow” us to try to find a new battery at our own cost since they apparently don’t bother keeping replacement parts around. Unbelievable.
All in all, we’ve had nothing but headaches with Cooler and I now understand why they were cheaper than the rest. Even when they are technically working they still occasional get stuck cycling and overall they just seem poorly made. So, while I don’t have any personal experience with other models, I would recommend trying anything else since I can’t see how the quality or service could really be any worse.