Like most LCD-based ebook readers, the Elonex 500B eBook is picking a fight with the wrong products. On paper, it has several advantages, including full colour and resilience – with its protected screen, you're more likely to forgo an expensive case. Playing with it in person though, it's simply not a good experience as a mini tablet or a substitute for real books. The standard LCD problems apply here – a very short battery life (six hours promised in this case, compared to the weeks or month offered by e-ink devices), weighing more than it feels like it should, and backlighting/screen reflection issues. Oddly, the eBook's main problem was at the other end of the spectrum – even at 100 per cent brightness, the screen remained dark and dingy, with a terrible contrast ratio. We were squinting to read text on it, and even at full zoom the screen is simply too small for comfortable reading. Little comfort issues – like the clicker to switch pages only being found on the right-hand side of the unit – didn't help, especially for the left-handed members of the team.
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