Just a note to future readers -
If you take Gemstar up on their offer to "upgrade" this model you will receive some nice new features, however what they don't tell you is that your machine will become PROPRIETARY! All the books you had before will become unreadable and your ebook will only be able to "read" Gemstar books in the future. This means you are force to buy all future books from the Gemstar catalog only!
The new features that come with this upgrade to the 1150 model are hardly worth being locked into one ebook vendor forever. The openness of this little model is it's beauty - it's the last one of it's kind, as all future models are proprietary.

This is excellent if you like to read but don't want to carry around a bunch of books - excellent for long business trips. I don't know what mood I'll be in, so I bring a variety of books on my ebook.
Because it's backlit, there is never an issue of enough light to read by - excellent for when I'm in a poorly lit restaurant.
I don't worry about shelf space at home anymore. I just order the books and then have them on my web-bookshelf.
The books available are growing every day. Lots of current fiction and also older titles. It's a great way to get Seabiscuit, and your Charles Dickens collection into your reading list.
Big thick books aren't a problem, because you can easily hold the device in on-hand. I carry a 700 page book of anecdotes for "light" reading, along with the other books I carry.
Excellent device. I recommend it to everyone.

I will admit, that this is a very nice package. The unit is a good weight and it looks wonderful... BUT...( and that's a big but).. this unit is proprietary! You can not convert .html, .txt, or anything else, into the .rb format. The software does not allow it and there are (according to customer support) no plans to create such software. This means you can not use your own content on this unit.

If you're going to buy something, do NOT look at this unit.

I kinda wish they'd put this stuff on the box (supports MMM filetypes) so I wouldn't have wasted my time buying it. Now I'll have to trek back to the store where I purchased it, to return it... and start looking all over again.

Has to be a misprint, as buying this new from RCA would have cost approx... RCA no longer has its name on this ebook reader. It is now in the hands of GEMSTAR again. It is called the GEB1100, now. (12/02) It is still about ... when bought new. (I have the REB1100 and updated it for ... by sending it to Gemstar, recently. Some nice new utilities were added to it. This is not necessary, though.)

When I fist bought mine new (from an on-line auctions site for ...), I played with it and learned the "controls." The directions are on the reader itself and also in a provided paper booklet/pamphlet. I still liked the feel of an actual book in my hands and thought that a "real book" was much easier to use. Why would someone want to read it on this device? I gave myself two weeks and forced myself to the REB1100 exclusively because I knew that I was just used to the old way of reading and am a creature of habit.

Now, I cannot do without it! I LOVE it! After using it for two weeks, I came to find the controls easy to use. I can rotate the screen to read a book with the reader horizontally positioned or vertically positioned. I can increase the typeface size to large or small. Since it is backlight (you can adjust the contrast and also the backlighting), I can read this in the comfy confines of my bed while my husband is sleeping in the darkness. I do not have to have a light on. I added a SmartMedia card and I can have approx. 40 books on this device at the same time. (About 20 without.) Perfect for traveling! (With the recent ... upgrade to equate it with the newly produced GEB readers, I can dog-ear a page electronically, highlight text, scribble notes or drawings, etc. Quite a lot for the price.)

The battery really does last as long as advertised. There are more ebooks available than one would think. The maker's site is the best because after you purchase a title, it is available on the website FOREVER, to re-download as often as you would like. The newest published titles are the most expensive, obviously. If you wait 6 months, the price goes way down. Most titles that I buy are usually about ...

Lastly, this is a black and white reading device. The electronic cover of the book will not be in color. The pages are black and white. I don't see any reason why I would want a color version (GEB1200). The price seems too steep. Then again, I haven't tried one. I am too happy with this one.

It comes with a protective cover, stylus, recharger, telephone "line" (You can plug it into your home phone outlet and connect to the bookstore for free. Buy titles or browse/download the catalogue.) It comes with a USB cable to connect to your PC, if you wish, and connect to any bookstore's website. Software is included, to put your "library" onto your desktop.

I thoroughly enjoy this product and hope to always have one.

I started using ebooks with the old Rocket, Mom to the Reb1100. Loved the concept and flexibility. Ended up dropping it and bought a demo Reb1100 to replace it. My account transferred easily so I still have access to all my books. Love the Reb1100!

Advantages to this version: lighter than the Rocket; rubberized surface (less chance to drop!); nice reflective screen, about the size of a paper-back; excellent backlight; ability to upgrade the memory (normally I carry it with about 20 books, so haven't really needed the upgrade yet); GREAT battery - really does go 20-40 hours between charges, much better than on my PocketPC.

Someone else here was bend because they couldn't use their own content - NOT true! - and had problems with the USB driver. You do have to use the eBook Librarian, rather than the Rocket Librarian because of the USB connection. To use your own content, install the old Rocket Librarian (it automatically installs to a separate folder), then use the Rocket version to create the .rb files of your content. Import the .rb file into the eBook Librarian and your own content is added to your library and can be sent to the Reb1100.

By the way, I prefer to manage my books on the PC, rather than by modem. It's nice to be able to download books directly to the unit when away, but I think it's easier to see what you have, search, categorize, etc. on the PC using the librarian software. This is also why I won't be upgrading to Gemstar's newer versions, even though the color one is tempting. The new versions (starting with the 1150) don't support software on the PC for managing the books - you have to go online to update your unit. Plus: the battery life is much less; the cost is way too high - even involves subscription (Hah!) for some units; and they do NOT support personal content.

Bottom line: The Reb1100 is great!