REB1200 Firmware Info and Accessories
Accessories:
Firmware Overview:
As mentioned before, the firmware is like the brain of the REB1200. It tells what the REB1200 can or can not read. Only firmware 2.0 and 3.3 can read personal contents, all other version can ONLY read contents purchased from Gemstar, which was closed in 2004). The difference between firmware 2.0 and 3.3 is that firmware 3.3 can read both .RES and .imp formats while firmware 2.0 can load only the .RES format. Thus the real benefit to firmware 3.3 this is that you no longer need to do an extra step of converting from .imp to .RES . There is also reportings of firmware 3.3 being a bit faster, but I really don't feel it. So, if you have firmware 2.0 and you are a bit afraid of doing the upgrade, you don't really have to. For more reasons to upgrade or not, checkout Glenn's page (scroll down to the middle of the page).
To check your firmware version: open your ebook & press MENU | info | more. The viewer number is your firmware version.
Upgrading Procedure:
The process is pretty simple, but still, Proceed At Your Own Risk! I nor anyone else is responsible for your actions. If you have second doubts, it may be better if you let Gemstar do it for you for $30.
- First, if you have an Ethernet connection, simply disconnect the side of the ethernet plug that connects to your computer and insert it into the ebook (that is if your Ethernet connection is auto DHCP (most home Ethernets are)). If you don't have ethernet connection, you need to read and follow the instructions in the electronic User's Guide that comes with your ebook for connecting to the Network using the ebook's phone line modem
- Once you got it to either hook up to the Ethernet line or got the modem setting working, pressing MENU button - "Auto Connect". It will say "Connecting to the Network" or "Searching for Network". After about 10 seconds or so, one of three things will occur:
- If there are no error messages and the form fill out page appears, then just tap "New Bookshelf" and follow directions to do the upgrade (however, in my many upgrade experience, this rarely happens).
- OR, if the top of the screen says "Server Unavailable, try again later", _BUT_ the background of the screen changed to a form fill out page, you're still good! Just tap the '^' on the screen to make the error message go away. Then press MENU button - "Directory". A new screen will appear, tap "Customer Support, Update". Turn to the next page and tap "Yes" to perform the update.
- Lastly, if it says "Server Unavailable, try again later", and the background is still what it was before, then you can either try again or wait an hour or so for the Network to work again. In my experience, if you keep trying every hour or so, eventually you will be connected.
Now your REB1200 can read .imp files. (You need to place .imp files at the root of the CF-card, NOT in the softbks folder like the .RES files goes.)
If your REB1200 has been registered to someone else..
You can have it unregistered (so that you don't have to see someone else's name whenever you press MENU button - "Info"). However, you should think twice before doing this since I had one reporting that after the calibration process(needed after hard reset), the ebook never wakes up. Although this is a very rare case..
- Open your ebook & press MENU button - "sleep"
- Press and hold down the Page-Back (left arrow) key
- While doing that, press and hold down the MENU key at the same time
- You will see a "check sum" message, you can now let go of the two keys
- Press MENU button - "info"
- Tap "more"
- Tap the other "more", you will see options to erase internal/external memory
- Erase the internal memory, this will unregister your REB1200
- It will then ask you to recalibrate your screen
Now if you want to register it (so your name appears when you press MENU button - "info", just connect to the Network and press MENU button - "bookstore" to enter your ID info.
Now that your REB1200 is all set to load ebooks, we will go to the
next section -- ebook Content Sites.