Rating: 
Summary: If you want to read with your PDA, it's the best solution
Review: I'm not sure why the "Spotlight Review" above is listed first, as only about half the readers found it useful, but in any case, when a review is that one-sided I am suspicious of competing salesmen.
I have over 5 years of heavy PDA use, including 3 Palms, CE (early) and now Ebookman. I have always wanted to carry more docs and read with my PDA, and Ebookman is my favorite for this. MMC expandibility is a key here, though be aware that non-SD MMCs seem to be less common now. I have not tried an SD in the device. The difference in screen size is VERY significant for serious reading, and the thumbwheel is great. It would be nice if the screen was a bit sharper, but it is adequate with the backlight. Again, the size is perfect.
The MP3 player is nice for occasional use.
The Mobipocket content provider works seamlessly and effortlessly for buying books, dictionaries, etc. I had NO problems. I can't imagine how the other reviewer struggled so much with it.
The Outlook sync works well (Intellisync), in fact it is an execellent match for Outlook and I prefer it to the Palm syncs I have been using (fields never seem to match up right).
At the price Amazon is now showing, this is a no-brainer.
Rating:
Summary: bookman for the price
Review: For $ you cant beat it. It works well for reading and as a simple pda. I will still mostly use the laptop for ebooks but this makes a nice CHEAP LIGHTWEIGHT alternative and its a lot easier to than dragging the laptop out on a plane.
Rating:
Summary: Great little companion
Review: I've had the opportunity to use just about every style of PDA out there (Palm, Pocket PC, HPC, Psion, etc). I have found that mostly my needs revolve around having a basic address book and copy of my outlook calendar. I also have a very large collection of MobiPocket content. In looking for a simplified PDA that would meet my needs after retiring my trusty HP Pocket PC, I stumbled upon the Franklin eBookMan. I had shown interest in this product when it first came out, but was turned off by the price and functionality. Given the new reduced pricing, I decided to order one. On first receipt, I was very impressed with the construction. The 911 has a nice translucent case with rubber edges around the sides and bottom. This makes it by far the easiest PDA I've ever had in terms of comfort in the hand. The screen is very large and generally holds good contrast. It's larger than any screen I've seen on a palm-sized PDA and is very readable in office light. The backlight is less impressive, but is sufficient for its purpose. Installation of the eBookman was very easy. I am using a Dell Laptop with Windows 2000 professional, and was able to connect the eBookMan, install the OS, and sync to Outlook in less than 10 minutes from opening the box. The OS installed is version 2.02, which is the latest (and probably last) version of the eBookman OS. The interanal applications seem to be very stable. The address book and calendar, while not up to the caliber of the same applications on a Palm unit or Pocket PC, are sufficient. Outlook synchronization is a must for me, and the eBookMan includes the excellent Intellisync software and has very intelligent field mapping. For book reading, I can only comment on the Mobipocket reader, as my content was based previously with this provider. The software works well, and functions the same as I've seen it on many other platforms. The included jog dial is wonderful for reading, and the large screen allows one to have more content or large fonts easily. I also have tried the audible content. Until I get my MMC, I can only really hold 1 audible file above and beyond my MobiPocket content. The quality is no worse than I would have by listening to the file through streaming audio on the net, and I'm sure once I increase the file size and store the files on my MMC that this will improve. One item of note is that Audible must erase all files on the eBookman and then resynchronize. This is a very unfortunate bug, especially if your usage of this tool is based on subscriptions. One of the many complaints about the eBookman is battery life. Most of my usage is at the office tied to the crable (which draws power from USB), so I have no complaints. I also had a ready cache of NiMH "AAA" batteries from other projects, so rechargables were not an issue. I had no issues losing the contents when changing batteries. An advantage of using a non-proprietary battery is that "AAA" batteries will always be readily available. A disappointing oversight is the lack of an IrDA port. If a user wishes to use this PC on a portable machine at the office and use it at home as well, either the cradle will need to be transported or an additional sync cable must be purchased. Overall, this is by far the most enjoyable PDA I've owned. It's the perfect companion for someone who wants to read e-content and have basic organizer functionality.
Rating: 
Summary: Franklin EBM-911 reader
Review: The Franklin 911 was a gift. What a mistake! The promise on the box was that it would be compatable with Microsoft Reader soon. That is why I was sold on this reader. I kept checking with Franklin as to when Microsoft reader was going to be part of their system. Boy was I disappointed when they finally came out and said we've decided NOT to add Microsoft reader. Well that was it for me and this product. Without Microsoft's reader this product is almost worthless. The book selection is small and not up to date. So If I were someone looking at readers this one would be one to stay away from. My franklin reader is just gathering dust as I speak........
Rating:
Summary: Dont Waste Your Cash on an Ebookman
Review: I would have rated this device lower than one star but...it...does not go that low.
This device is not worth even considering for a purchase. Franklin has again shown why no one buys their products unless they are desparate. You must download the operating system before you can turn on the device. The screen is too small and not backlit making it totally useless for any purpose including reading any material from ebooks to newspaper subcriptions.
The speaker cost about 20 cents. Further, Franklin purportedly has arrangements with mobipocket and audible.com for content. Dont even bother trying to access the content from either of these sources. Their websites are poorly designed and they provide little usable tech support.
Moreover, Franklin tries to rip you off for the flash memory you must purchase separately...
Rating:
Summary: Dont Waste your Money on a Franklin eBookMan
Review: I bought an ebookman 911 to listen to mp3 and audiobook files. Franklin claims the ebookman is audible ready and recommended audible.com as a web source for content and included a free month benefit.
I regret buying the ebookman or using a "website".
... You must download the operating system from Franklin before you can even turn it on. Its manual was obviously written by someone for whom English was a second or third language. Further, the screen is too small and not backlit. Moreover, it eats batteries and you cannot use the adapter at all when the machine is syncing with your PC or the audible website which can take days. Now lets get to the ... website. Even with a free month benefit from Franklin, using the website is not worth the effort. Its poorly designed and unintelligible even to audible employees. Both Franklin and "the website" have lousy tech support and their FAQs are unhelpful. My advice, save your money, get a cheap cassette recorder and borrow audiobook cassettes from your local library.
Rating: 
Summary: best of both worlds
Review: Unlike most dedicated PDAs (Palm, etc.) that will also run e-book software, the Franklin has a decent size screen -- maybe not the size of the RCA e-book system but bigger than say the Palm systems. Plus it has all the standard PDA functions, date book, etc. I think its a great bargin if you want a e-book reader first that is also a PDA.
Rating:
Summary: EBOOKMAN
Review: I bought an EBOOKMAN at local store for [money] with a [money] mail in rebate. This is a fantastic PDA in that you can download from the Net free books, games, music. You can download your address book, date book from Outlook. I am VERY HAPPY with this purchase and the fact that I GOT IT FOR [money] AT local store!
Rating:
Summary: eBookman is frustrating
Review: I received the eBookman 911 as a gift last year and have been frustrated with it ever since. My main complaint is uploading the operating system into the unit because the unit doesn't come with a CD. Ever since I changed my PC's operating system to Windows XP, the eBookman has be come a bigger nightmare to operate. Because the unit doesn't come with a CD, one must download the operating system. For some reason, the unit doesn't remain connected to the computer during the download of the operating system; this leave the computer hanging. When you attempt to cancel the download, the program will not respond; so, you have to use Ctrl-Alt-delete to end the program which causes more problems on XP. When you attempt to turn off the computer after using Ctrl-alt-delete, eBookman's program somehow prevents the computer from shutting down; one has to manually turn off the computer; and then watch the computer do a scan disk when it reboots. Several attempts, which causes you to reboot the computer manually each time, has to be made before eBookman finally downloads the OS without disconnecting prematurely before the download is complete. Then eBookman has to download the new OS to the computer. Again, eBookman disconnects prematurely during the middle of the download which hangs up the program and which hangs up XP when you try to turn off the computer so that you can try again. When the OS is finally uploaded, eBookman works great except that battery life is short. I purchased last year a power pack which is suppose to run the eBookman from my wall socket. I thought that when the unit was hooked up to the power pack that the batteries would not drain. Guess what, the batteries still drain even when the unit is plugged in, although they drain at a much slower rate. My last complaint is customer sevice. Last year, you could contact Franklin by e-mail if you had problems. This year, Franklin discontinued e-mail support; so, now you have to make a long distant phone call, which isn't an 800 number, if you want support. I don't think that Franklin really engineered this product well. Spend the extra dollars and buy a Palm or a Sony.
Rating:
Summary: Would recommend
Review: I have had my ebookman (911) for a little over a year. I really like it. I take it everywhere with me. I bought one of the memory cards (the highest mb found) and I usually have about 30 books loaded on at one time. There are a lot of good ebooks out there - maybe not from wellknown authors, but in this past year I have not found one book I didn't like. It's great to have all of the books there so you can choose which one you want to read next instead of carrying a ton of paperbacks around with you. I really don't use the audio or music portion. Mainly I bought it to read ebooks and so I have no complaints. I have some games loaded on and I do use the calculator a lot when I am out. The address book is helpful. The back light for night reading is great and a definite plus. I was one of the people who everytime I tried to change the batteries I lost everything, but Franklin sent me another one which worked fine. I have no complaints about the service Franklin provides because they always responded quickly to help me with a couple of downloading problems and battery problems I had in the beginning. The only negative about the whole thing is that I purchased the ereader because Microsoft Reader was promised. Later, we were told that Franklin would no longer be setting up for Microsoft Reader. Mobipocket is slowly (a little too slowly) starting to put out more of the current best sellers. If you are an avid reader and not interested in email capabilities and spreadsheets, etc., this is the device you need. I would definitely recommend this product.
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