We recently shot this demonstration clip of the Cybook gen3.
In this video, the Cybook Gen3 shows a Vizplex screen and the books are in Mobipocket format. All the commands are done with the navigation button (except the library layout modifications). The images have not been specifically formatted for the screen : images are resized, converted to grey levels and dithered on the go.
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41 comments:
You must manual set your camera options in oder to avoid this blicking effect
thanks
Wow, that are some nice features!
If I may suggest something: If you haven't done so already, you could think about including the Bitstream Vera Serif & Sans fonts. They are released under an open source license and are of high quality. More information
And you can download them here.
Hello Icehand,
You can add your own fonts by yourself in the Cybook. You just need to copy them in the Font folder of the Cybook internal memory and they become available in the font family submenu for page layout.
Michael (for Bookeen)
That's great! And thanks for the quick reply.
Very nice. I was definitely one of those nay-sayers who thought, "Well, come on, I've already got one e-reader, will there really be a huge difference?" I'm happy to say that the difference is pretty huge. I love my Sony Reader, but the faster reload time on the Cybook makes the Reader look like a prototype or something.
But I digress. I'm curious about something... When you turn on the Cybook, does it have that sort of booting-up time similar to the Iliad, or is it more like the Sony Reader in that the operating system seems to be "running" non-stop?
An impressive demo.
I have a question:
Does the device work the same with PDF files or these capabilities (changing fonts and font size) are available in mobipocket file format only?
Thanks.
Hello Feliza,
If MP3 is OFF and you are not turning a page or using a menu, our device is in sleep mode. Your screen shows of course the current page but the processor and memories are frozen.
In this mode, the Cybook can wake-up in half a second (500ms) which is almost unoticeable. If you look at the video, the Cybook is often in sleep mode (after one second of inactivity the Cybook fells in sleep mode).
In this mode the battery lifetime is around one week.
You can also choose to switch completely off your Cybook to preserve your battery (the screen becomes completely white). The Cybook will take around 14 seconds to wake-up. In this power off mode the battery lifetime reaches several month.
Michael (for Bookeen)
PS: decreasing booting time and increasing sleep mode battery lifetime are of course on our todo list.
This is awesome.
I was a happy owner of PRS500 - Sony Reader until I saw this.
I particulary like the possibility to switch to the sans-serif font or even *adding* my own preffered font (GASP!). I consider sans-serif font much, much more readable on a low resolution displays - that is anything less than 300DPI. I also like the possibility to switch the full justification off.
All the above mentioned features combined with file upload access - standard umass USB disk (as oposed to highly proprieraty mess Sony uses) make this VERY atractive to me. I did not plan to switch readers any time soon, but now I am starting to think how to sell my Sony Reader.
If you implement folders for books - so I do not have to scrool through hundreds of books one slow screenfull after another - your Cybook will become irresistible to me ;-)
Does the Cybook support other languages? I mean can it display book in Russian, Polish Czech or other central / eastern European languages?
I am very much looking forward to your device.
Dictionary in Cybook...great idea.
Firstname: Yes it support central european languages. They confirmed me, that it can display slovak language (i sent them html, mobipocket and txt files).
Guys. that's look awesome. I just want it.
2 points to know:
1. Russian fonts support
2. I couldn't find any bookmark button. How can i do that?
add me to the buyers list
sitkarev@gmail.com
Russian fonts are supported.
Bookmark feature not present in this version but will be added for release.
Michael (for Bookeen)
Two more things:
1. Is there/will there be support for folders?
2. I've read somewhere that the Cybook will support archives -- so can I, say, put a comic that consists of 200 images (PNG format) into a ZIP file and it will read fine on the Cybook? If yes, are there some restrictions how big the archive may be or if folders inside the archive will work?
Is the dictionary available for any ebook (e.g. txt files from Project Gutenberg)? Do we have to buy a dictionary? Which languages are available?
Will we be able to highlight sentences/words and save those highlightings?
Hei,
I have only one suggestion and three questions.
Suggestion; to keep the system drm free. I personally think that Sony`s proprietary software craze led to the company`s "loss" against companies like Apple.
1. When is Cybook being released?
2. How much will it cost?
3. People living outside of the EU like Norway, can they pay in US Dollars?
Looks promising.
Is there anyway to reduce, or eliminate, the flashing between pages? That's super distracting/annoying and one of the major reasons I'm thinking of waiting to purchase an e-reader (until the tech is further along).
Bruce,
I believe that the flashing between page turns is a side-effect of the e-ink. Essentially--though I'm no engineer--the e-ink has to kind of redistribute itself upon each page turn. Hence, the flashing.
It's definitely a bit jarring at first. When I first got my Sony Reader, I wasn't exactly annoyed, but it was rather distracting. If it helps at all, I soon got used to the screen blacking out for a second and now I don't really notice it at all. I've spoken to others who have had a similar experience. Hopefully it won't totally turn you off from e-ink.
I suppose you could avoid this flashing effect by reading on an LCD device like the Ebookwise. I guess the drawback would be the eyestrain that accompanies extended LCD screen reading, as well as the less paper-like feel.
I am really interested in this device. I first ran across it on the MobileRead.com site then more details on the Baen site.
It seems like a wonderful 2nd gen device.
I have a concern about preventing damage from drops as my hands are somewhat...ummm...forgetful that they are holding someting. ;)
Anyway, is there a place to connect a wrist laynard type strap? Something like a camera wrist strap? The ability to attach something like this sure would go a long way to preventing cracked/broken screens from drops.
And I will add another vote that folders are a must have or it's pretty much pointless if you have lots of books...especially so as more text/reference books come out as ebooks.
One more idea...something that is preventing me from jumping into the eink device pool is the lack of a back-light...I understand why one is not there...
I have a suggestion. Put a flip-up (more of a tilt-up) LED light bar across the top where the Bookeen Name is above the display. It could even be sort of a prism design to refract the light down to the display.
I would imagine this would make using the device in low light a breeze and likely would provide enough illumination to read the display. It would also eliminate the need to carry some sort of extra device to put light on the display to read it.
Not sure if it is possible but it sure would be nice in the next generation reader.
@ Bruce
Is there anyway to reduce, or eliminate, the flashing between pages? That's super distracting/annoying and one of the major reasons ...
Hi Bruce.
I am an owner of the Sony Reader PRS500. The flashing is only annoying for the first 50 pages. After reading a few books on this thing you stop seeing / noticing the flash. Human brain has the ability to filter out distrtacting smells, noises or visual element. It really works. Try to borrow a reader for a couple of weeks of intensive reading and you will see for yourself.
Hello Bruce,
We will provide an option which will switch off the "Global Refresh" (flashing between pages).
There is a drawback, switching off global refersh will increase the ghosting effect.
The GR is in fact here to reset and clear the screen.
Michael (for Bookeen)
Will the device support eBooks in a chm format.
Hello,
this looks really nice - I have two small questions though:
Will there be an option to jump/goto a certain page directly without having to thumb through a multi-hundred-page book? Also, will it remember where I left a book if I open another one and come back to first one (or a feature like MS Readers "goto furthest read")?
thanks
Are there any plans for progress indicators? Beyond just the book progress bar of the Sony Reader, I'd love to see something along the lines of:
Chapter: 30/42 (71%) -- Book: 312/401 (78%)
Firstly, let me compliment you for opening this communication channel with e-book enthusiasts (and future customers) all over the world.
One thing I would really like to see is a side-by-side comparison between the bookeen and the Sony Reader. I know that the Vizplex screen is supposed to have higher contrast than the 1st gen E-ink used in the Reader, but from the video it looks exactly the same. This is more important to me than the page switching speed.
I am also very much interested in answers for the 3 questions posed by mh: When? How Much? Will you ship to Brazil?
Thanks!
--Claudio
Extremely interested and ready to purchase my FIRST eBook device .. and this seemed to be fit the need !!!
When will this be ready? and how much (US$)??
What kind of tech support will there be??
michael,
just wanted to say the software looks extremely impressive. good work!
- nathan.
Please consider adding wifi and a web browser in a future release. Being able to pull down new ebooks while sitting in the airport or coffee shop would be very, very useful.
Also, I'm not sure what the complete format list is you're considering supporting, but please support all the non-DRM formats (.txt, .rtf, .pdf, etc) in addition to the Mobipocket stuff. Thanks.
When you say that there is PDF support is this support of just unencrypted/unDRMed pdf or will the device support the full Adobe Digital editions with DRM?
Hello Nicky,
PDF support is without any DRM.
However note that Cybook Gen3 will support encrypted files (it's different than DRM). To summarize, it's when the reader asks you for a password.
Best regards,
Michael (for Bookeen)
What is the largest viewable png image? Is one able to load images larger than the screen size and pan around? Like one found
http://rob.com/airports/test/
Suggestion:
Include a scroller, that helps in speed reading
Wi-Fi and Blue Tooth capability too should be considered
Question:
Can I install any other distribution of Linux ? Like ubuntu ? If so, do I gain access to pre-installed OS through a mini USB port or something like that?
This is a wonderful device. Thanks for sharing all your work ahead of the release date. How does it handle PDF ? The problem with most small screens is that the text comes out small and hard to read since it is mostly supposed to be read on an 8.5x11 inch area. Can the device rescale the PDF to fit into 800x600 ? and is the text still comfortable to read ? This would be my main consideration for buying. Thanks.
Regarding fonts: You mention that the user can load there own. What types of font's are supported i.e. True Type, ATM etc.
Also are you takeing pre-orders yet? I realy want one of these as soon as I can get one. I've read eBooks exclusively since the first Palm Pilot hit the market at a rate of 3 to 5 novels a week plus tech manuals etc. I am noticing more and more eye strain and have just gotten my first pair of bifocals last month. So I am realy looking forward to getting a Cybook.
One last thing. I got to look at a Sony PRS-500 last week for the first time. I didn't even notice the screen flash at all HOWEVER the contrast on the Sony reader is terrable. Please tell me that the Cybook has much better contrast!
Regards,
Caleb Avery
Caleb,
well the contrast *is* better, but only by ~14%. For good contrast you really need good lighting.
This is looking ideal for people like me who play Roleplay games, one question though will it be able to diplay pdfs from http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/
most of theses include background pictures and text but all the examples of books that ive seen are only text ith no images.
icehand,
~14% improvement in contrast is better then none. So far everything I've researched about eBook readers tells me that the Cybook Gen3 will probably be the best one to buy.
BTW, does anyone posting here know of any independant sites where someone that has 'hands on' experiance with prototypes of the Cybook Gen3? (and any other up and comeing eBook readers...) The cost of any of eBook reader right now makes it a nessesity in my view to do as much research as possable before buying. I want to get the best for my money.
Regards,
Caleb
Caleb,
MobileRead is a good site to look for that kind of thing, though no hands-on review has been released so far.
I am a little confused about PDF files. Will I be able to by encrypted Adobe Digital Edition files from eBooks.com or other stores and read them on this device?
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