Bookeen has just put up a demo video of the reader with the current software version.

Looks really great for reading mobipocket formats. I guess i will have to order one soon :)

See for yoursel: http://bookeen.blogspot.com/2007/09/cybook-gen3-demo-clip.html

That is a nice video.

Still needs a battery meter though.

Sweet. Screen updates are definitely fast enough to get by without the 1-0 buttons.

Wow!

I want one of this...

I liked the lookup function... that's perfect if you are not reading in your mother tongue!

L

Nice features especially the dictionnary and library. It's a shame that the popup menu doesn't change orientation with the display mode. The device lacks higher placed, page turn buttons on both sides like all readers. Works fine placed on a table but what serious reader uses it this way for long periods. These devices cry out for color.

So does the device include a built-in dictionary, or is that a 3rd-party purchase?

Very nice video indeed, I love the fact that they're using a pop-up menu, the library display looks nice, and overall the UI is really good.

This is a very exciting device. Nice screen, a font folder to allow you to add fonts by putting them in the folder, MobiPocket support, pop-up menus, lots of font size choices, and (WOW!) a nice dictionary look-up! I'm drooling a bit. :)

There will certainly be tradeoffs. iLiad, of course, has the nice big screen. Sony Reader has more buttons, and is a very solid device. And there are still some unknowns with Bookeen (maybe they were answered elsewhere?)... other formats supported, battery life, boot up time, standby mode, clock, dock, "hackability", memory card support, mp3s, etc

We're getting so close to the point where an "Average Joe" might be interested. If only the price could drop just a bit more. Once these kinds of devices are <$100 look out!

They've commented on the battery life on their blog:
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.

You've hit the critical point just right Bob. "When the average Joe might be interested"

With all the people I've met with my Sony in hand, I haven't found many who'd be willing to use a computer to get to a reader.

You've hit the critical point just right Bob. "When the average Joe might be interested"

With all the people I've met with my Sony in hand, I haven't found many who'd be willing to use a computer to get to a reader.With modem hardware being so cheap, I'm surprised it wasn't a part of the reference design. This would be an inexpensive way to have broader mass-market appeal. Grandma could plug in the phone line, browse the online store using the GUI, make a purchase and unplug the phone. The same thing Amazon seems to be doing, but without using the seemingly more expensive mobile telephone infrastructure.

Just adds $5 dollars to the hardware. Maintaining the online store is a little work and there is a little cost for having a toll-free dialup.

There's still a generation or two out there who just can't/won't work with computers.

If any device had such ease of purchase functionality, I'd easily buy one for my father and grandmother.

If any device had such ease of purchase functionality, I'd easily buy one for my father and grandmother.At a reasonable price of course. I think $199 would be a sweet-spot where I'd be giving these away as gifts to loved ones. I think a $199 price would really jump start this movement.

So does the device include a built-in dictionary, or is that a 3rd-party purchase? This is probably the standard MobiPocket dictionary support. There are several modern dictionaries for sale in MobiPocket format, or use the freely-available GNU Collaborative International Dictionary of English (http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=12000).

Apparently there were promises of the Kindle being able to reach Amazon to buy books without the aid of a computer. I wonder what will come of that.

Apparently there were promises of the Kindle being able to reach Amazon to buy books without the aid of a computer. I wonder what will come of that.

You can do the same on the iLiad using the Feedbooks program but for public domain books and RSS. We can easily port this app on any open device running Linux+GTK with a WiFi connection.

Numerically speaking, Vizplex may not be all that much faster than its predecessor, but I think it's crossed a threshold where the delay is getting to be unnoticeable. Of course, it could be that regular e-ink has warped my perceptions on the matter. :shrug:

I like the image based index of books/files. Very nicely intuitive, making it faster to find what you're after. :nice:

After seeing that video this is now my top contender. I'm very impressed. I love the lookup feature. That was one of the main reasons I was thinking of waiting for a touchscreen model but with this I may not have to. I think some day when there are products closer to the Info Pad concept that are more mature I'll probably want one, but for reading novels and such this looks just peachy.

Lookup mode is incredible and a must-to-have for people who don't speak
english as a mother tongue.

For instance, i'm fond of fantasy but you rarely learn at school what words
like "quiver" mean ;) With this dictionnary it'll become a pleasure to learn
vocabulary by reading :)

However, it's true there is a lack of buttons compared to the sony prs-500/505.

I don't necessarily need a lot of buttons as long as I have the right buttons.

Guguy,

I've found, with a proper ToC, I don't really miss the extra buttons that the PRS-500 has. Of course, it would be hell trying to do any kind of tex-input without even 0-9, but I suppose even that could be accomplished using a virtual keyboard and the navigation dial.

Derek

Lookup mode is incredible and a must-to-have for people who don't speak
english as a mother tongue.

For instance, i'm fond of fantasy but you rarely learn at school what words
like "quiver" mean ;) With this dictionnary it'll become a pleasure to learn
vocabulary by reading :)

However, it's true there is a lack of buttons compared to the sony prs-500/505.

Have you seen that?
That's what I call software development!! Simplicity, usability, speed.

After seeing this video does anyone still doubt the benefits of vizplex?
Now that I've finally jumped on the devices bandwagon I'll wait to see what amazon has to offer, but if it's anything like their prototype, then I'm getting a cybook.

The black and white text might just a little bit faster noticeably but the grey-scale pictures sure render faster on the screen. The screen looks whiter too but I need a older gen screen right next to it with the same lighting conditions to really believe its that much whiter compared to the old e-ink which I have seen in person.

The dictionary is well done in my opinion. I do not know how it could be done better unless it is a touch screen.

Have you seen that?
That's what I call software development!! Simplicity, usability, speed.

After seeing this video does anyone still doubt the benefits of vizplex?
Now that I've finally jumped on the devices bandwagon I'll wait to see what amazon has to offer, but if it's anything like their prototype, then I'm getting a cybook.

Don't forget the 505 . It hasn't been launched yet and we know nothing of its software features. I'm hoping to see Digital Editions on board.

I'm afraid you're likely to be disappointed, yvanleterrible -- I don't think Adobe has finished a mobile version of DE yet. :shrug:

Maybe but don't under estimate the speed at which they can work when the smell of money calls!

Hey! Don't get me wrong, I'd love it if you were right! :yes: I just haven't seen any indications that it's so. :shrug:

Is the dictionary going to be available for any ebook (e.g. *.txt files from Project Gutenberg)? Do we have to buy a dictionary? Which languages are available?
I don't know if that's a Mobipocket feature only since I've never seen a Mobipocket file. What do you think?

Is the dictionary going to be available for any ebook (e.g. *.txt files from Project Gutenberg)? Do we have to buy a dictionary? Which languages are available?

I've been told that dictionary is a mobipocket feature (also available on
the iliad for instance) so it's not available for any ebook, however you can
easily convert txt ebooks to mobipocket.

Usually you have to buy the dictionary. There are 178 dictionaries currently
available for mobipocket, see :
http://www.mobipocket.com/en/eBooks/edict.asp?Language=EN

I don't use Mobi either, but I believe guguy has the right of it. :yes:

Lookup mode is incredible and a must-to-have for people who don't speak
english as a mother tongue.

For instance, i'm fond of fantasy but you rarely learn at school what words
like "quiver" mean ;) With this dictionnary it'll become a pleasure to learn
vocabulary by reading :)


Just a note that "lookup" is a standard feature of MobiPocket. It's available on any device which has MobiPocket Reader - CyBook, iLiad, Pocket PC, Palm, etc etc.