Bookeen sent word in that the release of the Cybook Gen3 e-reader (http://www.mobileread.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=136) will be delayed until October due to "slight adjustments in the final steps of mass production." On the positive side, they also reported that, unlike previously suggested, support for Adobe PDF will now be included in the initial release.

Related: Video Demo of the Bookeen Reader (http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=14173), Cybook Still Available in September? (http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=13054)

The good thing about this delay is that the gen3 is gonna be released at
the same time that the kindle and prs-505. So we'll be able to compare
and buy the best one :)

Bookeen sent word in that the release of the Cybook Gen3 e-reader will be delayed until October due to "slight adjustments in the final steps of mass production."

Why did they tell us initially that it would be released in September?

Either Bookeen is incompetent in running their business, not being able to anticipate delays, or they lied about the release date in order to create a hype, a kind of publicity tactic. In either case, this kind of behaviour isn't very reassuring.

Delays like this are, of course, nothing new on the ebook scene. It may just be that when you release a new device, you need to delay the launch a couple times in order to build up enough customer readiness. Only problem with that is the part where you don't keep your promise about the release date, which I call lying to customers.

Why did they tell us initially that it would be released in September?

Either Bookeen is incompetent in running their business, not being able to anticipate delays, or they lied about the release date in order to create a hype, a kind of publicity tactic. In either case, this kind of behaviour isn't very reassuring.

Delays like this are, of course, nothing new on the ebook scene. It may just be that when you release a new device, you need to delay the launch a couple times in order to build up enough customer readiness. Only problem with that is the part where you don't keep your promise about the release date, which I call lying to customers.
Why is it that you are so hostile? have you never seen other companies miss their release deadlines before? The Cybook gen3 could be released before the software is ready. Do you want to see that happen?

Why did they tell us initially that it would be released in September?

Presumably because this was the original plan.

Either Bookeen is incompetent in running their business, not being able to anticipate delays, or they lied about the release date in order to create a hype, a kind of publicity tactic. In either case, this kind of behaviour isn't very reassuring.

Bookeen are completely dependend upon their external suppliers, such as the screen manufacturer. It is well documented that there have been delays in the supply of the new Vizplex screens that the CyBook uses. These delays are completely outside Bookeen's control.

Delays like this are, of course, nothing new on the ebook scene. It may just be that when you release a new device, you need to delay the launch a couple times in order to build up enough customer readiness. Only problem with that is the part where you don't keep your promise about the release date, which I call lying to customers.

That's a very foolish thing to say. Do you honestly believe that Bookeen deliberately misled people about the delivery date? The date was an estimate, not a "promise". Nobody can make "promises" about future events, because nobody can predict the future. You haven't "lost" anything through this delay, have you? You haven't paid Bookeen any money, or ordered a machine from them? What are you so upset about?

Personally I would rather that delivery got delayed by 6 months, if that's what it takes to get the product right. It's pointless delivering an unfinished product simply to meet some arbitrary date.

Why does it matter if it gets delivered tomorrow, or next month, or next year?

Anyway, 2 months ago they told us the gen3 would be released at
the end of this month, so if it actually comes out at the middle of
october it will be only 2 weeks late on the initial schedule.

However, I hope they don't mean 10/31 when they say it's gonna be released
in october...

Why did they tell us initially that it would be released in September?

Either Bookeen is incompetent in running their business, not being able to anticipate delays, or they lied about the release date in order to create a hype, a kind of publicity tactic. In either case, this kind of behaviour isn't very reassuring.

Delays like this are, of course, nothing new on the ebook scene. It may just be that when you release a new device, you need to delay the launch a couple times in order to build up enough customer readiness. Only problem with that is the part where you don't keep your promise about the release date, which I call lying to customers.
Remember all of the delays at Intel with their chips? Some were far more than a few months late. Apple? AMD? I could keep going but you get the point. :D

Guys, I don't think that balok is being hostile, it seems to me that he's disappointed and probably a bit angry.

I can understand that sentiment entirely.

You weren't around at the time, HarryT and JSWolf, but if you'll take a look back at the posts from around the beginning of June '06, when Hanlin, Sony and iRex had all three just missed their projected launch dates, you'll see why. Those three were the first ever e-ink devices and the ... anticipation was ... very strong. There were a lot of normally level-headed people whose posts at that moment in time would have made balok's look like the ravings of a Fan-Boy by comparison.

In fact, the outcry was so pronounced that iRex eventually (after about 3 weeks, I think) agreed to sell units with "unfinished" firmware to those willing to sign a waiver that they understood that the device was unfinished. There are two (I think) entire threads here full of people making that statement so they could get a chance to order the thing unfinished.

Now that being said, and even given the fact that I do understand your irritation, balok, I also know from that experience that deadlines get missed. Launches get pushed, and generally (from the iLiad experience), it's better to wait an extra month or even three for a product that actually does what it was designed to do, rather than one that's not there yet. In this instance, as HarryT pointed out, a lot of the delay appears to be external to Bookeen, so even if the device is ready for prime-time at this very second, they can't build the things without the ruddy parts. :shrug:

Of course, that is a great deal easier to see, and to say, from the other side of the wait, particularly when I already have my device of choice sitting on the shelf next to my desk.

For those waiting for the Gen3, I'm sorry for your pain, I've felt it myself, and for longer than a mere month. But, I can also tell you that at this stage you'll be happier with the device once you get it, if they take the time now to finish it. :yes:

I spent some time playing with the latest version of the Cybook last night and had a pretty long talk with Michael too.

First of all: the delay from July to October is due to PVI mostly, they couldn't produce the device on time (Vizplex etc..).

The Screen: Better contrast than on the Sony Reader, speed is MUCH better. I've seen less ghosting too, but you really need to use a device for a few months before saying anything really relevant about ghosting issues.

The UI: You've all seen the video, overall it's really nice too. For those of you looking for answers about the header/footer: you can turn them on/off, display the current page number, a progress bar and the battery status (both % and an icon).

Suspended mode: First of all, it's booting much faster than an iLiad or a Sony (around 14s). While reading a book, there's 2 different status for the device, if you're turning pages pretty fast, the device stays completely on (and you can browse through your book really fast). If you're actually reading and not turning pages, the device use a sleep mode while waiting for the next input. You don't have a button to make everything disappear on the screen like the Sony, but if you're not doing anything on the device, the battery use should be much lower (a full week at least). It's not like the Sony suspended mode where you can keep it in this mode for a full month, but at least you can turn it completely off (without a user hack) and the booting time is good. They'll be constantly working on improving this "sleep mode". I just hope that you can put it on hold...

Supported files: PDF support will be ready for the launch, zipped files full of images won't (it'll be added later on).

Library Mode/Folder support: The library display is pretty nice. If you don't have a cover of your book, it'll create a snapshot in real time of the first page of your book. Library mode might evolve in the future to something different, they're open to any recommendations from the community. I explained to Michael how important folder support is, and although the firmware that he had was lacking folder support, he fully understood why this is important.

Images: Looked very good. Displaying a jpeg files is much faster than on the Sony (on the Sony, LRF or PDF is a much better choice). I asked if they had any manga: a single Naruto page was available and it looked fantastic. I hope that with their filters (real-time, no pre-processing), even manga with tiny characters will look good. No support for zipped files full of images though, but it'll be available after the launch (best way to keep a nice collection of manga/comics).

Dictionnary: You don't get a free dictionnary, you need to add a Mobipocket one. Lookup mode will not necessarily be limited to Mobipocket, they might add support for any format.

Ah, thanks for the info, Hadrien. Too bad, that they don't have support for folders and zipped images yet, as I want to read manga on the Cybook too. But I can convert the manga to PDF for the time being, so it's not that bad (as long as they add support later).

Ah, thanks for the info, Hadrien. Too bad, that they don't have support for folders and zipped images yet, as I want to read manga on the Cybook too. But I can convert the manga to PDF for the time being, so it's not that bad (as long as they add support later).

They decided to work on PDF first rather than zipped images, that's why PDF is available for the launch. Once it's ready, I guess they'll be working on zipped images once again.

[QUOTE=HarryT;100450]

Nobody can make "promises" about future events, because nobody can predict the future.
QUOTE]

If true then this would seriously weaken marriage vows and many contracts.

I think I'd prefer to argue that Bookeen's aspiration did not constitute a binding promise.

I never took their release date as a promise. It seemed to me they made it pretty clear it was their best estimate.

Wow it's pretty impressive for the PRS 500 of Sony:
1 month for the sleep mode against 1 week for the Cybook !

In their blog, Cybook wrote about increasing in the future the battery Life I think:
but my question is: Is it so totally "software-based" ? Because I don't know whether a so huge difference could be changed like that... (but I am not an engineer :D )

Wow it's pretty impressive for the PRS 500 of Sony:
1 month for the sleep mode against 1 week for the Cybook !

In their blog, Cybook wrote about increasing in the future the battery Life I think:
but my question is: Is it so totally "software-based" ? Because I don't know whether a so huge difference could be changed like that... (but I am not an engineer :D )

Well... on the other hand you can turn off your Cybook easily, unlike the Sony Reader. Even though you can add a real off button for the Sony, you still get a VERY long booting time.

It's part software based, part hardware based. You can really improve your battery life with the right software too (for example what the community did for the iLiad using PDF).

although I can't wait to get my hands on the cybook, I probably won't be buying until the reviews come out and the Kindle come out (although if the Kindle comes out in November, I probably won't be able to wait).

Isn't it odd how Kindle is dropping no kinds of hints at all? Wouldn't it be in their best interest to make some more leaks (or at least a better screenshot!).

The lack of kindle publicity definitely makes me wonder if it's really going to come out.

No kidding. Amazon has an amazing opportunity to create some buzz. But nope, nothing.

Sony on the other hand is keeping quiet because they don't want to sacrifice existing stock. I have a feeling the PRS-505 will debut on Monday, once all the current CC offers are up.

I also have a feeling that they are telling people to call back on Monday because they know if they announce now that all backordered Sony Rewards recepients will receive the new unit, they will be inundated with applications. They can afford to give a few new ones away, but not that many.

That was, of course, 100% speculation. I have absolutely no more info than anyone else.

My read on it is that the previous Kindle leak was a genuine accident. Still, look at the buzz that's been generated almost a year later, without Amazon doing anything much more than keeping their mouths shut. If they came out with some actual data, it could only serve to limit our rampant speculative ravings, and then where would they be? :smug:

Suspended mode: First of all, it's booting much faster than an iLiad or a Sony (around 14s). While reading a book, there's 2 different status for the device, if you're turning pages pretty fast, the device stays completely on (and you can browse through your book really fast). If you're actually reading and not turning pages, the device use a sleep mode while waiting for the next input. You don't have a button to make everything disappear on the screen like the Sony, but if you're not doing anything on the device, the battery use should be much lower (a full week at least). It's not like the Sony suspended mode where you can keep it in this mode for a full month, but at least you can turn it completely off (without a user hack) and the booting time is good. They'll be constantly working on improving this "sleep mode". I just hope that you can put it on hold...

Unless they did a bunch of optimization in V.96 the battery will not last a week. From my experience, I'd say 3-4 days of mixed use.

This sort of information makes me even more impressed with the Sony's battery life. :smug:

Unless they did a bunch of optimization in V.96 the battery will not last a week. From my experience, I'd say 3-4 days of mixed use.

I took that comment to mean it would last a week with no use.

I took that comment to mean it would last a week with no use.

Yep that's correct.

Yep that's correct.
Just a week? I really am impressed with my Sony even more. Plus, if I was not using the Sony, I can now turn it off. Granted it takes like 2 min to boot, but that;s ok since I know this ahead of time.

Aside from some minor quibbles I'm happy with the Cybook. I just want one with an 8" screen.

I have a quick question about the look-up feature that hopefully someone can answer. Can you search text in books or is it just for dictionary search?

I have a quick question about the look-up feature that hopefully someone can answer. Can you search text in books or is it just for dictionary search?


Looks like it's mostly a dictionary search. Would be nice to do a text search, but you'd have to be able to specify the words - and how would you do that without a keyboard?

Derek

You could specify a word with an on-screen keyboard that you cursor through with buttons. My DVR has an interface like that for searching the directory for shows I want to record. It uses directional arrow buttons on the remote to move through the alphabet. It's not fast but since you're not entering a lot of text, it's just fine.

Well... on the other hand you can turn off your Cybook easily, unlike the Sony Reader. Even though you can add a real off button for the Sony, you still get a VERY long booting time.

It's part software based, part hardware based. You can really improve your battery life with the right software too (for example what the community did for the iLiad using PDF).

To piggyback a little. The battery drain is from hardware but software controls the hardware so there are techniques to shut more of the hardware down to get longer battery life. If you have the ability to completely turn it off then the battery life gets really long but then you might have a long start up period. It is clear that Sony has been out longer and has the trade off down to a pretty good number. Compare that with the iLiad which would only last about 15 hours last time I checked. This unit, at a week, is well on its way and is sufficient for a great number of people although you can't win a contest of "my ebook reader lasts longer that yours" if that is your goal.

Dale

I don't really see that it matters if the battery life is a week or a month; once it gets past the ability to see you through the longest reasonable day, plane trip, or whatever, that's all that matters, or so it seems to me, anyway. Anything beyond that, one is engaging in what seems to me to be a rather pointless comparison of fairly meaningless numbers.

If the battery life is extremely long you can even run into the problem that you forget to charge it. It happens to me with my phone. It will last about 10 days when I'm not using it very often. So when I have to make a few long calls after a week, I drain the battery because there was only 15% power left. That never happend to me with my old phone. That one lasted 2 days max. So it was on the charger whenever possible

While reading a book, there's 2 different status for the device, if you're turning pages pretty fast, the device stays completely on (and you can browse through your book really fast). If you're actually reading and not turning pages, the device use a sleep mode while waiting for the next input.

I read many times about the delay in page turning on many eInk devices, and the consequent frustration.

The Gen3 method you described seems wonderful, but I think could be easily optimized in a simple software way: allow the user to tune the time after which the system goes in sleep mode:
in this way, depending on how fast you read (e.g. 1'/page), you can set the threshold slightly above that time (e.g. 1'30''), and you are able to let it sink in sleep mode in a proper way while at the same time enjoying reading AND fast page turning...

Alessandro

If the battery life is extremely long you can even run into the problem that you forget to charge it. It happens to me with my phone. It will last about 10 days when I'm not using it very often. So when I have to make a few long calls after a week, I drain the battery because there was only 15% power left. That never happend to me with my old phone. That one lasted 2 days max. So it was on the charger whenever possible


You cannot forget about charging Sony reader because a battery indicator is always in front of your eyes.

I am really impressed with Sony's battery life now. Moreover, the battery looses its ability to hold a charge after awhile. When I bought Sony, I was recharging it once in 3 1/2 weeks. It is once in 2 1/2 weeks now. So, anything like 4 days will be only 2-3 days after 1 year of useage, which is very poor imho. It is better to buy illiad then, at least you get a bigger sceen as a trade off.

You cannot forget about charging Sony reader because a battery indicator is always in front of your eyes.

I am really impressed with Sony's battery life now. Moreover, the battery looses its ability to hold a charge after awhile. When I bought Sony, I was recharging it once in 3 1/2 weeks. It is once in 2 1/2 weeks now. So, anything like 4 days will be only 2-3 days after 1 year of useage, which is very poor imho. It is better to buy illiad then, at least you get a bigger sceen as a trade off.

You are perhaps forgetting that, unlike either the Sony or the iLiad, the CyBook has a user-replaceable battery.

You cannot forget about charging Sony reader because a battery indicator is always in front of your eyes.



That indicator is also on my phone. The 'problem' is that there is so much power in the battery that I think mwah, there is enough left, I will charge it this evening. But of course I do not look at my phone 24*7. So the next day I pick up the phone and see Ah..I should charge it. But not now, because the charger is at home. When you have to do something every day, you will do it. For example brush your teeth, hookup the phone to the charger go to bed. When you have to that once a week you will forget.

You are perhaps forgetting that, unlike either the Sony or the iLiad, the CyBook has a user-replaceable battery.

I stand corrected :)
It makes my statement: So, anything like 4 days will be only 2-3 days after 1 year of useage, which is very poor imho invalid.

That indicator is also on my phone. The 'problem' is that there is so much power in the battery that I think mwah, there is enough left, I will charge it this evening. But of course I do not look at my phone 24*7. So the next day I pick up the phone and see Ah..I should charge it. But not now, because the charger is at home. When you have to do something every day, you will do it. For example brush your teeth, hookup the phone to the charger go to bed. When you have to that once a week you will forget.

Probably it is a personal issue then :p

When I bought my mobile, I also bought one with a long battery life. So, sometimes the same thing happens to me too :)

However, it never ever happened with the reader. Don't know why. Maybe because you(me, or anyone else) use the reader in a different way. I mean when you talk on the phone you have only short periods of time when you actually look at the screen and see battery indicator (and mostly it happens when you are away from home!), while when you use the reader the indicator is in fron of your eyes for prolonged periods of time. Lets say 20 minutes and more. When I come home, I forget about mobile altogether until next morning. Next time I noticed the indicator when I am at work and there is no charger around. It is very different with the reader. There is a significant life time between every bar of the indicator, so when I finish my reading session before I go to sleep I can always determine whether I need to recharge the reader over the night or not.

... I also know from that experience that deadlines get missed. Launches get pushed, and generally (from the iLiad experience), it's better to wait an extra month or even three for a product that actually does what it was designed to do, rather than one that's not there yet.

I'm just pointing out that Bookeen didn't have to set a deadline, but they did, and then they didn't respect it. If I did that kind of thing at work, I could get into a lot of trouble.

Why is it that you are so hostile? have you never seen other companies miss their release deadlines before? The Cybook gen3 could be released before the software is ready. Do you want to see that happen?

Why are you defending Bookeen? I have seen other companies miss their deadlines, and that's another reason Bookeen's delay is disappointing. What I would have wanted was for the software to be ready when they said it would be. If the problem is the software, as you are theorising, then there is absolutely no excuse for the delay.

Bookeen are completely dependend upon their external suppliers, such as the screen manufacturer. It is well documented that there have been delays in the supply of the new Vizplex screens that the CyBook uses. These delays are completely outside Bookeen's control.

They can anticipate delays, and should have, considering past history in the ebook industry. Either they didn't anticipate the delay, or they don't care about missing the deadline. We should demand that they set realistic deadlines instead of pulling a date out of their hat and when the date rolls around they tell us: "Oops, better luck next time."

That's a very foolish thing to say. Do you honestly believe that Bookeen deliberately misled people about the delivery date? The date was an estimate, not a "promise". Nobody can make "promises" about future events, because nobody can predict the future. You haven't "lost" anything through this delay, have you? You haven't paid Bookeen any money, or ordered a machine from them? What are you so upset about?

They may not have deliberately misled people, but there was heedlessness in their behaviour, which may amount to a certain degree of intention. Posing an act without regard to the consequences is equivalent to having wanted to consequences. People are declared guilty of murder based on that principle.

We can make promises about future events. Have you ever had a mortage? It's a promise to pay the bank what you owe them, otherwise you forfeit your house. In this case there doesn't seem to be any forfeiture for Bookeen, because you consumers are used to getting the short end of the stick.

I don't intend to buy a Cybook, so I haven't lost anything. I couldn't care less about when the device is released. What I care about is corporate ethics. I'm upset about the way Bookeen, and other companies like Sony and iRex, treat us like sheep. I guess some of us are sheep.

They are late, that is true. It happens. But they have not slipped so far behind that support in general is eroding in any way. I think you'll find that almost everyone will be accepting of a 1-month delay. If it goes to 2-months, a few more people will be upset. 3-months, even more will be upset. That's just how things like this go. The longer the delay, the less supporting potential people will be of Bookeen.

It looks like balok is one of the rare people for whom any delay is unacceptable and worthy of vocal outcry. I don't know balok, but he may be the classical "Type-A" personality and keeps a firm grip on is nitroglycerin tablets. Or maybe he's prejudging Bookeen based on the delay fiasco of last year's first generation crop of E-Ink devices from Sony and iRex.

I'll give Bookeen a little more time, but if they're not ready to fulfill orders in October then I may be among the upset few voicing doubts about Bookeen.

The longer the delay, the less supporting potential people will be of Bookeen.

Unfortunately, I think people will still be grovelling at their feet, fists full of cash, to get their hands on the latest gadget.

Or maybe he's prejudging Bookeen based on the delay fiasco of last year's first generation crop of E-Ink devices from Sony and iRex.

Ok, I have to admit, you've got a point here. I was expecting Bookeen to not make the same mistake. Now I'm wondering if it was in fact a mistake, since it doesn't seem to bother anyone except me.

It's a free market; you are, of course, free to buy from whomsoever you wish.

I think that one has to accept, however, that the eInk market is still very much in its infancy, and whenever a company launches a "next generation" product such as the CyBook Generation 3, delays are highly likely. There can be entirely unanticipated problems in going from engineering samples of new screen technologies to large-scale production.

As I said earlier, delays do not personally bother me in the slightest. I would much rather that a company delayed the release of a product until it's "right", rather than rushed a buggy product to market to meet an arbitrary deadline.

PVI supplies the screens. If they say to you, yes we can get you the number of screens you need in time for you to get out oyour product in September, you say great and go ahead and announce a September release date. PVI then turns around and says, sorry, we aren't able to make our deadline, you then have to turn around and say, sorry, but the release date is pushed back. You as the one selling the finished product have your release date pushed back due to no fault of your own. Stuff like that happens all the time. You are now blaming the company making the product when in fact, you should be blaming the parts supplier.

they bette r try to get it right the first time. there will always be something to complain about...

I think the delay comes from Bookeen and not PVI since "les echos" is already selling
a vizplex reader with the same hardware and the same design (except it's white).
See : http://www.ganaxa.com
http://www.lesechos.fr/epaper/inscription.htm

You can even compare the speed of the Bookeen GEN3 / Ganaxa GER2 with the old gen of eink :
http://papierelectronique.blogspot.com/

I think the delay comes from Bookeen and not PVI since "les echos" is already selling
a vizplex reader with the same hardware and the same design (except it's white).
See : http://www.ganaxa.com
http://www.lesechos.fr/epaper/inscription.htm

You can even compare the speed of the Bookeen GEN3 / Ganaxa GER2 with the old gen of eink :
http://papierelectronique.blogspot.com/That must just be a rebranded HanLin V3 (based of course off the PVI reference design). I can't imagine the paper went through the R&D needed to develop and manufacture their own reader.

I take it back, now I'm not 100% sure. Who is Ganxa? Are they really developing their own stuff or just re-branding? I see eREAD is one of their partners. Isn't eREAD just the manufactuer of all the devices based off the reference design? Companies like HanLin, Bookeen, and many Ganaxa just repackage and customize the reference design and eREAD implements and manufactuers them?

So many companies all using the same basic design. I'm so confused as to who is who.

Philips designed E-Ink which begat PVI for the screens and iRex as a device developer. Where exactly did eREAD come from? Are they a subsidiary or PVI who helps with the OEM customization and contracts manufacturing of the devices based off the PVI reference design? Did they actually develop the reference design for PVI?

I take it back, now I'm not 100% sure. Who is Ganxa? Are they really developing their own stuff or just re-branding? I see eREAD is one of their partners. Isn't eREAD just the manufactuer of all the devices based off the reference design? Companies like HanLin, Bookeen, and many Ganaxa just repackage and customize the reference design and eREAD implements and manufactuers them?

So many companies all using the same basic design. I'm so confused as to who is who.

Philips designed E-Ink which begat PVI for the screens and iRex as a device developer. Where exactly did eREAD come from? Are they a subsidiary or PVI who helps with the OEM customization and contracts manufacturing of the devices based off the PVI reference design? Did they actually develop the reference design for PVI?
According to their info, they support 0 DRM based formats. So for the average person, it's almost useless.

Bookeen just put a new video up on their blog. http://bookeen.blogspot.com

This brings up a question I have. The E-Ink panel supports 16-levels of greyscale does it not? Is the only thing limiting things to 4 greyscales the relatively weak hardware and they desire to have faster page turns versus overall color depth?

Bookeen already seems to have a bunch of neat configuration options, such as turning off Global Refresh for those who would rather have ghosting than flickering. Also, the status bar along the bottom is an option that can be toggled.

Can 16 greyscales also be an option? Personally, I'm not into graphic novels at all. But for those who are, could they choose a significant drop in performance in order to gain better clarity? Is there some other hardware limitation preventing 16 levels of greyscale?

Bookeen just put a new video up on their blog. http://bookeen.blogspot.com

This brings up a question I have. The E-Ink panel supports 16-levels of greyscale does it not? Is the only thing limiting things to 4 greyscales the relatively weak hardware and they desire to have faster page turns versus overall color depth?


My understanding is that the screen supports 16 grey scales, but that the screen controller Bookeen are currently using only supports 4 grey scales. The only 16 grey scale device I'm aware of that's currently on the market is the iLiad.

If I was to buy a Cybook Gen3, I'd wait until it supported 16 shades.

What makes you think that it ever will? :)

For reading books, I think it's pretty irrevelent, to be honest. Text is just as clear on my 4 grey-scale Sony Reader as on my 16 grey-scale iLiad.

It doesn't even make that much different for displaying pictures, to tell you the truth; the dithering algorithm used by the Reader pretty much makes up for the extra "real" grey scales of the iLiad.

What makes you think that it ever will? :)

For reading books, I think it's pretty irrevelent, to be honest. Text is just as clear on my 4 grey-scale Sony Reader as on my 16 grey-scale iLiad.

It doesn't even make that much different for displaying pictures, to tell you the truth; the dithering algorithm used by the Reader pretty much makes up for the extra "real" grey scales of the iLiad.
I think it will go 16 shades once the controller hardware is available to do so. It makes no sense not to. Those that read comics/manga will want it for sure.

Ganaxa get their ebook readers just like Bookeen, from PVI.

By the way, I don't like the glossy-black of the gen3, don't you prefere this one ?

http://www.tecnosquad.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/ereader.jpg

cannot stop thinking about eric cartman pronouncing its name

My understanding is that the screen supports 16 grey scales, but that the screen controller Bookeen are currently using only supports 4 grey scales. The only 16 grey scale device I'm aware of that's currently on the market is the iLiad.

HarryT,

I don't know if the Vizplex screen *supports* 16 levels of gray, but the test HTML page someone posted elsewhere showing a series of grayscale bars and different font options *DOES* 'appear' to show those same 16 levels on my Bookeen. Remember it is version 0.91 of the firmware and I *think* I read somewhere that the software has a 'smart-dither' so I may be seeing four levels of gray 'dithered' to give the appearance of 16. Unfortunately, the gray bars are reduced in size so that on my Cybook, it's about 1" wide - hard to tell at that size whether the grays are dithered or native. :(

Also, the grayscale background for the various text running across the top and right side insist upon showing up clear with standard black text.

*HOWEVER*, the Italics/Emphasis, Underline, Subscript and Superscript work great - Blinking doesn't, nor does Strikeout or the variations in font for 'Quote', 'Citation' and so forth. That's because, while you can choose any of seven font families, the Cybook converts *ALL* text to the chosen font - and to the selected font size!!! It does support Bolding, Italicizing and Underlining on a letter-by-letter basis rather than just for an entire paragraph or book.

Derek

To answer some questions (MikeF74) on the relationships between Ganaxa, PVI, Nuut, eREAD Holding Co. and others, I posted on einksource.blogspot.com (http://einksource.blogspot.com/2007/08/e-paper-industrial-relations-and.html) an article describing the industriel complex process. Vizplex ereader GeR2 shown on the video is ODMed by Ganaxa and based on PVI components.

I think the delay comes from Bookeen and not PVI since "les echos" is already selling
a vizplex reader with the same hardware and the same design (except it's white).
See : http://www.ganaxa.com
http://www.lesechos.fr/epaper/inscription.htm

You can even compare the speed of the Bookeen GEN3 / Ganaxa GER2 with the old gen of eink :
http://papierelectronique.blogspot.com/

I like this one. Mainly because I want my next reader to be white. So can you tell me if they are selling this one to customers outside of France. I am in the US. I don't know French, but I could make out very little of the stuff. Also how is this, do you know? Thanks for the links.

Ellen

I like this one. Mainly because I want my next reader to be white. So can you tell me if they are selling this one to customers outside of France. I am in the US. I don't know French, but I could make out very little of the stuff. Also how is this, do you know? Thanks for the links.

Ellen

Here's the answer:

Ganaxa’s e-paper technologies and display or consultation devices are selected or developed exclusively for specific editorial projects. They cannot be acquired separately.

A subscription to "Les Echos" is the only way you can get this device.

Maybe if you are able to order 10 units it's possible...

Still, remember it's not sure there is support for mobipocket, but maybe you'll
be able to use the firmware of the gen3 with it.

Maybe if you are able to order 10 units it's possible...

Still, remember it's not sure there is support for mobipocket, but maybe you'll
be able to use the firmware of the gen3 with it.

They're selling Mobipocket books on their website: http://librairie.lesechos.fr/

I guess that these works for both the iLiad and their own reader.

From their website, Ganaxa does not have support for any DRM format.

From their website, Ganaxa does not have support for any DRM format.


They're selling Mobipocket books on their website: http://librairie.lesechos.fr/

I guess that these works for both the iLiad and their own reader.

According to :

http://www.lesechos.fr/epaper/faq/faq-machine.htm

Quel type de format de fichier le e-Reader Les Echos accepte-t-il ?
Le e-Reader Les Echos accepte le format propriétaire STK.
Vous transformerez facilement vos documents Word, PDF, TXT ou HTML dans le format de STK, en utilisant le logiciel STK Maker fourni.

Which I would translate :

Which ebook formats are supported by the Les Echos e-Reader ?
- The Les Echos e-Reader supports the STK proprietary format. You can
easily convert your Word, PDF, TXT or HTML files to STK, using the included
STK Maker software.

So, well, no MOBIPOCKET for this one, they are only for the iRex which
is sold at a very interesting price, 769E including 1 year subscription to
Les Echos instead of 649E for the STAREBOOK-with-vizplex ganaxa
reader - also inc. 1y sub -.

So, buying an iRex with Les Echos, you only pay 114E for one year sub
to this newspaper instead of 365E (e-newspaper without reader) or
416E (dead tree newspaper). Of course it's only interesting for
french-speaking people, but I think it's quite cool for quebecois since for
the first time they'll be able to read French newspaper the day they are
released!

Hey, isn't STK this strange fomat that's used in the STAReBOOK? If yes, they might be using the same firmware ...

Right, dude :)

Some publishers, other than Les Echos, in Europe and Canada, will release cheaper content packages on the Ganaxa platform, along with the Ganaxa GeR2 reader, very soon.

Ganaxa has a specific XML based format, especially made to take advantage of the electronic ink and paper. You will see the amazing uses some publishers are making of it. It will be published as soon as it is stabilized, and is used today for publishers or press projects.
It has an interesting multiple protection scheme.

You're teasing us tebaldo!
Come on, tell us more :D