Just saw this in the Computer Daily News

Dymocks to offer e-reader — Australian book chain Dymocks is preparing to launch an electronic book reader in Australia before Christmas, the company says.
Dymocks chief executive Don Grover told The Age he was in “final” negotiations with a European e-book reader manufacturer and planned to make an announcement within the next 10 days.
The device would initially be sold online and in the company’s flagship Sydney city store, he said.
Dymocks last week launched a digital book Web site stocking about 120,000 e-books that can be downloaded and read on a PC, mobile phone or other handheld device (CDN, Nov. 15).


Now can you think of any other European e-book reader manufacturer other than Bookeen?

But the Cybook will not read MS Reader files and they said it will read books they sell. Can't be the Cybook Gen3 in that case.

Just looking at the FAQ on the Dymocks site it says:
What is required to read a digital book?

All you need is your PC, laptop or hand held device and the free Reader software. We offer digital books in three different formats; Microsoft, Mobipocket and Adobe, and each has it's own Reader software. We will provide you with a link to download the appropriate Reader software free of charge when you make a purchase.

Mobipocket works in nicely with the Cybook........

This might be the Cybook, although you first have to assume Don Grover was mis-quoted:

"The one that we're in discussions with is not only a very good piece of hardware but also one that's capable of supporting the Adobe and Microsoft formats that we're selling on our website at the moment."

Some part of e-book reader, Europe, Secure Adobe and Secure Microsoft formats has to be mistaken from what we know today.

Maybe - if we are really lucky - Dymocks tied a deal with Cybook to the support of Adobe and Microsoft reader support. In other words: maybe the developers at Cybook are currently working on an implementation of aforesaid readers for the Gen3 ... would be nothing wrong with that from our perspective ;)

The same might be said about a deal with iRex though ...

Just saw this in the Computer Daily News



Now can you think of any other European e-book reader manufacturer other than Bookeen?

Well, iRex, for one... ;)

Ahh - there you go then ;)

We should know soon I guess. If he said:

Dymocks chief executive Don Grover said he was in "final" negotiations with a European e-book reader manufacturer and planned to make an announcement within the next 10 days.
on the 21st we should only be a few days away.....

Just in time to see the lay of the land downunder before I go to LA where I had planned on buying a Sony Reader :)

So who's reader have they settled upon?

There has still been no announcement here in Aus as yet. I am hoping that id Dymocks does launch an e-reader, that it will then provoke Borders into looking at what they can offer and given they sell the Sony in the US, that this will mean some support for Sony here. I initially bought the Sony, but found two major issues with it. 1) inadequate support for PDF files and 2) no access to commercial content here in Australia. I then bought the Iliad which has served me well.

So who's reader have they settled upon?

I'm thinking he was being very precise with his 10 days (the Sydney Morning Herald news item appeared on the 21st November), and we'll know on the 1st December (when Christmas truly starts for retailers).

If it's a Cybook, well, it might be sell-able. It it's an iRex, it could be a scary sell for them. Then again, Christmas excitement and all...

Damned, rotten, stinking mongrels :smash: (I'm not good at waiting ;) )

Cheers,
Marc

Dymocks have a pretty good range. What are the chances of getting their eBooks onto the Sony 505? Are any of the formats they distribute in able to be converted well?

The problem as I see it is if they want a reader to sell for the Christmas holiday, the Gen3 might not be a good choice with limited stock available. They need to get a reader that has plenty fo stock available for the Christmas season.

The problem as I see it is if they want a reader to sell for the Christmas holiday, the Gen3 might not be a good choice with limited stock available. They need to get a reader that has plenty fo stock available for the Christmas season.

What do you reckon about this though? Is it remotely possible that the reason there is "limited stock available" is because they have been running around the globe looking for and getting supplies ready for these "exclusive" markets, thus restricting the existing markets?

It's just a thought, based on nothing but excited speculation on my part. :) (I still think that there's a chance that "accuracy" may have been one of the least priorities of both the journalist and Mr. Grover, well behind the importance of riding the coattails of Kindle-hype, and that the mongrels will try to sell us a Nokia N810 Internet Tablet as an "ebook device" ;) ).

Cheers,
Marc

nothing would surprise me........

What do you reckon about this though? Is it remotely possible that the reason there is "limited stock available" is because they have been running around the globe looking for and getting supplies ready for these "exclusive" markets, thus restricting the existing markets?

It's just a thought, based on nothing but excited speculation on my part. :) (I still think that there's a chance that "accuracy" may have been one of the least priorities of both the journalist and Mr. Grover, well behind the importance of riding the coattails of Kindle-hype, and that the mongrels will try to sell us a Nokia N810 Internet Tablet as an "ebook device" ;) ).

Cheers,
Marc
One reason I think we have shortages is that the Vizplex screen is only made by PVI and because of all the different devices using the same screen, there is a shortage of screens. We have the 505, Gen3, Kindle, V3, NuuT, STARiBOOk, and some others all using the same Vizplex screen. So now I think we'll be having a shortage of these screens and that is what (IMHO) is causing the problem.

One reason I think we have shortages is that the Vizplex screen is only made by PVI and because of all the different devices using the same screen, there is a shortage of screens. We have the 505, Gen3, Kindle, V3, NuuT, STARiBOOk, and some others all using the same Vizplex screen. So now I think we'll be having a shortage of these screens and that is what (IMHO) is causing the problem.

So, you're saying that my idea about the N810 is probably correct, yeah? :D

Seriously, yeah, what you say is a fly in the ointment. Being Dymocks (I'm not fond of them through their continual bad service, but, of course, I buy from them if they've got what I'm after), I suspect they'll over-promise and under-deliver.

~sigh~ Why you gotta go ruin my buzz, Jon? Why? ;)

Cheers,
Marc

It certainly makes sense. I might make a few calls before going to LA to make sure that the Sony shops that will be closest to me have any stock.

Of course if Dymocks announce that the device they are releasing is a Cybook then I may wait until I'm next in Oz......

C'mon Dec 1 - I fly out Dec 2 so it's cutting it pretty fine :)

Marc (yes another one ;))

NuuT, STARiBOOk, and some others all using the same Vizplex screen.


Where can I find info about them? I didn't know they use eInk!

try here......

linkety link (http://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/E-book_Reader_Matrix)

and the iliad it is......

http://dymocks.com.au/iliad/default.aspx

AUD 899 - ouch! don't feel so bad getting my sony when i was in the states last week......

and then i see that it's all over the news forum - d'oh!

and then i see that it's all over the news forum - d'oh!

Yeah, but that just means you get to gloat everywhere. *cough-mongrel-cough* ;)

Cheers,
Marc

me gloat? unpossible! :)

the iliad is a much more funtional device than my sony but at 800 bucks (about a million NZ pesos) is too much.

my second choice would have definitely been the cybook - actually my first if the costs had been the same! i've spent years reading mobi books on my dell x50v and have never had problems...... let's just say that I am coming to grips with the sony and what works or doesn't with formatting ;)

the iliad is a much more funtional device than my sony...

As a bookreader? I wouldn't be so sure about that. I actually think that both the Sony and the CyBook are better fiction readers than the iLiad, due to the 45s boot-up time of the iLiad and the fact that the Mobi bookreader for the iLiad is currently the most "primitive" implementation of it with, for example, only a single font available.

The first of these restrictions probably can't be overcome; hopefully the second can be.

For reading fiction, however, I think that the Sony or Gen3 are better choices than the iLiad.

ok so "has many more functions" would be more proper :)

i am more than happy with my sony. all i do is read fiction and so far (a week on) it does that flawlessly........

the only problems i have is reading rtf's and obviously the character set isn't as populated as used in some basic fonts ("..." for example seems to have at least two different underlying ASCII? codes and often shows up as "[]d" )

all good fun learning though :)