Check out the Bookeen website, it looks as though they're discontinuing the Cybook and introducing a new eInk reader.

Great find, Marian!

Here's a link (http://bookeen.com/Design/ebook-reading-devices.aspx?selectionm=0) to the relevant article. :smile:

And this (http://bookeen.com/Design/ebook-reading-device.aspx?selectionm=3) one too.

This is excellent news. More the merrier. Cheaper e-ink through economies of scale. Better selection of reading devices and more options that way.

Say, this e-reading stuff might just catch on! :grin:

And it's in French! My goodness me! :huh:

NatCh I hope you were'nt starting to doubt eink would catch on? :happy2:

The specs look pretty much like the STAReBOOK's. Release in 4 to 6 months. SONY better release the PRS in Canada soon because I might be temted! :happy2:

I wonder what price they'll ask?

NatCh I hope you were'nt starting to doubt eink would catch on? :happy2:Goodness me, no! :no:

I don't think they are offering this for sale, but offering to make it to someone's specs for specialized applications or for that someone else to sell, much like ETI makes the eBookwise hardware and also has a custom reader for the government. If you want to see this thing hit the shelves, I think you need to encourage eBookwise, Barnes & Noble (since Borders appears to be alligned with Sony and Amazon is doing their own) or some other book seller to look into it.

Some nice potential specs, but at this point, it is only potential.

Jack

Looks like the minimum order is 200. I wonder what the wholesale cost is at that quantity? If a touchscreen could be added, I could just see some enterprising group porting Einstein (http://www.kallisys.com/newton/einstein/) to this device and reselling them. :D

Looks like the minimum order is 200. I wonder what the wholesale cost is at that quantity? If a touchscreen could be added, I could just see some enterprising group porting Einstein (http://www.kallisys.com/newton/einstein/) to this device and reselling them. :D
Could we make a group purchase at MR so we each have one?

Looks good, especially the "customer choice" :D

I'm all for the group purchase!

I'm interested.

Me too

The second generation is made in Taiwan.
The WinCE.Net based device is named "mobinote".

So we should order 200 with everything?

Depends on the cost... and remember, they aren't shipping yet.

I would really want a stylus input with any device I get. Doesn't need to be the fancy Wacom screen the iLiad has (especially since they don't use the pressure sensitivity), but it's just really helpful for being able to select text, mark up docs, tap out search strings, etc.

Depends on the cost... and remember, they aren't shipping yet.

I would really want a stylus input with any device I get. Doesn't need to be the fancy Wacom screen the iLiad has (especially since they don't use the pressure sensitivity), but it's just really helpful for being able to select text, mark up docs, tap out search strings, etc.
That means we'd have 4 to 6 months to put our resources together and maybe our programmer friends could write up some neet apps. for it? I'd be happy to design a cheap cover for it! And build it!

I just wrote an email to bookeen to ask for information about a group price, the permission to write software for it and the availability of the device. They are a French company based in Paris, perfect for me. I'll put up a thread and poll when I get a reply.

The case is going to be pink, right? ;)

That means we'd have 4 to 6 months to put our resources together and maybe our programmer friends could write up some neet apps. for it?
DotReader! :D

Wouldn't it be nice to have a platform that was *designed* to be hacked?

The case is going to be pink, right? ;)
There are pink woods! :happy2:

I have a Cybook from Bookeen that I don't use any more since I got my iLiad.
The Cybook is too darn heavy and the battery life is poor.

My small experience with Bookeen found that their customer services were excellent.

If we can manage to get a group order of 200 you can count me in.

Keep us updated as to cost and functions. 200 people might not be unreasonable.

Definitely count me in. Bookeen has given me great customer service. I my self was thinking of trying to get the 2nd gen reader because it has all the readers that I currently use and more:

Microsoft reader
PDF Reader
eReader
MobiPocket Reader
µBook Reader
Boo (native OEB) Reader
Dot Reader
ClearVue Readers: Word, Excel, Powerpoint
Pocket Word editor
Pocket Inbox
Internet Explorer
Windows Media Player

Min Order is 5. This device has been around for awhile, but I don't know where I can get one. Depending on price, I would get 5 and sell the others.

But depending on the software included the 3rd gen device may be a better decision.

Ellen

It looks very interesting. I'm very interested to know a price.

If the Sony Reader were a lot more open and there were quite a bit more hacks for it, I'd be pushed over to it, quite frankly. I realize the hacks are coming, but if the device would have been more open in the first place, I think everything would be a lot quicker in coming.

The gen 2 device looks pretty good, but I'd rather have a linux-based device. The gen 2 device uses WinCE, which I'd rather avoid. I note that it has a pen, though, so clearly Bookeen knows how to integrate a touch-sensitive tablet into a design. I don't see tablet as an option on the gen 3 device -- that's what I'd want more info on.

The gen 2 device seems to have good compatibility with formats, but it seems that you trade off battery life, which is listed at 2 - 4 hours. That's probably enough for some people, and prohibitive for others, depending on your expected usage and expected nearness to a charger.

Count me in too.

PS: I think the Bookeen deserves an entry into our E Ink Matrix ;) --> http://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/E-book_Reader_Matrix

I know yvanleterrible mentions this already... did you notice that the dimensions are the exact same as for the STAReBOOK? So maybe it's from the same manufacturer...?

A while back I filled out a survey about desirable features for a e reader for fictionwise.com. They may be interested in some readers if the cost is low enough.

Since Sony put out news of the PRS coming to market with a reader and BBeB, every ebook reseller is trying to get their own reader with their own software or DRM.

I'm afraid that the EBabel thing is going to get much worse!

At least Fictionwise will probably try to support all of the other readers formats - if they are allowed to.

At least Fictionwise will probably try to support all of the other readers formats - if they are allowed to.
I would hope so, but they do have their own Fictionwise Reader (http://fictionwise.com/fwreader.htm), which reads "unencrypted Microsoft Reader eBooks, HTML, plain text, and Tiny Reader eBooks, as well as unencrypted or secure Fictionwise Reader format eBooks." Who knew they had their own format? Then again, I cannot find any ebooks listed in Secure Fictionwise Format, and it is not even one of the formats you can select on their search page.

They do own eBookwise, so they may want to make it compatible with their existing base there.

Jack

I would hope so, but they do have their own Fictionwise Reader (http://fictionwise.com/fwreader.htm), which reads "unencrypted Microsoft Reader eBooks, HTML, plain text, and Tiny Reader eBooks, as well as unencrypted or secure Fictionwise Reader format eBooks." Who knew they had their own format? Then again, I cannot find any ebooks listed in Secure Fictionwise Format, and it is not even one of the formats you can select on their search page.

They do own eBookwise, so they may want to make it compatible with their existing base there.

Jack


Actually Fictionwise sells the secure imp which is "their" secure format (actually eti's but Fictionwise sells the device since eti got out of the hardware business) at the Ebookwise site which is a subsidiary of them. Fictionwise reader is just some reader software not a format per se as far as I know.

http://www.ebookwise.com/

Liviu