Cybook vs. Sony Reader

Kilarney · 08-31-2007, 08:29 AM

My Sony Reader is scheduled to arrive next week. I bought it using the Sony Card promotion.

I'm still having a hard time deciding between the Sony Reader and the Bookeen Cybook Gen 3. I'm thinking of selling the Sony Reader on Ebay, and rolling that into the purchase of a Cybook.

Here is the way I see it:
Pros for Sony:
1) A lot of user support, resulting in some great tools.
2) A proven reader that's been out for over a year.
Pros for Cybook:
1) Next-gen technology including Viziplex
2) Mobipocket (I've got more faith in Amazon's venture than I do in Sony's.)

Am I just craving the latest "gadget," or do people think that it's worth paying the extra $$$ for a Cybook?

JSWolf · 08-31-2007, 09:03 AM

Just craving for sure. If you have a Sony, the Gen3 really isn't all that much of a step up. And Sony have stated that they will be supporting Digital Editions. No such word yet from Cybook. Besides, you can always buy a Cybook later on if you want and keep the Sony for now.

Kilarney · 08-31-2007, 09:13 AM

That's actually a good point. I can hang onto my $60 Sony for a while, and spend the extra $$$ for a new reader when there is a bigger difference. If I bought the $350 Cybook, I'd just want the next $350 machine to come out in a few months.

I think I'll enjoy the Sony for a couple of years and then upgrade. No doubt the improvements by then will be more substantial. We also should have a better idea of who will win the format wars by then.

Lemurion · 08-31-2007, 03:02 PM

I don't have much in the way of hopes for Adobe Digital Editions. If they're anything like PDF I think they'll be a pretty much useless format for eBooks, at least in my opinion. PDF is good for two things, printing and protection. I don't much care for protection, and most eBooks have restrictions against printing.

It's a combination that makes Adobe a non-starter as far as I'm concerned. A document that doesn't reflow properly and you can't print isn't going to work for me.

Having said that, I'd stick with the Sony until you can get something that's a real improvement, more than just the Gen3.

RWood · 08-31-2007, 04:20 PM

I, on the other hand, do have great hopes for what Digital Editions can become. Adobe has shown that it can be a market leader and can follow when the market turns in ways that Adobe does not have a product that supports it.

PDF established the concept of a formatted document that would work cross platform. Their type and graphic tools are the industry leaders.

By all measurements the current ebook market is small. It will grow larger, much larger. DE has a good chance of capturing a large part of that future market. Adobe has shown that they take security seriously and they are trusted by the industry to produce secure documents. If they implement a DRM scheme in DE that not bound to Sony Corporate many booksellers will start to offer Sony ebooks.

In theory DE is device independent so support can be added for the Cybook in the future. Depending upon how open the system is perhaps even 3rd party support for DE will be available.

wallcraft · 08-31-2007, 04:39 PM

DE provides legacy support for Adobe's old DRMed PDF's, but its interesting capability is support for the new .epub format. This is reflowable, and is the next generation beyond .oeb (which is the basis for .mobi and .LIT). So far as I know, DE only supports .epub without DRM at present, see Digital Editions XHTML samples. These are currently only readable via DE or the very latest version of FBReader.

08-31-2007, 08:29 AM	#1
Kilarney Connoisseur Posts: 84 Karma: 100 Join Date: Aug 2007 Device: Sony Reader PRS-500	Cybook vs. Sony Reader My Sony Reader is scheduled to arrive next week. I bought it using the Sony Card promotion. I'm still having a hard time deciding between the Sony Reader and the Bookeen Cybook Gen 3. I'm thinking of selling the Sony Reader on Ebay, and rolling that into the purchase of a Cybook. Here is the way I see it: Pros for Sony: 1) A lot of user support, resulting in some great tools. 2) A proven reader that's been out for over a year. Pros for Cybook: 1) Next-gen technology including Viziplex 2) Mobipocket (I've got more faith in Amazon's venture than I do in Sony's.) Am I just craving the latest "gadget," or do people think that it's worth paying the extra $$$ for a Cybook?

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08-31-2007, 09:03 AM	#2
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 75,862 Karma: 134368292 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3	Just craving for sure. If you have a Sony, the Gen3 really isn't all that much of a step up. And Sony have stated that they will be supporting Digital Editions. No such word yet from Cybook. Besides, you can always buy a Cybook later on if you want and keep the Sony for now.

08-31-2007, 09:13 AM	#3
Kilarney Connoisseur Posts: 84 Karma: 100 Join Date: Aug 2007 Device: Sony Reader PRS-500	That's actually a good point. I can hang onto my $60 Sony for a while, and spend the extra $$$ for a new reader when there is a bigger difference. If I bought the $350 Cybook, I'd just want the next $350 machine to come out in a few months. I think I'll enjoy the Sony for a couple of years and then upgrade. No doubt the improvements by then will be more substantial. We also should have a better idea of who will win the format wars by then.

08-31-2007, 03:02 PM	#4
Lemurion eReader Posts: 2,750 Karma: 4968470 Join Date: Aug 2007 Device: Note 5; PW3; Nook HD+; ChuWi Hi12; iPad	I don't have much in the way of hopes for Adobe Digital Editions. If they're anything like PDF I think they'll be a pretty much useless format for eBooks, at least in my opinion. PDF is good for two things, printing and protection. I don't much care for protection, and most eBooks have restrictions against printing. It's a combination that makes Adobe a non-starter as far as I'm concerned. A document that doesn't reflow properly and you can't print isn't going to work for me. Having said that, I'd stick with the Sony until you can get something that's a real improvement, more than just the Gen3.

08-31-2007, 04:20 PM	#5
RWood Technogeezer Posts: 7,233 Karma: 1601464 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Virginia, USA Device: Sony PRS-500	I, on the other hand, do have great hopes for what Digital Editions can become. Adobe has shown that it can be a market leader and can follow when the market turns in ways that Adobe does not have a product that supports it. PDF established the concept of a formatted document that would work cross platform. Their type and graphic tools are the industry leaders. By all measurements the current ebook market is small. It will grow larger, much larger. DE has a good chance of capturing a large part of that future market. Adobe has shown that they take security seriously and they are trusted by the industry to produce secure documents. If they implement a DRM scheme in DE that not bound to Sony Corporate many booksellers will start to offer Sony ebooks. In theory DE is device independent so support can be added for the Cybook in the future. Depending upon how open the system is perhaps even 3rd party support for DE will be available.

08-31-2007, 04:39 PM	#6
wallcraft reader Posts: 6,975 Karma: 5183568 Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Mississippi, USA Device: Kindle 3, Kobo Glo HD	DE provides legacy support for Adobe's old DRMed PDF's, but its interesting capability is support for the new .epub format. This is reflowable, and is the next generation beyond .oeb (which is the basis for .mobi and .LIT). So far as I know, DE only supports .epub without DRM at present, see Digital Editions XHTML samples. These are currently only readable via DE or the very latest version of FBReader.