NAEB/Baen sells Cybook OEM device for US$375

[delphidb96]

Originally Posted by da_jane

And if you've looked at the Bookeen accessories page, you'll notice the 800mAH battery pack runs $44.95 retail. Given few battery packs show problems, the extra battery pack is not a 'needed' item. We pass the savings on to you!

The whole benefit of an eink device is the extra battery time of the installed battery. Having used the Sony PRS 500 for a significant amount of time, I can say that there would be rare occurrences that you would ever need an extra battery.

And the fact that you might need an extra battery because the one that comes installed in the unit is defective seems illogical to me and actually serves to highlight one of the issues I mentioned to the DA readers last week and that was repair issues. If, in fact, there are defective installed battery units, I don't want to have to pay to have an extra battery unit to replace the defective one. I want a non defective one.

And no one expects BAEN to sell units as a loss or that we readers want BAEN to "pay" for us to get an eink device. What I am saying, though, is that I don't see a sufficient enough advantage to recommend a unit that is $75.00 more than a comparable unit sold in the US and serviced in the US.

For overseas people, it might make a lot of sense but economically, it doesn't make sense to me as a US reader.

Jane,

What it comes down to is, are you willing to bet that the vast majority of current titles are going to be released in Sony's BBeB format? And, if so, how long are you willing to wait? Because far more titles are available in Mobipocket format right now. Thus, it makes sense to pay somewhat extra for that capability. I note that one can always shell out *really* big bucks and buy an iRex iLiad, but I don't think most people here would consider that to be a fiscally sound decision.

Derek

[DaleDe]

Originally Posted by AnemicOak

From a post on the Bar...

"Warranty returns will be handled through NAEB. However it is the same warranty as offered by Bookeen, so the period and standard exclusions remain the same."

The NAEB web site needs to be brought up to date. The spec page has many errors compared to Bookeen such as stating no support for DRM. It is hard to know exactly what your getting and what is the same and what is different. the home page specifically says you are getting a deluxe model but that is not quite right either since you don't get the second battery. Hopefully they will correct site. Warranty should be listed on the site. The site isn't that big so there is no excuse really for it being out of date, if they really want to be in business.

Dale

[delphidb96]

Originally Posted by DaleDe

The NAEB web site needs to be brought up to date. The spec page has many errors compared to Bookeen such as stating no support for DRM. It is hard to know exactly what your getting and what is the same and what is different. the home page specifically says you are getting a deluxe model but that is not quite right either since you don't get the second battery. Hopefully they will correct site. Warranty should be listed on the site. The site isn't that big so there is no excuse really for it being out of date, if they really want to be in business.

Dale

Thank you for pointing this out. We'll be updating this weekend.

Derek

[Alisa]

Derek -
Do you have any idea when you'll be receiving your shipment? I understand it's going to take you awhile to process orders and it's hard to make promises but I'm just trying to gauge how long I'll have to wait.

[JSWolf]

I've been noticing that a lot of current books are out in BBeB format. But, if you follow the way to get DRM free books, then it doesn't matter if you have a Gen3 or a 505 as you'll be purchasing the very same copies of the same books. Of course, if the book is not available in MS Reader format, then hopefully it will be available in BBeb or Mobi formats depending on which device you get. One thing I will say, lit2lrf makes converting MS Reader format books to BBeB a snap.

[AnemicOak]

Originally Posted by delphidb96

Jane,

What it comes down to is, are you willing to bet that the vast majority of current titles are going to be released in Sony's BBeB format? And, if so, how long are you willing to wait? Because far more titles are available in Mobipocket format right now. Thus, it makes sense to pay somewhat extra for that capability. I note that one can always shell out *really* big bucks and buy an iRex iLiad, but I don't think most people here would consider that to be a fiscally sound decision.

Derek

This is very true. For most folks I'm sure there will be an advantage to having Mobi as their main format (even if they do have some terrible pricing on some stuff).

I guess personally I don't want to be locked into any DRM'd format that isn't cracked just in case. Mobipocket has a much better chance of being around 10-20 years from now (I want my ebooks to last just as long as my pbooks) format wise since it wouldn't surprise me in the least if Sony does the same thing with their ebook operation that they're doing with their music operation sometime in the future. Me, I'll stick with LIT's that I can convert to whatever format is needed.

[AnemicOak]

Originally Posted by delphidb96

Thank you for pointing this out. We'll be updating this weekend.

One thing you might want to make known on the site (otherwise I'm sure you'll get asked a lot) is if folks will be able to get them in time for the holidays.

[mcdaniel]

I would have already bought a Sony Reader, despite my dislike of their BBeB DRM, except for the fact that they tied their computer interface to computers with Windows as the operating system. Since I am a long time user of Apple's Mac computers, I did not want to jump through all the hoops I would have faced in transferring digital books to the Sony Reader and installing updates to the Sony Reader firmware.

The Bookeen site makes it clear that the Cybook simply uses the USB from any computer for its interface, i.e., not dependent upon the computer's OS.

Both the Sony Reader and Cybook are nice devices. It is simply that Sony made some decisions that effectively ruined the use of their device by anyone with a non-Windows OS.

I will be ordering the Bookeen Cybook Gen 3 through NAEB because I will be able to interface with my iMac.

Robert

[bwit]

Originally Posted by mcdaniel

I would have already bought a Sony Reader, despite my dislike of their BBeB DRM, except for the fact that they tied their computer interface to computers with Windows as the operating system.

Robert,

I don't blame you for ordering a Bookeen but I believe the restriction you mention with Sony is only for the PRS-500. I think the PRS-505 acts as a USB drive just line the Bookeen.

Bob

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by bwit

Robert,

I don't blame you for ordering a Bookeen but I believe the restriction you mention with Sony is only for the PRS-500. I think the PRS-505 acts as a USB drive just line the Bookeen.

Bob

That's true as far as file transfer goes, but the Windows-only software is still required to buy eBooks from the Connect Store. With the Gen3, one can buy books using any web browser.

[delphidb96]

Originally Posted by HarryT

That's true as far as file transfer goes, but the Windows-only software is still required to buy eBooks from the Connect Store. With the Gen3, one can buy books using any web browser.

And this *is* a problem for many people (the PRS's Connect software not being accessible outside a Windoze environment) because they don't want to go through the less-than-legal ebook channels for the titles they want. Score one for the Cybook!

Derek

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by delphidb96

And this *is* a problem for many people (the PRS's Connect software not being accessible outside a Windoze environment) because they don't want to go through the less-than-legal ebook channels for the titles they want. Score one for the Cybook!

Derek

Hi Derek,

Do you really think that there are "many" people who don't have access to a Windows PC? As I understand it, Windows has somewhere around a mid-90s % market share of the desktop market, with the Mac running at about 5% and Linux well under 1%. While many people may wish for a native Linux or Mac version of "Connect", I suspect that most of those people do have access to a machine running Windows if they're being honest about it .

I very much believe that being able to buy books using a simple web browser is a far more convenient approach, but I'm unconvinced that "Connect" being Windows-only is really a practical problem for many people.

[delphidb96]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Hi Derek,

Do you really think that there are "many" people who don't have access to a Windows PC? As I understand it, Windows has somewhere around a mid-90s % market share of the desktop market, with the Mac running at about 5% and Linux well under 1%. While many people may wish for a native Linux or Mac version of "Connect", I suspect that most of those people do have access to a machine running Windows if they're being honest about it .

I very much believe that being able to buy books using a simple web browser is a far more convenient approach, but I'm unconvinced that "Connect" being Windows-only is really a practical problem for many people.

Harry,

You may be right. I don't dispute your guesstimate for Windoze vs Linux/Mac ownership - after all, I'm viewing this edit box using IE7... But I've had frustration with Connect, even under Windoze. Not to mention the fact that Connect offers so few of the titles I want - and which I *can* get through the various sites offering Mobipocket versions of titles. All the more reason to buy a Mobi-capable eInk reader.

Derek

[Xenophon]

Originally Posted by HarryT

[SNIP]
I very much believe that being able to buy books using a simple web browser is a far more convenient approach, but I'm unconvinced that "Connect" being Windows-only is really a practical problem for many people.

It all depends on how you read the market share numbers. You've quoted one version of the share numbers roughly correctly. But...

• The Mac installed base is rather larger than its trailing year sales %, because Macs stay in service nearly 2x longer than typical PCs.
• Many of the PC sales counted are for applications that are effectively 'embedded.' Think cash registers, and the like.
• The PC is disproportionately installed on desks in the work-place. This doesn't change the "market share," but does mean that the percentage of Macs in homes is a good deal higher than the sales numbers would indicate.
• When considering those workplace PCs, remember that many employers do not permit users to install ANY software on the desktops they use at work. This rather removes those machines from the 'access to a PC' part of the equation.
• Lastly, Mac market share has really been picking up in the last 4-6 quarters. The most recent numbers I saw were nearing 20% of U.S. retail sales. That's not the entire market, of course, but it seems like a good proxy for 'machines on which a user might install the Connect software.'

In my own case, I do 'have access to a Windows machine.' But it's in the lab at school, and I mostly use my Sony Reader at home. Having to schlep in to school to buy or download books rather fails the convenience test, don't you think? Alternatively, I could run windows on my Powerbook via Bootcamp or Parallels, or the like. While I'm a student, that'd be fairly affordable -- $19.95 for a copy of the university-site-licensed Windows disk, plus $69.95 for an academic copy of Parallels at the University bookstore. Of course, that adds $80 to the price of my Sony Reader. On top of which, it'd be the only reason for me to have a copy of Windows at all. Again... not convenient.

I guess what I'm going on about here is that the lack of Mac/Linux support (for the Sony reader) really raises the cost of entry for non-Windows users. Although we are clearly a minority, the absolute numbers are large.

By the way, the added cost to build cross-platform software needn't be large. At the companies I've worked at in the past, it added less than 5% to the cost of producing the software (testing included!) -- as long as you planned for it and designed for it from the start.* Blizzard (makers of World of Warcraft, among others) reports added costs around 3%. Given that Mac+Linux market share has never yet dropped below 5%, I've never been able to fathom why more software makers don't just build cross-platform from the get-go. The business case is trivial to make...

For example, compare Kovid Goyal's one-man-part-time libprs500 (running on Windows, Mac, and a bunch of Linux OSs) to the connect software. Sony's programmers and managers really have no excuse! And that's even allowing for the fact that users are more forgiving of free software than they would be for software that has cost them money.

Xenophon

* Retrofitting cross-platform-ness into an application originally designed for just one platform is a whole lot more expensive.

[IreneDelse]

Originally Posted by Xenophon

In my own case, I do 'have access to a Windows machine.' But it's in the lab at school, and I mostly use my Sony Reader at home. Having to schlep in to school to buy or download books rather fails the convenience test, don't you think? Alternatively, I could run windows on my Powerbook via Bootcamp or Parallels, or the like. While I'm a student, that'd be fairly affordable -- $19.95 for a copy of the university-site-licensed Windows disk, plus $69.95 for an academic copy of Parallels at the University bookstore. Of course, that adds $80 to the price of my Sony Reader. On top of which, it'd be the only reason for me to have a copy of Windows at all. Again... not convenient.

Same for me. I use a Linux Ubuntu box at home, and although I have access to a Windows system at work, installing new software (like the Sony Connect) on that machine is definitely prohibited!