Cybook Opus -- First impressions

bobnelsonfr · 09-26-2009, 04:35 AM

I received my new Opus last Tuesday. It had a pretty good charge, so I could start playing right away.

It recognized a 4 Go microSDHC card with no problem, but all the doc says not to try any bigger than that. (Anybody who needs more than 5 Go of ebooks on-hand is just plain crazy!) The Opus came with 75 freebie books, and swallowed my roughly 550 others, without needing to start on the expansion card. I went through a long moment of panic, while the device digested all those new additions. It just sat there, apparently doing nothing. A "working" signal would be reassuring...

The first reaction to the Opus is, "Jeez! It doesn't weigh anything at all!" My wife's Sony 505 feels like a brick next to the Opus. This, of course, is a very positive thing... ...

... that leads to a somewhat negative thing... The ergonomics are dumb. Not "bad", just "dumb". A device this light cries out to be used one-handed. But... The Opus's layout is clearly of aesthetic origin, not usability origin. With a bit of effort, the Opus can be used one-handed, left hand or right... but the user must overcome the device's layout, rather than be encouraged by it. "Dumb."

The Opus can handle several formats, but I have only loaded epub for the moment. One consequence is that I do not know how the device handles signets. Since I never use signets anyway, I don't care that epub doesn't manage them.

The Opus is pretty simple. No underscoring, no... nothing. Just read the books! That's fine with me, but could be a deal-breaker for some people.

The Library is lousy. It is nothing more than a file-browser. It places titles beginning with "The" under "T", for example. When there are a thousand books on-board, this could get really unpleasant! I suppose I'll have to create a title/author index in epub format...

Once, the Opus locked up for no apparent reason. Since the printed documentation is almost inexistent, and the internal epub doc was obviously inaccessible... I was not happy! I opened the battery cover, thinking to disconnect... and Eureka! A reset button. Problem solved.

Once, the device did not open to the "last page read"... but that incident may have been due to my pushing buttons a bit too quickly...

Reading on the Opus is quite nice. The eInk screen is as always, crisp and stable. There's a very noticeable white-black-white flash at each page change. It goes by just about as quickly as my eyes rise to the top of the next page, so I'm not bothered. There's an option to eliminate this flash, but there would then be a bit of after-image from one page to the next.

There's no margin at all around the text. I suppose that this is because the screen is only 5", and Bookeen wanted to use that real estate to the maximum. I was bothered by the lack of margins... for about fifteen minutes.

It is still early days, but so far the Opus corresponds exactly to what I wanted: a light, pocketable, go-everywhere device that just reads books!

Oh, and... the sleeve that comes with the Opus seems to have been thought out as "in-pocket-protection". Its reassuringly thick front and rear covers make the device quite a bit thicker, but the sleeve doesn't add much in any other direction. Opus and sleeve fit comfortably in a jeans's hip pocket, about the size of a paperback.

If anyone has a specific question, I'd be glad to (try to) answer...

HarryT · 09-26-2009, 04:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bobnelsonfr

... that leads to a somewhat negative thing... The ergonomics are dumb. Not "bad", just "dumb". A device this light cries out to be used one-handed. But... The Opus's layout is clearly of aesthetic origin, not usability origin. With a bit of effort, the Opus can be used one-handed, left hand or right... but the user must overcome the device's layout, rather than be encouraged by it. "Dumb."

Different things appeal to different users, clearly. The placement of the page turn buttons is absolutely perfect for me.

Quote:

The Opus can handle several formats, but I have only loaded epub for the moment. One consequence is that I do not know how the device handles signets. Since I never use signets anyway, I don't care that epub doesn't manage them.

Signets? What are signets?

Quote:

The Library is lousy. It is nothing more than a file-browser. It places titles beginning with "The" under "T", for example. When there are a thousand books on-board, this could get really unpleasant! I suppose I'll have to create a title/author index in epub format...

Switch on folders in the library view, and put your books in folders; that's the key to managing it. Personally I use a folder per author, but there are many other ways to arrange it - eg by book category.

Quote:

Once, the Opus locked up for no apparent reason. Since the printed documentation is almost inexistent, and the internal epub doc was obviously inaccessible... I was not happy! I opened the battery cover, thinking to disconnect... and Eureka! A reset button. Problem solved.

No need to use the reset button. Hold in the power button, and press and hold the "page back" button until the device reboots. This normally takes about 10s.

Quote:

There's no margin at all around the text. I suppose that this is because the screen is only 5", and Bookeen wanted to use that real estate to the maximum. I was bothered by the lack of margins... for about fifteen minutes.

Margins are set by the book itself. For ePub files this is trivially changed by editing the CSS file.

bobnelsonfr · 09-26-2009, 04:50 AM

Does the software do something with "Folders", or must the user do all the manipulation?

bobnelsonfr · 09-26-2009, 04:53 AM

Rest. I was pretty sure that there would be a possibility to reset without opening the battery case... but since I couldn't access the documentation....

I really think that this should be in the quickstart doc. Its more useful than the "buy ebooks" stuff that we already know...

bobnelsonfr · 09-26-2009, 04:54 AM

"No margin" actually works quite well. It was a bit surprising at first, but I quickly got used to it.

How would I change the CSS file?

HarryT · 09-26-2009, 05:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bobnelsonfr

Does the software do something with "Folders", or must the user do all the manipulation?

If you use "Calibre" to manage your books (which I'd highly recommend), and assign "tags" to your books, then Calibre will automatically copy the book to a folder named for the tag. Or you can simply do it manually - create folders within the "Digital Editions" folder on the drive that mounts in Windows Explorer, and copy the books to the appropriate folder.

HarryT · 09-26-2009, 05:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bobnelsonfr

Rest. I was pretty sure that there would be a possibility to reset without opening the battery case... but since I couldn't access the documentation....

I really think that this should be in the quickstart doc. Its more useful than the "buy ebooks" stuff that we already know...

Yes, I entirely agree

.

bobnelsonfr · 09-26-2009, 05:05 AM

That's good advice. Unfortunately, I'm using a Mac with Snow Leopard... and Calibre needs some re-write for that OS. But You're quite right -- once Calibre is running, it will be easy to copy its file structure to the Opus.

Cassy · 09-26-2009, 05:49 AM

Thanks for your review! I am looking for a small, light reader to leave in my bag and this seems to fit that bill.

Quote:

Originally Posted by bobnelsonfr

Once, the device did not open to the "last page read"... but that incident may have been due to my pushing buttons a bit too quickly...

Does this mean that usually it does open to the last page? I read that it doesn't have a sleep mode so i assumed when you turn it on it goes back to the menu screen. Can you please confirm?

Thanks

HarryT · 09-26-2009, 05:51 AM

When you turn it on, you are on the library screen, with the book you are currently reading "selected". It does indeed remember the current page you're reading in each book.

tompe · 09-26-2009, 06:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

Different things appeal to different users, clearly. The placement of the page turn buttons is absolutely perfect for me.

Is it really perfect for you for one handed use or do you mean for two handed use?

HarryT · 09-26-2009, 06:11 AM

One handed. And because you can turn it upside-down, and the screen and buttons flip, it can be used equally well in either hand.

bobnelsonfr · 09-26-2009, 11:20 AM

Hi,
Yes, the Opus opens to the library, with a marker on the last book opened, and a click opens that book to the last page read.
It does take about 40 seconds for the device to open. I don't want to do that too often, so I set the turn-off at 1 hour. That way, if the Opus shuts down... it is because I have in fact stopped reading.
I don't miss the sleep mode.

bobnelsonfr · 09-26-2009, 11:22 AM

I found the accelerometer far too nervous. It was flipping all the time. I turned it off.

Juliette · 09-26-2009, 11:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

One handed. And because you can turn it upside-down, and the screen and buttons flip, it can be used equally well in either hand.

Can you block the flipping? I know it's weird but it could be a very good piece of hardware for tech-un-savvy relatives

09-26-2009, 04:35 AM	#1
bobnelsonfr Newbie Posts: 33 Karma: 10 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Calais, France & Yuma, AZ Device: Samsung Galaxy S8+ with several apps	Cybook Opus -- First impressions I received my new Opus last Tuesday. It had a pretty good charge, so I could start playing right away. It recognized a 4 Go microSDHC card with no problem, but all the doc says not to try any bigger than that. (Anybody who needs more than 5 Go of ebooks on-hand is just plain crazy!) The Opus came with 75 freebie books, and swallowed my roughly 550 others, without needing to start on the expansion card. I went through a long moment of panic, while the device digested all those new additions. It just sat there, apparently doing nothing. A "working" signal would be reassuring... The first reaction to the Opus is, "Jeez! It doesn't weigh anything at all!" My wife's Sony 505 feels like a brick next to the Opus. This, of course, is a very positive thing... ... ... that leads to a somewhat negative thing... The ergonomics are dumb. Not "bad", just "dumb". A device this light cries out to be used one-handed. But... The Opus's layout is clearly of aesthetic origin, not usability origin. With a bit of effort, the Opus can be used one-handed, left hand or right... but the user must overcome the device's layout, rather than be encouraged by it. "Dumb." The Opus can handle several formats, but I have only loaded epub for the moment. One consequence is that I do not know how the device handles signets. Since I never use signets anyway, I don't care that epub doesn't manage them. The Opus is pretty simple. No underscoring, no... nothing. Just read the books! That's fine with me, but could be a deal-breaker for some people. The Library is lousy. It is nothing more than a file-browser. It places titles beginning with "The" under "T", for example. When there are a thousand books on-board, this could get really unpleasant! I suppose I'll have to create a title/author index in epub format... Once, the Opus locked up for no apparent reason. Since the printed documentation is almost inexistent, and the internal epub doc was obviously inaccessible... I was not happy! I opened the battery cover, thinking to disconnect... and Eureka! A reset button. Problem solved. Once, the device did not open to the "last page read"... but that incident may have been due to my pushing buttons a bit too quickly... Reading on the Opus is quite nice. The eInk screen is as always, crisp and stable. There's a very noticeable white-black-white flash at each page change. It goes by just about as quickly as my eyes rise to the top of the next page, so I'm not bothered. There's an option to eliminate this flash, but there would then be a bit of after-image from one page to the next. There's no margin at all around the text. I suppose that this is because the screen is only 5", and Bookeen wanted to use that real estate to the maximum. I was bothered by the lack of margins... for about fifteen minutes. It is still early days, but so far the Opus corresponds exactly to what I wanted: a light, pocketable, go-everywhere device that just reads books! Oh, and... the sleeve that comes with the Opus seems to have been thought out as "in-pocket-protection". Its reassuringly thick front and rear covers make the device quite a bit thicker, but the sleeve doesn't add much in any other direction. Opus and sleeve fit comfortably in a jeans's hip pocket, about the size of a paperback. If anyone has a specific question, I'd be glad to (try to) answer...

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09-26-2009, 04:50 AM	#3
bobnelsonfr Newbie Posts: 33 Karma: 10 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Calais, France & Yuma, AZ Device: Samsung Galaxy S8+ with several apps	Does the software do something with "Folders", or must the user do all the manipulation?

09-26-2009, 04:53 AM	#4
bobnelsonfr Newbie Posts: 33 Karma: 10 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Calais, France & Yuma, AZ Device: Samsung Galaxy S8+ with several apps	Rest. I was pretty sure that there would be a possibility to reset without opening the battery case... but since I couldn't access the documentation.... I really think that this should be in the quickstart doc. Its more useful than the "buy ebooks" stuff that we already know...

09-26-2009, 04:54 AM	#5
bobnelsonfr Newbie Posts: 33 Karma: 10 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Calais, France & Yuma, AZ Device: Samsung Galaxy S8+ with several apps	"No margin" actually works quite well. It was a bit surprising at first, but I quickly got used to it. How would I change the CSS file?

09-26-2009, 05:05 AM	#8
bobnelsonfr Newbie Posts: 33 Karma: 10 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Calais, France & Yuma, AZ Device: Samsung Galaxy S8+ with several apps	That's good advice. Unfortunately, I'm using a Mac with Snow Leopard... and Calibre needs some re-write for that OS. But You're quite right -- once Calibre is running, it will be easy to copy its file structure to the Opus.

09-26-2009, 05:51 AM	#10
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383043 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	When you turn it on, you are on the library screen, with the book you are currently reading "selected". It does indeed remember the current page you're reading in each book.

09-26-2009, 06:11 AM	#12
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383043 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	One handed. And because you can turn it upside-down, and the screen and buttons flip, it can be used equally well in either hand.

09-26-2009, 11:20 AM	#13
bobnelsonfr Newbie Posts: 33 Karma: 10 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Calais, France & Yuma, AZ Device: Samsung Galaxy S8+ with several apps	Hi, Yes, the Opus opens to the library, with a marker on the last book opened, and a click opens that book to the last page read. It does take about 40 seconds for the device to open. I don't want to do that too often, so I set the turn-off at 1 hour. That way, if the Opus shuts down... it is because I have in fact stopped reading. I don't miss the sleep mode.

09-26-2009, 11:22 AM	#14
bobnelsonfr Newbie Posts: 33 Karma: 10 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Calais, France & Yuma, AZ Device: Samsung Galaxy S8+ with several apps	I found the accelerometer far too nervous. It was flipping all the time. I turned it off.

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