First sample units arrived - review by Friday or Monday!

[NatCh]

punintentional is the best kind.

[Nate the great]

Originally Posted by Ravenflight

I wish there was a way to turn off/suspend the buttons of the Sony without blanking the screen- I'd like to be able to open the cover of the Sony and see the last page I was reading. Unfortunately the Sony buttons get accidentally pressed way too easily with the cover closed which is why I always end up sliding the 'off' switch before I close it. I'm wondering if there will be a way to do this on the Cybook? Or if the Cybook is less prone to have the 'accidental button pushed with cover' problem?

This is probably doable. Ask one of the hackers.

[MikeF74]

Originally Posted by Nate the great

This is probably doable. Ask one of the hackers.

Perhaps unlock the buttons by entering a certain button sequence using the numbers. It could also act as a numberless PIN system to foil theives.

Wouldn't it be totally secure since USB access to the file system could repair the unit back to a usable state. But it foil 99% of thieves.

[Ravenflight]

Originally Posted by MikeF74

Perhaps unlock the buttons by entering a certain button sequence using the numbers. It could also act as a numberless PIN system to foil theives.

I was thinking something simpler- like still sliding the power switch to disable the buttons but not having it blank the screen when you do it. It could continue displaying the last screen with maybe the addition of "OFF" in the bottom right of the screen to remind why the buttons dont work.

[MikeF74]

Originally Posted by Ravenflight

I was thinking something simpler- like still sliding the power switch to disable the buttons but not having it blank the screen when you do it. It could continue displaying the last screen with maybe the addition of "OFF" in the bottom right of the screen to remind why the buttons dont work.

A lot of devices use a 3-position switch, with one of them being "Hold". I like how my Garmin Nuvi GPS works. It has a switch that normally sits in the middle position. Push it to the left to toggle power state (it springs back to center position automatically). Then, if you move the switch to the right, it stays there and locks out all controls. This is the "Hold" position.

It would be nice to see eInk eBooks use such a switch. In the "hold" state, the unit would actually power down, but lock out the buttons.

[delphidb96]

It ARRIVED!!!

Yep. It arrived, and I've got an image of my Bookeen Cybook Gen3 side-by-side with my Sony PRS-500 on my blog page: Derek's Blog Page. Go check it out.

I'll have more later.

Derek

[Azayzel]

Originally Posted by delphidb96

It ARRIVED!!!

Yep. It arrived, and I've got an image of my Bookeen Cybook Gen3 side-by-side with my Sony PRS-500 on my blog page: Derek's Blog Page. Go check it out.

I'll have more later.

Derek

Why drive people to another site instead of posting your pics here?

BTW The Cybook looks a bit brighter but the font's a lot larger in your example too. Perhaps you could show us a side-by-side of the same book at the same page to give us an idea of how it compares; i.e., font size, number of pages, contrast, etc. Thanks for the photo!

[delphidb96]

Azayzel,

UUUUuuuuuummmmmm.... Because I'm a nidiot?!?

Here's the photo.


Derek

Originally Posted by Azayzel

Why drive people to another site instead of posting your pics here?

[JSWolf]

Any chance of seeing the same page in the same book with the same formatting?

[TadW]

Originally Posted by delphidb96

Azayzel,

UUUUuuuuuummmmmm.... Because I'm a nidiot?!?

Derek

Wow, Derek, the difference is striking! I love the improved contrast ratio. I attached your photo in hi-res again (if you don't mind).

[JSWolf]

I just noticed something about the photo. Look at the light on the left of the Sony and then the right of the Cybook. The light is better on the Cybook side. I think the light is a bit in favor of the Cybook.

[MikeF74]

Do you think the lack of numbered buttons that many devices has is an annoyance? Or does the faster refresh make using up/down buttons to highlight and select things an acceptable method?

Also, I too would like to see the same text at a similar size side-by-side if you could manage it.

[MikeF74]

A few additional observations regarding the photo comparision:

1) The book on the Sony has terrible formatting. Was that purchased like that?
2) The Cybook has no battery indicator nor does it have a Page X of Y indicator to quickly gauge how far through a book one is.
3) The book title and page numbers are unnecessarily large on the Cybook, but that may just be because it is using a large font in this screenshot.

[Azayzel]

Originally Posted by MikeF74

I too would like to see the same text at a similar size side-by-side if you could manage it.

And can you have a professional photographer do a shoot of both devices using the same firmware and dressed in the same garments too? I'd also like to see each one with various shadows cast across them so I can determine which one will be more photogenic with me when I go in for some portrait at Glamor Shots.

lol, just kidding. I'm sure Derek gets the idea, I just think it's funny that there are like three posts in a row requesting the same thing. Great minds definitely think alike! He's probably already thought of it too, just hadn't had time act on it yet (too busy arranging the professional photo shoot ). Thanks for posting the picture so quickly here, it does look nice!

[guguy]

The cybook looks quite bad and seems to be very fragile... considering
the PRS-505 is 70$ less it is really expensive for a Chinese reader...