Review?

[wallcraft]

Originally Posted by delphidb96

I've created a 'sample' mobi file using BookDesigner

This may be about as good as can be done with BookDesigner, but, like most of the .prc books posted here, it isn't optimal because it does not have a MobiPocket TOC. Instead it has an in-line TOC as HTML links. This may work almost as well in practice on devices with little support for the MobiPocket format, but there is a difference. A good example of a professional .prc file is Ring of Fire. Baen does not supply a .lrf version but perhaps the .rtf version wil work on the Sony (and the Cybook for that matter).

[delphidb96]

Wallcraft,

Ummm... Have you *TRIED* to use Mobipocket Creator's ToC wizard? Because if you haven't, you can't help me. I'd *LOVE* to have an HTML file all decked out with a proper Mobi ToC, or even better, a *CLEAR*, *IN-DEPTH* tutorial written that even a *DUMMY* like me could comprehend!

Until then, having the .rtf or plain-jane .html files aren't going to do me squat. 'Cause I already *GOT* plenty of those. And until then, I'm going to use BD for my personal Mobi work.

Derek

Originally Posted by wallcraft

This may be about as good as can be done with BookDesigner, but, like most of the .prc books posted here, it isn't optimal because it does not have a MobiPocket TOC. Instead it has an in-line TOC as HTML links. This may work almost as well in practice on devices with little support for the MobiPocket format, but there is a difference. A good example of a professional .prc file is Ring of Fire. Baen does not supply a .lrf version but perhaps the .rtf version wil work on the Sony (and the Cybook for that matter).

[delphidb96]

A P.S. to this post.

I'm not going to pull punches here just because I'm part of NAEB. I'm still gathering my thoughts and I'll have a complete review next week. This upcoming review will be a fair evaluation of the Cybook Gen3, not a glossed-over press release.

I expect many of the software complaints I've expressed here will go away in upcoming firmware updates. If they don't, I'll mention them again if I think they're critical.

Derek

Originally Posted by delphidb96

I've now had the Cybook Gen3 for just one week. And I'm beginning to like it. Notice I said 'beginning'. I've owned a Sony PRS-500 for over a month now and for the first few days the Cybook was here, I didn't really care for it.

Don't get me wrong, the new Visplex eInk display is, to my eye, much sharper and noticeably more contrasty than the older eInk display found on the PRS-500. But Sony's device seemed somehow... more polished... more finished.

And it finally 'clicked' in my mind what the problem was with the Cybook. It's too danged LIGHT! That's right, my PRS-500 is heavier than the Cybook and even more so when I put the PRS-500 into it's softcover case. And, subconsciously, I felt the Cybook was 'flimsier' than the PRS-500 as a result.

So what happened to change my mind? I dropped the Cybook. I was attempting to pull it out of the cargo pocket in my trousers when I bumped my arm and let go. It promptly fell three feet to the hard, linoleum floor in the kitchen. The Cybook was on at the time - I'm tending to just leave it on during the day - and my first thought was "Ohmygod! I broke it!". Then I flipped it over so I could see the screen and there was my ebook, right at the page I left it. Still, I couldn't help wondering if maybe it had frozen there upon impact. Crossing my fingers, I paged forward. It changed to the next page! I called up the contextual menu and returned to the Library, and it did as I commanded! Finally, taking a deep, deep breath, I turned it off and then, after waiting a minute, turned it back on...

Hooray! It came right back up! This happened two days ago and I've been using it ever since.

Now I wouldn't recommend anyone go around dropping a $300+ ebook reader, but I'm now completely satisfied with the hardware.

As for the software, I like what I can do, but I must point out that I can't really do as much as I want to because I don't have the most recent firmware updates. Those come this next week. Considering what will be added by then, I don't believe it would be fair to Bookeen for me to make serious criticisms of what is, essentially, 'beta' software.

Still, there are some things I'd like to see in upcoming updates.

1. ability to use the SD card - this has been promised soon.
2. ability to open pdb files - should be working soon.
3. ability to 'Go To' a specific page - or First and Last - promised soon.
4. softcover - we'll have it when it's ready, but I worry about scratching the display - and as clumsy as I am, dropping it again.
5. some sort of user's manual.
6. a better way to group ebooks, say into folders. I believe work is being done on this.
7. support for FBReader ebook files. Again, I believe this is being worked on.
8. support for PDF. (Okay, maybe not. I find it's not all that difficult for me to use Adobe Acrobat Pro to extract everything and re-format into Mobipocket.)
9. battery-level indicator inside the ebooks!!! This is a must-have!
10. removable/modifyable headers and footers. Coming, just not in my beta release.
11. toolkit CD which contains the latest version of BookDesigner and an instruction guide for using it to port over to Mobipocket. This is, IMO, another must-have! Many people are going to buy these who don't already know about BD or where to get it and they aren't going to be all that interested in going through forum support groups to find copies. I'm sure there will be other goodies which can be tossed onto the CD as well.
12. let's just leave it at that, because I'm sure the list will change, shrink or maybe grow, after the next firmware update.

Still, I'm finding that I like the Cybook.

I have mastered BookDesigner to the point where I can make a pretty good conversion of text, html and rtf ebooks into the Mobipocket format. And I've found that the Mobipocket format versions of Baen's Webscriptions ebooks work great on the Cybook. I haven't yet purchased an ebook in Mobipocket format from either Mobipocket or Fictionwise. I'm about to do so. I'll tell you how it went, later.

[Egghead]

Originally Posted by delphidb96

2. ability to open pdb files - should be working soon.

Woo-hoo!

[HarryT]

Do you know what "type" of PDB will be supported? As you know, PDB is just a "container" which can hold any type of file at all! I'd guess "PalmDoc" at least. Anything else?

[delphidb96]

HarryT,

I've been using eReader's version of Palm Ebook Studio for some time now - and I've recently used BD to create both Palm Reader and Palm Reader Pro files - all of which my Dell Axim opens up and reads just fine. As soon as they get it fully up and running on the Cybook, I'll run .PDBs from both applications through and tell you more. Obviously, unless and until Bookeen makes a deal with eReader, the secure versions will not be accessible.

Derek

Originally Posted by HarryT

Do you know what "type" of PDB will be supported? As you know, PDB is just a "container" which can hold any type of file at all! I'd guess "PalmDoc" at least. Anything else?

[HarryT]

Thanks - I'll be interested to hear.

[athlonkmf]

Sounds like an awfully lot of "soon"s

[delphidb96]

And it is...

Look, as I've pointed out over the last week, the engineering sample I received had version 0.91 beta while, even at the time I got it in the mail, Bookeen was using version 0.96. And that difference counts. For example, I will be able to actually *USE* the SD card slot with v0.96! Right now I *must* hook up the Cybook to get my ebooks onto it.

Also, under v0.91, and possibly even under 0.96 - I won't know until I get it installed, they've broken down the My Documents directory with folders for Text, My eBooks, Htm and Html. I understand that with the release of the finished firmware, all the ebooks will be in the My eBooks folder.

I also believe that we will be able to upload our own font families, but I'm not sure about that. I do know that there are currently six (6) font families installed on the Cybook. Makes it nice to not have to re-format the ebook to the font I want and then re-install.

As I work for NAEB and not Bookeen, I don't have the full access to the development process and can't really say which feature is coming, coming soon or coming real soon. Sorry.

Derek

Originally Posted by athlonkmf

Sounds like an awfully lot of "soon"s

[guguy]

Why the hell did you receive v0.91 if they already had v0.96?

[delphidb96]

Guguy,

I don't know for sure, but I think they were shipped out to us before they updated. At least, that's what I'm assuming. It took a few days to get them from Europe to New York and over a week - delivery problems - to get my unit from New York to California. All in all, about a week-and-a-half of transit time to me and a week of ownership. Add that to the fact they're going gangbusters on development and that 2-and-1/2-weeks means a lot of things have changed.

Still, I expect we'll be getting firmware downloads of the latest by Monday or Tuesday of this week.

Derek

Originally Posted by guguy

Why the hell did you receive v0.91 if they already had v0.96?

[guguy]

Weren't they able to email you the new firmware?

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by wallcraft

This may be about as good as can be done with BookDesigner, but, like most of the .prc books posted here, it isn't optimal because it does not have a MobiPocket TOC. Instead it has an in-line TOC as HTML links. This may work almost as well in practice on devices with little support for the MobiPocket format, but there is a difference. A good example of a professional .prc file is Ring of Fire. Baen does not supply a .lrf version but perhaps the .rtf version wil work on the Sony (and the Cybook for that matter).

I'm sorry, but Ring of Fire is not a good example. There is no proper cover image for one. That is a cover image for the ebooks shown in the bookshelf. And granted there is no link that says Table of Contents specifically. But other then that, the ebooks made with BD seem fine if there are no real images.

[delphidb96]

How about Boundary? I can download that in both mobipocket and rtf formats and then convert the rtf into lrf? It's got a nice cover on it and should show up well in Sony. And I've had no problem with creating cover images in BD. That way I'll be able to compare a BD directory with one created by BD. Suit everyone? Good.

Derek

Originally Posted by JSWolf

I'm sorry, but Ring of Fire is not a good example. There is no proper cover image for one. That is a cover image for the ebooks shown in the bookshelf. And granted there is no link that says Table of Contents specifically. But other then that, the ebooks made with BD seem fine if there are no real images.

[JSWolf]

But if they are waiting on your review, you'd think they'd want you to have the latest firmware to do a proper review.

You did make it sound like the Cybook was actually more sturdy then the Sony when you mentioned the drop. Someone's Sony went flying pretty good (there's a forum post on it) and other then a few scratches, it works fine.

8. most people do not have Acrobat Pro. So how would you recommend getting PDF converted?

11. As for BD being included in a Toolkit CD, that would have to be agreed by vvv to allow that to happen. But, there is noting at all to stop Bookeen from linking to MobilRead and the appropriate forum threads to get it.

MobiPocket Designer (IMHO) is just clumsy. It's hard to use. Bookeen could do a nice manual for it so people can convert content using it if they want.