PocketBook 902 Pro release date

[mtravellerh]

Originally Posted by mbk2

Actually, there is a difference in blind test:
http://www.which.co.uk/technology/co...e-dx-graphite/

86% choose the Pearl as the easiest to read on.

Yes, there is a difference, but it's only gradual. Difference between SiPix and E-Ink is a lot, actually whole lots, bigger

[twoflower]

It's probably a silly question, but I just want to be sure. As PB 903 has a WiFi module, will I be able to connect to my home WiFi network and access any web page on the device or will the WiFi access be restricted to some Pocketbook provider and limited to only a few pages? (I think Amazon Kindle uses a similar model).

[mtravellerh]

Originally Posted by twoflower

It's probably a silly question, but I just want to be sure. As PB 903 has a WiFi module, will I be able to connect to my home WiFi network and access any web page on the device or will the WiFi access be restricted to some Pocketbook provider and limited to only a few pages? (I think Amazon Kindle uses a similar model).

With WiFi, you will be able to connect to the whole Internet (save for the java sites)

[fjtorres]

Originally Posted by twoflower

...will the WiFi access be restricted to some Pocketbook provider and limited to only a few pages? (I think Amazon Kindle uses a similar model).

That is Sony's *3G* policy, not Amazon's (or most vendors') *WiFi* policy.
Wifi is "bring-your-own-bandwidth" and costs the vendor nothing so the only limits are those of the browser App. People routinely use Kindle browsers through WiFi(even through 3G, in markets with free unrestricted 3G for Kindles) to download books from Baen, Gutenberg, and many other vendors, even their own private web servers or cloud-based storage (notably, drop-box).
It is reasonable to expect the WiFi Pocketbooks to be similarly open; it adds value to the device and costs the vendor nothing. (Unlike 3G bandwidth which does cost the vendor bandwidth fees, hence the Sony policy and Amazon's bandwidth surcharge in some markets.)

[rhari79]

Does the PocketBook have a sleep mode?

for eg like the kindle; i can wake it up in a few seconds after 2-3 weeks and start reading. I dont think kindle has a real shutdown mode.Iliad had a shutdown, but no sleep.

sorry if this has already been answered, or is an existing feature(i havent used a PB yet)..

[kacir]

Originally Posted by rhari79

Does the PocketBook have a sleep mode?

for eg like the kindle; i can wake it up in a few seconds after 2-3 weeks and start reading. I dont think kindle has a real shutdown mode.Iliad had a shutdown, but no sleep.

I am talking about existing models here, but from what I have heard the new models build on well established firmware functions. We have even been promised that they will try to backport interesting features from new devices to the old ones. (do not hold your breath ;-) )

You can "lock" the keys, so this is something like a sleep mode. You can lock the device with a short press of the OFF button or you can configure the device to lock itself after certain time of inactivity, or you can set the device to lock after some inactivity and shutdown automatically later.

The "cold start" of the device to the main menu takes about 11 seconds, loading of the book takes another 10 (very much depending on the complexity of the book. With 50MB complicated pdf it is going to be longer.)
There is one very interesting feature. You can set boot logo image, so you look at the interesting picture while the device is booting. You can select any of the images in /system/logo directory, or random image, or, printscreen of the last read page.

So. Just before I switch off my PocketBook 360 I simply turn page and hold the OFF button. Shutdown takes half a second longer than the usual 2 seconds ;-). When I start the device, it takes about 2 seconds to display the "startup logo" which, in this case, is the picture of my last read page. By the time I read to the end of the page the picture is secretly replaced with an actual page, so I continue turning pages and reading.

You see, you can have the best of both worlds. This is one of many reasons why we like PocketBook devices so much.
Long live Guys in Kiev (TM)!

[pashlit]

Originally Posted by mtravellerh

Yes, there is a difference, but it's only gradual. Difference between SiPix and E-Ink is a lot, actually whole lots, bigger

The diff is huge. Pearl screens has much more darker font that is much more easier for my tired eyes.I guess it depends a lot on how good your eyes are. Like for me its much easier to read on weekends when my eyes are relaxing. But after sitting the whole day and staring at PC screen I can spot even minimal glare that will drive me nuts (My eyes are still 20/20, they are just very sensitive to glare and light).
I ended up with Pearl screen cause it DOES make a difference. But for other people it might be less important.

[patrik]

mtravellerh,

Is there going to be a special pre-order price (esp for 903 Pro)? I'm considering ordering one now....

[rhari79]

Originally Posted by kacir

You can "lock" the keys, so this is something like a sleep mode. You can lock the device with a short press of the OFF button or you can configure the device to lock itself after certain time of inactivity, or you can set the device to lock after some inactivity and shutdown automatically later.

any idea how is the battery affected in this case? is the reader still doing some processing or is it in an actual sleep/hibernate state?

[kacir]

Originally Posted by rhari79

is the reader still doing some processing or is it in an actual sleep/hibernate state?

It is in sleep state. I hope!

[fjtorres]

Originally Posted by rhari79

any idea how is the battery affected in this case? is the reader still doing some processing or is it in an actual sleep/hibernate state?

Yes, the reader does some processing in the background.
If you only lock the keyboard, on the PB360, you can expect 10 days to 2 weeks battery life.
If you turn it off in between reading sessions, you can expect as much as 3 weeks battery life.
If you only lock the keyboard and keep the motion sensor on full time you'll see a week to ten days battery life.

The background processing is one of the reasons the Pocketbooks are stable and fast paging; other readers put the CPU to full sleep between page turns which means it has to wakeup, read in a page, render it to memory, and *then* display it.

[Dawgmatix]

The weeks are rolling by and no clarity seems to be emerging about the Pocketbook 902/903.

[mgmueller]

Originally Posted by rhari79

Does the PocketBook have a sleep mode?

for eg like the kindle; i can wake it up in a few seconds after 2-3 weeks and start reading. I dont think kindle has a real shutdown mode.Iliad had a shutdown, but no sleep.

sorry if this has already been answered, or is an existing feature(i havent used a PB yet)..

Re. Kindle:
If you briefly flick the off-switch, it goes into standby. Then it's "instant-on" in about 2 seconds.
If you hold the off-switch for maybe 4 seconds, it shuts down. Turning it on again takes maybe 30 seconds.
I find Kindle's energy consumption highly effective. It lasts weeks in standby.

[bogdaniosif]

Hi,

Questions have been raised until now about the annotation capability built into the PocketBook 90x readers. The issue seems to be avoided by the company as the questions are left unanswered and the feature is not described in the press releases.

In one of the 903 demo videos from YouTube (I think from IFA) the annotation issue is briefly touched upon. It seemed to only work by allowing the user to capture the screen as an image and then allowing to add some text or pen drawings on top of that image. It also seemed that these screen-grabs are stored in some area on the device and that somehow the device is able to link them back to the original document when you reach a page which has been "annotated" in this manner. This is largely speculation because the feature was only briefly touched upon and the firmware may have evolved since then (or at least I sincerely hope so).

If not, the implicit conclusion is that the 903 has NO capability to handle PDF builtin comments, notes, highlights or any other types of PDF annotations. This would be a huge disappointment for anyone looking to use the 903's big screen and pen to read & annotate research papers or technical books because it would become unreasonably difficult to move annotations around and keep them in sync with their associated content.

Does it seem reasonable to NOT have this feature in the 903? Looking at it's high price, I think not. The iPad has it through a 2$ app and the 16 GB version is just 100 EUR more expensive than the 903 and only 100g heavier. While the iPad looses to the 903 when it comes to reading text, it blows the 903 out of the water with it's versatility in so many other general use areas. If I pay 400 EUR plus shipping for a device that is DEDICATED for reading text then it damn well be better at it than a 2$ iPad app!!!

Please note that 3G, bookstores or any other content providers are not at all important for me. I just want a good, non-DRM crippled, ereading device.

[Yar-PocketBooker]

Guys, we'll start pre-selling PB Pro 602, PB Pro 902 and PB IQ very soon, quite possibly from Monday, October 25. They are planned to hip US soil in less then two weeks.