Gen 3 Launch Delayed to October

HarryT · 09-27-2007, 06:39 AM

The latest Bookeen newsletter says that the Gen 3 launch has been delayed to October - no surprises there! Good news, however, is that it will include PDF support, and that there'll be a new version of the MobiPocket Desktop Client which will automatically recognise it.

Lloyd Harris · 10-01-2007, 09:22 AM

Harry, as a fellow resident of the UK, I was wondering how the cost of the Cybook will compare with the Sony when tax is taken into consideration. I think I have heard $350 mentioned for the Cybook. The Cybook would seem the better deal for residents of the UK/EEC ie not having to pay import duty/tax and having a valid warranty.

Also what do you think the chances are of Sony making the 505 available in the UK?

Sebastiano · 10-01-2007, 09:36 AM

Well, if I will get a well tested and well working device, I can wait til Christmas.

HarryT · 10-01-2007, 09:45 AM

I would have hoped that the CyBook would work out rather cheaper for us. As you say, we wouldn't pay import duty (7%), but we would pay the French VAT rate which, at 19.6%, is a little higher than our own.

I certainly plan to buy one as soon as it becomes available.

roncri · 10-02-2007, 03:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sebastiano

Well, if I will get a well tested and well working device, I can wait til Christmas.

Don't hold your breath. I realize I'm in the minority but I'm also the one that has said since Feb that Bookeen wouldn't ship this year and that earlier estimates were very optimistic.

Probably get slapped down again but frankly I don't really care anymore.

HarryT · 10-03-2007, 02:44 AM

I'm not actually that bothered, roncri. I'll buy a Gen 3 when it's released and "finished", and I'd much rather that the release was delayed rather than an unfinished product be released merely to meet some arbitrary deadline. I don't particularly care whether it's October or January; I'll buy it when it's available.

NatCh · 10-03-2007, 10:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

I'm not actually that bothered, roncri. I'll buy a Gen 3 when it's released and "finished", and I'd much rather that the release was delayed rather than an unfinished product be released merely to meet some arbitrary deadline. I don't particularly care whether it's October or January; I'll buy it when it's available.

Heh, I see your point, HarryT, but it's a lot easier to take that view when you're not waiting for your first e-ink device to be released.

MikeF74 · 10-03-2007, 11:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NatCh

Heh, I see your point, HarryT, but it's a lot easier to take that view when you're not waiting for your first e-ink device to be released.

Exactly. These are trying times for first time buyers.

Ortep · 10-03-2007, 12:01 PM

Yep the same here. I'm going on a long 2 month journey in December-January. If I cannot get the Gen 3 in October it is to bad but I will buy the Sony 505. Simply because I need the time to fill it with books

roncri · 10-03-2007, 04:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ortep

Yep the same here. I'm going on a long 2 month journey in December-January. If I cannot get the Gen 3 in October it is to bad but I will buy the Sony 505. Simply because I need the time to fill it with books

Basically the same. If this ships in October fine, if not, I'm getting one of the new Sony units. It's been over a year since NAEB started talking about a reader, I'm done waiting.

delphidb96 · 10-03-2007, 04:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by roncri

Basically the same. If this ships in October fine, if not, I'm getting one of the new Sony units. It's been over a year since NAEB started talking about a reader, I'm done waiting.

Roncri,

Sorry to hear that. But you must understand, NAEB is four people - with limited resources. When we first started looking into bringing out an ebook reader, we were hoping to have an OEM make one for us. That proved to be *FAR* too expensive an option - and it still is. So we decided to see if we could become an agent for/market an eInk reader manufactured by one of the current sources - an ebook reader which would support both a popular DRM'd format as well as non-DRM ebooks.

At the time we made the decision to more closely examine Bookeen's Cybook Gen3, it was pretty much impossible to work out a deal with Sony and Hanlin used it's funky WOL format - which has the same proprietary issues as Sony does. That left either STAReBOOK or iRex's iLiad with the outside possibility of Bookeen. We've never really had a chance to study the STAReBOOK and the iLiad is so far out of the price range of our potential customer base as to preclude working with them.

That left Bookeen. So what would you have us do? Shove Yet Another Unknown and Proprietary Format down your throat by going with the current generation of Hanlin readers? Throw away all our efforts - and Bookeen's - and re-attempt to make our own unit? Or attempt to work a deal with iRex and say 'screw you' to those of our customers who can't afford the luxury model?

Please, you tell me. I'd really like to know.

Derek

hello · 10-03-2007, 04:40 PM

delphidb96 do you have so little belie f in the timely succesfull completion of the cybook 3 or do you have faith in i t?

delphidb96 · 10-03-2007, 05:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hello

delphidb96 do you have so little belie f in the timely succesfull completion of the cybook 3 or do you have faith in i t?

Hello,

Hmmm... *DO* I have 'so little belief'? That is a very relevant question. One with no easy or simple answer, or so I believe right this moment.

You must understand that we at NAEB did *NOT* receive our promised firmware update - in fact we will have to wait at least until Friday (and maybe beyond, but the promise is Friday). If I had the firmware update and could see the progress *already made*, I could give a resounding *YES* to your question about having faith in it. If I had to state an opinion based *SOLELY* upon the version 0.91 firmware and on my current level of frustration - at this moment - well... my faith is a bit rocky right now.

Do I see potential in the Cybook Gen3? Yes. Yes I do. Do I believe the folks at Bookeen will end up delivering a solid product. Yes again. Do I believe they'll bring it to market by the end of the month? Ask me again next Monday.

Do I like being able to create Mobi versions of my current HTML and RTF files, complete with Tables of Content and the like? You betcha! Do I regret that the current HTML reader doesn't handle hyperlinks to other files? Absolutely! Do I believe that problem will go away in near-future updates? Yes. Am I frustrated by the fact that each Mobi ebook *must* be in the My Documents|My eBooks folder - with no ability to create sub-folders for my various genre categories? Undeniably! Again, that problem, as with the inability to open and read purchased Secure Mobipocket ebooks, should go away soon.

Will I be doing a 'preliminary' review of the Cybook Gen3? Yes. We've decided to do the preliminary reviews based upon the version we've got in hand - we're not waiting any longer.

Derek

Alisa · 10-03-2007, 05:22 PM

Delphi -
Correct me if I'm wrong but wasn't a delay in Bookeen receiving the screens from the manufacturer one of the main reasons for the engineering samples coming to you late? That's rather beyond their control. It probably forced them to try to compact their firmware development schedule. Sounds like they may have been overly optimistic. I'm sure we all would have liked to see the firmware come out a bit more quickly but I would imagine they've got a much smaller development team than Sony. Personally I'm ok with waiting a bit if the end product has the features and quality that I want. Maybe it's because I work in development as well, but I see first hand how these things happen. It makes me inclined to cut folks a little slack here and there.

NatCh · 10-03-2007, 05:30 PM

Thing on the firmware, Alisa, is (or I imagine part of it is) that Bookeen has had the updated firmware for some time, evidently -- judging by its appearances on UTube, anyway -- but hasn't managed to get a copy of it to Derek and his colleagues at NAEB -- that shouldn't be dependent on PVI's e-ink panel production issues.

If they'd gotten him the firmware update before now, or shipped the sample out with it in the first place, NAEB wouldn't be forced to decide whether to review what they've finally gotten (after a very long wait) or wait yet longer in hopes that Bookeen ... deals with whatever it is that's holding them up, in a timelier fashion than they've demonstrated the ability to do thus far.

09-27-2007, 06:39 AM	#1
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383043 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	Gen 3 Launch Delayed to October The latest Bookeen newsletter says that the Gen 3 launch has been delayed to October - no surprises there! Good news, however, is that it will include PDF support, and that there'll be a new version of the MobiPocket Desktop Client which will automatically recognise it.

10-01-2007, 09:22 AM	#2
Lloyd Harris Member Posts: 16 Karma: 10 Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: England Device: Sony PRS 500 & 505	Cybook cost in UK Harry, as a fellow resident of the UK, I was wondering how the cost of the Cybook will compare with the Sony when tax is taken into consideration. I think I have heard $350 mentioned for the Cybook. The Cybook would seem the better deal for residents of the UK/EEC ie not having to pay import duty/tax and having a valid warranty. Also what do you think the chances are of Sony making the 505 available in the UK?

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10-01-2007, 09:36 AM	#3
Sebastiano Member Posts: 19 Karma: 64 Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Hannover Device: Cybook Gen3, Palm Zire21	Well, if I will get a well tested and well working device, I can wait til Christmas.

10-01-2007, 09:45 AM	#4
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383043 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	I would have hoped that the CyBook would work out rather cheaper for us. As you say, we wouldn't pay import duty (7%), but we would pay the French VAT rate which, at 19.6%, is a little higher than our own. I certainly plan to buy one as soon as it becomes available.

10-03-2007, 02:44 AM	#6
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383043 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	I'm not actually that bothered, roncri. I'll buy a Gen 3 when it's released and "finished", and I'd much rather that the release was delayed rather than an unfinished product be released merely to meet some arbitrary deadline. I don't particularly care whether it's October or January; I'll buy it when it's available.

10-03-2007, 12:01 PM	#9
Ortep Fanatic Posts: 527 Karma: 470 Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: The Netherlands Device: Kindle Oasis	Yep the same here. I'm going on a long 2 month journey in December-January. If I cannot get the Gen 3 in October it is to bad but I will buy the Sony 505. Simply because I need the time to fill it with books

10-03-2007, 04:40 PM	#12
hello Custom User Title Posts: 55 Karma: 26 Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Yes Device: Nokia 5130	delphidb96 do you have so little belie f in the timely succesfull completion of the cybook 3 or do you have faith in i t?

10-03-2007, 05:22 PM	#14
Alisa Gadget Geek Posts: 2,324 Karma: 22221 Join Date: Aug 2007 Device: Paperwhite, Kindle 3 (retired), Skindle 1.2 (retired)	Delphi - Correct me if I'm wrong but wasn't a delay in Bookeen receiving the screens from the manufacturer one of the main reasons for the engineering samples coming to you late? That's rather beyond their control. It probably forced them to try to compact their firmware development schedule. Sounds like they may have been overly optimistic. I'm sure we all would have liked to see the firmware come out a bit more quickly but I would imagine they've got a much smaller development team than Sony. Personally I'm ok with waiting a bit if the end product has the features and quality that I want. Maybe it's because I work in development as well, but I see first hand how these things happen. It makes me inclined to cut folks a little slack here and there.

10-03-2007, 05:30 PM	#15
NatCh Gizmologist Posts: 11,615 Karma: 929550 Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Republic of Texas Embassy at Jackson, TN Device: Pocketbook Touch HD3	Thing on the firmware, Alisa, is (or I imagine part of it is) that Bookeen has had the updated firmware for some time, evidently -- judging by its appearances on UTube, anyway -- but hasn't managed to get a copy of it to Derek and his colleagues at NAEB -- that shouldn't be dependent on PVI's e-ink panel production issues. If they'd gotten him the firmware update before now, or shipped the sample out with it in the first place, NAEB wouldn't be forced to decide whether to review what they've finally gotten (after a very long wait) or wait yet longer in hopes that Bookeen ... deals with whatever it is that's holding them up, in a timelier fashion than they've demonstrated the ability to do thus far.

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