Cybook is great but...

[Adamastorx]

I'm still searching for my first ereader... I had almost decided to go for the Cybook and then this "Expansys special deal" for the PRS-505 appeared - at the end I didn't get it, but I started to look once more to the PRS-505 as possibility...
You see, I really find very useful the dictionary feature of the Cybook, but I like more the PRS-505 for its design. Yes, it's prettier but it's not just that... In the Cybook you have just one button and after a while - there's a bookshop nearby where I can freely use the Cybook - my thumb starts to complain a bit
The PRS-505 seams to my more ergonomic and user friendly. Could it be?
The other thing that is driving me away from the Cybook and towards the PRS-505 is that the last has more user hacks and development... You look in the Cybook Dev Corner on this forum there isn't one 2009 post...
Meanwhile, there are lot's of improvements to the PRS-505, including a dictionary - though I'm not sure if it's already possible to search for the meaning of word, like in the Cybook...


I know everyone asks the same thing, but can anyone give some opinions on this subject?


Thanks in advance

[alehel]

If you purchase a dictionary, the cybook will let you look up words. There is still no support for this on the 505.

I've just purchased a Cybook and I'm really pleased with it. I've had no problems with the button. If you have any other questions specifically about the cybook gen 3, I'd be happy to answer them. I've never tried the 505 myself, but I'm really pleased with my choice. Also the 505 should get support for at least drm-free epub soon, so you should have greater reading freedom with the cybook.

[HarryT]

The Sony is better engineered; the CyBook has (IMHO) much better software in terms of:

- Support for MobiPocket - very much the de facto industry standard format.
- The ability to load any font you wish on the machine and view any book in any font at any of 12 different sizes.
- Dictionary lookup, including support for multiple dictionaries.
- Support for "real" bold/italic fonts (the Sony synthesises them.)

Plus it has a user-replaceable battery, which the Sony doesn't.

[Adamastorx]

Thanks, alehel!
I like the Cybook features... It's just that it seams to tiny and not very ergonomic with just one button for everything... I have some "keyboard typing tired hands", therefore I always try to avoid repetitive movements... But, anyway, maybe I just being seduced by the PRS-505 looks...

Originally Posted by alehel

If you purchase a dictionary, the cybook will let you look up words. There is still no support for this on the 505.

I've just purchased a Cybook and I'm really pleased with it. I've had no problems with the button. If you have any other questions specifically about the cybook gen 3, I'd be happy to answer them. I've never tried the 505 myself, but I'm really pleased with my choice. Also the 505 should get support for at least drm-free epub soon, so you should have greater reading freedom with the cybook.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Adamastorx

Thanks, alehel!
I like the Cybook features... It's just that it seams to tiny and not very ergonomic with just one button for everything... I have some "keyboard typing tired hands", therefore I always try to avoid repetitive movements... But, anyway, maybe I just being seduced by the PRS-505 looks...

The only buttons you'll use on a regular basis on ANY eBook reader are the "page turn" ones, so you have equally "repetitive" movements with any of them, so that seems like rather a non sequitur. With the CyBook, you have a four-way navigational control for navigation, with a central "select" button. Easy to use, and logical. It's not the only button, by the way, there are four more on the left side of the machine, and two on the right.

[Adamastorx]

Originally Posted by HarryT

The only buttons you'll use on a regular basis on ANY eBook reader are the "page turn" ones, so you have equally "repetitive" movements with any of them, so that seems like rather a non sequitur. With the CyBook, you have a four-way navigational control for navigation, with a central "select" button. Easy to use, and logical. It's not the only button, by the way, there are four more on the left side of the machine, and two on the right.

Thanks for the feedback, HarryT. I know you are a great enthusiast of the Cybook.

Yesterday I was in a bookshop where they let you try the Cybook. Well, you can't hold it your hands, it's attached to the wall, inside a plastic cover - that's I I missed the side buttons, they're not reachable because of this cover. Anyway, I found it very fast and I really enjoyed being there reading for a while and trying some of its functions. But when I compare it to the PRS-505, the Cybook, especially the case, seams to me a bit "cheap", though I know and already read it here that the Cybook is a good product. I just know the PRS-505 by photos and videos and I get the impression that maybe it is easier to hold and more comfortable to use.

Once again, thanks everyone for your opinions and thoughts on the matter.

[Over]

I never take my Cybook out of its leather cover. So the feel of holding the Cybook is great. If it were thickier or heavier, it would be discomfortable.

I never noticed any problem with the two buttons. You'll have to press somewhere to turn the pages, it doesn't matter how many buttons there are. Anyway, since I take seconds, not nanoseconds to read a page, I don't press it in a frequency enough to become discomfortable.

[netseeker]

Originally Posted by Adamastorx

I just know the PRS-505 by photos and videos and I get the impression that maybe it is easier to hold and more comfortable to use.

I own a PRS-505 and i wouldn't say that it is easier to hold. It's colder than the Cybook because of it's "metal paint" and it does weight a little bit more.
What i really like on the sony is the possibility to use collections. I couldn't live without that because i tend to have around 1000 ebooks on the reader.
The Cybook offers mobi support and has by far the better zoom.
On the sony you can embed custom fonts directly in your ebooks (lfr + epub). But embedding fonts slows down opening of the books (at least with lrf-files). If you want to use another font for the system itself you would have to use a hack. As Harry already wrote, the cybook supports custom fonts out of the box. And believe me: using a good font makes really a difference in terms of reading experience.
The Sony supports ePub but doesn't support mobi - on the other hand Bookeen promised to add ePub support to the Cybook soon. So in terms of supported ebook-formats the Cybook could be the better choice for the future...

[Adamastorx]

Thanks, it's very useful to have other users opinions so I can make up my mind...

[HarryT]

I've owned both a Sony and a CyBook. Both are excellent machines - I'd suggest making up your mind in terms of what you'd like it to do. If dictionary lookup is important to you, the CyBook is the clear winner; if you want to read ePub or PDF files, the Sony is.

[DDHarriman]

I have both.

The 505 is an outstanding machine and I use it to read eBooks in ePub and PDF (reflowing text when needed).

But... you want the Cybook.

Best regards,

[Justy]

Originally Posted by Adamastorx

Well, you can't hold it your hands, it's attached to the wall, inside a plastic cover - that's I I missed the side buttons, they're not reachable because of this cover.

Keep in mind that the force and angle you push the navigation button while the Cybook is attached to the wall is very different from when you are holding it in your hand. I found that with the newest version of the Cybook, the navigation button is very easy to push and doesn't cause any feeling of repetitive strain. The original Gen3 navigation button had a slight 'clicking' sound and required *slightly* more pressure to push, but again nothing which caused any noticeable strain in the course of normal reading.

[HarryT]

I'm left-handed, but can comfortably read with the CyBook in either hand. Or you can hold the cover open two-handed, like a book.

[Justy]

Originally Posted by HarryT

I'm left-handed, but can comfortably read with the CyBook in either hand. Or you can hold the cover open two-handed, like a book.

I'm so right handed that my left hand is almost useless for anything other than knitting and typing. I can still hold my Cybook in my left hand and single handedly change the page using the navigation button without issue. I never hold my Cybook with 2 hands, always with one hand holding it and the same hand clicking the navigation button. It works well for me.

I do read with my Cybook out of its case most of the time, which makes it lighter for holding in one hand. I only put the Cybook into it's case for storage, transport, or when I'm reading at night and need to attached a clip light.

[FizzyWater]

I think Harry makes a good point - you really have to decide what's important to you before you decide which reader to buy.

Cybook has one button, Sony has two (sets). But Sony is a little heavier. So would your hand tire more from using only one button, or from holding a somewhat heavier reader?

Cybook has the dictionary lookup (so does the eBookwise, by the way, but it's definitely heavier, and it's not eInk).

Neither have great navigation choices for the list of books, but they are different. How many books do you think you are likely to put on a reader? I put 600 books on both my Sony (505) and Cybook. Getting from the front of the list to the end on the Cybook is absolutely horrid. The Sony 500 was worse, but with the secondary TOC level in the 505, it's much easier to find a book fairly quickly. However, if you don't put lots of books on the reader, I wouldn't think this would factor into your decision.

Cybook has the built-in ability to switch out fonts and choose more fonts sizes. (I'm told you can with Sony, but it involves hacking the font file and if not done correctly can "brick" the reader!!) This is actually a big reason why I bought mine (plus, I was upgrading from the 500 at the time, and the screen resolution is much better on the Cybook - and 505). But it turned out to be more of a gimmick for me. I played with it at first ... but then I settled on a font face and size, and seldom changed them again. I still wish I could get Calibre to imbed a san-serif font to my LRFs that will work (only works with serif for me, so far), but it's not enough to make me pick up the Cybook again.

Cybook's DRM'd format is Mobipocket. Sony is its own (BBeB) and Adobe ADE. I'm still watching for an eInk reader that will natively read DRM'd eReader. (And if you're willing to hack the books you own, the DRM is only an inconvenience factor...)

So, clear as mud?