Register Guidelines E-Books Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read

Go Back   MobileRead Forums > E-Book Readers > Which one should I buy?

Notices

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Old 10-05-2007, 08:45 PM   #16
BKeeper
Groupie
BKeeper will become famous soon enoughBKeeper will become famous soon enoughBKeeper will become famous soon enoughBKeeper will become famous soon enoughBKeeper will become famous soon enoughBKeeper will become famous soon enoughBKeeper will become famous soon enough
 
BKeeper's Avatar
 
Posts: 186
Karma: 728
Join Date: Jul 2006
Device: Kindle PW
Quote:
Originally Posted by Alisa View Post
The way I see it, most consumers in the US will be choosing between Sony and Amazon. They haven't heard of Bookeen. Us ebook geeks here are aware of this third choice but that's not a lot of units. Their primary market is unchanged.
Almost nobody knows Bookeen in in Europe. Reading (the kind that involves more than 5 books a year) is a niche activity no matter how you look at it, ebook reading even more so. Plus almost nobody nows e-ink tech which makes all the difference with ebooks.

The market will remain small for another 2 years.

Bookeen could have a shoot at the Europen market if they could sing a distribution agreement with a somewhat famous chain named Fnac.

They sell books and electronics and are quite popular in France and other countries. They could open kiosks inside the stores to demo the technology, and assist non geeks with ebook purchases and downloads.

We are 2-3 years away from attractive ebook catalogs.

Anyway that's just me talking because they have already stated they have no plans for retail redistribution. (at the moment)

As for the US market, I don't think NAEB offers enough potential for bookeeen.
Still they are great guys and the make it easy for the geeks to get bookeen's reader.
BKeeper is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-05-2007, 10:09 PM   #17
delphidb96
Wizard
delphidb96 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.delphidb96 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.delphidb96 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.delphidb96 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.delphidb96 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.delphidb96 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.delphidb96 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.delphidb96 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.delphidb96 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.delphidb96 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.delphidb96 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
Posts: 2,999
Karma: 300001
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Citrus Heights, California
Device: TWO Kindle 2s, one each Bookeen Cybook Gen3, Sony PRS-500, Axim X51V
Quote:
Originally Posted by BKeeper View Post
Almost nobody knows Bookeen in in Europe. Reading (the kind that involves more than 5 books a year) is a niche activity no matter how you look at it, ebook reading even more so. Plus almost nobody nows e-ink tech which makes all the difference with ebooks.

The market will remain small for another 2 years.

Bookeen could have a shoot at the Europen market if they could sing a distribution agreement with a somewhat famous chain named Fnac.

They sell books and electronics and are quite popular in France and other countries. They could open kiosks inside the stores to demo the technology, and assist non geeks with ebook purchases and downloads.

We are 2-3 years away from attractive ebook catalogs.

Anyway that's just me talking because they have already stated they have no plans for retail redistribution. (at the moment)

As for the US market, I don't think NAEB offers enough potential for bookeeen.
Still they are great guys and the make it easy for the geeks to get bookeen's reader.
Speaking as a NAEB corporate officer, I must admit that you're somewhat correct right now. We're small, very small. And we started out focused upon providing, at first, an eInk reader for participants at Baen's Bar. However, as we've gotten more involved in the project, we've come to realize that there are far more people who want to have access to ebooks - such as readers of Harlequin's lines of stories.

I think, even now, people who *expect* to read most of their purchases on an electronic device are still 'early adopters'. What needs to happen is getting dedicated ebook readers out to students, preferrably middle-school and high-school, but even college students would do for now, and get them in the habit of thinking about a decent-sized screen and ease-of-use that counter-balances the cost of the device. But it's still a drawn-out process.

Until buying a dedicated book-reader becomes a Hundred-Dollar purchase and the vast majority of new titles are released in the MMPB price range, most people are not going to want to own one.

Or so I believe.

Derek
delphidb96 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-05-2007, 10:55 PM   #18
BKeeper
Groupie
BKeeper will become famous soon enoughBKeeper will become famous soon enoughBKeeper will become famous soon enoughBKeeper will become famous soon enoughBKeeper will become famous soon enoughBKeeper will become famous soon enoughBKeeper will become famous soon enough
 
BKeeper's Avatar
 
Posts: 186
Karma: 728
Join Date: Jul 2006
Device: Kindle PW
Quote:
Originally Posted by delphidb96 View Post
What needs to happen is getting dedicated ebook readers out to students, preferrably middle-school and high-school, but even college students would do for now, and get them in the habit of thinking about a decent-sized screen and ease-of-use that counter-balances the cost of the device. But it's still a drawn-out process.

Until buying a dedicated book-reader becomes a Hundred-Dollar purchase and the vast majority of new titles are released in the MMPB price range, most people are not going to want to own one.
If you look at my posts here you'll see that I've always said the same. The academic market needs a decent sized screen (10 inches) and they can afford it. The same goes for heavy documentation consumers of short-lived info. Specially lawyers and doctors. They can afford a reader in the $800-900 range.

Plus academic publishers are a relatively small community, agreements would be easier, and relevant content could be available rather quickly.
And n a large screen reader you can easily charge a premium if you project small sales.
The way I see it Universities should go first and take the hit, since they have plenty of money to burn. For middle-school and high-school the need isn't that urgent.

Even in Europe, where college isn't nearly as expensive as in the US, some unis give their freshmen a new laptop. It would be trivial to ad a reader to the mix.
Even without content savings in xeroxing (paper, staff, machines, time) would make it worth it.

The reason this hasn't happened yet is that large screens have been difficult to manufacture. But 2008 is the starting year.

There is a lot of potential for ebooks. There is all the potential, because in 5-8 years ebooks will have replaced the market. Question is who will survive to see and sell....

I wish NAEB the best of luck, you are probably the nicest ebook venture.

PS: I'm eagerly waiting for your review of the new software.

Last edited by BKeeper; 10-05-2007 at 11:00 PM.
BKeeper is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-08-2007, 12:20 PM   #19
Cabe
Connoisseur
Cabe has a complete set of Star Wars action figures.Cabe has a complete set of Star Wars action figures.Cabe has a complete set of Star Wars action figures.Cabe has a complete set of Star Wars action figures.Cabe has a complete set of Star Wars action figures.
 
Cabe's Avatar
 
Posts: 99
Karma: 403
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Portsmouth, UK
Device: Sony PRS-505, iPhone
Another advantage is not crippling students with loads of text books, I know I would have paid several times what I paid for my books to have had them all on one reader (much less chance of forgetting one of them as well)

Basically Fujitsu needs to make sure it has a decent pen interface on thier FLEPia A4 formatted colour screen reader so students can make notes and you basically have the perfect tool for the job. If someone came along and created some kind of interface with a "Smartboard" system they would make a mint, they have wifi on them already so beaming class notes to and from the lecturer is easy.

Last edited by Cabe; 10-08-2007 at 12:35 PM.
Cabe is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-11-2007, 02:03 AM   #20
Trenien
Groupie
Trenien could sell banana peel slippers to a Deveel.Trenien could sell banana peel slippers to a Deveel.Trenien could sell banana peel slippers to a Deveel.Trenien could sell banana peel slippers to a Deveel.Trenien could sell banana peel slippers to a Deveel.Trenien could sell banana peel slippers to a Deveel.Trenien could sell banana peel slippers to a Deveel.Trenien could sell banana peel slippers to a Deveel.Trenien could sell banana peel slippers to a Deveel.Trenien could sell banana peel slippers to a Deveel.Trenien could sell banana peel slippers to a Deveel.
 
Trenien's Avatar
 
Posts: 173
Karma: 3277
Join Date: Jun 2007
Device: Librie, eReader, Kobo Glo
Quote:
Originally Posted by HarryT View Post
An extremelyBut, on the other hand, Sony are a major multinational corporation, whereas the average "man in the street" will have never heard of Bookeen. Everybody's heard of Sony and (I believe) that they have a reputation for producing high-quality products in most peoples' minds (yes, I know that some people will rave on about "rootkits", etc - let's not go there.)
I honestly am not sure whether this is only with the people around me, but as far as I'm aware the Sony brand has lost much of its former appeal.
This isn't because of any one incident, but of a long string of problems and behavior's faults with which they've squandered their good reputation.

Ten years ago, Sony was synonymous with innovation and good hardware all-around. Nowadays, not quite so much...
Trenien is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-11-2007, 09:43 AM   #21
JSWolf
Resident Curmudgeon
JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
JSWolf's Avatar
 
Posts: 73,661
Karma: 127838198
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts
Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3
Sony still has good hardware. The Reader line, the HDTV line, the laptop line are all good products.
JSWolf is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-11-2007, 10:06 AM   #22
HarryT
eBook Enthusiast
HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
HarryT's Avatar
 
Posts: 85,544
Karma: 93383043
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: UK
Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6
Quote:
Originally Posted by JSWolf View Post
Sony still has good hardware. The Reader line, the HDTV line, the laptop line are all good products.
Agreed. I have all three - a Reader, a "Brava" HDTV, and a VAIO laptop (in fact two VAIO laptops). I'd be happy to buy any of them again.
HarryT is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-11-2007, 10:13 AM   #23
JSWolf
Resident Curmudgeon
JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
JSWolf's Avatar
 
Posts: 73,661
Karma: 127838198
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts
Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3
I have a Sony 40" 1080p HDTV LCD and I like it very much. I also like the Sony Reader. Nothing wrong with these products at all.
JSWolf is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-11-2007, 10:18 AM   #24
jasonkchapman
Guru
jasonkchapman knows what time it isjasonkchapman knows what time it isjasonkchapman knows what time it isjasonkchapman knows what time it isjasonkchapman knows what time it isjasonkchapman knows what time it isjasonkchapman knows what time it isjasonkchapman knows what time it isjasonkchapman knows what time it isjasonkchapman knows what time it isjasonkchapman knows what time it is
 
jasonkchapman's Avatar
 
Posts: 767
Karma: 2347
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: NYC
Device: Sony Reader, nook, Droid, nookColor, nookTablet
Quote:
Originally Posted by HarryT View Post
Agreed. I have all three - a Reader, a "Brava" HDTV, and a VAIO laptop (in fact two VAIO laptops). I'd be happy to buy any of them again.
I'll throw in another VofC for Sony hardware. I don't have one, but I really do admire the design of the VAIO laptops. I do, however, have a Sony A/V receiver, a Sony television, and a Sony DVD player, as well as my Reader. They've all been solid, trouble-free performers. I also have a Sony portable CD player that you can just about bounce of the wall without a skip.

Having said that, Sony's approach to consumer electronics really does seem to be a lot different from its approach to media.
jasonkchapman is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-12-2007, 01:47 AM   #25
Trenien
Groupie
Trenien could sell banana peel slippers to a Deveel.Trenien could sell banana peel slippers to a Deveel.Trenien could sell banana peel slippers to a Deveel.Trenien could sell banana peel slippers to a Deveel.Trenien could sell banana peel slippers to a Deveel.Trenien could sell banana peel slippers to a Deveel.Trenien could sell banana peel slippers to a Deveel.Trenien could sell banana peel slippers to a Deveel.Trenien could sell banana peel slippers to a Deveel.Trenien could sell banana peel slippers to a Deveel.Trenien could sell banana peel slippers to a Deveel.
 
Trenien's Avatar
 
Posts: 173
Karma: 3277
Join Date: Jun 2007
Device: Librie, eReader, Kobo Glo
Quote:
Originally Posted by JSWolf View Post
Sony still has good hardware. The Reader line, the HDTV line, the laptop line are all good products.
Well, the way I see it the reader is in a market that's still so special it's almost no competition (there are competing products, but the ability to buy them where you live, and the price at which you can buy them really are factors to take into account).

As for the laptop line, they look nice until you try to slightly stray from what Sony intends you to do with them. They use quite a lot of very specific and proprietary hardware; that's an issue when you want nothing to do with windows like me. On top of that, these laptops are pretty delicate (I know many people buying vaios to see their hardware collapse within a couple of years.

I've never had a sony hdtv, nor seen one outside of a store so I can't talk about them.

Overall, to anyone who bother to asks (about computers, mostly) I advise to stay well clear of sony's products.
Trenien is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-12-2007, 02:44 AM   #26
HarryT
eBook Enthusiast
HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
HarryT's Avatar
 
Posts: 85,544
Karma: 93383043
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: UK
Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6
We must agree to differ, Trenion. I'm on my third "generation" of Vaio laptop, and I keep buying them precisely because they are so reliable and well-built. On the one occasion I've needed a warranty fix (the screen backlight failed), Sony provided outstanding service; they sent a courier with a box to pick the machine up on a Monday morning, and first thing Wednesday morning it was back again. Extremely impressive.
HarryT is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-12-2007, 09:44 AM   #27
JSWolf
Resident Curmudgeon
JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
JSWolf's Avatar
 
Posts: 73,661
Karma: 127838198
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts
Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3
The Sony HDTV I have has quite a nice picture. And the speakers built into the TV are decent. Better then a lot I've heard. The PRS500 is very reliable. I've hauled that around some and it's not given me any trouble at all.
JSWolf is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-12-2007, 09:48 AM   #28
HarryT
eBook Enthusiast
HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
HarryT's Avatar
 
Posts: 85,544
Karma: 93383043
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: UK
Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6
Quote:
Originally Posted by JSWolf View Post
The Sony HDTV I have has quite a nice picture. And the speakers built into the TV are decent. Better then a lot I've heard. The PRS500 is very reliable. I've hauled that around some and it's not given me any trouble at all.
The sound on my "Brava" TV is actually not that great (they sell two models of the TV I bought - one with stereo sound, which I bought, and a more expensive one with "surround sound" for $500 more), but I use it with an external surround sound system (also Sony) which is fantastic.
HarryT is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-12-2007, 01:27 PM   #29
Alisa
Gadget Geek
Alisa can tie a knot in a cherry stem with his or her tongueAlisa can tie a knot in a cherry stem with his or her tongueAlisa can tie a knot in a cherry stem with his or her tongueAlisa can tie a knot in a cherry stem with his or her tongueAlisa can tie a knot in a cherry stem with his or her tongueAlisa can tie a knot in a cherry stem with his or her tongueAlisa can tie a knot in a cherry stem with his or her tongueAlisa can tie a knot in a cherry stem with his or her tongueAlisa can tie a knot in a cherry stem with his or her tongueAlisa can tie a knot in a cherry stem with his or her tongueAlisa can tie a knot in a cherry stem with his or her tongue
 
Alisa's Avatar
 
Posts: 2,324
Karma: 22221
Join Date: Aug 2007
Device: Paperwhite, Kindle 3 (retired), Skindle 1.2 (retired)
Quote:
Originally Posted by JSWolf View Post
The Sony HDTV I have has quite a nice picture. And the speakers built into the TV are decent. Better then a lot I've heard. The PRS500 is very reliable. I've hauled that around some and it's not given me any trouble at all.
I thought the Sony-branded TVs these days were actually being manufactured by Samsung.
Alisa is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-12-2007, 01:42 PM   #30
Alisa
Gadget Geek
Alisa can tie a knot in a cherry stem with his or her tongueAlisa can tie a knot in a cherry stem with his or her tongueAlisa can tie a knot in a cherry stem with his or her tongueAlisa can tie a knot in a cherry stem with his or her tongueAlisa can tie a knot in a cherry stem with his or her tongueAlisa can tie a knot in a cherry stem with his or her tongueAlisa can tie a knot in a cherry stem with his or her tongueAlisa can tie a knot in a cherry stem with his or her tongueAlisa can tie a knot in a cherry stem with his or her tongueAlisa can tie a knot in a cherry stem with his or her tongueAlisa can tie a knot in a cherry stem with his or her tongue
 
Alisa's Avatar
 
Posts: 2,324
Karma: 22221
Join Date: Aug 2007
Device: Paperwhite, Kindle 3 (retired), Skindle 1.2 (retired)
Quote:
Originally Posted by Trenien View Post
I honestly am not sure whether this is only with the people around me, but as far as I'm aware the Sony brand has lost much of its former appeal.
This isn't because of any one incident, but of a long string of problems and behavior's faults with which they've squandered their good reputation.

Ten years ago, Sony was synonymous with innovation and good hardware all-around. Nowadays, not quite so much...
I recall reading they had consolidated their parts list in an effort to save money a few years ago. I used to be a big fan of their products but I've seen too many complaints in recent years about both quality and support. Their proprietary "memory stick" stuff and the rootkit fiasco didn't really help them in my eyes, either.
Alisa is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Forum Jump

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Pocketbook Education Initiative fjtorres PocketBook 4 09-02-2010 02:54 PM
What is up with Bookeen? MrCorporate Bookeen 21 12-04-2008 01:10 AM
Faber Finds - print on demand initiative Sparrow Lounge 0 06-03-2008 04:03 AM
Where is Bookeen? Jaapjan Bookeen 5 01-10-2008 02:14 PM
Initiative to Create a Mobile Top-Level Domain TadW Lounge 0 03-10-2004 03:09 PM


All times are GMT -4. The time now is 08:59 AM.


MobileRead.com is a privately owned, operated and funded community.