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Jorick · 10-17-2010, 07:56 PM

I've got a cybook opus that I've been really happy with. Lately, though, it's started having battery issues (Maybe it's just the 2.1 firmware, but it doesn't seem like many others are complaining) and more locking up than normal.

So I'm not caught flat-footed in case it decides to bite the dust, I'm looking around for upgrade options.

Here's a rundown on what I'm looking for:

Reading Material

I read fiction. No newspapers, comics, etc. If a device happens to be good for other stuff, great... But, suitability for reading "normal" books is what I'm looking for.

Also, as a point of reference.. Back when I bought my opus, the Sony 600 was a love-it-or-hate-it situation with respect to its screen and whether the touch layer interfered with your perception... I hated it; the screen looked blurry to me and just wasn't something I would lay money down for. I don't know if the 650 is in the same boat.

Fast Page Switching

I'm not sure what the opus calls it, as I'm not at home at the moment, but the opus has two page turn modes. The first is a full screen wipe (full black screen flash), then new text pops in (ie, Kindle-esque). The second is a smart mode, where essentially it just blanks out what was there before. The second mode is not as good, from a quality POV (You can usually still see some ghosts from the previous page), but it is vastly superior for page switch time, which is critical for me because I'm a fast reader, and I hate the page flash of kindles (Maybe just older kindles? I don't know what the new K3 does).

Formats

Support for Adobe DRM for library checkouts is nice. Other formats are nice, but EPub (drm and non) is critical.

SD Card

It'd be nice if it had SD Card support. Not critical, just nice.

Screen Rotation

With my Opus, I tend to read it with the two "side" buttons at the top (which puts the control pad on the right of the reader). When I'm reading laying down, this lets me read on my side (my hand curls around the opus, with my index finger coming over the "top" of the opus and resting on the page forward button.

This is probably not a big problem, but I have a feeling I'm somewhat non-standard in liking a horizontal, rather than vertical, screen. I'm sure I'd get used to anything after a few days, though.

Calibre Support

This may be a non-issue as everything may be supported by Calibre... But, yeah, just in case..

So, am I better off just getting another opus? The thing I don't like is that opus's prices don't seem to have kept up with things like the new kindle. If that's the best option, though, that's the way it is.

10-17-2010, 07:56 PM	#1
Jorick Junior Member Posts: 3 Karma: 10 Join Date: Oct 2010 Device: Cybook Opus	Best Upgrade from Opus? I've got a cybook opus that I've been really happy with. Lately, though, it's started having battery issues (Maybe it's just the 2.1 firmware, but it doesn't seem like many others are complaining) and more locking up than normal. So I'm not caught flat-footed in case it decides to bite the dust, I'm looking around for upgrade options. Here's a rundown on what I'm looking for: Reading Material I read fiction. No newspapers, comics, etc. If a device happens to be good for other stuff, great... But, suitability for reading "normal" books is what I'm looking for. Also, as a point of reference.. Back when I bought my opus, the Sony 600 was a love-it-or-hate-it situation with respect to its screen and whether the touch layer interfered with your perception... I hated it; the screen looked blurry to me and just wasn't something I would lay money down for. I don't know if the 650 is in the same boat. Fast Page Switching I'm not sure what the opus calls it, as I'm not at home at the moment, but the opus has two page turn modes. The first is a full screen wipe (full black screen flash), then new text pops in (ie, Kindle-esque). The second is a smart mode, where essentially it just blanks out what was there before. The second mode is not as good, from a quality POV (You can usually still see some ghosts from the previous page), but it is vastly superior for page switch time, which is critical for me because I'm a fast reader, and I hate the page flash of kindles (Maybe just older kindles? I don't know what the new K3 does). Formats Support for Adobe DRM for library checkouts is nice. Other formats are nice, but EPub (drm and non) is critical. SD Card It'd be nice if it had SD Card support. Not critical, just nice. Screen Rotation With my Opus, I tend to read it with the two "side" buttons at the top (which puts the control pad on the right of the reader). When I'm reading laying down, this lets me read on my side (my hand curls around the opus, with my index finger coming over the "top" of the opus and resting on the page forward button. This is probably not a big problem, but I have a feeling I'm somewhat non-standard in liking a horizontal, rather than vertical, screen. I'm sure I'd get used to anything after a few days, though. Calibre Support This may be a non-issue as everything may be supported by Calibre... But, yeah, just in case.. So, am I better off just getting another opus? The thing I don't like is that opus's prices don't seem to have kept up with things like the new kindle. If that's the best option, though, that's the way it is.