MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - Cybook for a week and conversations with Pauline (from Bookeen)

zelda_pinwheel · 07-13-2008, 07:45 AM

english version of this thread.

If you've been following the MR apéro thread, you know that Bookeen rocketed to the top of my list as hero of the month by offering to lend me a cybook for a week (completely spontaneously, i swear !). i haven't said much about it so far since (despite any allegations to the contrary), like a true geek, i was far too busy playing with it (pshrynk, i'm going to need my geek card back now).

so here we go. i went to meet Pauline and pick up my Cybook-for-a-week friday evening. i had a very interesting discussion with her ; it was great to hear her ideas and get an idea of how things happen at Bookeen. first, i can tell you (sneak preview !) that they are currently working on a new firmware. i asked specifically whether it would support folders, but she didn't know ; she does know there is a lot of demand for pdf support, so perhaps that will be part of it. i'll try to get more info at the apéro.

she is really enthusiastic about the apéro and can't wait to organise more in the future (preferably an evening when she is available, next time), because she thinks it's really important for the Bookeen team to be able to exchange ideas with the public, in an informal friendly ambiance. in fact, in a striking example of great minds thinking alike

just before we proposed this apéro over here she was talking with a colleague (who will probably be at the apéro, next friday), and they were saying that bookeen should organise some kind of informal meet, like a picnic or something, to break out of the conference meetings. because one of the biggest hurdles for ebooks right now (particularly in france, much more so than in the US) is that ebooks are still not known by the general public.

also, other than wanting to meet the general public and be able to show them the device in person, she thinks it's very important to lower the price, if they really want to become more mainstream. however for the moment, pvi has them more or less by the throat... so it's really important for pvi to increase their production and decrease their costs. they're also looking forward to seeing what will happen when plastic logic opens their factory in Dresden, but so far PL is not communicating much about their production calendar, so it's hard to know what to expect. but hopefully that will help to unblock the situation.

i thought it was really great to know that Bookeen thinks really a lot like we do, and has the same concerns and hopes, and especially that they're so open to hearing our ideas.

as for the cybook, i have not had it very long so i still have a lot to discover, but here are my first impressions :

(first of all, y'all were right, i'm seriously thinking about fleeing the country with it, because i don't want to give it back.

heehee... no seriously, i'll give it back, but it will be hard.)

ok seriously now, to start with, it's so pretty !! you don't really realize, from photos, how much it *really* looks like paper. in fact, at first, i was not so much reading it as looking at it, because i'm still so amazed (sincerely).

next : it's so tiny !! it makes a huge change from my eb1150 (more about that later). same thing, from the photos, you really don't understand just how tiny it is. when i held it in my hand the first time, i couldn't believe how small and light it was, i could barely feel it.

as for ergonomy, since i'm used to the two big buttons of my eb1150 for turning pages, as i expected i found the directional pad somewhat less comfortable, because it really limits the possible ways to hold it. i really hope that future evolutions will address the design as well. but apart from that, it's really a pleasure to hold and to use. the one i have came from the most recent shipment, arrived only the day before, so perhaps there have been some ameliorations, since i did not encounter any of the difficulties i have seen mentioned. all the buttons are very reactive, i've not missed a page turn / selection yet. page turning is much faster than i expected. almost too fast ; sometimes, in the menu, i got carried away and before i knew it i was already past the option i wanted.

next i will talk about the format, that's one of the points which interests me the most, particularly html support and images... and i'll add some photos, to compare with the eb1150.

07-13-2008, 07:45 AM	#1
zelda_pinwheel zeldinha zippy zeldissima Posts: 27,827 Karma: 921169 Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Paris, France Device: eb1150 & is that a nook in her pocket, or she just happy to see you?	Cybook for a week and conversations with Pauline (from Bookeen) english version of this thread. If you've been following the MR apéro thread, you know that Bookeen rocketed to the top of my list as hero of the month by offering to lend me a cybook for a week (completely spontaneously, i swear !). i haven't said much about it so far since (despite any allegations to the contrary), like a true geek, i was far too busy playing with it (pshrynk, i'm going to need my geek card back now). so here we go. i went to meet Pauline and pick up my Cybook-for-a-week friday evening. i had a very interesting discussion with her ; it was great to hear her ideas and get an idea of how things happen at Bookeen. first, i can tell you (sneak preview !) that they are currently working on a new firmware. i asked specifically whether it would support folders, but she didn't know ; she does know there is a lot of demand for pdf support, so perhaps that will be part of it. i'll try to get more info at the apéro. she is really enthusiastic about the apéro and can't wait to organise more in the future (preferably an evening when she is available, next time), because she thinks it's really important for the Bookeen team to be able to exchange ideas with the public, in an informal friendly ambiance. in fact, in a striking example of great minds thinking alike just before we proposed this apéro over here she was talking with a colleague (who will probably be at the apéro, next friday), and they were saying that bookeen should organise some kind of informal meet, like a picnic or something, to break out of the conference meetings. because one of the biggest hurdles for ebooks right now (particularly in france, much more so than in the US) is that ebooks are still not known by the general public. also, other than wanting to meet the general public and be able to show them the device in person, she thinks it's very important to lower the price, if they really want to become more mainstream. however for the moment, pvi has them more or less by the throat... so it's really important for pvi to increase their production and decrease their costs. they're also looking forward to seeing what will happen when plastic logic opens their factory in Dresden, but so far PL is not communicating much about their production calendar, so it's hard to know what to expect. but hopefully that will help to unblock the situation. i thought it was really great to know that Bookeen thinks really a lot like we do, and has the same concerns and hopes, and especially that they're so open to hearing our ideas. as for the cybook, i have not had it very long so i still have a lot to discover, but here are my first impressions : (first of all, y'all were right, i'm seriously thinking about fleeing the country with it, because i don't want to give it back. heehee... no seriously, i'll give it back, but it will be hard.) ok seriously now, to start with, it's so pretty !! you don't really realize, from photos, how much it really looks like paper. in fact, at first, i was not so much reading it as looking at it, because i'm still so amazed (sincerely). next : it's so tiny !! it makes a huge change from my eb1150 (more about that later). same thing, from the photos, you really don't understand just how tiny it is. when i held it in my hand the first time, i couldn't believe how small and light it was, i could barely feel it. as for ergonomy, since i'm used to the two big buttons of my eb1150 for turning pages, as i expected i found the directional pad somewhat less comfortable, because it really limits the possible ways to hold it. i really hope that future evolutions will address the design as well. but apart from that, it's really a pleasure to hold and to use. the one i have came from the most recent shipment, arrived only the day before, so perhaps there have been some ameliorations, since i did not encounter any of the difficulties i have seen mentioned. all the buttons are very reactive, i've not missed a page turn / selection yet. page turning is much faster than i expected. almost too fast ; sometimes, in the menu, i got carried away and before i knew it i was already past the option i wanted. next i will talk about the format, that's one of the points which interests me the most, particularly html support and images... and i'll add some photos, to compare with the eb1150. Last edited by zelda_pinwheel; 07-13-2008 at 07:48 AM.