MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - Bebook vs iLiad

orwell2k · 12-03-2008, 11:16 AM

Hey, nice comparison of the pros and cons between the two readers. In some ways comparing apples and oranges because of the huge differences between the devices, but interesting nonetheless.

I have convinced my work bosses to order an iRex DR1000S for me to use at work, so I'm still awaiting delivery but have high hopes of much improved PDF capability on that compared to the BeBook. Most of the PDFs I use at work are A4 source, and I prefer not to try and reformat because there are page headers, graphics, etc. I'm really keen to see the DR1000 at work!

But I couldn't agree more about the comments referring to eBook usage and the BeBook. It is just soooooo light, and the grippy matte finish makes it incredibly easy to hold. I was worried at first that it could slip out of my hand and I had visions of shattered screens and eInk flowing all over the floor...

But the surface finish and lack of weight make it a dream to read one-handed, leaving that second hand free for crisp-eating, nacho-dipping or whatever other pleasures you wish to partake of whilst reading... And the button position actually makes it easy for righties or lefties. I actually think it's better for lefties, as the standalone page turn buttons are on the left (backups on the right in the "9" and "0" key positions), and the cover seems to work better if you flip the BeBook around and slide it in for left-handed usage.

I was surprised to hear you say the Mobi reader was maybe a little better than on the iLiad - a surprise there, since I find it still pretty lame compared to the FB2 or RTF renderers. I'm sure they'll improve it, and hopefully they'll improve the HTML/CHM and TXT handling too. I'm happy because I tend to convert most things to FB2, and that works great!

I think PDFs will always be disappointing - the italics issue is one thing, and even if they improve the PDF parser and enhance the zoom settings, etc., it's still a small screen compared to A4, so there will always be difficulties.

I found the PDF eBooks that the BeBook people made were quite nice on the BeBook. But apparently many people find the text too large, so BeBook are going to reformat them and update their online free library. Of course, these are all freely available books from Gutenburg, but having them format the text is nice - saves me the trouble. Which means pretty much anyone with an equivalent size reader display can grab the formatted versions off the BeBook page and take advantage of their efforts.

But for eBooks, BeBook is mighty fine!

12-03-2008, 11:16 AM	#2
orwell2k Addict Posts: 357 Karma: 1112 Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Euroland Device: PocketBook 360°, BeBook (Hanlin V3), iRex DR1000S, iPad	Hey, nice comparison of the pros and cons between the two readers. In some ways comparing apples and oranges because of the huge differences between the devices, but interesting nonetheless. I have convinced my work bosses to order an iRex DR1000S for me to use at work, so I'm still awaiting delivery but have high hopes of much improved PDF capability on that compared to the BeBook. Most of the PDFs I use at work are A4 source, and I prefer not to try and reformat because there are page headers, graphics, etc. I'm really keen to see the DR1000 at work! But I couldn't agree more about the comments referring to eBook usage and the BeBook. It is just soooooo light, and the grippy matte finish makes it incredibly easy to hold. I was worried at first that it could slip out of my hand and I had visions of shattered screens and eInk flowing all over the floor... But the surface finish and lack of weight make it a dream to read one-handed, leaving that second hand free for crisp-eating, nacho-dipping or whatever other pleasures you wish to partake of whilst reading... And the button position actually makes it easy for righties or lefties. I actually think it's better for lefties, as the standalone page turn buttons are on the left (backups on the right in the "9" and "0" key positions), and the cover seems to work better if you flip the BeBook around and slide it in for left-handed usage. I was surprised to hear you say the Mobi reader was maybe a little better than on the iLiad - a surprise there, since I find it still pretty lame compared to the FB2 or RTF renderers. I'm sure they'll improve it, and hopefully they'll improve the HTML/CHM and TXT handling too. I'm happy because I tend to convert most things to FB2, and that works great! I think PDFs will always be disappointing - the italics issue is one thing, and even if they improve the PDF parser and enhance the zoom settings, etc., it's still a small screen compared to A4, so there will always be difficulties. I found the PDF eBooks that the BeBook people made were quite nice on the BeBook. But apparently many people find the text too large, so BeBook are going to reformat them and update their online free library. Of course, these are all freely available books from Gutenburg, but having them format the text is nice - saves me the trouble. Which means pretty much anyone with an equivalent size reader display can grab the formatted versions off the BeBook page and take advantage of their efforts. But for eBooks, BeBook is mighty fine! Last edited by orwell2k; 12-03-2008 at 11:20 AM.