I live In Holland. The 505 is not yet for sale here so I had been looking at the Bebook and the Cybook first. I tried both hands on in a shop. Took a few different pdf’s with me to see how they showed up. Disappointing on both cause of the lack of pdf reflow. Cybook announced they’ll have new firmware out Q1 2009 that has reflow capability … but that SW is still to come.
Furthermore, the Bebook (IMO) has cumbersome navigation with the numbered buttons at the bottom. Cybook has a lot more to offer, nicer menu’s (however navigation / operation still can’t beat the Sony) and many font sizes. Alas the one that comes with a cover (deluxe edition) is too expensive.
A big plus of both the Bebook and Cybook is their mobi / prc support. Many books and many news-feeds are available via Mobipocket. The Sony is not compatible with that format. Luckily the free Calibre software helps out here. Any moby / prc file can be converted to epub or lrf for use with the Sony.
I’ll admit that synchronizing and loading news feeds on your device via Mobipocket is lightning fast as compared with Calibre, but with a little patience Calibre does the job. Actually I use a work around, daily downloading some 15 feeds with Mobipocket and then converting them with Calibre … it takes 1/10 of the time as compared to doing the whole job with Calibre!
What I like about my Sony:
- I could get it (web order in the UK) for €50,- less than a Bebook or Cybook
- Metal case versus plastic for both B & C
- Cover included
- Very good navigation / operation compared to B & C
- PDF reflow really works (as far as I have seen)
What I would have liked about my Sony:
- Mobi / prc support (I use Calibre to convert)
- Support for multiple fonts and font sizes (I used PRScustomizer to change the font)
- To be a bit better readable in lower light conditions. The contrast is less than real paper.
- And … I would have liked a blue one; alas I couldn’t get it for a decent price.