|
It sounds like it still has some of the same problems I experienced, but that I may have had even more of them because I had a first generation (64MB) device. At the time I bought it, the Bookeen was the only generally available e-ink device. Sony's reader at the time was Japan only. As an early adopter, I lived with a lot of early adopter issues.
However, I was (and am) satisfied with my purchase after years of reading on smaller and less comfortable devices. I knew that as an early adopter there would be some quirks. If Bookeen was the only game in town I'd still be on their side because of the improvements over PDA's and other similar devices. However, most of their advantages are from the eink screen and the technology is available from others now. For me (I live in the U.S.) the best thing about my Kindle is that it works reliably. Page turns are easy and it only rarely needs a restart. All the buttons work and do what they are supposed to do.
Amazon isn't any better at software updates than Bookeen, but they appear to have taken a bit more care in their initial design. For example, although it doesn't have folders they aren't as necessary. I can type in an "R" and go directly to titles or authors that start with R. It also has a useful search function.
There are two different models for software creation. An iterative model that builds through multiple releases. You release early and often and work to continually improve. And a plan-driven model where you take longer, but you build it once and build it right the first time. I am OK with either approach, but I actually prefer the iterative approach. The problem, is that Bookeen didn't follow through on their initial rough release. They acted like they were done.
So, I was quite fine with Bookeen's generally unfinished software because it allowed me to be an early purchaser. If they would have continued to update their software, I might have faced growing pains, but I would have been comfortable with it. Instead, what was the best solution (because it was the only solution) has become eclipsed by others.
p.s. I know that I started out by mentioning my 'first generation' device. However, these generations have been because of changes at Netronix. The software itself has been relatively static.
|