After using my Opus for a full day I'd like to share some impressions.
I received my Opus yesterday (after a long series of delays from Expansys). It was smaller than I expected. Build quality seems sturdy enough and I like the pouch/sleeve it comes with.
I immediately started charging the Opus wishing the 3 hours (as stated in the printed quickstart guide) to pass quickly so I can start using it. I charged it for 7 hours and the charge light didn't go off as expected. I'm still not sure if that is to be expected or if it's some kind of problem with my USB ports not providing enough power (I connected it to various ports, including ones I know are powered and my 700W PSU should be able to handle the load.)
In the end I just turned it on to see if it actually works. And it did, with the power indicator on the device showing 100%. Guess the charging is done then.
Connected it to my PC and after backing up the whole Opus drive I transferred 10 or so ePub books to it. I used the "Safely Remove Hardware" option and on the Opus itself it still showed a little USB icon with the words "Connected". Hmmm... not sure if that's to be the case. The manual doesn't state anything so I reluctantly unplugged it and hoped for the best.
Started messing around trying different views including the folder view and got my first freeze. Soft reset didn't seem to work. Had to be brave and use the manual reset option. Off with the cover (tedious with clammy hands!) and a quick paperclip press to "Reset". Nothing happens. Frantic I reset again and then realize I had to turn it on again. Opus in working order again... Wheww..
Start reading a book. The screen is pretty clear and the text is easy to read, but the background is much more grey in color than I expected, although not a major issue I thought the contrast would be better.
Managed to complete one chapter and it freezes again!
Not too impressed at that point. Once again a soft reset doesn't seem to work (perhaps I'm doing something wrong?) and that's without using an SD card. Off with the cover and manual reset again and it works again.
Now I knew about the freezing issue, but having two within the first 10 mins isn't very assuring. At this stage I had to call it a night and went to bed.
Being my own boss (and business being extremely slow) I had the whole working day to spend reading. Thankfully the Opus seemed to handle things well and only froze 5 minutes before the end of the day. Reading on it is comfortable, although due to our 38°C weather your hands tend to get quite sweaty. The force required to press the "next page" button also seems to be a tad too much. A softer press would make things more comfortable.
I noticed that reading in ambient light the contrast seemed to improve quite a bit, with the background not appearing as grey as under artificial light. The small form-factor is very easy to carry around and comfortable to use. The amount of text displayed at a time is better than I expected, with 2 page presses giving the same amount as a paperback page (at least in readable font size).
Overall the device is great. The firmware - not so much. The freezes are driving me crazy and I actually feel too anxious to demo it to people because I'm sure it will just freeze up in the middle of the demonstration!
Am I sorry I opted for the Opus? No. I guess for having a more open device you need to live with a few setbacks. Now lets hope Bookeen release a firmware update sometime this decade!