BeBook - Took the plunge and ordered...

[orwell2k]

UPDATE: See the (very) detailed review of my BeBook experience in this thread:

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=30913

I hope you find it useful - it's lenghty, but covers most aspects. Cheers!

Well fellow ebookers,

After some lengthy deliberations I decided enough sitting on the fence, time to commit to something. So since I live in Netherlands I went ahead and ordered the BeBook eReader. So now begins the long waiting (not too long, I trust!) for the damn thing to arrive!

My reasons for deciding on this device are convoluted, and in the end what's right for one may not apply to anyone else. But basically they are as follows:

(1) The price is good (plus the €25 discount!) - naturally I have a dream of an eReader for every man, woman and child at €50 max, but these devices are still too niche for that! You may argue the CyBook is cheaper or the Sony is cheaper, but when everything's included the costs are not too dissimilar.

(2) Delivery should be fast (I contacted them last week and they don't seem to be having supply problems, so they said since I'm in Netherlands I would probably have the device next business day, 2 max).

(3) Format flexibility - the proof is in the pudding (or the reading, in this case) so we'll see what this thing can do when it arrives, but the list of formats is impressive compared to any other reader. I have a lot of stuff in FB2 format (created via BookDesigner4) and I currently read it with the Haali Reader on my Acer n10 Pocket PC - so I'm keen to see how the FB2 is handled on the BeBook. Plus the inclusion of Mobi makes this device great. And the online video demo from Pookey really showed the device can handle PDFs pretty well for a 6" screen size.

(4) Support - so far BeBook have demonstrated probably the most willingness to address customer gripes - whether they are genuine problems or just misunderstandings. They are also keen to develop the capabilities of this device in line with user wishes, which makes a lot of nice opportunities for future enhancements (again, time will tell how this works out). Again, being in Europe I preferred to go with someone with a European base so that support and contact will be a little easier - that meant BeBook or iRex, and the 50% price difference helps!

Overall I'm happy that the BeBook will suit my current reading and eDoc needs, and I'm hopeful the device will develop in the future to become even better. I have to say that a big concern for me was trying to get something as open source as possible. The Sony reader may look sexy, and the Kindle may have great online/WiFi capabilities (only for our US cousins, that is) but the use of proprietary formats that need converting really worries me.

This is not the thread for a DRM/protectionism debate, but there needs to be a balance between protecting the rights of the artist (the artist mind you, not the corporation - after all, how much does it cost to print an ebook? so why should the cost really be anything like a paperback?) and allowing the full potential of ease of access and flexibility that the whole eBook/eText/eDoc technology should offer. Add to that this bizarre US only obsession of both Sony and Amazon with their device sales and online stores, and I just start to fume. So I wanted to support a device that allowed flexibility of formats and no nationality restrictions. We'll see if my decision is the right one for me when I get my grubby little hands on it and start pushing buttons!

Anyway, I will keep this thread updated when I start using the device and let people now how it works out, pros and cons, advice, etc. I hope to bring a lot of useful information to the forum to share and help fellow BeBook users. And even though this device is a Hanlin V3 relabelled, it would be nice to have a BeBook sub-forum in the devices forum, as the development and support seems to be diverging. I notice we have forums for each iRex device, and separate ones for the Sony models, so I think we could do the same with these less-mainstream readers.

Watch this space...

UPDATE: I was just notified that my e-mail has been entered into their database as a valid coupon for the €25 discount. So feel free to use it to get your discount (naturally you may want to wait until I actually give some review of this device!):

mybebook at hotmail dot com

[CanadianContent]

I will look forward to reading your review of the BeBook, especially if it as detailed as the post on your decision making process. How would it be to be able to walk into a store and compare these products all together, lined up next to each other? Sigh, one day, maybe...
It is interesting to read the features that each person considers as important, we all seem to place varying emphasis on different features. I have been considering buying the V3 as a gift, which I believe is the same as the BeBook. I hope you don't have to wait too long to receive it and look forward to reading your early impressions.

[DickyCheung22]

Where can I find the €25 discount? Are you order from their website?

Thanks in advance!

[Slite]

Originally Posted by DickyCheung22

Where can I find the €25 discount? Are you order from their website?

Thanks in advance!

You get a 25 euro discount by refering to someone who already bought a BeBook and refer to that persons emailadress. There are bunch of posts on here with people who have posted their mailaddys just for this purpose.

[orwell2k]

Originally Posted by DickyCheung22

Where can I find the €25 discount? Are you order from their website?

Thanks in advance!

Yes, you can buy the BeBook from their website (mybebook.com) and as stated you can quote a registered e-mail address to get the €25 discount. You will be asked to enter a coupon code, which is where you enter the address and when you push "Continue" you should get a message confirming your discount.

There are a number already noted in other threads in this forum, and mine is noted above and repeated here: mybebook@hotmail.com

Got a message today that mine has shipped!

Cheers!

[gesit]

Thanks for the info m8
hope you get your free bebook
cheers

ham

Originally Posted by orwell2k

Yes, you can buy the BeBook from their website (mybebook.com) and as stated you can quote a registered e-mail address to get the €25 discount. You will be asked to enter a coupon code, which is where you enter the address and when you push "Continue" you should get a message confirming your discount.

There are a number already noted in other threads in this forum, and mine is noted above and repeated here: mybebook@hotmail.com

Got a message today that mine has shipped!

Cheers!