Standard Newbie 'Cry for Help' Post

[Mindy]

And I thought I was confused *before* I found the forum!
So I'm going to blurb out all my indecision (in what may turn into an unnecessarily long post) in the interests of resolving some of my issues and seeking your expert guidance.
Firstly, I'm in the UK and not overly interested in importing from far-away shores since it just makes it harder to return things if they go wrong. This puts the Sony & the Kindle out of scope for the time being.
Usage will principally be for leisure reading, although the idea of .doc viewing/editing and annotations are very appealing (not sure it's worth an Iliad price tag though). PDF's not a consideration, and not fussy about WiFi (although again, nice to have if the price is right).
The practical me knows the sensible thing is to wait until the Sony, Kindle, Mentor and Feedbook readers have hit the UK market for 'proper' comparison and pricing, but no idea if/when that will happen. The little (geeky) girl in me is screaming that she's not a had a 'new toy' in nearly a year and Wants One Now! And hey, it's been said in other posts, as soon as you buy it it's pretty much obsolete, so while I'd like to have something with a bit of longevity coz I can't afford that sort of outlay too frequently, I appreciate I'm not going to be cutting edge for more than about 10 minutes whatever I get!
Thanks in advance for any pearls of wisdom

Claire

[wallcraft]

Comparing Cybook and iLiad just for reading DRMed MOBI books, the only "win" for the iLiad is the size of the screen. This is a major advantage (I use my iLiad more than my Kindle for this reason and because I read DRM-free ebooks with FBReader on the iLiad), but the Cybook is the clear winner overall. There may be several other viable choices towards the end of the year, but except for price they won't be drastically better. So why wait - I suggest you go with the Cybook.

[petermillard]

Hey there.

You've probably already figured out that if you're in the UK, the only supported readers you can buy are the Iliad and the Cybook, and unless you have a friend who already has one then you have little/no chance of handling one before buying.

If PDFs aren't a consideration, then the short answer is -> the Cybook.

Personally, I'm in a similar position; I want something better than my PDA for the summer hols and am dithering between buying an 'official' Cybook at ~£300 with a cover, shipping etc... or a 'grey' import Sony Reader at around £200 or so from eBay or from a friend in the US - albeit unsupported. My dad has a Sony, so at least I've seen it and handled it - but, whilst I could probably live with it I was underwhelmed, overall.

So not many pearls of wisdom for you, I'm afraid - though you're definitely not alone in your quandry, far from it.

Best, Peter.

[wallcraft]

The iLiad Book Edition is on display in a few places in the UK, see Borders UK to sell iRex iLiad Book Edition.

[bbusybookworm]

Originally Posted by petermillard

buying an 'official' Cybook at ~£300 with a cover, shipping etc... or a 'grey' import Sony Reader at around £200 or so from eBay or from a friend in the US - albeit unsupported. .

I feel you pain!

but you do have an another option for the Cybook.
You could order it through NAEB, and with the way the exchange rate has been, it is still a lot cheaper then buying directly from Bookeen.

It works out about (aproximately):
Device - US$375 / £190
Delivery - US$50/£25
Customs / VAT - probably another £40

and so for about £255 what you would pay for the basic device at Bookeen, not counting delivery (another £10) you get the device, a cover and an SD card. The cover, which I think would be essential, would cost another £27 from Bookeen.

Let me state that I am in no way affiliated with NAEB.

They do have an order that is still open for that should be with them by the 10-12 of June.

The only reason I cancelled my order, and ordered direct is that I fly out on the 16th and as such was a bit leery of my holiday entertainment not making it to me on time.

But the guys there are great, and were honest in letting me know what would be the best options for me, even if they lost a sale.

[Gudy]

Originally Posted by petermillard

You've probably already figured out that if you're in the UK, the only supported readers you can buy are the Iliad and the Cybook, and unless you have a friend who already has one then you have little/no chance of handling one before buying.

Actually, that is not entirely correct. Apolo XXI are selling the iLiad (both versions), the Cybook, the Sony Reader, and the Hanlin V3, and being in the EU they are bound by European warranty legislation. Granted, that doesn't mean you'll be able to buy Sony's Extended Support, but it's certainly better than a grey import.

That said, the breakdown right now is roughly as follows:
If you want WIFI, your only option is the iLiad V2.
If you want annotations and/or sensible PDF support, your options are the iLiad V2 or the iLiad Book Edition.
If you want to be able to buy copyrighted books, your options include the two iLiad models and the Cybook (I don't think you can buy from the Sony store without a US-based credit card, or can you?)
Otherwise all the ones listed above may work for you, although with the Sony and the Hanlin V3, you're restricted to freely available content, which you may have to format-shift for best results.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by wallcraft

Comparing Cybook and iLiad just for reading DRMed MOBI books, the only "win" for the iLiad is the size of the screen. This is a major advantage (I use my iLiad more than my Kindle for this reason and because I read DRM-free ebooks with FBReader on the iLiad), but the Cybook is the clear winner overall. There may be several other viable choices towards the end of the year, but except for price they won't be drastically better. So why wait - I suggest you go with the Cybook.

I used to have an iLiad but sold it because:

1. I found it too large to conveniently carry around.
2. The close to one-minute boot time is a pain if you only have a short reading session.
3. The MobiPocket Reader on the iLiad is rather primitive (the lack of bookmark support was a "show stopper" for me, since I rely on that when proof-reading the books that I create).

I've had a CyBook for 7 months now and am very happy with it.

[petermillard]

Originally Posted by Gudy

Actually, that is not entirely correct. Apolo XXI are selling the iLiad (both versions), the Cybook, the Sony Reader, and the Hanlin V3, and being in the EU they are bound by European warranty legislation. Granted, that doesn't mean you'll be able to buy Sony's Extended Support, but it's certainly better than a grey import.

Gudy, thanks for pointing that out, and providing a link - I've never heard of Apollo XXI before; not to hijack the thread, but do you know how they manage to sell the PSR 505 without Sony's blessing? Presumably the warranty support (if necessary) would come from Apollo, not from Sony?

Thanks, Peter

[Gudy]

Originally Posted by petermillard

Gudy, thanks for pointing that out, and providing a link - I've never heard of Apollo XXI before; not to hijack the thread, but do you know how they manage to sell the PSR 505 without Sony's blessing? Presumably the warranty support (if necessary) would come from Apollo, not from Sony?

I don't know, but I would guess that to be the case. You might want to try PM'ing danara. AFAIK, (s)he works for, or at least knows, these guys.

[Mindy]

Thanks for all the advice!
Cybook definitely seems to be the best option (extra thanks to Bookworm for the bargain tip) but Astak is certainly shaping up to look very interesting (and, importantly, at a good price) so I might hold off just a *little* longer for more info, if I can manage that much self control (girls+shopping, y'know what we're like.....)
Thanks again folks.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by petermillard

Gudy, thanks for pointing that out, and providing a link - I've never heard of Apollo XXI before; not to hijack the thread, but do you know how they manage to sell the PSR 505 without Sony's blessing? Presumably the warranty support (if necessary) would come from Apollo, not from Sony?

Thanks, Peter

If you purchase a 505 from Apollo, what sort of warranty do you get?

[Spartacus2112]

Originally Posted by Mindy

Thanks for all the advice!
Cybook definitely seems to be the best option (extra thanks to Bookworm for the bargain tip) but Astak is certainly shaping up to look very interesting (and, importantly, at a good price) so I might hold off just a *little* longer for more info, if I can manage that much self control (girls+shopping, y'know what we're like.....)
Thanks again folks.

Newbie here as well. Agreeing with Cybook option, still holding out to see what Astak has to offer as well, but can't offer much on the self control shopping thing (my wife has that issue too!).

[petermillard]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

If you purchase a 505 from Apollo, what sort of warranty do you get?

Don't know - I'd assume as an EU retailer that they have to provide a standard pan-EU warranty of (I think) 2 years; I've emailed them to ask and will let you know the response.

Cheers, Peter.

[basschick]

i went for the cybook. i figure it's very possible that someone may come up with something i like later, but i can always buy it later. for now i know that after scouring the ebookstores, the books i want that are available in an electronic format at all are available for the cybook - and the free ebooks are very easy to convert in mobypocket creator

the way i saw it, if i wait on a reader that isn't out yet, i'd have to keep filling my house with more paper books while i waited

Originally Posted by Mindy

Thanks for all the advice!
Cybook definitely seems to be the best option (extra thanks to Bookworm for the bargain tip) but Astak is certainly shaping up to look very interesting (and, importantly, at a good price) so I might hold off just a *little* longer for more info, if I can manage that much self control (girls+shopping, y'know what we're like.....)
Thanks again folks.

[Mindy]

Google checkout is scarily and (I would go so far as to say) irresponsibly fast.
It would seem I have just purchased a Cybook.
Don't get me wrong, that was the intended outcome, I would just have preferred a few more steps in the process for due indecisiveness and technibobblation