Bebook Neo alternatives in Europe?

[ziphnor]

A while back i bought a Bebook Neo for my gf. She has been using it alot and is very happy with it except for its poor stability (its not that uncommon for it to crash).

I am now considering buying one myself. I originally wanted a larger reader so i could also read technical books on it, but all the big readers are too heavy to read with comfortably ( the neo is okay, but i wouldnt mind lighter ).

Im on the verge of just ordering another Neo, but i wanted to ask if there are alternatives that can meet the following requirements.

My requirements:
* No heavier than the Neo
* At least 6"
* Touchscreen (stylus or direct, i dont care)
* At least as good contrast as the Neo ( rules out the Sony readers (based on some statements that the contrast on the Sony's is poorer due to the overlaid touchscreen vs. the Neos Wacom screen).
* Dictionary support
* Available from a store within EU

[mike_bike_kite]

Have you tried updating the firmware on the Neo?

[ziphnor]

Originally Posted by mike_bike_kite

Have you tried updating the firmware on the Neo?

It was already updated (march firmware) when i got it, and its still a bit unstable. Its not critical and my im pretty impressed with the Neo overall (otherwise i wouldnt consider buying another one!)

[mike_bike_kite]

How often does it crash and is it when you're doing something in particular? I'm only asking as the Neo is near the top of my wish list. Perhaps you can try the Oynx boox firmware?

[ziphnor]

Originally Posted by mike_bike_kite

How often does it crash and is it when you're doing something in particular? I'm only asking as the Neo is near the top of my wish list. Perhaps you can try the Oynx boox firmware?

Its not a big enough issue to warrant playing around with other firmwares IMO.

It seems to happen mostly in connection with standby/powerup and when bringing up the menu when reading.

As to the frequency i cannot be sure as i havent used it much (my gf reads alot so i can only borrow it when she isnt at home According to her its not something that happens every day.

[mike_bike_kite]

You should ask if there's a remedy on the Oynx & Bebook forum - there might well be a simple fix. If there is then that makes your decision of what to buy easier. I think the pocketbook 302 also offers similar functionality but I don't know what the screen is like.

[ziphnor]

I think the pocketbook 302 also offers similar functionality but I don't know what the screen is like.

I believe it has the same problems as the Sony because of the touch screen overlaid on top of the e-ink display. e-ink displays are poor enough wrt to contrast without making it worse in this manner.

[Zetmolm]

I have the Onyx Boox and it is stable! I've had it for over 4 months now, first with the 1.2.2 firmware and later I upgraded to 1.3. It has not crashed a single time. The Neo firmware is basically the same as the Boox firmware, so it's strange that yours crashes from time to time.

BTW: what exactly do you mean by crash? That you have to reset?

[Dulin's Books]

really the only alternative to the NEo/Boox is the Irex DR-800. and its just a bit more expensive.

[Dulin's Books]

oh has samsung started selling their new readers in Europe?

[ziphnor]

Originally Posted by Zetmolm

I have the Onyx Boox and it is stable! I've had it for over 4 months now, first with the 1.2.2 firmware and later I upgraded to 1.3. It has not crashed a single time. The Neo firmware is basically the same as the Boox firmware, so it's strange that yours crashes from time to time.

Maybe the Onyx firmware is just more mature? Or perhaps it is down to the content being viewed? I found this in the neo manual:

For example, doing a hard reset is helpful if your BeBook quits responding, you cannot
get your BeBook to come out of sleep mode, or if a content causes the BeBook Neo to freeze.

When they put it like that, it sounds almost like they expect it to freeze up And its exactly the two scenarios they describe that we have encountered.

BTW: what exactly do you mean by crash? That you have to reset?

The usual case is that it becomes completely unresponsive. To fix this the neo has to be powered off and on again (by holding the power button at the bottom for a while). Ive only had to use the reset button (on the back) once on this neo (we had to send the first one back for RMA since it had problems going from page to page in sunlight), this happened when i powered it up while it was connected to my laptop.

[ziphnor]

Originally Posted by Dulin's Books

really the only alternative to the NEo/Boox is the Irex DR-800. and its just a bit more expensive.

I would be a little worried about the weight of the Irex. The spec page on irexreader.com says 360g, while the Neo is supposed to be 298gr (but it is actually about 314g if you ask my kitchen weight).

How is the dictionary support on the Irex? Good dictionary support is quite critical for me.

Finally, you mention thats its only slightly more expensive? The Neo is €299 while the Irex seems to be €499 if you look at mybeebook.com and irexshop.com?

[Zetmolm]

@Ziphnor
The worst that happened to me a couple of times while reading a book on my Onyx Boox is that it seemed to freeze and I could not page back or forward. But what I've experienced in those few instances is that there is no need to power off and on, or reset. Just keep OK pressed for a few seconds, and the book you're reading will close and you're taken back to the menu. All you need to do then is re-open the book from Recent Documents, and you can resume reading within seconds. This should work on the Neo as well.

[mgmueller]

Originally Posted by ziphnor

A while back i bought a Bebook Neo for my gf. She has been using it alot and is very happy with it except for its poor stability (its not that uncommon for it to crash).

I am now considering buying one myself. I originally wanted a larger reader so i could also read technical books on it, but all the big readers are too heavy to read with comfortably ( the neo is okay, but i wouldnt mind lighter ).

Im on the verge of just ordering another Neo, but i wanted to ask if there are alternatives that can meet the following requirements.

My requirements:
* No heavier than the Neo
* At least 6"
* Touchscreen (stylus or direct, i dont care)
* At least as good contrast as the Neo ( rules out the Sony readers (based on some statements that the contrast on the Sony's is poorer due to the overlaid touchscreen vs. the Neos Wacom screen).
* Dictionary support
* Available from a store within EU

You can exchange BeBook and Onyx firmware back and forth.
I don't have any problems at all with the BeBook Neo firmware.
But as the only difference between Neo and Boox lies in the firmware, this either should solve any problems or you'd have the very same problems on Boox.
iRex 800 already has been mentioned.
You rule it out: But still, Sony 900 may be worth checking out. The display quality is better than on Sony 600 or 700.
Personally, I wait for PocketBook 602. PocketBook 302 seems to be interesting, but has glare similar to Sony 600. You either can have PocketBook exchange the display later on (don't want that, don't want to send in any of my readers) or wait for the successor PocketBook 602.

[Dulin's Books]

Originally Posted by ziphnor

Finally, you mention thats its only slightly more expensive? The Neo is €299 while the Irex seems to be €499 if you look at mybeebook.com and irexshop.com?

a bit of dry humor. I suppose i could have used the rolleyes