Cybook or Sony (UK customer)

[Vaseline]

I'm sorry to create a thread that must of been done to death, and which will probably be filled with very basic questions. But I can assure you that I have tried my best to search around on this forum (which is fantastic, I mean how awesome are e-book readers?) and other sites for information.

I live in the UK and have been considering whether to buy the Cybook Gen3 or the Sony PRS-505, there are a few points I've been bearing in mind:

• The availability of ebooks (commerical ones that is, free ones seem widely available in both cirumstances) in their relevant formats - Sony's device is obviously partnered with the Waterstones site here, which is quite frankly rubbish (very dificult to navigate, quite a limited selection etc.). I get the impression that it can use other sites to a certain extent, but that this is also limited. i.e. it couldn't use all the books off fictionwise or instance, but it could use some (I'm not entirely sure about this). Where as the cybook seems to have a larger selection of commerical books available for use in this sense (there are many books which seem to be in mobipocket format which I'd like to read - which are not availabe in any other format, and this is not true of any books for the son reader). I recognise that this point might sound jumbled, but that's a reflection of my mind . If anyone could make this a bit simpler for me that would be great.
• Everyone seems to say that the Sony reader is more stylish. I have seen one, and am not overwhelmed by its looks. I have not seen a cybook, but from pictures I quite like the look. I am just wondering if anyone has any comments on this? Also on a similar topic, there is one button on the cybook, is this a relatively study button, and does it make the device harder to navigate than the sony one? (bearing in mind I quite like the idea of bookmarking).
• Which one formats PDFs better?
• Is there any difference in screen quality/display? Or are they pretty much the same.
• I quite like the idea of RSS feeds. Am I right in thinking the Sony device does not support this? And is there a way around this? Also I seem to think I read something about a piece of software called Calibre, being able to read more of say a news article than the standard RSS feed can, is this true?

If there are any other things worth mentioning as well then I would be incredibly grateful if you let me know.

Sorry for bothering you with such a long post

[DDHarriman]

Hi

By your expressing I think you have already decided: get the Cybook.

[DaleDe]

As to the question of which one formats PDF better they two readers take a very different approach to the display of PDF. PDF, by the way, is already formatted and is built with a page for page image of a paper book.

The cybook.

Takes the page (no matter how big it is) and shrinks it to fit on the screen. For most PDF's (letter or A4 size) this means that it is too small to read. This image can be zoomed to make the text larger but this means you get only part of the page. You will need to pan around to read the whole page.

The Sony initially displays the page the same as the Cybook.

The zoom functions undoes the page formatting to display the text full sized and reflows the lines as needed to show the sentences on the page. This makes the text easier to read, more like a novel, but the page formatting is totally lost.

Which you prefer depends on what you kind of PDF eBooks you plan to read.

Dale

[kovidgoyal]

Originally Posted by Vaseline

I[*] I quite like the idea of RSS feeds. Am I right in thinking the Sony device does not support this? And is there a way around this? Also I seem to think I read something about a piece of software called Calibre, being able to read more of say a news article than the standard RSS feed can, is this true?

yes it is

[ChipnDale]

Agreed with the poster above, the CyBook seems better suited for you Good luck!

[HarryT]

Having owned two different CyBooks in the last year, I'd thoroughly recommend it. MobiPocket format, which it supports, is very much a de facto standard, and although other formats can be converted for use with the Sony, it's a lot less hassle to be able to read Mobi books directly.

The screens on the two machines are identical, although the Sony has a different controller, meaning that it can display 8 grey-scales rather than the CyBook's 4. This makes pictures look a little better on the Sony.

The CyBook, however, has many benefits, to my mind, including:

- The ability to load any TrueType or OpenType fonts onto the machine, and read any book using any font.
- A choice of 12 font sizes, compared to 3 on the Sony.
- Support for font "families", meaning that it uses "real" bold and italic fonts, compared to the Sony's "synthesised" italics.
- A user-replaceable battery.
- Dictionary lookup.
- Double the internal memory.
- Support for the Mobi format which means lots of bookstores to choose from.

To my mind, these factors make the CyBook a clear winner.

Buy it from W.H.Smiths if you decide to get it - their package of the CyBook + case for £180 is a bargain. The case is (IMHO) essential.

[Vaseline]

Thanks for all the replies guys

Originally Posted by DDHarriman

Hi

By your expressing I think you have already decided: get the Cybook.

Originally Posted by ChipnDale

Agreed with the poster above, the CyBook seems better suited for you Good luck!

I think you're both probably right about the way I was leaning. I'm just a bit thrown off by this in a round-up I read though: 'It does feel rather plasticky for something costing £180, though.' I'm not the sort of person who is entirely fussed about the looks of such things, I often buy gadgets which don't look the best. I'm just wondering if it really does look quite cheap, as the review implies, or if they are exxagerating to some extent.

Originally Posted by DaleDe

As to the question of which one formats PDF better they two readers take a very different approach to the display of PDF. PDF, by the way, is already formatted and is built with a page for page image of a paper book.

The cybook.

Takes the page (no matter how big it is) and shrinks it to fit on the screen. For most PDF's (letter or A4 size) this means that it is too small to read. This image can be zoomed to make the text larger but this means you get only part of the page. You will need to pan around to read the whole page.

The Sony initially displays the page the same as the Cybook.

The zoom functions undoes the page formatting to display the text full sized and reflows the lines as needed to show the sentences on the page. This makes the text easier to read, more like a novel, but the page formatting is totally lost.

Which you prefer depends on what you kind of PDF eBooks you plan to read.

Dale

Ahh thanks for that Dale . Very helpful indeed. I'll suppose I'll have to take a look at what PDFs I'm likely to read on the go and then decide which device is better suited to read them

Originally Posted by kovidgoyal

yes it is

Well that's amazing then. Is it a very hard process to do this?

Originally Posted by HarryT

Having owned two different CyBooks in the last year, I'd thoroughly recommend it. MobiPocket format, which it supports, is very much a de facto standard, and although other formats can be converted for use with the Sony, it's a lot less hassle to be able to read Mobi books directly.

The screens on the two machines are identical, although the Sony has a different controller, meaning that it can display 8 grey-scales rather than the CyBook's 4. This makes pictures look a little better on the Sony.

The CyBook, however, has many benefits, to my mind, including:

- The ability to load any TrueType or OpenType fonts onto the machine, and read any book using any font.
- A choice of 12 font sizes, compared to 3 on the Sony.
- Support for font "families", meaning that it uses "real" bold and italic fonts, compared to the Sony's "synthesised" italics.
- A user-replaceable battery.
- Dictionary lookup.
- Double the internal memory.
- Support for the Mobi format which means lots of bookstores to choose from.

To my mind, these factors make the CyBook a clear winner.

Buy it from W.H.Smiths if you decide to get it - their package of the CyBook + case for £180 is a bargain. The case is (IMHO) essential.

Thanks for that, I think you're right. As to the WHSmiths package I just took a look on their website and you're right about the price, so I will definately order it from there. It doesn't mention that it comes with a case, but it has it in the pictures so I'm assuming it does. I doubt my local W.H.Smiths will have one in store unfortunately.

[pthwaite]

WHsmiths only sell the Cybook via their internet site, although you can get it delivered to a store for you to collect.

IMHO the Sony is the better looking, but the Cybook has the edge in book availability, especially as the Waterstones store is hopeless. Interestingly, the WHsmiths store now sells books in both the Mobi & Sony epub format. More recent titles do appear to be in the epub format only so things may be changing.

I got the Cybook and am very happy with it, The font changing abilities are a great feature as it means I can read without my glasses if I have to

[Ned]

I did a similar evaluation and bought the Cybook from WHSmith. Very pleased with it too. Comes with neat case and USB cable.

Don't forget to buy it through Quidco and get an extra 8% cashback, making it even cheaper.

[petermillard]

If the aesthetics are a concern, don't forget to check the "see a device in a cafe near you" thread - here - to see if there's anyone near you that has a Cybook you could look at. And FWIW, I don't think the Cybook is particularly 'plasticky' at all, especially when it's in the case.

Hope this helps, Peter.

[HarryT]

Well, to be fair, it is made of plastic, but that's not necessarily a "negative" feature; modern plastics are a perfectly acceptable constructional material. As Peter says, in the case (and I always keep mine in the case) it looks very good indeed, and is pretty well-protected, too.

[Vaseline]

Thanks again guys, this site is invaluable

Originally Posted by HarryT

Well, to be fair, it is made of plastic, but that's not necessarily a "negative" feature; modern plastics are a perfectly acceptable constructional material. As Peter says, in the case (and I always keep mine in the case) it looks very good indeed, and is pretty well-protected, too.

Originally Posted by petermillard

If the aesthetics are a concern, don't forget to check the "see a device in a cafe near you" thread - here - to see if there's anyone near you that has a Cybook you could look at. And FWIW, I don't think the Cybook is particularly 'plasticky' at all, especially when it's in the case.

Hope this helps, Peter.

Thanks for that guys . From the pictures I quite like the look of it - I'm not sure there'll be anyone in my area, but might be worth a shot. I assume this is the case you are talking about (http://www.whsmith.co.uk/Images/Prod...010859_l_s.jpg)?

That's another question actually, I tend to be quite careful with things like this. But how durable is it? Does it have many faults?

Originally Posted by Ned

I did a similar evaluation and bought the Cybook from WHSmith. Very pleased with it too. Comes with neat case and USB cable.

Don't forget to buy it through Quidco and get an extra 8% cashback, making it even cheaper.

Thanks for that reccomendation, I'll have to use that site in the future

Originally Posted by pthwaite

WHsmiths only sell the Cybook via their internet site, although you can get it delivered to a store for you to collect.

IMHO the Sony is the better looking, but the Cybook has the edge in book availability, especially as the Waterstones store is hopeless. Interestingly, the WHsmiths store now sells books in both the Mobi & Sony epub format. More recent titles do appear to be in the epub format only so things may be changing.

I got the Cybook and am very happy with it, The font changing abilities are a great feature as it means I can read without my glasses if I have to

I think your analysis is pretty spot on there. In terms of book availability - at the presen time - the cybook has the upper hand.


As for the RSS support on the Cybook - which it says is through enews - is that just a standard, title + summary sort of thing? (I've never really used RSS feeds for anything before)

[petermillard]

Yes, that's the case that comes with. The screen's probably the most delicate part of the whole device, and the matt finish almost makes it seem even more fragile; treat it as you would any other valuable device with a large screen and you should be fine - always assuming you use the case, of course...

I use mine mostly at home, but my wife travels with hers a lot and (so far) hasn't had any problems at all.

Sorry, can't help with the RSS support - not my thing at all!

Cheers, Pete

[bbusybookworm]

Originally Posted by Vaseline

As for the RSS support on the Cybook - which it says is through enews - is that just a standard, title + summary sort of thing? (I've never really used RSS feeds for anything before)

As Far as I've seen its a mixture.

For Some sites I get the whole article as well,for others it only gets the summary from the feed. It then creates a Mobi file which you can transfer to the Gen3.

You can always create your own items, but form my needs I found most feeds ready made.

The eNews is through the Mobipocket desktop reader, which is free to download. I would suggest you download and install it to try out the feeds.

[pilotbob]

Originally Posted by Vaseline

I think your analysis is pretty spot on there. In terms of book availability - at the presen [sic] time - the cybook has the upper hand.

As for the RSS support on the Cybook - which it says is through enews - is that just a standard, title + summary sort of thing? (I've never really used RSS feeds for anything before)

Ok... not that I want to break up the CyBook love fest here. But. I think pretty much any book in mobi format is also available in Adobe Secure PDF which the Sony can display.

Even if not, removing DRM from a mobibook and converting it to LRF/ePUB for the Sony is a simple quick process once you get the right tools.

Finally, you can get RSS and news feeds for the Sony using calibre.

BOb