Goodbye bookeen

[AnemicOak]

Originally Posted by kennyc

That's always true though.

It is, but in this case there were only a couple readers to choose from. The quantity of devices now is huge in comparison.

[infinidim]

What I want out of Bookeem is a roadmap of what they are going to do with their firmwarre and when they are going to implement it. You get this from most suppliers why can't Bookeen do it.

I have considerred for a while now whether I am going to stay with Bookeen and the Cybook Gen3......I will give them another 3 months to get us a better version of softweare as they committed the other day, if not then I will get another suppliers product.

Bookeen, at the time of purchasing it (a while ago) had in their marking information everything I wanted to do with a reader; it is a pity that they couldn't impliment the firmware to carry out all the functions correctly and without crashing every so often.

I have said enough tonight now.

Infinidim

[T_Frain_K]

True.
A pity though, the elderly Gen3 could easily compete with newer readers, if given proper software. (that is, at a lower price of course.)
I still like mine.

[gerraldo]

Originally Posted by T_Frain_K

I still like mine.

We all do... that's why we're still here... (but it starts wearing)

[Truttebol]

I truly love my Gen3 but I also desperately need ePub support, so if it is still not available Q1 2010 I will get another device and never, ever return to Bookeen again.

Bookeen is not being very smart in their strategies concerning the firmware. They promiss us the world since april 2009 and never deliver and never communicate a status update or anything. With all the competition in ereaders lately I don't think they will last for very long if they keep doing this and Opus will probably be their last reader then.

Or are they working on a new device (which I will not buy) an therefore not delivering???

[GeoffC]

Originally Posted by Halk

My Cybook has never crashed, I've never bothered updating the firmware since what it shipped with 18 months ago has been fine.

If Bookeen had only said "No folders on Cybook Gen3 ever" then I'd have been quite happy. As it stands though I've been waiting for folders which were just around the corner for 18 months, and checking here near daily for news of the firmware update that I stupidly expect to be released soon.

ditto ... (though my original had to be returned after a couple of months)

[K-Thom]

Or are they working on a new device (which I will not buy) an therefore not delivering???

Oh no! *gasp* Hope not. Or we would be in waiting for three firmware updates sooner or later ...

[mjmcleod]

I bought my Opus on the basis of the features available at launch and with no consideration for any features being promised for future releases.

That said, I find I don't use it as much as I'd expected because having the thing crash rather interrupts the flow of reading. I have also since discovered that it is painfully slow handling moderately-complex ePub books (Pratchett's Unseen Academicals, for example) and having used it for a while now wish there were some simple way to over-ride the publisher's formatting choices. Yes, it's probably possible by modifying the ePub files before loading them, but it really shouldn't require this much effort.

Yes, I know some of this may be down to Adobe. I don't care. I didn't buy an Adobe product, I bought a Bookeen product, and if the Adobe SDK isn't fit for purpose then they shouldn't have used it for anything more than the DRM. More effort to do that? Really not my problem.

Reading the same book on my iPhone using Stanza loses the advantage of the e-ink display -- which I love -- but it's much faster and doesn't crash! And it lets me set the font.

I am dreading taking my Opus on vacation, having to get out a pin to reset the device while on an international flight is not something I look forward to...

[AnemicOak]

Originally Posted by mjmcleod

I am dreading taking my Opus on vacation, having to get out a pin to reset the device while on an international flight is not something I look forward to...

I've had to start carrying a paperclip in my pocket.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by mjmcleod

I am dreading taking my Opus on vacation, having to get out a pin to reset the device while on an international flight is not something I look forward to...

Does the reset key sequence not work for you? I've never had to reset my Opus using the reset "hole".

[hapax legomenon]

sorry, did bookeen ever deliver its updated firmware mentioned on the bookeen blog?

http://bookeen.blogspot.com/2009/08/...e-upgrade.html

[hapax legomenon]

ok, I see more griping elsewhere, so the answer must be no

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...=54782&page=41

[ProfJulie]

Originally Posted by AnemicOak

I've had to start carrying a paperclip in my pocket.

I use the stem of one of my pierced earrings..works well & almost always available since I don't go around with naked holes.

[mjmcleod]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Does the reset key sequence not work for you? I've never had to reset my Opus using the reset "hole".

Hasn't worked for me on a hard-lockup, no, and those seem to be the only type I get.

I would assume that there's something "funny" about the files I'm reading, but as it happens with both the ePub and plaintext reader...

[Snuffi]

Originally Posted by infinidim

I have considerred for a while now whether I am going to stay with Bookeen and the Cybook Gen3......I will give them another 3 months to get us a better version of softweare as they committed the other day, if not then I will get another suppliers product.

Not to spoil your expectations but what exactly are you waiting for when you say you wait for a "better software" for three more months?

Set aside the question of when, we already pretty much know "what" will be in the next FW:

1) ePub -> If you're waiting for that then it's definitely valid to set a deadline and switch to a competitor if there is nothing on the horizon a few months from now
2) folder view -> while this is a feature I am hoping to get my hands on, it's not "the one feature" I would rather buy a new device than live without it. I am also not sure whether this would then qualify as "better software"
3) a few tweaks and fixes -> there's almost certainly nothing ground-shaking in there

So, while I think the FW update might make a valued difference for current Cybook users, I highly doubt it will change much for someone who would rather buy a new device for all the new features and possibilities which are on the market today. I would not set unrealistic hopes on the coming FW, it will not bring the Cybook on par with the state-of-the-art of today (after all, the model is two years old), it's more of a polish and shine than a new motor.

One exception, as mention above though, is ePub. That is a new motor and something entirely new if you want to go down that road...