Specs of Bookeen Cybook E-Ink reader

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by NatCh

Ah, that would 'splain it.

Lucy you gotta lotta 'splainin' to do!

[NatCh]

We think too much alike, JSWolf, or we watched too many of the same re-runs growing up, I'm not sure which.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by NatCh

We think too much alike, JSWolf, or we watched too many of the same re-runs growing up, I'm not sure which.

Nick at night and TVLand plu the local stations. I watched a lot of re-runs.

[NatCh]

Just got a newsletter from Bookeen with more (full?) specs:

Sound:

2.5mm stereo headphone plug

Expandability:

SD Card slot

Case:

Dark brown leather case (optional)
Certification & Regulation:
FCC/CE

Color:

Shiny black

Size:

4.7" x 7.4" x 0.3"
118 x 188 x 8.5 mm

Weight:

6.13 ounces -174 g
battery included

Screen:

6" E Ink® Vizplex screen
[4.8"x3.6"- 122mmx91mm]
600x800 pixels, 166 dpi
B&W, 4 gray-scale
Daylight readable
No backlight
Portrait and landscape mode

Controls:

buttons "ON/OFF", "Up ", "Down", "Right ", "Left", "Enter ", "Cancel", "Menu", "Music".

Power Supply:

Universal AC 100~240V, DC 5V 700mA
Plugs: Euro 2Pin, UK 3Pin, US 2 Pin

Operating system:

Linux 2.4.18

Software suite:

Bookeen® Multi-format ebook reader
Supported image format: Jpeg, GIF, PNG
Supported sound format: MP3

Battery:

Rechargeable built-in Li-Polymer battery (800mAh)
8000 page flips battery life

Processor:

Samsung® S3C2410 ARM920T 200MHz

ROM memory:

8 MB

RAM memory:

16 MB

Storage memory:

64 MB Data Flash

Connectivity:

USB Client (v2.0) - Mini USB B connector

In the box:

Cybook ebook reading device
USB cable
User's guide
Charger (Deluxe version)
Leather case (Deluxe version)
1GB SD card (Deluxe version)

The NAEB folks should be pleased about the Visiplex.

[athlonkmf]

Looks like more pics are available: http://hightech.afmag.net/a-new-read...y-bookeen.html

I actually like the mangapic http://hightech.afmag.net/a-new-read...reading-manga/

If it's not "processed" image, the clearity is VERY good compared to the reader. (but not good enough for me to ditch my 3 weeks old reader though)

Reading this "battery included", does this means it has -gasp- removable batteries?

Don't really understand this though:
"Dark brown leather case (optional)" and then later in the box "Leather case (Deluxe version)"

So there's a deluxe and a normal version or something?

Edit: I see the pics are available at the homepage of bookeen too.

[NatCh]

Originally Posted by athlonkmf

If it's not "processed" image, the clearity is VERY good compared to the reader. (but not good enough for me to ditch my 3 weeks old reader though)

I ... think they're photo-shopped, athlonkmf. It's hard to tell, 'cause they're really well done if they are, but there's something hinky (to use Abby's word) about the compound shadows in the first pic -- I'd expect the shadows where both the book and the e-reader are casting to be a bit darker than where just one or the other is casting, and the left edge shadow is just plain off (the round nub where the corner of the e-reader is supposedly casting a shadow, except it doesn't look like it sticks off enough to cast much of a shadow at all, and that one's just the wrong shape ). Besides that, it all seems just a bit too even. Not my area of expertise, but that's what it looks like to my uneducated, but attentive eye.

Originally Posted by athlonkmf

Reading this "battery included", does this means it has -gasp- removable batteries?

Yeah, a removable battery is one of the features they've had all along. Makes us Sony & iLiad owners all itchy with jealousy.

Originally Posted by athlonkmf

Don't really understand this though:
"Dark brown leather case (optional)" and then later in the box "Leather case (Deluxe version)"

So there's a deluxe and a normal version or something?

That's the way I interpret it too, that there's to be a deluxe edition available with extra goodies, but that the leather case can also be purchased separately. Makes sense for them to do that, actually -- otherwise they'd lose some sales from folks who want the leather case, but not an extra "guess what" brand 1GB SD card. They don't seem to say anything to indicate it here, but I'd expect they'll sell the 'charger' (some kind of cradle, perhaps) from the deluxe edition separately too.

[athlonkmf]

Originally Posted by NatCh

I ... think they're photo-shopped, athlonkmf. It's hard to tell, 'cause they're really well done if they are, but there's something hinky (to use Abby's word) about the compound shadows in the first pic -- I'd expect the shadows where both the book and the e-reader are casting to be a bit darker than where just one or the other is casting, and the left edge shadow is just plain off (the round nub where the corner of the e-reader is supposedly casting a shadow, except it doesn't look like it sticks off enough to cast much of a shadow at all, and that one's just the wrong shape ). Besides that, it all seems just a bit too even. Not my area of expertise, but that's what it looks like to my uneducated, but attentive eye.

the shadows are clearly photoshopped, but i have my doubts on the content themselves http://hightech.afmag.net/a-new-read...reading-manga/
with it's glare and stuff. However... i'd imagine they would do a contrasting technique on it anyway. And of course... if you put the reader in a lightbox which has a great lighting, the screen would looks 3000x better too.

Yeah, a removable battery is one of the features they've had all along. Makes us Sony & iLiad owners all itchy with jealousy.

it's good for replacement indeed but on the other hand... how often are you running out of juice anyway

[HarryT]

I think I've got to buy one, just because I'm a gadget collector - but I don't think I'll be ditching my Sony; not after all that hard work in putting together nice books for it!

Unless I've missed something, they've still not told us what formats will be supported, have they?

[NatCh]

Originally Posted by athlonkmf

the shadows are clearly photoshopped, but i have my doubts on the content themselves

One of the obnoxious things about e-ink is that it's notoriously difficult to photograph in any way that catches the true beauty of the display.

I also have my doubts as to why they'd take an image that managed to capture the display well, and then go play with the shadows around that image -- I mean why bother? Why would they even see a need to?

All my opinion, of course.

Originally Posted by athlonkmf

[a removable battery]'s good for replacement indeed but on the other hand... how often are you running out of juice anyway

To me, it's not so much that it can take a second, charged battery, as it is that the batteries do eventually wear out and stop functioning completely. At that point the removable battery becomes a very nice feature.

Originally Posted by HarryT

Unless I've missed something, they've still not told us what formats will be supported, have they?

I haven't seen one on this iteration, but the NAEB folks are reporting: RTF, HTML, PDF and PRC (Mobipocket sans DRM). I'd expect this one to be somewhere in that neighborhood, anyway. At a guess, it'll probably do Mobi DRM too, since Bookeen has a Mobi based e-bookstore.

[yvanleterrible]

Originally Posted by NatCh

Just got a newsletter from Bookeen with more (full?) specs:


The NAEB folks should be pleased about the Visiplex.

What's the difference between visiplex and Vizplex ?

[athlonkmf]

Originally Posted by NatCh

One of the obnoxious things about e-ink is that it's notoriously difficult to photograph in any way that catches the true beauty of the display.

i know, i had a major hardtime too. using flash won't tell much. Only good effort I could do is using a photostand and natural sunlight to get something like this:


I thnik that is the most realistic pic I made. (click and click for full screen)

To me, it's not so much that it can take a second, charged battery, as it is that the batteries do eventually wear out and stop functioning completely. At that point the removable battery becomes a very nice feature.

Yeah, in theory it would, but then again, in 3 years time (which I believe the battery should survive because it hardly gets used and charged), will the batteries still be available? I haven't tried, but I think I'd have a hard time finding batteries for my old nokia.

And you can't just buy a spare battery on release now, because it will wear out even without being used (lithium).

[athlonkmf]

Originally Posted by yvanleterrible

What's the difference between visiplex and Vizplex ?

One is obviously more L33T

[NatCh]

Originally Posted by yvanleterrible

What's the difference between visiplex and Vizplex ?

Well, clearly, one is spelled right and the other is not.

See, you lot only think I can spell because FireFox catches most of my errors, I'm actually an poorly-educated 3rd-grader masquerading as an adult!

(No, not really )

[NatCh]

Originally Posted by athlonkmf

i know, i had a major hardtime too. using flash won't tell much. Only good effort I could do is using a photostand and natural sunlight to get something like this:

You probably used manual focus too -- I have a hard time getting my auto-focus to focus on the e-ink display properly.

But the SLR digital cameras, on the other hand, are getting better and better, I may have to go shopping again before too long.

[athlonkmf]

Originally Posted by NatCh

You probably used manual focus too -- I have a hard time getting my auto-focus to focus on the e-ink display properly.

But the SLR digital cameras, on the other hand, are getting better and better, I may have to go shopping again before too long.

I don't remember if I do MF or AF that time, because I made those pics in a hurry to proof my point here https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=11492.

I'll see if I can make some better pics when I really write my "Reading manga on the Sony Reader"-review (I just find the ones I found not comprehensive enough... I still had doubts when reading those)