Fed-Ex email anyone?

[delphidb96]

Originally Posted by greyparrot

If they are not shipping it might have something to do with the SD card problem that I've seen in other messages. If so it would be nice if they would let us know.

One thing you mentioned in one of your prior posts caught my attention - their charging your credit card prior to actually shipping. I believe I can explain this as it is relevant to how we at NAEB are going to have to handle the money.

Bookeen has to pay the OEM manufacturer making the hardware before *they* will ship, and, I am willing to guess that for large quantity orders, Bookeen may well not have the cash-flow to pay before orders are placed with them. As these devices are coming from China or Korea (or somewhere in that region), there's a shipping-time delay.

The same is pretty much going to happen with anyone ordering through Not Another E-Book (NAEB). Especially as we are just now setting up for our first batch order from Bookeen. So be prepared to pay and wait for about two weeks to a month for the Cybooks you order from NAEB. Obviously, as we get a batch order ready, we're planning on ordering a few dozen extra per batch to build up an 'in-stock' supply. But that won't be the case for this first set of orders.

Derek

[Brad]

Originally Posted by greyparrot

The following message was recently posted on the Bookeen web page.

------
Due to continuing heavy customer demand, the Cybook Gen3 is sold out again. Because orders are prioritized on a first-come, first-served basis, please order now to reserve your place in line. We will e-mail you with an estimated delivery date as soon as we have more information.
Please note that in all cases your Cybook Gen3 will not arrive before early 2008 and that your credit card will be charged upon order.
----

This does not speak well of Bookeen: they knew how many units they had on hand and they still kept selling them when they knew they would run short.

Now I'm faced with the decision of staying with the Cybook or canceling my order with Bookeen and going to BestBuy and purchase a Sony ebook reader and try to get it to work with a Mac for both DRM and non-DRM ebooks. :|

[Demented]

You need to cut them a bit of slack. To order 1000 Cybooks from the manufacturer, Bookeen probably needs to front 300,000 dollars or so. They fronted 4000-5000 units which is 1.2.1.5 million dollars of inventory. They probably don't have the capital to order more than that at once. Now that this batch is shipped and done with, the manufacturer is producing the next order, but it is Christmas time so they probably won't take delivery till January.

[rixte]

I'm guessing there's a holdup due to the popularity of the Kindle as well - Amazon and Bookeen are probably both trying to get their hands on the same screens so that new readers can be built.

[Antonieb]

so.. the 14 till 18 december notice was plain crap ?... damn..

[mcdaniel]

I can understand your frustration and impatience. I began seriously considering an ebook reading device with the announcement of the Sony Reader over a year ago. It quickly became apparent that, unless you were using Windows, there were many barriers to being able to fully utilize that device (in addition to their DRM format and problematic ebook store). Then, I began exploring other alternatives on MobileRead.com. When NAEB announced that Bookeen would have a device that seemed to both be accessible by non-Windows users and have a broad ebook format capability, I immediately placed that device at the top of the list. That was many months ago. Since then Amazon introduced Kindle. I took a good look at that as a possible device to meet my needs, but eventually decided that the Bookeen Cybook remained the best choice for me - despite all the delays. There is no perfect ebook reader at this point in time. You need to seriously consider your own situation and needs, then make a choice.

Robert

Originally Posted by Brad

Now I'm faced with the decision of staying with the Cybook or canceling my order with Bookeen and going to BestBuy and purchase a Sony ebook reader and try to get it to work with a Mac for both DRM and non-DRM ebooks. :|

[Demented]

I ordered mine on Dec 1st. With the 14-18th message and it shipped Monday.

[delphidb96]

Originally Posted by Brad

This does not speak well of Bookeen: they knew how many units they had on hand and they still kept selling them when they knew they would run short.

Now I'm faced with the decision of staying with the Cybook or canceling my order with Bookeen and going to BestBuy and purchase a Sony ebook reader and try to get it to work with a Mac for both DRM and non-DRM ebooks. :|

Brad,

Now I'm being facetious here... "Best of Luck!!!"

Okay, I'm back to my normal self...

Look, if you want to try to get a Mac to work with the Sony PRS-505, go ahead, but know this. It's PC software doesn't work on a Mac. BookDesigner, which can turn non-LRF ebooks into LRF files, doesn't work on a Mac. Sony hates Mac users.

How do you think we feel over at Not Another E-Book? We finally managed to get all our corporate registration paperwork in line, got our merchant account set up and have just two more PHP scripts to finish before we can bring our e-store online and we just found out - via my *happening* to drop by the Bookeen BLOG - that they're sold out - AGAIN!!!

But if you're a Mac user or you want to have the NAEB package deal, you'll just have to wait as we will.

Derek

[Paulius]

Now I'm faced with the decision of staying with the Cybook or canceling my order with Bookeen and going to BestBuy and purchase a Sony ebook reader and try to get it to work with a Mac for both DRM and non-DRM ebooks. :|

Sony's reader works the exact same way as the Cybook. It mounts as a drive on your Mac and you just drag and drop the files you want. If you want DRM, you will NEED to use Windows. Same thing goes for the Cybook. They don't have a Mac MobiWhatever client.

I live in Canada. Sony doesn't sell their reader here (idiots). If I had the opportunity, I would have gotten the Sony from day one. The Cybook is the 2nd best choice overall, in my opinion.

The following message was recently posted on the Bookeen web page.

------
Due to continuing heavy customer demand, the Cybook Gen3 is sold out again. Because orders are prioritized on a first-come, first-served basis, please order now to reserve your place in line. We will e-mail you with an estimated delivery date as soon as we have more information.
Please note that in all cases your Cybook Gen3 will not arrive before early 2008 and that your credit card will be charged upon order.
----

I'm REALLY hoping that this is for current orders, and not past orders and for people like us who have ordered at the beginning of December. If this is true, then geez, I don't know what to do. (Anyone want to help me smuggle in a Sony reader? :-P)

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Brad

This does not speak well of Bookeen: they knew how many units they had on hand and they still kept selling them when they knew they would run short.

Now I'm faced with the decision of staying with the Cybook or canceling my order with Bookeen and going to BestBuy and purchase a Sony ebook reader and try to get it to work with a Mac for both DRM and non-DRM ebooks. :|

\
For non-DRM books, you can use Libprs500 on your MAC. The only thing you'd need Ebook Library for is to purchase ebooks via The eBook Store.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by rixte

I'm guessing there's a holdup due to the popularity of the Kindle as well - Amazon and Bookeen are probably both trying to get their hands on the same screens so that new readers can be built.

Don't forget the 505, the Jinke v3, & NuuT also use the same 6" Vizplex screen.

My guess is between the 505, Kindle, Gen3 and not as much the others, the screens are at a shortage.

[JSWolf]

Let me dispel some of the misinformation....

Ebook Library that comes witht he 505 is for Windows only. But if you do not plan on purchasing ebook from Sony's eBook Store you can use Libprs500 on a MAC to talk to the 505 to handle the content and even collections as well as content conversion to LRF and there is even a previewer for LRF. Also, you can try Wine on OS X to see if it woill work with Ebook Library for downloading ebooks and talking to the 505. But DO NOT use Wine or Paralells to update the firmware as you might brick the 505. Ebook Library is known to work with Parallels.

Now, as for the Gen3, you cannot read Mobi format ebooks with DRM on OS X. You need Windows for that. But, you can purchase and download ebooks for the Gen3 via your web brower. No need for any other software. But if you want to use the Mobipocket tools such as Mobigen or Mobipocket Desktop, you'll need Windows. Again, you can give Wine a try.

Book Designer is Windows. You can try Wine or Parallels. Can't say what will work or not.

So basically, if you are on OS X. I suggest Bootcamp and Windows XP so you can use all the available tools no matter if you have a 505 or Gen3. The problem is, OS X is not very well supported.

[Brad]

Thanks to all of you for the info on the Sony. The Sony isn't looking so good if I want to read DRM'd books unless I run Win XP via BootCamp.

I'll look at the iRex some more. It looks promising for use with a Mac and reading DRM'd books.

[mcdaniel]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Let me dispel some of the misinformation....

Now, as for the Gen3, you cannot read Mobi format ebooks with DRM on OS X. You need Windows for that. But, you can purchase and download ebooks for the Gen3 via your web brower. No need for any other software. But if you want to use the Mobipocket tools such as Mobigen or Mobipocket Desktop, you'll need Windows. Again, you can give Wine a try.

My understanding is that the Cybook Gen 3 will handle Mobi format ebooks with DRM. However - you are correct, as I understand it, in saying that we Mac users cannot read Mobi format ebooks, with or without DRM, on our computers. We are able to purchase and download Mobi format ebooks, with or without DRM, to our Mac computers for transfer at some point in time to the Cybook Gen 3, i.e., the Cybook does not need to be connected to the Mac for such orders and downloads from the vendor.

NAEB has not begun its bulk ordering process yet, so I have not been able to acquire a Cybook Gen 3 to be able to personally test any of this.

Robert

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Brad

Thanks to all of you for the info on the Sony. The Sony isn't looking so good if I want to read DRM'd books unless I run Win XP via BootCamp.

I'll look at the iRex some more. It looks promising for use with a Mac and reading DRM'd books.

The iLiad is no better or worse then the Gen3 when used with OS X since they both read Mobipocket format ebooks with DRM. If you want to create your own Mobi formated ebooks, you'll still need Windows. So the 505 is no better or worse based on the need for Windows.