Is Foxit selling the CyBook with an better PDF Reader?

[Slider1960]

I suppose someone just HAD to produce a white one! At least it wasn't Apple :-)

[crAss]

Originally Posted by Pulp

Would be interesting to see if it was possible to replace the Cybook pdf-reader with the Foxit one

You are exactly in my mind...

[Kris777]

[QUOTE=mtravellerh;329438]The price is quite fantastic, though!

QUOTE]

According to http://www.foxitsoftware.com/ website they don't sell it yet, just collected preorders (see the info on website)
Due to an upgrade higher quality screen, the eSlick will be available around late February or early March. However, we can take pre orders now. Pre-order with just a $50 deposit and lock in the introductory price of $229.99 plus shipping and applicable taxes.

Introductory Price: $229.99 ($259.99 MSRP) excluding taxes and shipping fee.
With taxes and shipping fee the price will be about $290 that is not so cheap...

[brudigia]

If you follow the TeleRead link below
http://www.teleread.org/2009/01/24/f...omist-article/

you can view a YouTube video with the FoxIt Reader demonstrated in two demo videos.
The speed of page turning does not seem to be different from our Cybook, honestly. Funny thing is, according to me, that the menus (for enlarging / dimishing the page) and other menus, seem the same as the Cybook, at least in format. I suppose they are using the same Software Development Kit or the Linux Kernel has the same facilities.
Anyway, it does not strike me as a breakthrough. Also with the PDF reflow, the problems with PDF still seem to exist, i.e. the fact that most PDF books / documents are formatted with A4 (or the equivalent USA) in mind, and on the 6" screen there is noway you can read it confortaly.
You need A5 (again, the equivalent in USA) documents, and then the Cybook gives you exactly the same performance and views.
I wonder what FoxIt is aiming at, the object as it is now does not seem to really break new ground, and with the possible exeption of the price (which does not seem to be so low, anyway) I fail to see any market appeal.

Bruno

[DDHarriman]

Ha... ha...

Reflowing PDF in a Cybook clone, so it's possible!

Cool!

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by DDHarriman

Ha... ha...

Reflowing PDF in a Cybook clone, so it's possible!

Cool!

Whyever shouldn't it be? The Sony does it, and it has pretty much the same hardware as the CyBook.

[brudigia]

Originally Posted by DDHarriman

Ha... ha...

Reflowing PDF in a Cybook clone, so it's possible!

Cool!

Yeah,it is, indeed. It still does not seem useful to me. I think that PDF was conceived for fixed pagination, therefore reflowing is both unnatural (for the file) and useless (if there are images, then reflowing is pointless, you are still stuck with display size).
Pdf compared to mobipocket is definitly superior, just compare the same book (I used Feedbooks) in both formats and there is no game, PDF looks more "finished". Personally I shall wait for the 9.7" devices, they should make the difference, with them reflowing shall be forgotten (eventually they will be available, I suppose), for now I shall happily stick with my Cybook. And mobi ebooks, despite what I said before, because almost nobody will actually offer Cybook size pdf, the exception I know of being Feedbooks

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by brudigia

Pdf compared to mobipocket is definitly superior, just compare the same book (I used Feedbooks) in both formats and there is no game, PDF looks more "finished".

I could not disagree with you more strongly .

Yes, PDF is very nice for a fixed page layout, but the point of a "flowable" format such as MobiPocket is that you can freely change the font size at will, and for me, that's very important. If I'm in a poor light, I simply switch to a large font size - I can't do that with PDF.

[DDHarriman]

I was being sarcastic...

Of course it’s possible… the thing is… will we have it in the Cybook?... and if so will we have it in all the Cybooks?

Until now there was not proof of the real possibility, now there is!

So, in the mood of “Queen”, or of you want “I want it all and I want it now”… Bookeen how about having that in the firmware upgrade you have promised us for the begin of 2009?

[Nate the great]

Foxit isn't selling the Cybook; they are selling the eSlick. While the hardware is very similar, it is not identical.

BTW, there is no guarantee that the firmwares will be compatible.

[brudigia]

Originally Posted by HarryT

I could not disagree with you more strongly .

Yes, PDF is very nice for a fixed page layout, but the point of a "flowable" format such as MobiPocket is that you can freely change the font size at will, and for me, that's very important. If I'm in a poor light, I simply switch to a large font size - I can't do that with PDF.

You' ve got a good point, I' ll admit.

[DDHarriman]

Thank’s Nate, can you clarify what are the hardware differences between the 2 companies?

I was thinking it’s the same hardware: up to date 400 mhz processor 512 Mbyte memory (or am I mistaken?).

The difference is the OS and the reader software, or am I mistaken again too?

Best regards,

[HarryT]

Netronix make the hardware for both the CyBook and the eSlick. The CyBook is based on an old Netronix machine called the "EB100"; the eSlick is probably based on the "EB600" - you can see the specs of it for yourself on the Netronix web site.

In both cases, it's the licencee - Bookeen and Foxit respectively - who write (or license, in the case of things like the MobiPocket Reader) the "application software" for the machine.

[DDHarriman]

HarryT

Precisely what I thought: the difference is the OS (probably not) and/or the Reader software in it.

One more thing: in the Netronix website they have just the specs for the EB600 (http://www.netronixinc.com/product_e-book.htm):
Linux 2.6 OS
Power saving; a single charge is sustainable for 8000 pages
4 bit Grey Level
No flicker, anti-flare, comfortable for long time reading
A palm portable library
Thin and light, require less space

And these are just equal to my Cybook one.
So I would say the difference is mainly more memory, faster processor and some outside cosmetics (for what I can infer from the little image).
They have also the EB600 variations (swiftie, etc…), but they look to be different beats (windows CE OS, wifi, etc…).

Best,

[brudigia]

Originally Posted by DDHarriman

HarryT

....
And these are just equal to my Cybook one.
So I would say the difference is mainly more memory, faster processor and some outside cosmetics (for what I can infer from the little image).
They have also the EB600 variations (swiftie, etc…), but they look to be different beats (windows CE OS, wifi, etc…).

Best,

As I wrote in msg #19, if you look at the demo video, you will notice that the menus of the application seem to be the same as the Cybook. I would think that the machine may be slightly faster, although, again from the videos, it does not seem to be so much faster.
Furthermore, I think the OS is the same, or at least the SDK is the same. Just the reader is (slightly) different, another implementation of a pdf reader. And surely FoxIt know how to do it.