Dual firmware announcement

[rireed3]

I was looking for more Gen3's sold with Adobe DRM and found this:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...m=230401783958

"NOW Cybook also supports the widely used ePub format (with firmware 2.0)"

Shocking what some people get away with on eBay. This was re-listed from a previous listing where the seller had answered a question: "I assume this has the latest firmware 2.0 as it's new from Bookeen."

[infinidim]

I am now getting very annoyed with Bookeen.

If they are now advertising in both the Europe and the USA firmware which they have not deliverred then I am sure that they are in breach of advertising laws in both Europe and the USA.

I have basically said that to Bookeen in a mail, specifically asking when will the version 2.0 firmware be available for download....

I wait to see what they say back.

Infinidim

[HarryT]

Looks like they may have now delivered it in the new model of Gen3.

[Godzil]

maybe the gold is enoughtly different from the standard Gen3 and the firmware will not be the same?

[T_Frain_K]

Will you be quiet, before somone hears you?

Does someone know, if that thing by any chance is nothing more than a netronix hardware revision with the Weltbild.de firmware (so, v1.9)?

[HarryT]

Hardware-wise, it may very well mean nothing more significant than that Netronix are no longer manufacturing the hardware configuration that Bookeen were previously using.

I'll see if I can find out what version the firmware is.

[infinidim]

Originally Posted by Ralob

Sent this:
Dear Sir/Ma'am

When can users expect the firmware that has been delayed for over a year? I am finding it hard to recommend Bookeen products to interested potential customers because of the lack of delivery on promises. The potential has exceeded the reality. As a user who spent several hundred dollars on your product, I do not believe it is too much to ask for updates on an upgrade that has been teased for months upon months. Why are you so unconcerned with your reputation in the ebook community? It is beginning to become ridiculous.

Received this:

Sir,

We understand your reaction on this matter. Please be sure that we are doing our best to finalise the firmware as soon as possible. Our technical team is still working on this firmware upgrade because before validating its release we need to do all the necessary tests in order to propose a satisfactory
firmware without any problem. We do honestly apologise for the delay.

We will advise you by email as soon as this firmware is available on our website.


Best regards,
Bookeen Support Team

That is almost the same wording as I got a month ago from them.....

I am still waiting.......

When it gets to a year from when they said that would ship it are we going to have a birthday party.....

Infinidim

[Godzil]

I'm pretty sure that the mail is nearly a cut/paste and until they have some real news internally, you will always get this answer.

[infinidim]

Originally Posted by rireed3

I was looking for more Gen3's sold with Adobe DRM and found this:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...m=230401783958

"NOW Cybook also supports the widely used ePub format (with firmware 2.0)"

Shocking what some people get away with on eBay. This was re-listed from a previous listing where the seller had answered a question: "I assume this has the latest firmware 2.0 as it's new from Bookeen."

I wrote to Bookeen about this basically asking them to either put the software up on their web site or remove this seller from E-Bay and what they said was (and I quote)

Sir,

The advertisement you found on Ebay does not come from Bookeen. All the text is written by the person that wants to sell their Cybook. We consequently can not withdraw the content of this page.

Best regards,
Bookeen Support Team

(end quote)

They said nothing about loading the firmware on their website....

Infinidim

[EowynCarter]

Originally Posted by Godzil

I'm pretty sure that the mail is nearly a cut/paste and until they have some real news internally, you will always get this answer.

Bookeen not telling us is one thing. Them having no clue as to when the fimeware would be release would be a cause of worry.

[coolfishx]

Yesterday, on their official English blog, a potential customer asked if the new firmware will contain a feature, a feature that will help him decide whether to buy or not an Opus. They (Bookeen) answered positively to this user, that the new firmware will contain this desired feature, but they didn't mentioned that the new feature will be available in a period of time that the Opus can become obsolete by then.

[Snuffi]

Originally Posted by infinidim

I wrote to Bookeen about this basically asking them to either put the software up on their web site or remove this seller from E-Bay and what they said was (and I quote)

Sir,

The advertisement you found on Ebay does not come from Bookeen. All the text is written by the person that wants to sell their Cybook. We consequently can not withdraw the content of this page.

Best regards,
Bookeen Support Team

(end quote)

They said nothing about loading the firmware on their website....

Infinidim

What did you expect for an answer? That the Cybook offered there is probably not running the not-yet-released firmware and the offer is therefore misleading is definitely something you could tell EBay and ask them to remove that auction. But, honestly, I have sent them written prove of someone scamming with a fake auction coming from a hacked account and it still took me three arm-long mails (meticulously giving every detail so they wouldn't have to do any actual work) and as many weeks to convince them to ban the account. The auction was long over by then and their apology and advice not to send that person any money was some kind of weird joke. I wonder how many people have been scammed in the meantime (I have been wise enough not to send any money once I figured out their scam)...

So, if you really want give it a try and contact EBay. But I am pretty sure that a company like Bookeen is nowhere big enough to get any better results than you would and why would they waste their time scanning EBay for bad auctions. They can't scan every EBay site world-wide plus all the myriad of other sites where you can sell your used and new stuff, anyway, and there's always going to be someone trying to get a better price for his/her used gear by "creatively enhancing" its capabilities...

[EowynCarter]

Originally Posted by coolfishx

Yesterday, on their official English blog, a potential customer asked if the new firmware will contain a feature, a feature that will help him decide whether to buy or not an Opus. They (Bookeen) answered positively to this user, that the new firmware will contain this desired feature, but they didn't mentioned that the new feature will be available in a period of time that the Opus can become obsolete by then.

Yes you are right. You will be able to zoom 10% by 10% from 50% to 100%, see real size, to fit width or height or page, and naviguate inside with the 5 ways button. You will also be able to crop margins.

Prety cool, these might come sooner than I expected

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by EowynCarter

Prety cool, these might come sooner than I expected

And today it's been nearly 14 months since the last firmware release, they're eight months late on their first estimate of "quarter 1 2009", it's near five months since they were "on the verge" of releasing the firmware. exactly three months since the updates would be "soon" and a month less a day since they said in a comment that it would be "very soon"

I don't now expect to see it in 2009, but hopefully in Jan or Feb 2010. I note that I didn't provide this option in my poll on the release date - it never occurred to me that we'd get to the end of 2009 without an update.

Still — the 21 people who voted for 1st May to 31st December 2009 still have 34 (& a bit) days in which to be proved right!

[EowynCarter]

Your point being ?
I see no link between what i said, and what you said.