New CyBook released

HarryT · 11-21-2009, 04:26 AM

Bookeen have released a new version of the Gen3, the "CyBook Gold". Memory is up from 512MB to 1GB, the screen supports 8 grey-scaled rather than 4, and it has the long-awaited ePub firmware.

See here for more information.

Hopefully this indicates that the new firmware is now "officially" finished...

delphidb96 · 11-21-2009, 04:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

Bookeen have released a new version of the Gen3, the "CyBook Gold". Memory is up from 512MB to 1GB, the screen supports 8 grey-scaled rather than 4, and it has the long-awaited ePub firmware.

See here for more information.

Hopefully this indicates that the new firmware is now "officially" finished...

I see. So Bookeen's been busy a) building the 5" Opus, b) creating the 'weltbilt' version of the Cybook, and c) building the 'gold edition' Cybook.

No, given that, I cannot believe that they've had the 'time' to finish the firmware updates they first promised OVER A YEAR AGO!

Thank goodness my repaired K2 is back home and working flawlessly!

Now if Sony would just hurry up and get my mom's updated PRS-500 back to her.

I think I've decided to sell off my remaining Cybook (64MB model) and use the money to buy either a BeBook or Astak 6" model to run OI. Keep checking eBay in the near future.

Derek

KLausPetersen · 11-23-2009, 11:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

Hopefully this indicates that the new firmware is now "officially" finished...

You really think so ?

I think Dereks Opinion is more conclusive.

It really seems that Bookeen has been busy lately with "new" Hardware. I don't think they had any time left for caring about old Hardware.

If I remember right the Weltbild edition had some Bugs which are still not fixed with an Update ?
If that is the case, it could be the next project to concentrate on for "satisfying a big customer".

Older cybook models will certainly have to wait a while longer because the newer products will also demand some finishing touches on their firmware.

And who cares about old discontinued editions which are no longer sold anyway.

EowynCarter · 11-23-2009, 02:58 PM

When I see the ePub firmware on my opus, that have twice the ram and proc of my gen, hanging a bit when opening some ePub, i guess my poor gen3 will suffer a great deal with it, unless bookeen manage some serious optimisation.

Just for that, the switch to opus was worth it

Tanks to Harry, I now know my gen3 is among the "old" ones.

GUIZMOW · 11-24-2009, 09:25 AM

Dear Derek,
WHAT IF the problem in releasing the firmware upgrade is that they are trying to do a FW for all the different cybooks: 64MB - 512MB and 1GB? Maybe that is difficult to do for older version and because they care about there old customer so they are doing the impossible to prevent any compability problem with old device like yours.
WHAT IF!!!

Guiz

rireed3 · 11-24-2009, 09:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GUIZMOW

Dear Derek,
WHAT IF the problem in releasing the firmware upgrade is that they are trying to do a FW for all the different cybooks: 64MB - 512MB and 1GB? Maybe that is difficult to do for older version and because they care about there old customer so they are doing the impossible to prevent any compability problem with old device like yours.
WHAT IF!!!

Guiz

Dear Guiz,
WHAT IF Bookeen bothered to make a statement to that effect, even as an email response to the many who have asked about this delay?

Richard

delphidb96 · 11-24-2009, 12:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GUIZMOW

Dear Derek,
WHAT IF the problem in releasing the firmware upgrade is that they are trying to do a FW for all the different cybooks: 64MB - 512MB and 1GB? Maybe that is difficult to do for older version and because they care about there old customer so they are doing the impossible to prevent any compability problem with old device like yours.
WHAT IF!!!

Guiz

Yeah. Right. Simplest method for accomplishing this is:

Design the update for the 64MB model. If it runs on the 64MB model, it'll run on the *other* ones!

Of course, this presumes that one has hired and is giving all the support and development tools to MORE THAN ONE programmer.

Derek

P.S. Also, if Bookeen cannot make a 64MB firmware update work - even for the mobi version - then Bookeen should do the honorable thing and TELL 64MB owners they're just sh*t-out-of-luck and Bookeen has moved beyond their petty wishes.

Godzil · 11-25-2009, 05:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by delphidb96

Design the update for the 64MB model. If it runs on the 64MB model, it'll run on the *other* ones!

I serioulsy doubt that can work. Why ? Because the oldest and newest Cybook are mainly not the same devices. 64MB are EB001, newest are EB600 and they are not the same beast.

EowynCarter · 11-25-2009, 07:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Godzil

I serioulsy doubt that can work. Why ? Because the oldest and newest Cybook are mainly not the same devices. 64MB are EB001, newest are EB600 and they are not the same beast.

What proc are these using anyway ? Can the same compilation works for both, or woud it requiers two diferant compilation ?

Snuffi · 11-25-2009, 09:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by delphidb96

Yeah. Right. Simplest method for accomplishing this is:

Design the update for the 64MB model. If it runs on the 64MB model, it'll run on the *other* ones!

Of course, this presumes that one has hired and is giving all the support and development tools to MORE THAN ONE programmer.

Derek

P.S. Also, if Bookeen cannot make a 64MB firmware update work - even for the mobi version - then Bookeen should do the honorable thing and TELL 64MB owners they're just sh*t-out-of-luck and Bookeen has moved beyond their petty wishes.

No, the simplest method would be to release the mobi version with folder support. The addition of folder support is not going to pose a problem for the hardware side (or else Bookeen should have known long ago) therefore it is not reasonable to let the mobi reading part of their customers wait for an update indefinitely just because they can't figure out how to get ePub working on the older models.

I would not be happy (now that I already was given hope) if they announced that ePub just doesn't work on the older models but at least we get folder support - but I would accept that. But I can still not understand why they keep punishing those waiting for folder view just because they want to release the ePub version they can't get finished at the same time...

GeoffC · 11-25-2009, 09:49 AM

pppfffft ... and that is the 'kindest comment' i can think of right now .

rireed3 · 11-25-2009, 10:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Snuffi

No, the simplest method would be to release the mobi version with folder support. The addition of folder support is not going to pose a problem for the hardware side (or else Bookeen should have known long ago) therefore it is not reasonable to let the mobi reading part of their customers wait for an update indefinitely just because they can't figure out how to get ePub working on the older models.

The nasty part of this is that Mobi-with-folders has been shipping on new machines since July as version 1.4.

delphidb96 · 11-25-2009, 02:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rireed3

The nasty part of this is that Mobi-with-folders has been shipping on new machines since July as version 1.4.

So you're implying that Bookeen has been 'stiffing' their older-model customer since July? Way to go, Bookeen! Build that customer loyalty!

Now, yes, I *could* shell out $349 for a 'Gold' Cybook, but I could *also* shell out $269 for a fully-ePub-compliant Nook, or I could buy a PRS-600 or I could even buy a used BeBook and throw on OI firmware. Given that, *why* would I throw good money after bad to a company which has scorned me? I mean, it's quite clear that Bookeen is NOT making any attempt to keep their prior customers happy. So why should we (me and any other rational person) buy the Gen3 Gold? After all, as soon as some *other* feature set comes along, they'll just expect us to cough up Yet Another Ridiculously Large Amount of Cash for an essentially-the-same-hardware so we can get the added feature set.

Nope. Not gonna be that stupid.

Again I ask, anyone want a used 64MB Cybook Gen3?

Derek

delphidb96 · 11-25-2009, 02:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Godzil

I serioulsy doubt that can work. Why ? Because the oldest and newest Cybook are mainly not the same devices. 64MB are EB001, newest are EB600 and they are not the same beast.

Except for the faster processor and new memory, the 64MB and 512MB models were essentially the same. And as an S3C2410/2440 ARM is an ARM processor, they will run the same firmware.

Granted, *memory* constraints may well preclude shoving both ePub and Mobi support onto the older Gen3 at the same time, but the cpu won't be any problem. And even then, Bookeen could have just *delivered* what they promised, one firmware update that put on the Mobi update and one other firmware that changed the Gen3 to ePub - with a written warning (if it turns out this is the case) that the 64MB Gen3 couldn't handle ePub.

But Bookeen *isn't* doing this. Nope, they'r just a-sittin' in their Fortress of Solitude sneering down at the suckers who bought Cybooks before the 'Gold' model.

Derek

Godzil · 11-25-2009, 04:35 PM

Derek: I seriously doubt that you know anything in computer programming and especially in embedded computers. A Freescale iMX31 is an ARM core, a Samsung s3c2440 is an ARM core, a Samsung s3c2440 is an ARM core, a SA1110 is an ARM core, but they are *not* the same thing even if they are able to execute nearly the same thing, they have a lot of other peripherals that are NOT the same between them. I seriously doubt that Bookeen or netronix just remove the s3c2410 from the eb001 and put a s3c2440 on it just like this, they are mainly different beast... Just look at the PCB design, the eb600 does not have (for example) a NOR memory that the eb001 have, the eb600 use standard NAND flash where the eb001 use some USB like chip etc...

They are NOT the same thing, so different firmware, different source code etc...

11-21-2009, 04:26 AM	#1
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383043 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	New CyBook released Bookeen have released a new version of the Gen3, the "CyBook Gold". Memory is up from 512MB to 1GB, the screen supports 8 grey-scaled rather than 4, and it has the long-awaited ePub firmware. See here for more information. Hopefully this indicates that the new firmware is now "officially" finished...

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11-23-2009, 02:58 PM	#4
EowynCarter Wizard Posts: 4,332 Karma: 4000000 Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Paris Device: Cybooks; Sony PRS-T1	When I see the ePub firmware on my opus, that have twice the ram and proc of my gen, hanging a bit when opening some ePub, i guess my poor gen3 will suffer a great deal with it, unless bookeen manage some serious optimisation. Just for that, the switch to opus was worth it Tanks to Harry, I now know my gen3 is among the "old" ones.

11-24-2009, 09:25 AM	#5
GUIZMOW Enthusiast Posts: 45 Karma: 218 Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: France, paris Device: Cybook Gen3	Dear Derek, WHAT IF the problem in releasing the firmware upgrade is that they are trying to do a FW for all the different cybooks: 64MB - 512MB and 1GB? Maybe that is difficult to do for older version and because they care about there old customer so they are doing the impossible to prevent any compability problem with old device like yours. WHAT IF!!! Guiz

11-25-2009, 09:49 AM	#11
GeoffC Chocolate Grasshopper ... Posts: 27,600 Karma: 20821184 Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Scotland Device: Muse HD , Cybook Gen3 , Pocketbook 302 (Black) , Nexus 10: wife has PW	pppfffft ... and that is the 'kindest comment' i can think of right now .

11-25-2009, 04:35 PM	#15
Godzil a pthread?? where? where? Posts: 1,763 Karma: 30462 Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Somewhere in EU Device: Newton MessagePad 2100, and only this	Derek: I seriously doubt that you know anything in computer programming and especially in embedded computers. A Freescale iMX31 is an ARM core, a Samsung s3c2440 is an ARM core, a Samsung s3c2440 is an ARM core, a SA1110 is an ARM core, but they are not the same thing even if they are able to execute nearly the same thing, they have a lot of other peripherals that are NOT the same between them. I seriously doubt that Bookeen or netronix just remove the s3c2410 from the eb001 and put a s3c2440 on it just like this, they are mainly different beast... Just look at the PCB design, the eb600 does not have (for example) a NOR memory that the eb001 have, the eb600 use standard NAND flash where the eb001 use some USB like chip etc... They are NOT the same thing, so different firmware, different source code etc...

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