The Cybook Frame made me wonder if you can now read while using external power?

[mjdb]

I have just read the latest Bookeen email newsletter (number 6).

This announces a "Frame for the Cybook".

LCD digital photo frames are now widely advertised and advertised.
This seems to be a heavy aluminium (optionally gilded) made to order,
individually numbered Frame, which turns a cybook into an upmarket digital
photo frame for Black and White / grey scale images.

There are also "digital works of art specifically for Epaper."

http://www.bookeen.com/shop/productd...?ProductID=439

http://www.epaperart.com/EN/contenus_en.html


A quote from the email newsletter.
"Paris, France – February 26, 2008 – Bookeen is proud to announce an
amazing new accessory for its Cybook ePaper reading device: The Epaper Art® frame. This superb solid aluminium frame was created to merge with the Cybook ePaper screen and to become an "objet d'art".
Thanks to the Epaper Art® frame, you will indeed be allowed to view and
share digital works of art but also pictures and photos. With a high quality
finish, it has been conceived and developed for the Cybook. Slide it into the
back of the frame and admire your art content in static or slide show mode."


My Question - Has there been a Firmware upgrade to support this, or is it a
feature only of the image slideshow software being used ?

If there has been a firmware upgrade, can one also now read eBooks while
charging the battery - or is the reader still crippled ?


My understanding is that previously you could not read an eBook while
external power was connected to the cybook.

However this digital photo frame application seems to allow you to see a
slide show of images while connected to external power.
http://www.epaperart.com/EN/ccm_en.html


Anyone know anymore about this ?



Martin.


ps: Happy because NAEB have shipped my Cybook - hopefully only a couple of weeks and a tax bill before it arrives.


pps: Has everyone seen this video - I first saw it on the Cybook Blog.
An annimated eink new year 2008 message.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EsR2pgWkZzs



--
Martin Bonham, Auckland, (Aotearoa) New Zealand.
Home of Middle Earth, Whale Rider, and now also King Kong and Narnia.

[adelheid]

When I saw the Bookeen email in my mailbox, I hoped it would be about firmware upgrades, or customer support improvements or something along those lines.

I was a bit surprised that all it was about, was a frame.

[delphidb96]

Originally Posted by adelheid

When I saw the Bookeen email in my mailbox, I hoped it would be about firmware upgrades, or customer support improvements or something along those lines.

I was a bit surprised that all it was about, was a frame.

Not just a frame but an *EXPENSIVE*, *NON-FUNCTIONAL* frame! By 'non-functional', I mean it doesn't really add anything to the functionality of the Cybook that $5 worth of plywood, glue, nails and some sweat-equity can't accomplish. All that 'non-functionality' for a whopping $249!!! Who are they kidding!?!

Derek

[tribble]

Well, its a piece of art. It has just sentimental value. But sentimental value can be very high. Take a Picasso or van Gogh.

[delphidb96]

Originally Posted by tribble

Well, its a piece of art. It has just sentimental value. But sentimental value can be very high. Take a Picasso or van Gogh.

Hunh??? A piece of 'art'??? Since when? It's a bunch of metal, formed and connected to function as a 'frame'. I've created better metal work myself some thirty years ago in metal-shop classes - but I wasn't so pretentious as to call it 'art' and demand $250 per piece. Maybe that was my problem.

[JSWolf]

$249 is ridiculous for a metal frame for an eBook reader. For that much I could practically buy another reader.

[ProfJulie]

So now we know what's taking priority over returning customer emails and finally releasing a firmware update....

[tompe]

Originally Posted by ProfJulie

So now we know what's taking priority over returning customer emails and finally releasing a firmware update....

That was my first reaction when reading the Newsletter.

[delphidb96]

Originally Posted by ProfJulie

So now we know what's taking priority over returning customer emails and finally releasing a firmware update....

I'm going to assume that this came to Bookeen from an outside artist and has absolutely NOTHING to do with customer service turnaround time.

Derek

[adelheid]

Originally Posted by delphidb96

I'm going to assume that this came to Bookeen from an outside artist and has absolutely NOTHING to do with customer service turnaround time.

Derek

Still, it is a bit odd, don't you agree, to send an email to your customers about something as trivial as a frame, while you know your customers are having more pressing concerns and are anxious to be informed about them ...

[tribble]

Originally Posted by delphidb96

Hunh??? A piece of 'art'??? Since when? It's a bunch of metal, formed and connected to function as a 'frame'. I've created better metal work myself some thirty years ago in metal-shop classes - but I wasn't so pretentious as to call it 'art' and demand $250 per piece. Maybe that was my problem.

Yap, that was your problem. You could be very rich by now And art is always dependend on the viewer. So if its just some scrapmetal to you, so it is. But for those who see it as art, it will be worth its price.

[Vesper]

Originally Posted by adelheid

Still, it is a bit odd, don't you agree, to send an email to your customers about something as trivial as a frame, while you know your customers are having more pressing concerns and are anxious to be informed about them ...

<RANT>
The site is too static. If you want to see if some new info is posted you have to _literally_ comb the entire site

And not a word anywhere about firmware update, what's in works, and no place where you can make bug report or give a suggestion. And please, don't say "you can always send mail to whatever@bookeen.com" since apparently their spam filter is quite rigorous... or they have some weird triage system.

Not to mention the fact that even if you break down and send them a mail you get no reaction - not even a "mail received, thank you for suggestion/bug report/we will answer you shortly... etc" confirmation.
</RANT>

[srml]

Originally Posted by Vesper

Not to mention the fact that even if you break down and send them a mail you get no reaction - not even a "mail received, thank you for suggestion/bug report/we will answer you shortly... etc" confirmation.

I sent two e-mails to support _at_ bookeen.com this week and got an answer in less than 24 hours to both.

But I agree, a bug tracking (or at least a bug reporting) system should be available.


Daniel

[DDHarriman]

I join the ranks here.

I would love to see indication of a firmware upgrade is being created/developed, and or one really in the pipe.

Some schedule of upgrades would be great too, and/or a partnership with us the costumers (ex. in beta testing) if that could narrow the window of development.

The reader as already 4 months of normal commercial existence, and no idea of what is going to happen or when is going to happen in the software front.

In my opinion Bookeen is the David in a Golias little world (Sony and Amazon at least).
They have a good product, that’s why people are buying the thing and are a willing to pay the fortune they are asking - sorry but the 350 euros I paid for the reader versus the 199 euros I would pay for the Sony 505 if I was buying in the US at the actual rate of 1,5 US per euro is an assault to our pockets - but they should be furiously working in making it better by making upgrades and relating to the help of costumers very soon, or they will be eaten alive.

And then a “art” thing instead??? Not good for the PR of the company, no way…

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by DDHarriman

In my opinion Bookeen is the David in a Golias little world (Sony and Amazon at least).
They have a good product, that’s why people are buying the thing and are a willing to pay the fortune they are asking - sorry but the 350 euros I paid for the reader versus the 199 euros I would pay for the Sony 505 if I was buying in the US at the actual rate of 1,5 US per euro is an assault to our pockets - but they should be furiously working in making it better by making upgrades and relating to the help of costumers very soon, or they will be eaten alive.

Bookeen have been in the eBook business for many years longer than either Sony or Amazon. I suspect they will be in the eBook business long after Sony have pulled out of it (I'm not so sure about Amazon - I think they're in it for keeps).

Yes, we'd all like a firmware upgrade to fix the few minor bugs which the device has (crashing on dictionary lookup, font issues, bookmark problems, etc) but there's nothing wrong with it that's a "show stopper" to my mind. It's certainly in far better shape than the Sony Reader was when it was initially released.

Bookeen have said that a firmware release will be available shortly. I suggest we leave them in peace to get on with it, rather than moaning about it. It would be counter-productive for them to say "it'll be released on such-and-such a date" because then everyone would complain if it were late (which such things generally are). I can entirely understand why it is that they are keeping quiet about it. Let them release it when it's ready.

They are selling every machine they can get their hands on. There's obviously nothing too wrong with their business model given that that is the case.