Pocketbook Touch Lux or Basic Touch in USA?

[mimosavj]

HI

Does anyone know where can I order one of these PB devices in USA? I used to have a PB360 and loved it very much. How're the new Pocketbook Touch Lux or Basic Touch comparing to the PB360 in term of stability & ease of use? Do they still have the folder structure to manage ebooks on the devices?

Thanks
mimosa

[Gardenman]

I had the same question. I sent an email to Pocketbook. Below is their answer


Pocketbook products are unfortunately not sold in the USA. However, they are available for order in France to be delivered to the USA http://boutique.pocketbook.fr/

To get the quote and place the order, send your request at info@pocketbook.fr in English or French.

In case of ordering the device in France, please mind that the warranty card will be valid for 24 months across Europe only.

Return within 14 days is only possible once you cover the two-way shipping costs.

[mimosavj]

LOL! I'm not crazy enough to order an ereader from France and have it sent to USA, unless it's absolutely the best in the market which it is not... Sigh!

[rkomar]

Originally Posted by mimosavj

LOL! I'm not crazy enough to order an ereader from France and have it sent to USA, unless it's absolutely the best in the market which it is not... Sigh!

I think I may be (and getting it sent to Canada). On January 1st, I started a year long project to convert Burt's Polish-English dictionary to PocketBook format. I'm 3/4 of the way through (less than 90 pages to go). After that colossal effort, it would be a shame if my PB902 died and I couldn't use the dictionary. So, if I'm crazy enough to work on the dictionary, why not be crazy enough to order the device from overseas?

[FizzyWater]

I bought one from Amazon marketplace.

[mimosavj]

It's just sad that ereader companies start to leave the US market. Now my choice is limited to a Kindle PW2 or a Kobo Aura? God! What a shame!

[rkomar]

The ones staying all subsidize their ereader prices with sales from their ebook stores. PocketBook cannot compete in such a system, especially with low volume sales. I don't like it, but I don't blame them for pulling out.

[kacir]

Originally Posted by mimosavj

How're the new Pocketbook Touch Lux or Basic Touch comparing to the PB360 in term of stability & ease of use? Do they still have the folder structure to manage ebooks on the devices?

They still have all the features, plus some. So the folder support is there, even with a few clever enhancements.
The new firmware doesn't seem to me as polished and bug-free as the one on my trusty PB360. But, it took a while at PB360 to develop that great firmware and there is is already a public beta for the next firmware for PB623.
I also miss the fbreader180 with its extended configuration possbilities and a theme that would put 50 books/folders on one page the way ClearLook did on PB360.
PDF support is flaky. They have more features, but sometimes you have problem turning page and you have to go to the menu to turn to next page, some epubs in FBReader ignore my settings in styles.cfg and I get text fully justified instead of left justified ... small things but I got used to one of very best devices out there.
In my eyes, despite tiny flaws, my PB623 is still by far the best reader.

If they had front-lit five inch device with a lid like PB360, I would try to import it from Mars, not only from France ;-)

It is sad they pulled out of USA market, but *very* few players can survive a price war with Amazon that barely breaks even on Kindles (that are manufactured in much greater numbers) ... Sigh ...

[rkomar]

I followed Gardenman's instructions, and was able to order the Touch Lux relatively easily. I sent an E-mail to PocketBook France asking them what the shipping would cost, and got the answer back next business day that it would cost 27 euros. I sent back a reply that I was interested in ordering one, but couldn't set up an account on their website since I was outside the EU. Next business day, I got an E-mail with a link to a Paypal page for ordering the device. The device was delivered about a week later via Colissimo/Canada Post. I didn't have to pay any duties, but that may have been luck on my part (don't know if the high shipping cost included the duties, but I doubt it).

So, it wasn't cheap (156 euros in total == $220 CDN), but it was easy to get. Thanks Gardenman.

[sbwtxj]

I have purchased it on Amazon.com.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listi...&condition=new

[jshzh]

Originally Posted by rkomar

I followed Gardenman's instructions, and was able to order the Touch Lux relatively easily. I sent an E-mail to PocketBook France asking them what the shipping would cost, and got the answer back next business day that it would cost 27 euros. I sent back a reply that I was interested in ordering one, but couldn't set up an account on their website since I was outside the EU. Next business day, I got an E-mail with a link to a Paypal page for ordering the device. The device was delivered about a week later via Colissimo/Canada Post. I didn't have to pay any duties, but that may have been luck on my part (don't know if the high shipping cost included the duties, but I doubt it).

So, it wasn't cheap (156 euros in total == $220 CDN), but it was easy to get. Thanks Gardenman.

I bought my 602 a few years ago from U.S. for about the same price, no duties or tax collected. I still love it. But the Kobo HD only cost me 135 after tax in Toronto recently, with the larger screen than the 623, I stopped being loyal. For me, Pocketbook is still best in dictionary support. Even with the Koreader software, Kobo does not support on-screen dictionaries except English - X ones. What other features make you feel 623 is the best in the market?

[rkomar]

Originally Posted by jshzh

I bought my 602 a few years ago from U.S. for about the same price, no duties or tax collected. I still love it. But the Kobo HD only cost me 135 after tax in Toronto recently, with the larger screen than the 623, I stopped being loyal. For me, Pocketbook is still best in dictionary support. Even with the Koreader software, Kobo does not support on-screen dictionaries except English - X ones. What other features make you feel 623 is the best in the market?

Two things make me want to stay with PocketBook. One, I have got into developing apps using their SDK, and want to continue to do that, as well as using the previous stuff I developed. Because of the uniqueness of their SDK, porting that work to other platforms would not be easy. Two, I've been working for almost a year on transcribing Burt's Polish->English dictionary, and I know how to make that work on PocketBook devices. I would hate to have to throw away that effort if I went to a different ereader company. Those aren't reasons that apply to most people who use ereaders, but they are important to me. So, I would not say that the 623 is best in market, but it meets my specific needs, and is more than good enough in the areas that most other devices cover.

[sethdove]

Originally Posted by kacir

If they had front-lit five inch device with a lid like PB360, I would try to import it from Mars, not only from France ;-)

I know this is a bit old, but had to agree with this statement. I love my 360+, and wish only to have one exactly like it but with a light a la the LUX.

[hidari]

too bad the PB360 is not a popular as it should be...IMO