Cybook Opus or Pocketbook 360

Lake person · 12-31-2009, 10:56 AM

Hello everyone

I have finally pushed the buy button on the Pocketbook 360. Now I wonder should I have looked more into the Cybook Opus? Can anyone with both give me a quick which one they like and why?

I am looking for a solid product to fit in my purse and that goes traveling, camping, etc with me.

Lake

HarryT · 12-31-2009, 11:07 AM

They are very similar devices in many ways. Both are solidly built and robust; the PB has a clip-on cover, which is very nice; the Opus comes in a very sturdy pouch. Both have support for microSDHC cards and can store essentially unlimited numbers of books in a full folder-based file system.

The real difference is in the firmware. The Opus is basically a dedicated ePub (or Mobipocket - you can choose which firmware to install) device, while the PB can read a range of different formats. ePub support is definitely better on the Opus at present, but the ePub firmware is very new on the PB and will doubtless improve over time. The PB can search books (the Opus can't) and also has a number of other applications on it (various games, a clock, a calendar, etc).

You really can't go wrong with either. At the moment, it's a close call, but I'd say that the Pocketbook is the better device overall, due to its flexibility, but the Opus has the edge if all you want to do is read ePub books.

Hope that's of some help.

Lake person · 12-31-2009, 11:11 AM

Thank you Harry. That opinion is just what I was looking for. I am looking for a device that is solid with freedom for more.

Lake

Dulin's Books · 12-31-2009, 11:38 AM

Granted I sell the PocketBook 360 so I am a bit biased but here is an unbiased opinion quoted from another thread

Quote:

Originally Posted by divory

I am an early adopter so I go back to the original Rocket, the later model, on to the first of the iLiads, then the Gen3 (two of them, one broke and no help from Bookeen), a Sony 700 and then the Opus. I was more than happy with the Opus until it started to freeze on a daily occurence and with no sign of any support from Bookeen I have just taken delivery of a PocketBook 360. The software is light years ahead of any other ereader with the ablilty to mark a book as read, create folders on the fly and with the new fbreader the ability to change a page with a slight move of the wrist.

David

HarryT · 12-31-2009, 11:41 AM

The Opus firmware has now been updated. No more freezes, and lots of new features. It really is streets ahead of the Pocketbook in the specific area of ePub display.

Lake person · 12-31-2009, 11:43 AM

I missed that thread, but the information from you makes me feel I have pushed the right buy button. Thank you

Lake

beepee · 01-01-2010, 04:17 PM

I just bought a Cybook Opus today but once on the website of Bookeen (or the entire internet for that matter) I am not able to find any manual of the Opus - only of the Gen3. Would anyone have an idea where to find it? many thanks!!

tompe · 01-01-2010, 05:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

The Opus firmware has now been updated. No more freezes, and lots of new features. It really is streets ahead of the Pocketbook in the specific area of ePub display.

In what way? I am not at all happy with the display of ePub in the 2.0 firmware. For many books the top line is too near the top and the lack of hyphenation make ragged right books really hard to read.

Krystian Galaj · 01-01-2010, 08:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by beepee

I just bought a Cybook Opus today but once on the website of Bookeen (or the entire internet for that matter) I am not able to find any manual of the Opus - only of the Gen3. Would anyone have an idea where to find it? many thanks!!

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=67475

brecklundin · 01-02-2010, 03:37 AM

all I can say is if on the fence, you will likely be very happy in the long run with the PB360. From a design POV the 360 has that nice hard cover to pretty much eliminate the need for bulky "book cover" binder to protect your reader as you drag it around with you. A nice simple sleeve or pouch is a thing you can use w/o worry something is going to smash your panel when you have the PB360 cover in place.

I would say that the better choice is the device from Pocketbooks even though the Opus is a really nice device as well (same internal hardware). Given Harry has both devices, I would also ask for his observations between the two...my guess is it will boil down to personal preference as both brands leap-frog each other with firmware improvements.

Something to consider about Pocketbook's ADE stuff is they apparently did some things with the ADE API that kinda caught the attention of the folks at Adobe and impressed even them...given that sort of innovation, I have an idea that PB is set to make a large splash as the devices go viral among other things.

HarryT · 01-02-2010, 04:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by brecklundin

I would say that the better choice is the device from Pocketbooks even though the Opus is a really nice device as well (same internal hardware). Given Harry has both devices, I would also ask for his observations between the two...my guess is it will boil down to personal preference as both brands leap-frog each other with firmware improvements.

I've already given my observations in post #2 above. In summary: the Opus is streets ahead in the specific area of ePub display, but I prefer the Pocketbook overall, due to its flexibility.

tompe · 01-02-2010, 04:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

I've already given my observations in post #2 above. In summary: the Opus is streets ahead in the specific area of ePub display, but I prefer the Pocketbook overall, due to its flexibility.

In what way is Opus "streets ahead"? If they are both bases on the same SDK it should not be so much difference.

HarryT · 01-02-2010, 04:10 AM

The most noticeable thing is that the Opus allows you to select the justification and the font used to display your book, provided that the book does not hard-code them. It is currently the only ADE implementation to offer these capability. Also, the Pocketbook currently only offers 3 font sizes for ADE - this really is not enough (the Opus has 12).

Barcey · 01-02-2010, 03:36 PM

I can't compare the specific hardware models but I do have both firmware versions (Cybook Gen3 v2.0, PocketBook 301 14.2).

I agree with Harry that the Adobe reader is better on the Cybook firmware but to be fair the Pocketbook is still on a test firmware for ADE support. The only lockups I've had on the device were with two specific EPUB books opening under ADE and they both opened fine with FBReader.

I disagree that the EPUB support is better with the Cybook though. What's brilliant with the Pocketbook is they give you a choice of which reader to use. I preferred the FBReader over the ADE even with the older version lacking chapter breaks. With the newer FBReader version supporting chapter breaks it has way better flexibility then the Cybook EPUB support. (Line spacing, hyphenation, margin size, font). Also dictionary support. Only thing it's lacking (IMO) is the ability to read Adobe corrupted files.

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=65865

Pocketbook have also added a lot of nice features lacking in the Cybook firmware.
- Opens the last book read on boot
- Battery indicator while reading
- Clock on status bar while reading
- Read while charging

I read in another thread that Pocketbook have added a bunch of features to ADE but it wasn't ready yet so I would wait to compare until they get the final release out.

EowynCarter · 01-02-2010, 03:58 PM

Quote:

I've already given my observations in post #2 above. In summary: the Opus is streets ahead in the specific area of ePub display,

Is it ?
You know had the felling that
PB with fb reader -> hyphenation, but no css.
PB with ADE -> no hyphenation
Opus with ADE -> no hyphenation
-> none is perfect anyway.

I like the style of the opus better. (But then that a personal preference).

Quote:

- Read while charging

This is annoying for demo readers in shops.

12-31-2009, 10:56 AM	#1
Lake person Enthusiast Posts: 49 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Wisconsin, USA Device: Cybook, Bebook, Pocketbook 360	Cybook Opus or Pocketbook 360 Hello everyone I have finally pushed the buy button on the Pocketbook 360. Now I wonder should I have looked more into the Cybook Opus? Can anyone with both give me a quick which one they like and why? I am looking for a solid product to fit in my purse and that goes traveling, camping, etc with me. Lake

01-01-2010, 04:17 PM	#7
beepee Junior Member Posts: 1 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jan 2010 Device: cybook opus	Cybok Opus I just bought a Cybook Opus today but once on the website of Bookeen (or the entire internet for that matter) I am not able to find any manual of the Opus - only of the Gen3. Would anyone have an idea where to find it? many thanks!!

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12-31-2009, 11:07 AM	#2
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383099 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	They are very similar devices in many ways. Both are solidly built and robust; the PB has a clip-on cover, which is very nice; the Opus comes in a very sturdy pouch. Both have support for microSDHC cards and can store essentially unlimited numbers of books in a full folder-based file system. The real difference is in the firmware. The Opus is basically a dedicated ePub (or Mobipocket - you can choose which firmware to install) device, while the PB can read a range of different formats. ePub support is definitely better on the Opus at present, but the ePub firmware is very new on the PB and will doubtless improve over time. The PB can search books (the Opus can't) and also has a number of other applications on it (various games, a clock, a calendar, etc). You really can't go wrong with either. At the moment, it's a close call, but I'd say that the Pocketbook is the better device overall, due to its flexibility, but the Opus has the edge if all you want to do is read ePub books. Hope that's of some help.

12-31-2009, 11:11 AM	#3
Lake person Enthusiast Posts: 49 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Wisconsin, USA Device: Cybook, Bebook, Pocketbook 360	Thank you Harry. That opinion is just what I was looking for. I am looking for a device that is solid with freedom for more. Lake

12-31-2009, 11:41 AM	#5
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383099 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	The Opus firmware has now been updated. No more freezes, and lots of new features. It really is streets ahead of the Pocketbook in the specific area of ePub display.

12-31-2009, 11:43 AM	#6
Lake person Enthusiast Posts: 49 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Wisconsin, USA Device: Cybook, Bebook, Pocketbook 360	I missed that thread, but the information from you makes me feel I have pushed the right buy button. Thank you Lake

01-02-2010, 03:37 AM	#10
brecklundin Banned Posts: 1,906 Karma: 15348 Join Date: Jun 2007 Device: mine	all I can say is if on the fence, you will likely be very happy in the long run with the PB360. From a design POV the 360 has that nice hard cover to pretty much eliminate the need for bulky "book cover" binder to protect your reader as you drag it around with you. A nice simple sleeve or pouch is a thing you can use w/o worry something is going to smash your panel when you have the PB360 cover in place. I would say that the better choice is the device from Pocketbooks even though the Opus is a really nice device as well (same internal hardware). Given Harry has both devices, I would also ask for his observations between the two...my guess is it will boil down to personal preference as both brands leap-frog each other with firmware improvements. Something to consider about Pocketbook's ADE stuff is they apparently did some things with the ADE API that kinda caught the attention of the folks at Adobe and impressed even them...given that sort of innovation, I have an idea that PB is set to make a large splash as the devices go viral among other things.

01-02-2010, 04:10 AM	#13
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383099 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	The most noticeable thing is that the Opus allows you to select the justification and the font used to display your book, provided that the book does not hard-code them. It is currently the only ADE implementation to offer these capability. Also, the Pocketbook currently only offers 3 font sizes for ADE - this really is not enough (the Opus has 12).

01-02-2010, 03:36 PM	#14
Barcey Wizard Posts: 1,531 Karma: 8059866 Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Canada Device: Kobo H2O / Aura HD / Glo / iPad3	I can't compare the specific hardware models but I do have both firmware versions (Cybook Gen3 v2.0, PocketBook 301 14.2). I agree with Harry that the Adobe reader is better on the Cybook firmware but to be fair the Pocketbook is still on a test firmware for ADE support. The only lockups I've had on the device were with two specific EPUB books opening under ADE and they both opened fine with FBReader. I disagree that the EPUB support is better with the Cybook though. What's brilliant with the Pocketbook is they give you a choice of which reader to use. I preferred the FBReader over the ADE even with the older version lacking chapter breaks. With the newer FBReader version supporting chapter breaks it has way better flexibility then the Cybook EPUB support. (Line spacing, hyphenation, margin size, font). Also dictionary support. Only thing it's lacking (IMO) is the ability to read Adobe corrupted files. https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=65865 Pocketbook have also added a lot of nice features lacking in the Cybook firmware. - Opens the last book read on boot - Battery indicator while reading - Clock on status bar while reading - Read while charging I read in another thread that Pocketbook have added a bunch of features to ADE but it wasn't ready yet so I would wait to compare until they get the final release out.

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