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Jul
28
The blogger at The Blue Skunk Blog writes that he’s been using the Kindle “for a solid month. I’d like to be able to say that I either love it or hate it, but I can’t. The reading experience isn’t better or worse than a paper book, just rather different. And there have been some surprises - fewer of a technical nature and more of those that are behavioral or social.”
The blogger notes, among other things, that he’s “amazed at the body of support that has already developed around the Kindle. Stephen Windwalker is releasing the draft of his book The Complete Users Gide to the Amazing Amazon Kindle. Lots o’ blogs, discussion groups, etc. ‘I was so busy learning how to use the book, I never got around to reading it, ‘Groucho might now say.”
With the blogger keep using the Amazon Kindle?
You better believe it - I’ve got $360 wrapped up in this puppy. It works great for trips. It’s much easier to read at a table when eating alone. It has features I’ve not yet explored enough. And it does become transparent when the reading material is compelling. It just needs to be priced much, much lower to find a popular market.
Jul
13
Bookeen Cybook Gen3 - A Video Review and Demo
Filed Under Cybook, Demos, Mobipocket, Reviews | Leave a Comment
A recent addition to the list of dedicated ereader devices is the Bookeen Cybook Gen3. This product is an ultralight, 6-inch device that uses the e-Ink text display technology. The Cybook Gen3 is compatible with a number of document formats, including Mobipocket PRC, and PDF.
Watch this video review and demo to get a better idea of the features offered by the Cybook Gen3.
Jul
13
Cybook Gen3 - The Pros and Cons
Filed Under Cybook, Reviews, e-Book, e-Ink, eReader | Leave a Comment
The Future of Things recently featured a very comprehensive review of the Bookeen Cybook Gen3 ereader device. The reviewer summed up the analysis with this list of pros and cons for the Cybook Gen3.
Pros
* Fast—faster than the Sony PRS-505
* Thin, light, and small
* Very good battery life, (8,000 page-flips, according to Bookeen, and many hours of MP3 playback, revealed by our test)
* Latest e-paper screen—very comfortable to read in a well-lit environment
* Mobipocket format and software is excellent
* Good—and free—RSS supportCons
* Cumbersome page-flip mechanism
* Only a few, small hardware buttons
* Current firmware (late February 2008) lacks folder and subfolder capabilities, making anything with more than 100 items difficult to find
* Incomplete PDF support—some files don’t open or crash the device
* No SDHC support
* No wireless connectivity
Jul
13
Cybook Gen3 - A Thumbs Up from ZDNet UK
Filed Under Cybook, Mobipocket, Reviews, e-Ink, ePaper, eReader | Leave a Comment
 | GBP 165.00 (24 Bids) End Date: Thursday Jan-08-2009 10:02:58 PST Bid now | Add to watch list |
If you’re considering a purchase of the Bookeen Cybook Gen3 ereader, you’ll be glad to know that this device received a glowing review from ZDNet UK. Sandra Vogel wrote:
BOOKEEN Cybook Gen3 eBook Reading Device + 1 yr wtyPerformance
The Cybook Gen3’s 1,000mAh Li-polymer battery is good for 8,000 page refreshes. Depending on the font and font size selected, the number of pages in any one book will vary, making it difficult to estimate how many books can be read within this number of page refreshes. However, we used the Cybook Gen3 for several weekend reading sessions with no need to recharge. If you’re not happy with the range of fonts supplied, you can add more TrueType fonts.The ergonomics are excellent. We found the Cybook Gen3 very comfortable to hold for extended periods, as it’s light and compact. The screen is unusual as it has no backlight and is not reflective. However, we found it legible in a wide range of lighting conditions, both indoors and out. It’s very easy on the eye and suited to extended periods of concentrated use. In short, we found it no more demanding than reading text on paper.
Conclusion
The Cybook Gen3 is simply the best e-book reader we’ve seen to date. It could use one or two tweaks: most obviously, support for more audio formats, a 3.5mm headset jack and support for SDHC (although you can get a lot of content onto a 2GB SD card). We’d also like to see a thinner, more bag-friendly carry case. Even as it stands, if you want to try an e-book reader, then the Cybook Gen3 is definitely recommended.
| GBP 165.00 (24 Bids) End Date: Thursday Jan-08-2009 10:02:58 PST Bid now | Add to watch list |
Mar
27
Kevin at Brighthand previews the foldable screen Readius from Polymer Vision.
The screen itself has a soft texture, and bends quite easily at the pivot points.
It was very easy to read, although a few problems exist. At each bend point, the screen retains the folded shape with pronounced ripples in the texture of the display. While it doesn’t distort the picture being shown, it does pick up reflections much more than a perfectly flat surface would.
As to whether the Readius will be positioned as a cell phone or as an e-book reader, he predicts that Polymer Vision will market the Readius “as a compact Amazon Kindle competitor, using its internal cell radio for downloading content.”
Mar
27
This Blogger Likes the Sony Reader
Filed Under Reader, Reviews | Leave a Comment
From Just Another Mobile Monday, we get a report that the Sony Reader is “awesome.”
During my recent vacation my “new” (read- “permanently borrowed from my mother-in-law who wasn’t using the one I bought her last year“) Sony PRS-500 Portable Reader was awesome.
I had thought about getting the Amazon Kindle but it is quite pricey and I am more than a bit concerned about the ergonomics of it since many users report issues with the “Page Forward” button being too easy to unintentionally press. Oh yeah, and you can’t get the thing right now anyway.
Reading on the Sony Reader is a joy. It is easy to use and within a short while you don’t even notice the brief “page flash” that is typical of current epaper technology.
Mar
27
Review: The Kindle’s Good, But Not All Content Works Well on This Device
Filed Under Kindle, Reviews, eReader | Leave a Comment
At Ontic Oren, the blogger describes reviews the Amazon Kindle after two months of using this device. The verdict? A good product, although with some ergonomics issues. The blogger also has some things to say about the written content that’s available for, and that works well on, the Kindle:
Content is king, or so 18,900,000 people say. Amazon has decent coverage, borderline acceptable. I am constantly finding books that aren’t available however. I’d say around 50% of the books that I’ve wanted to read have not been available, and some are not exactly long tail. If you are into some more obscure content, forget it. I was curious to get some philosophy books, with NO luck. The collection is fairly similar to my library. That’s not fair - my local library has more books.
The other aspect of content is appropriateness for format. Obvisouly, this isn’t the device to read coffee table photography books. Unexpectedly, I’d also argue that it isn’t the device to read reference material on. The Kindle is ideal for linear content, such as fiction or some non-fiction. However, I often find when I read more challenging material, 10 pages after reading something, I suddenly realize I need to re-read a paragraph. Usually it’s a 10 second flip flip, found the section, read and think, then back to where I was. Not with the Kindle. Here, you’ve got to find the passage, which can take a while as you press, flash, wait, scan over and over. Then you need to get back to where you were. ick. This cuts out all reference, programming, and intellectual content for me. Sure, you can search, but I need the serendipitous random search, not the computer driven kind.
Blogs and periodicals fall into the same problem. I like to skim, and dive. Kindle doesn’t work for that. Stick to linear works.
Mar
18
Lovin’ the New Kindle
Filed Under Kindle, Reviews, eReader | Leave a Comment
This blogger has a lot of love for her new Amazon Kindle:
I received an Amazon Kindle as a gift last night, and I’m already hooked on it. The New York Times is automatically delivered to it at 3am, so I can browse it over breakfast. I wirelessly downloaded (in about twenty seconds) a book I’ve been wanting to read for $9.99 (all new release books are only $9.99).
***
I know that people have been trying for a long time to get the e-book right, and I have to say, I believe the Amazon people have finally done it.
Mar
1
Video Review of Amazon Kindle from TechnologyEvangelist
Filed Under Kindle, Reviews | Leave a Comment
Benjamin Higginbotham of Technology Evangelist.com has posted an interesting video review of the Amazon Kindle on YouTube. The reviewer really likes Kindle’s EVDO access to the Internet, making it possible to download books and newspapers on the fly, without having to look around for a Wi Fi hotspot. He questions some of the design choices for this first generation of the Kindle — from the white color of the Kindle shell, to the placement of the Next Page and Previous Page buttons.
Feb
29
Good Things to Say about the Sony Reader
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At Educomment, the commentator is pleased with the Sony Reader.
Finally I lashed out and bought a Sony E-reader, despite having a mac and living in Australia. Why did I buy it?
Because I can put 100’s of books to read on it, no flickering screen, no light shining in my eyes.
On his wish list? Adobe Reader compatibility:
I have read that sony is working on implementing Adobe Reader compatibility. This is an absolute must- or they need to open their online bookshop to the whole word. Adobe reader format can be downloaded and read on the mac- if they can then be synchronised with the ereader this would be a whole lot easier.
Read it all here.