Cybook Gen3 slightly delayed / adds PDF support

[Alexander Turcic]

Bookeen sent word in that the release of the Cybook Gen3 e-reader will be delayed until October due to "slight adjustments in the final steps of mass production." On the positive side, they also reported that, unlike previously suggested, support for Adobe PDF will now be included in the initial release.

Related: Video Demo of the Bookeen Reader, Cybook Still Available in September?

[guguy]

The good thing about this delay is that the gen3 is gonna be released at
the same time that the kindle and prs-505. So we'll be able to compare
and buy the best one

[balok]

Originally Posted by Alexander Turcic

Bookeen sent word in that the release of the Cybook Gen3 e-reader will be delayed until October due to "slight adjustments in the final steps of mass production."

Why did they tell us initially that it would be released in September?

Either Bookeen is incompetent in running their business, not being able to anticipate delays, or they lied about the release date in order to create a hype, a kind of publicity tactic. In either case, this kind of behaviour isn't very reassuring.

Delays like this are, of course, nothing new on the ebook scene. It may just be that when you release a new device, you need to delay the launch a couple times in order to build up enough customer readiness. Only problem with that is the part where you don't keep your promise about the release date, which I call lying to customers.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by balok

Why did they tell us initially that it would be released in September?

Either Bookeen is incompetent in running their business, not being able to anticipate delays, or they lied about the release date in order to create a hype, a kind of publicity tactic. In either case, this kind of behaviour isn't very reassuring.

Delays like this are, of course, nothing new on the ebook scene. It may just be that when you release a new device, you need to delay the launch a couple times in order to build up enough customer readiness. Only problem with that is the part where you don't keep your promise about the release date, which I call lying to customers.

Why is it that you are so hostile? have you never seen other companies miss their release deadlines before? The Cybook gen3 could be released before the software is ready. Do you want to see that happen?

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by balok

Why did they tell us initially that it would be released in September?

Presumably because this was the original plan.

Either Bookeen is incompetent in running their business, not being able to anticipate delays, or they lied about the release date in order to create a hype, a kind of publicity tactic. In either case, this kind of behaviour isn't very reassuring.

Bookeen are completely dependend upon their external suppliers, such as the screen manufacturer. It is well documented that there have been delays in the supply of the new Vizplex screens that the CyBook uses. These delays are completely outside Bookeen's control.

Delays like this are, of course, nothing new on the ebook scene. It may just be that when you release a new device, you need to delay the launch a couple times in order to build up enough customer readiness. Only problem with that is the part where you don't keep your promise about the release date, which I call lying to customers.

That's a very foolish thing to say. Do you honestly believe that Bookeen deliberately misled people about the delivery date? The date was an estimate, not a "promise". Nobody can make "promises" about future events, because nobody can predict the future. You haven't "lost" anything through this delay, have you? You haven't paid Bookeen any money, or ordered a machine from them? What are you so upset about?

Personally I would rather that delivery got delayed by 6 months, if that's what it takes to get the product right. It's pointless delivering an unfinished product simply to meet some arbitrary date.

Why does it matter if it gets delivered tomorrow, or next month, or next year?

[guguy]

Anyway, 2 months ago they told us the gen3 would be released at
the end of this month, so if it actually comes out at the middle of
october it will be only 2 weeks late on the initial schedule.

However, I hope they don't mean 10/31 when they say it's gonna be released
in october...

[RWood]

Originally Posted by balok

Why did they tell us initially that it would be released in September?

Either Bookeen is incompetent in running their business, not being able to anticipate delays, or they lied about the release date in order to create a hype, a kind of publicity tactic. In either case, this kind of behaviour isn't very reassuring.

Delays like this are, of course, nothing new on the ebook scene. It may just be that when you release a new device, you need to delay the launch a couple times in order to build up enough customer readiness. Only problem with that is the part where you don't keep your promise about the release date, which I call lying to customers.

Remember all of the delays at Intel with their chips? Some were far more than a few months late. Apple? AMD? I could keep going but you get the point.

[NatCh]

Guys, I don't think that balok is being hostile, it seems to me that he's disappointed and probably a bit angry.

I can understand that sentiment entirely.

You weren't around at the time, HarryT and JSWolf, but if you'll take a look back at the posts from around the beginning of June '06, when Hanlin, Sony and iRex had all three just missed their projected launch dates, you'll see why. Those three were the first ever e-ink devices and the ... anticipation was ... very strong. There were a lot of normally level-headed people whose posts at that moment in time would have made balok's look like the ravings of a Fan-Boy by comparison.

In fact, the outcry was so pronounced that iRex eventually (after about 3 weeks, I think) agreed to sell units with "unfinished" firmware to those willing to sign a waiver that they understood that the device was unfinished. There are two (I think) entire threads here full of people making that statement so they could get a chance to order the thing unfinished.

Now that being said, and even given the fact that I do understand your irritation, balok, I also know from that experience that deadlines get missed. Launches get pushed, and generally (from the iLiad experience), it's better to wait an extra month or even three for a product that actually does what it was designed to do, rather than one that's not there yet. In this instance, as HarryT pointed out, a lot of the delay appears to be external to Bookeen, so even if the device is ready for prime-time at this very second, they can't build the things without the ruddy parts.

Of course, that is a great deal easier to see, and to say, from the other side of the wait, particularly when I already have my device of choice sitting on the shelf next to my desk.

For those waiting for the Gen3, I'm sorry for your pain, I've felt it myself, and for longer than a mere month. But, I can also tell you that at this stage you'll be happier with the device once you get it, if they take the time now to finish it.

[Hadrien]

I spent some time playing with the latest version of the Cybook last night and had a pretty long talk with Michael too.

First of all: the delay from July to October is due to PVI mostly, they couldn't produce the device on time (Vizplex etc..).

The Screen: Better contrast than on the Sony Reader, speed is MUCH better. I've seen less ghosting too, but you really need to use a device for a few months before saying anything really relevant about ghosting issues.

The UI: You've all seen the video, overall it's really nice too. For those of you looking for answers about the header/footer: you can turn them on/off, display the current page number, a progress bar and the battery status (both % and an icon).

Suspended mode: First of all, it's booting much faster than an iLiad or a Sony (around 14s). While reading a book, there's 2 different status for the device, if you're turning pages pretty fast, the device stays completely on (and you can browse through your book really fast). If you're actually reading and not turning pages, the device use a sleep mode while waiting for the next input. You don't have a button to make everything disappear on the screen like the Sony, but if you're not doing anything on the device, the battery use should be much lower (a full week at least). It's not like the Sony suspended mode where you can keep it in this mode for a full month, but at least you can turn it completely off (without a user hack) and the booting time is good. They'll be constantly working on improving this "sleep mode". I just hope that you can put it on hold...

Supported files: PDF support will be ready for the launch, zipped files full of images won't (it'll be added later on).

Library Mode/Folder support: The library display is pretty nice. If you don't have a cover of your book, it'll create a snapshot in real time of the first page of your book. Library mode might evolve in the future to something different, they're open to any recommendations from the community. I explained to Michael how important folder support is, and although the firmware that he had was lacking folder support, he fully understood why this is important.

Images: Looked very good. Displaying a jpeg files is much faster than on the Sony (on the Sony, LRF or PDF is a much better choice). I asked if they had any manga: a single Naruto page was available and it looked fantastic. I hope that with their filters (real-time, no pre-processing), even manga with tiny characters will look good. No support for zipped files full of images though, but it'll be available after the launch (best way to keep a nice collection of manga/comics).

Dictionnary: You don't get a free dictionnary, you need to add a Mobipocket one. Lookup mode will not necessarily be limited to Mobipocket, they might add support for any format.

[IceHand]

Ah, thanks for the info, Hadrien. Too bad, that they don't have support for folders and zipped images yet, as I want to read manga on the Cybook too. But I can convert the manga to PDF for the time being, so it's not that bad (as long as they add support later).

[Hadrien]

Originally Posted by IceHand

Ah, thanks for the info, Hadrien. Too bad, that they don't have support for folders and zipped images yet, as I want to read manga on the Cybook too. But I can convert the manga to PDF for the time being, so it's not that bad (as long as they add support later).

They decided to work on PDF first rather than zipped images, that's why PDF is available for the launch. Once it's ready, I guess they'll be working on zipped images once again.

[Patricia]

[QUOTE=HarryT;100450]

Nobody can make "promises" about future events, because nobody can predict the future.
QUOTE]

If true then this would seriously weaken marriage vows and many contracts.

I think I'd prefer to argue that Bookeen's aspiration did not constitute a binding promise.

[Alisa]

I never took their release date as a promise. It seemed to me they made it pretty clear it was their best estimate.

[Huyggy]

Wow it's pretty impressive for the PRS 500 of Sony:
1 month for the sleep mode against 1 week for the Cybook !

In their blog, Cybook wrote about increasing in the future the battery Life I think:
but my question is: Is it so totally "software-based" ? Because I don't know whether a so huge difference could be changed like that... (but I am not an engineer )

[Hadrien]

Originally Posted by Huyggy

Wow it's pretty impressive for the PRS 500 of Sony:
1 month for the sleep mode against 1 week for the Cybook !

In their blog, Cybook wrote about increasing in the future the battery Life I think:
but my question is: Is it so totally "software-based" ? Because I don't know whether a so huge difference could be changed like that... (but I am not an engineer )

Well... on the other hand you can turn off your Cybook easily, unlike the Sony Reader. Even though you can add a real off button for the Sony, you still get a VERY long booting time.

It's part software based, part hardware based. You can really improve your battery life with the right software too (for example what the community did for the iLiad using PDF).