alternative to PB360

[franklekens]

What would the closest alternative to a PB 360 be? Any people with experience of more types of ereaders? I've had a Sony PRS 600, but I thoroughly disliked the glare and (after I got used to the PB) the relatively slow page turning.

I'd like something light and small like the PB 360, but a little more stable. I only use it for reading, don't want internet or games or all that stuff.

I do very much want a dictionary I can access directly from the text of my book (i.e. not having to close the book & open the dictionary as book), preferrably multiple dictionaries for different languages. (Basically, I want a PB 360 that's more stable than mine proved to be :-)

[mtravellerh]

Originally Posted by franklekens

What would the closest alternative to a PB 360 be? Any people with experience of more types of ereaders? I've had a Sony PRS 600, but I thoroughly disliked the glare and (after I got used to the PB) the relatively slow page turning.

I'd like something light and small like the PB 360, but a little more stable. I only use it for reading, don't want internet or games or all that stuff.

I do very much want a dictionary I can access directly from the text of my book (i.e. not having to close the book & open the dictionary as book), preferrably multiple dictionaries for different languages. (Basically, I want a PB 360 that's more stable than mine proved to be :-)

You might like to look for a Cybook Opus or a BeBook Mini (both 5" readers).

[mgmueller]

Originally Posted by mtravellerh

You might like to look for a Cybook Opus or a BeBook Mini (both 5" readers).

..or Sony 300, to cover all the 5" units most widely spread in the market.

[mtravellerh]

Originally Posted by mgmueller

..or Sony 300, to cover all the 5" units most widely spread in the market.

Hey, mgm, got the DXG already? Like it?

[mgmueller]

Originally Posted by franklekens

What would the closest alternative to a PB 360 be? Any people with experience of more types of ereaders? I've had a Sony PRS 600, but I thoroughly disliked the glare and (after I got used to the PB) the relatively slow page turning.

I'd like something light and small like the PB 360, but a little more stable. I only use it for reading, don't want internet or games or all that stuff.

I do very much want a dictionary I can access directly from the text of my book (i.e. not having to close the book & open the dictionary as book), preferrably multiple dictionaries for different languages. (Basically, I want a PB 360 that's more stable than mine proved to be :-)

In brief my personal experience with 5" readers:

Sony 300: I'm a Sony fan - with the exception of Sony 300. You turn pages with the center 5-way-button. No matter in which position I hold the device, it never seems ergonomic.
Cybook Opus: I like it a lot and actually I prefer its buttons over the ugly "butterfly buttons" of PocketBook 360.
PocketBook 360: If I compare the standard firmware, Cybook Opus would be slightly ahead. But I absolutely love the FBRedaer modification on PocketBook. Turning pages without pressing any buttons, just by turning your wrist. Great in a crowded train. Or equally great if you put PocketBook 360 in a bag to protect it from sand when taking it with you to the beach.

BTW: I didn't have any stability issues with firmware 14.2.
15.2 is a little bit less stable than 14.2, but far more stable than 15.1 has been. Over all, it's okay for me.

I haven't got BeBook Mini. But I've got BeBook One, which has the same design. I don't like it, to me it simply looks cheap. Maybe that's the reason, why BeBook Neo is an entirely new unit from another vendor.

[fjtorres]

Originally Posted by mgmueller

..or Sony 300, to cover all the 5" units most widely spread in the market.

There's the Jetbook Mini coming shortly:
https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...t=jetbook+mini

If the firmware is much like the Jetbook lite you'll find it lean in features and sluggish in performance but stable enough to use. Just don't expect much control over the display; you get to choose between two sans serif fonts and a handful of well-chosen font sizes.
The JBL is a good buy at US$99, my cousin seem happy with hers.

[franklekens]

I have considered the Cybook. It does look ok, though I have to find out about multiple dictionary support.

For an entirely different alternative: anybody have experience with larger size ebooks, e.g. 8" or 9"? I'm rather curious about PB's future model for that; until then, the Kindle seems the cheapest in that size range. But I dunno... Kindle...

[fjtorres]

Originally Posted by franklekens

I'm rather curious about PB's future model for that; until then, the Kindle seems the cheapest in that size range. But I dunno... Kindle...

Well, if Kindle goes against your religion you're in trouble.
If you really want a 10 in class e-ink reader today they're pretty much the only game in town. And they are *not* bad readers at all. A bit heavy because of the metal plate in the rear. They *are* solid. And stable. The software does the absolute minimum an ebook reader needs to do and not much more but what it does it does well. You get one font. Caecillia. You get several well-chosen font sizes. You get a couple of margin settings. You get decent TTS (when the idiot publishers allow it). You get highlighting and note taking. You get dictionaries (mostly commercial). You get the newest and greatest eink screen. And free wireless.

It's not a bad product.
The worst you can say about it is that it is a great storefront first and a good ebookreader second. And that is hardly a bad thing.

I have a 6inch K2 myself.

But my go-to reader is the PB360. Suits me to a 'T'.

And I'm hoping the 901 can give me the same software experience in a 10in class reader.

Good luck with your hunt!

[kacir]

I have experience with PocketBook 302.
If you insist on a touch screen, and if your eyes appreciate as big letters as possible (so 6" screen versus 5" screen is important) it is great device. It even has USB host, so you can read contents of an USB memory stick. Guys in Kiev promised we will be able to connect an USB keyboard to it when they finish new firmware.

Yet ... I still prefer my "good old" PocketBook 360 for casual reading.

I am afraid I am totally spoiled by configuration options for my Mighty Mouse.

If I HAD to select other device, I would most probably investigate "hardware compatibility list" for OpenInkpot. I have heard OpenInkpot has many interesting options as well.
Then I would investigate Nook. It is not *that* interesting device as such, but combined with very low price, existing hacks and the fact that HaryT (and other people as well) told us he likes it very much make it an interesting option.
Also, you can't do wrong when you buy Sony reader PRS-300. Nice, well made device, with metallic casing, and stable (but very basic, from point of view of PocketBook owner ;-) ) software. It lacks an SD card, lots of configuration options, and you do not get a charger. Have a look at the latest development of hacked firmware Russians make for Sony readers. Look if it works on PRS-300.
Unfortunately Sony PRS-505 readers aren't being manufactured any longer, but if you could buy refurbished unit, or well cared for second hand one, it would be great. Good ole' 505 is one of the best readers ever manufactured.
Last but not least I would have a closer look at iRiver Story.

I *personally* would avoid Cooler, Foxit reader, and Cybook. I am not saying Cybook is a bad device, but I do not like how they handled Public Relations during that famous long wait for new firmware.
I do not like how Amazon handles certain matters, but their Kindles (once you glue their "whispernet switch" in the off position ;-) ) don't seem to be bad devices. Especially after the recent price drop. And I would very much like to see their latest Kindle DX Graphite in person.

[mdmorrissey]

So far so good with my replaced PB 360 with 14.2, and I won't be in the market for another one until my wife decides she wants one. Nor will I update the PB firmware until the reports on stability are 100% positive. I am satisfied with it the way it is, and I don't want changes or "improvements": I just want it to stay the way it is. That does not go without saying so I am saying it!

(Nook, like the PB, has a replaceable battery; Sony, Kindle and Cybook do not. That was one of the points that sold me on PB, though I'm not sure how important it is. In a year or so I guess I will know more.)

[luqmaninbmore]

The cybooks do feature replaceble batteries as does the Sony daily edition. The touch edition also has a battery that is pretty easy to replace.

[Marcy]

Originally Posted by fjtorres

Well, if Kindle goes against your religion you're in trouble.

It's not a bad product.
The worst you can say about it is that it is a great storefront first and a good ebookreader second. And that is hardly a bad thing.

Actually the worst you can say about it is that you are locked into the mobi format. If amazon would let Kindles read epubs I'd be all over them. I'd have a K3 and a DX graphite on order, plus one of the spiffy new K3 lighted covers.

But I'm not about to convert my 1800+ book library of mainly epubs to mobi.

Plus I read a ton of library books. Mostly epubs with a scattering of pdfs. In any case, none can be read on the Kindle.

So, no Kindles for me, until they open up their format choices.

-Marcy

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by mdmorrissey

(Nook, like the PB, has a replaceable battery; Sony, Kindle and Cybook do not. That was one of the points that sold me on PB, though I'm not sure how important it is. In a year or so I guess I will know more.)

You are incorrect; all CyBooks have a user-replaceable battery. The Gen3 and the Opus use the same battery.

[fjtorres]

Originally Posted by Marcy

Actually the worst you can say about it is that you are locked into the mobi format.

That is true.

But it only matters if you already have committed to epub.
Amazon's prime target has always been and continues to be first-time mainstream buyers for whom lock-in to epub or mobi is a non-issue.
They have never really targetted us veterans of PDA ebooks or of first-gen reader gadgets. They don't mind if we join the party but they're not going to change the playlist solely to suit us. Not any time soon.
It's not their business model.

Given Kindle's market domination I, for one, am happy to see they leave room for the competition to live in rather than go for 100% market share.

Which is one reason all the breathless talk of $99 Kindles by the clueless media (most recently Slate) leaves me shaking my head. Amazon is a tough competitor but to date they have been careful not to do anything that would trigger antitrust inquiries of their Kindle business. Co-opting ePub (ala Apple, B&N, or Adobe) or subsidized hardware pricing are both things that could needlessly destroy many competitors and trigger such an investigation. Neither is good for us or them.
Some lines are best not crossed.

[hidari]

Originally Posted by mgmueller

In brief my personal experience with 5" readers:

Sony 300: I'm a Sony fan - with the exception of Sony 300. You turn pages with the center 5-way-button. No matter in which position I hold the device, it never seems ergonomic.
Cybook Opus: I like it a lot and actually I prefer its buttons over the ugly "butterfly buttons" of PocketBook 360.
PocketBook 360: If I compare the standard firmware, Cybook Opus would be slightly ahead. But I absolutely love the FBRedaer modification on PocketBook. Turning pages without pressing any buttons, just by turning your wrist. Great in a crowded train. Or equally great if you put PocketBook 360 in a bag to protect it from sand when taking it with you to the beach.

BTW: I didn't have any stability issues with firmware 14.2.
15.2 is a little bit less stable than 14.2, but far more stable than 15.1 has been. Over all, it's okay for me.

I haven't got BeBook Mini. But I've got BeBook One, which has the same design. I don't like it, to me it simply looks cheap. Maybe that's the reason, why BeBook Neo is an entirely new unit from another vendor.

Bebook Mini: Sorry, have to disagree with you about the mini. I have the Pocket pro and I would say it is a very good device. Has about as many formats as the PB360 and is actually quite firm and ergonomic. i also like that Bebook, Astak, etc...from Jinke can have their firmware updated by third party programmers.

Cybook Opus: My mate has one... great machine.. used it for a day... Only wish Cybook was a little more forthcoming with FW updates...

PB360: Would love to own one...but As you said the Wing buttons really turn me off. I wish you could ditch the buttons and have one like the Opus has....