Borders UK is looking to rival Amazon by beating them to a UK launch, with their unveiled Elonex ebook reader. This new ebook reader was launched nationwide in UK Borders stores at a £189 - Much cheaper than the the iRex iLiad, priced at £399, which they will continue to sell alongside the Elonex.
The Elonex eBook is compatible with the free Adobe Digital Editions software, and is one of the first ebook readers to market with this technology and supports DRM protected reflowable PDF and ePub formats, as well as other less widespread eBook formats and images/pictures. This puts the Elonex closer to the Bebook beating the Sony Ebook reader in terms of ebook formats, but doesn’t quite match the wide range of ebook formats available for the Bebook.
The ebook features a 6 inch e-ink screen, and at 9mm thick and only 180g it’s incredibly thin and light - And the long battery life means you can enjoy up to 8000 pages between charges.
The new device comes with 100 titles already pre-loaded and can hold up to 1,000 books (8000 with the optional 4gb SD card).
The device was launched into the 41 Borders stores and 10 Books Etc and Borders Express branches on the 30th June.
Customers will be able to take advantage of the 45,000 ebook library available on the Borders UK website, which are all going to be compatible with the device to maximise readability - Plus the many more available in epub format. Click here to see the range of ebooks available at Borders.
We have recently received our copy of the BeBook ebook reader, and we have been pretty impressed so far.
The Dutch based BeBook has some stiff competition in the UK, especially from the new Sony Ebook reader which is currently available from Waterstones for only £224 here.
So whats so great about the BeBook ereader? Well, from the outset, the device looks quite good, its much better looking than the Amazon Kindle, and has an impressive battery life of around 7,000 page turns, a 6 inch reflective screen mimicking paper, and a light weight of around 220g with its battery.
At the moment, BeBook are offering 150 classic books free, which come preloaded at purchase. You can then download any book listed on the MyBeBook.com website free of charge, which currently has over 20,000 classic titles available!
BeBook are really trying to go for the open source angle, and have made their ebook reader compatible with a myriad of ebook formats and any file type you can imagine, including PDF, DOC, EPUB, PPT, TXT, HTML, RTF, BMP, JPG, PNG, GIF, TIF, DJVU, FB2, WOL, CHM, RAR, ZIP, MP3 and even Microsoft LIT. It also features the longest battery life of any of the current models and has an in-built 512MB memory, which is more than enough to hold 1000 books. This means you can actually load up pretty much any ebook out there, including pirated pdf ebooks…(not that we would condone such a thing!)
In terms of anti-piracy, BeBook says that each device has a unique key, which can be used to identify any copyright-infringing users that are using illegally obtained ebooks from torrent and usenet sites. I’m not too sure how this can work, but it sounds like a way of protecting themselves from a potential onslaught of legal cases, whether this feature really works or not.
bebook ebook reader review
Similar to the other leading e-ink readers on the market, it’s also easy to read in direct sunlight, but as the device is not backlit, you will need a reading light for night reading.
The BeBook also comes with a great RSS which can update aall of your favourite news feeds from your PC first thing in a morning and you can browse the news on the way to work. This beats having to go though the Metro or a broadsheet at 8am in a crowded underground. This is a real plus point that the BeBook has over Sony’s Reader, which can’t currently handle RSS feeds.
Also as of August the BeBook supports the Mobipocket DRMformat, one of the most prolific e- book publisher formats in the world, so it promises to have plenty of titles available for it.
Pricewise, The BeBook is retailing for £249, which is £25 more expensive than the £224 Sony Ebook reader, but it comes with a large library of free ebooks so will come out cheaper in the long term.
Bebook have kindly provided us with a discount code which enables you to save €25 off your purchase, click here to get your BeBook for only £225 by quoting our voucher code: bebook@ebookreadersreview.co.uk at checkout.
Some people might prefer the Sony Ebook reader because it’s a Sony product, but if you are keen on reading your rss feeds in the morning, and like to read your own pdf and txt ebooks, this is a great choice – Plus it comes with over 20,000 free ebooks to download from the BeBook library. So don’t delay, get one in time for Christmas!
You can find the BeBook here. And don’t forget to use our voucher code “bebook@ebookreadersreview.co.uk” to save €25 / £25.
Also check out this video of the Gadget show reviewing the Bebook ebook reader:
Edit: The video was taken before August when the device didn’t have the Mobi Pocket format compatibility. Also as of August the BeBook supports the Mobipocket DRM format, one of the most prolific e- book publisher formats in the world, so it now has plenty of modern titles available for it.
Our friends over the Atlantic over at BGR have uncovered what appears to be Amazon’s Kindle 2 ebook reader. Although we are suspicious, the picture does look authentic, and if this is true this could be the follow up to their very popular ebook reader.
Unfortunately for us in the UK, Amazon has yet to release any Kindles over to Britain or anywhere else than the US so far.
Looking at the photos of the new Amazon Kindle 2 e-book we are impressed, although the unit hasn’t gone down in size it looks much cleaner and neater than the current model. This is very much in line to its close competitors including the awesome Sony Ebook readers.
The unit now has a joystick, and the following buttons: Home, Next Page, Menu, a joystick, and Undo. On the left side, there’s Previous, Page, and Next Page.
It looks like the buttons are much smaller to prevent any accidental page turning which was an issue with the original Kindle device. The joystick takes the place of the scroll wheel and it “takes a little getting used to.”
The keyboard of the new Amazon Kindle device has been redesigned and we are impressed by its good layout, but lettering on the keys could be better.
Looks like they no longer have their own charger. The Kindle 2 is able to be charged with a miniUSB cable which sounds like good news for the travellers in us!
The display is roughly the exact same as the original Kindle even though at first glance it might appear a bit smaller due to the new shape.
Cybooks electronic book, the Gen3, is a quite easy to read and convenient device which is light-weight, fully portable and ultra thin. Its screen minimizes eye-strain due to the paper like display it features, fully capable of operating well under an array of lighting conditions whilst not producing glare of flicker. It also boasts:
• A Vizplex E-Ink six-inch screen. The Vizplex features better screen contrast than E-Ink technology that is old and possibly outdated.
• A total weight of 6.13oz. In fact, Sony’s new Reader PRS-505 weighs three ounces more.
• 8,000 page flip battery life between needed changes.
• eNews and RSS feed reading capability.
This device is quite capable of storing files which are supported by such formats as TXT, HTML, PalmDoc, PDF, and is able to download and store 1,000 Mobipocket supported eBooks. Using this encrypted scheme provides Cybook users access to volumes of copyrighted eBooks, one of the worlds largest catalogues indeed. Due to their Electronic Ink Displays, Cybooks have a quite impressive battery life cycle which lasts around 2 months under average conditions. And the Cybooks highly responsive and advanced user interface will allow you to perform a whole host of possible actions, all of which take less than a second to accomplish with the use of one navigation key and two buttons on the Cybooks front side.
This is a real player in this ebook race, and one which is made future proof with a range of innovative features not found elsewhere.
This eBook reader is produced by iRex, a Dutch company who aspires to be a true competitor with the likes of Sony and Kindle eBook readers. And because it boasts a notepad as well as being an eBook reader, iRex has possibly one-upped its competition with this offering. The iLiad also operates much like the Kindle or the Reader with its basic feature offerings, since the whole lot feature displays with core e-Ink technology. If you haven’t had the pleasure of experiencing a device with e-Ink, you must try and find one because its effect looks remarkably like text written on paper.
The three aforementioned eBook readers take roughly two seconds to turn pages, hence setting bookmarks, viewing books, text files, PDF files, JPGs, HTML documents, Mobilpocket eBooks and PNGs is no problem. Not to mention that battery life is very good as the iLiad only uses power when the e-Ink device and Wacom sensor need it.
And when looking for an eBook reader device that is full of options which will assist you when installing content into it, the iLiad is just what you’ve been searching for. In order to fill it you can to use Ethernet, USB, WiFi, Compact Flash cards, USB flash drives and SD cards as well. However, it supports Mobipocket files only. Of course, that isn’t a terrible drawback seeing as how Mobipockets main store provides customers with 40,000 titles. It is a problem when you realize that you cannot interact with Sony’s Connect store or Amazon’s Kindle content. And another really interesting feature is you have the capability to read any RSS feeds using a WiFi connection.
How delightful would it be to have the capability to read your most favourite books-with the whole lot digitally stored on a compact device? The Sony PRS-505/SC Reader Digital Book, a redesigned and slimmer model, allows you to tote what was once a stack of books with one hand.
This sony ebook reader can hold roughly 160 eBooks whilst optional memory cards can store hundreds more. And thanks to its portable size that is about 1/3 of an inch thick and 9oz in weight, you are able to read through a vast library of books wherever and whenever you like. And as for battery life, it can support around 7500 continual page turns before needing to be changed.
Boasting cutting edge technology such as an amazing 6-inch display and e-Ink that is so paper like in its appearance that reading your books is enjoyable and easily accomplished even in the sunshine. It has a significant amount of internal memory and a slot where you can add or remove memory cards, making it perfect to take documents, Web content, etc., and read them while you are on the go. And thanks to its Integrated eBook Store, the Sony PRS-505 eBook reader let’s you browse, discover, search and even purchase thousands of popular, new and classic eBook titles. It is possible to visit other sites which offer unsecured eBook titles in Reader supported file formats, translating to vast amounts of suitable content to use in concert with your Reader.
And even though this device is called the Sony PRS-505/SC Digital eBook reader doesn’t mean it can you can only read eBooks with it. In fact, using the Library 2.0 PC Software include with it gives you the ability to transfer Microsoft Word documents, PDF documents, BBeB Book as well as other text files right to your Reader, which provides you with the ability to view and access multiple files any time you like.
Mobipockets MOBI file format was never developed with and specific device in mind, unlike the aforementioned file formats. It was designed instead for a piece of software. This software, the Mobipocket reader software, is free to distribute and download, which makes this format very appealing. Instead of download fees, Mobipockets money has been wholly earned from eBook sales. Indeed, this type of philosophy will have a much longer future than those of Amazon and Sony who exclude potential customers with the use of their proprietary formats.
Adobe Reader Format (PDF)
Ever since its inception, PDF has maintained its focus and drive in order to become one of the top digital text formats around. Not too many manufacturers release devices these days that do not support the PDF file format. There are, however, a few issues which need clarification. First of all, the PDF format scheme is that of displaying text on a screen to look precisely as it does in print. Complications arise however when it try’s to display text designed for A4 printing, seeing as how no eBook reader devices exist at this time that have an A4 sized screen.
Final Thoughts
Whilst considering buying an e-book reader, thorough research is paramount. Once you have ascertained which e-book scheme you would use most frequently, peruse e-book stores in order to discover whether or not they carry the kinds of e-books you might want to buy. You may also want to purchase larger screen devices, like an Irex Iliad, if you read PDF files which are larger in size. As stated before, avoid potential headaches in the future by undertaking an in depth research scheme to begin with.
Larger and more well known companies have begun to enter the eBook reader market, leading to more robust competition within the field. Companies like Amazon, Sony, Adobe and Mobipocket are hastily trying to develop a universally acceptable format for eBooks.
To this end, Sony’s Reader seems to be the only device that does not support Mobipockets widely available format. This is because Sony would rather be remunerated by selling eBooks coded in their own unique proprietary format to their customers. However, this tactic is highly questionable because they risk loosing throngs of potential customers who may see no reason to limit their eBook reading choices only to what Sony can offer them.
Amazon on the other hand decided to take an open-minded course of action, giving their Kindle reader both AZW proprietary support and Mobipocket support. Also be aware that, when in the market for an eBook reading device, purchasing one that supports the most formats it highly advantageous for you.
Sony Reader Format (LRF)
Sony’s proprietary file format for eBook reading is called LRF. Their Reader device provides users with three zoom levels when using LRF eBooks and LRF formatted eBooks can be bought at Sony’s website that features vast amounts of top selling titles. However, the LRF format only works with Sony’s Readers limiting the size if it’s eBook collection.
Amazon Kindle Format (AZW)
Amazon’s proprietary format for its files is dubbed AZW. And unlike its competitor Sony, Amazon decided to allow support for other commercial formats used on their eBook reader device. This may turn out to be either their stroke of genius moment or their darkest hour. Amazon also sells AZW compatible eBooks through their online store. And since they are the webs largest book seller, they are already quite capable of figuring out how to effectively sell eBooks too.
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