CyBook bumps Gen3 storage, revs firmware

CyBook's Gen3 e-book reader has been out for a while, and it looks like there's a slight spec bump in the making -- the Gen3 New Edition now features 512MB of storage, more stable firmware with better battery life and a more responsive interface, and a slightly revised housing. Owners of older Gen3 units will be able to download the new firmware, but sadly there's no word on whether the new rev comes with Bobby Brown or Johnny Gill.

[Flashpoint @ May 13th 2008 9:45AM]

Can this run CRYSIS's Readme files?

[Blaine Oliver @ May 13th 2008 9:47AM]

Dont give up your day job, wait a minute, its 2.50 so you mustve given it up and are unemployed and at home i assume then.

[Blaine Oliver @ May 13th 2008 9:49AM]

Also, even if on american time, still its time you should be at work.

[w00t @ May 13th 2008 9:56AM]

No.
Readme files are not executable so nothing will 'run' them :)

[Flashpoint @ May 13th 2008 10:06AM]

SORRRY GUYS, I happen to have a job where I have constant access to the internet and therefore, even while I'm at work I can post comments here.

[TavisJohn @ May 13th 2008 12:37PM]

One can only hope that your inernet access is monitored, and you get punished for being here...

Or that your employeer blocks Engadget...


Or both...

[boB @ May 13th 2008 10:20AM]

Is this cheap? who would buy this?

[Harkonian @ May 13th 2008 1:56PM]

If there were any practical, automated way to digitize my existing library so I could read them on this, I would buy one. As it is, most of my books are not available in eBook format and double-sided scanners that can handle 300 pages at a time are thousands of dollars.

[TheCow5 @ May 13th 2008 10:27AM]

I am on the waithing list for this and I am hoping I will be getting this new version of it.
let me send off an email to make sure of it.

[Matt @ May 13th 2008 12:27PM]

Bah, the mere fact that Kindle can connect to Amazon.com just about anywhere and buy new ebooks on a whim, to be delivered instantly, makes it the only ebook reader out there worth half a pinch of salt. Since the competition can't read kindle files (Amazon easily has the largest selection of ebooks on the planet), I don't really see why anyone would be interested in these other ebook readers at all.

[Caleb @ May 13th 2008 12:55PM]

It was a toss up to me as to which to buy. The Cybook or the Sony... I finaly bought the Sony. The Kindle was totaly useless to me for several reasons. 1) I already have several 1000 SciFi ebooks in text format that I have not read + around 10k other ebooks in various formats that can be converted to the Sony with virtualy no effort whatsoever. 2) baen.com has tons of SciFi and fantacy in there free library. 3) there are lots of other sites that have free books like project Gutenburg. 4) I like a lot of the classiscs especialy old SF like E.E. Doc Smith (Gutenburg). 5) On the off chance there is a new book that I just have to get I can get it in pdf, lit, text, pdb etc and convert it. I can shop around various sellers and get the best price and am not tied to Amazon only.

Now Sony's included software for converting books is not that good but a third party program called Calibre (http://calibre.kovidgoyal.net) is able to convert tons of formats with little effort and if you have a format that it doesn't touch there are tons of tools out there like convert lit that will get you something that it can convert. Thus I can get a book in almost any format and it will run on the Sony. The CyBook will already read book in the Mobibook fomat which has tools to convert from almost all format also. Besides all of this the Kindle is the uglyist look piece of tech I've ever seen. Not that that is of any importance.

One last reason I went with the Sony. If I'm going to pay that much for something like this I want to see one in a store. The Sony is the only one I could take a look at and see what the quality of the workmanship is (at least around here). All metal case on the Sony. Nice!

Regards,
Claeb

[Harkonian @ May 13th 2008 5:03PM]

@Caleb:

I like the Sony reader, but it doesn't support the most popular ebook format out there: Mobipocket.

[saraalito @ May 14th 2008 2:03PM]

I've finally decided to get a Cybook... the only problem is they're always sold out! It looks like BooksOnBoard has the new edition of the Cybook (http://www.booksonboard.com/index.php?BODY=viewproduct&PRODUCT=5). They have an accidental damage plan that I'm trying to decide whether I need or not. Does anyone know how fragile these are? I'm fairly clumsy...