How Does Kindle "Stack-Up" with Others? – Part 1(Kindle VS Bookeen Cybook)
How does kindle “stack up” with other electronic book readers such as the Bookeen Cybook, the iRex’s iLiad, The Sony e-reader, the RCA REB 1100, the Kohn, the Hanlin eReader, and the Easyread?
Say what? You did not know there were others? Well, glad to enlighten you. Anyway, that’s not my purpose here. My purpose is to look into the Kindle crystal ball and try to figure out where it will end up. Will it fly off into the sunset of obscurity never to be noticed by the public again? Or, will it appear in every hand, on every desk, in every classroom, in every backpack, or in every purse? Will it travel to foreign countries far and wide”racking up” frequent flyer mileages beyond compare and eventually find itself in even the most remote crevice of the globe? Or, should we look for another?
Well, let’s do what the “thinker brains” do, use the past to predict the future. In this case, the past e-readers, one predecessor at at time. We will begin with the Bookeen Cybook…
The Comparison
Well by now, if you have been paying attention, you should know that Kindle offers: wireless download of all its content in under a minute, electronic paper display technology, content in the form of 90,000 plus books, some Newspapers, numerous Magazines, and blogs, audio capability, and more…with a few drawbacks.
But, what does the Cybook offer? .
Kindle If you have a Cybook, here’s what you will be able to do: read all the free and paid eBooks, and even your own content as long as it’s in compatible format – the price tag? $399 – same as Kindle. Is it worth it? Take a look at the chart below then decide for yourself…
|
FEATURES |
Bookeen Cybook |
KINDLE |
|
Display |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Computer Requirement |
|
|
|
Format |
|
|
|
Expansion |
|
|
|
Connectivity |
|
|
|
Content Delivery Time |
|
|
|
Content |
|
|
|
Weight |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Power Supply |
|
|
|
Fees |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Supplied Accessories |
|
|
Summary:
Display: Just about the same
Size: The Cybook is smaller
Power Supply: Kindle gives more mileage.
Capacity: The Cybook hold more books in internal memory. Kindle holds holds less books but make up for it with Newspaper, Magazines, and blogs.
Expansion: The Cybook comes with 2GB expansion card, Kindle offers varying expansion sizes: 1GB, 2GB, 4GB…
Format: just about equal
Fees: Not applicable for the Cybook since it does not use wireless. Superior for Kindle since it offers free wireless.
Wikipedia Access: None for The Cybook, Yes for Kindle
Supplied Accessories: More for The Cybook, just a few for Kindle which of course is less cumbersome.
Computer requirement: The Cybook needs it for all content download, Kindle need it only in none wireless areas – Kindle superior
Conclusion:
Overall, this first generation Kindle is superior to the Bookeen Cybook, even with all its shortcomings. The fact that it offers wireless access to its contents, Newspaper, Magazines, and blogs puts it ahead.
Yes, Kindle has its flaws which the “nay-sayers” are quick to point out, but, if you ask me, that’s good. After all, how else are you going to know what the public wants? That in itself is the kind of invaluable data that Kindle needed to move to the next level. Just stop, and listen… already the “true readers” are making suggestion about what features the second generation Kindle should have. I hope Amazon is paying attention.
Think about it…Kindle with wireless access all over the globe, perfect display of PDF formatted document, access to thousands more books, all in under a minute…I really don’t think you can beat that. I dare say that this is an electronic reading device that has the potential to pervade the globe.
But…wait a minute! Let me not get ahead of myself. That was just one comparison. How does Kindle stack up with the others?
Glad you asked. That’s what the next article will cover. Next up… Kindle vs the iRex’s iLiad. Stay tuned…
December 29, 2007
· 
Frestech · 
3 Comments
Tags: bookeen cybook, How does Kindle compare with others?, kindle, Kindle comparison, Kindle vs Bookeen Cybook, Kindle vs Cybook · Posted in: Kindle comparison
3 Responses
The Kindle specs say a maximum of 4 GB of SDHC memory, but I have an 8 GB SanDisk Ultra II SDHC and it works just fine. SanDisk has announced in Las Vegas a 16 GB version for mid-year, and a 32 GB version by year end.
The memory size of trhe two devices is not stated for the Kindle, but I got 181 MB when I first received my Kindle, three times the 64 MB claimed by Cybook. Yet Cybook claims 300 books vs. 200 for Kindle. Somebody is not telling the truth, but my experience with Kindle confirms their statement. But neither says “average sized books” if there is any such thiing.
Charles Wilkes, San Jose, Calif.
Well this is obviously a Pro-Kindle web production as a pro-bookeen user I’ll try to provide my prospective.
Personally the most important feature on a device is readability, Yea I want to be able to get the content when I want it but If i can’t read it on my device why am I using that device.
Kindle is charging 10$ per book of there 90k books and they all come in the AZW format a DRM format that doesn’t allow you to get your books from any source you want to.
Really in this day and age who wants to try and deal with DRM I can just see these problems popping up everywhere. Oh I bought 100 books back in 2008 for my amazon kindle I paid 2000$ for them. Well I’m sorry Sir/Mam this is 2009 your previously purchased books are no longer valid (an exaggeration I know but who know what will be happening in 2015)
I just noticed this review on another site a user tried to copy and read several types of documents to their kindle.
Having copied over .DOC, .TXT, .RTF, .PDF, .GIF, .JPEG, and .PDB files directly to the Kindle via USB, only the .TXT file showed up for viewing.
The .DOC file I sent over the air to the Kindle arrived as a .AZW, the Kindle format, which implies to me that the only two file formats this thing can read natively are .AZW and .TXT.
Yet this website would have you believe their statement about the Format: just about equal.
On the kindle you can read AZW and on the bookeen you can read everything else but the Kindle has wireless.
Wireless is a convenience feature where as having access to any format you want is a necessary feature that the kindle just doesn’t offer.
Finally as a person not living in the USA I’d like to point out that the wireless delivery will not work. So after reading my response unless you plan on spending the majority of your time in the states they is no point in buying the kindle as the only thing going for it no longer counts as you have to conect to a computer to DL your books.
I seem to be having a problem subscribing to your RSS feed. It comes up with error 451. Let me know if it is a common error or if it is just me. I have firefox and IE. I am using Windows Firewall and im not sure if its switched on. Im not that savvy with computers. I will revisit your site and regard if you have responded. all the best.
Leave a Reply