Portable eBook Readers

The Bookeen eBook reader series now includes the 6 inch Cybook Gen 3 and the very portable and stylish 5 inch Cybook Opus.

Cytale were pioneers in the ebook reader and were the first European company to make a dedicated ebook reader in 1998. Cytale failed in 2003 but two former Cytale engineers bought the rights to the Cytale Cybook Gen 1 and founded the French company Bookeen.

The Cybook Gen1 was their only product until 2007, when they began selling the Cybook Gen 3, their first eBook reader to use an E-Ink screen. In 2009 Bookeen announced a new product – the Cybook Opus – a smaller edition of the Cybook Gen3 but with some improvements and a sleek and chic new look.

Cybook Gen 3

The Cybook Gen 3 is an ultra-light ebook reader that uses E-ink screen technology. The Bookeen Cybook Gen3 looks very classy with its frosty black finish and its ultra slim design – definitely good looking and stylish. The Cybook is truly a portable ebook reader as it is only the size of a paperback, the thickness of a magazine and the weight of a mobile phone.

Functions of the Cybook Gen 3

Connection - To transfer your ebooks and documents to the Cybook Gen 3 you connect it to a USB cable from your computer and copy your data to the Cybook memory. You can also use a SD card and copy your data in it and transfer the card to the Cybook.

Read eBooks – You can access more than 50,000 digital books that are in Mobipocket format. These contemporary books are from publishers like Random House and Penguin – there are now more than 200 ebook stores that support Mobipocket prc format. You can also acquire thousands of classic free public domain books.

Read Documents – You can read different kind of digital documents like PDF documents, HTML or TXT. These document formats can be used directly without any conversion.

Read the News – With the Cybook, you have the option of downloading and reading RSS feeds from online websites by using Mobipocket eNews software.

View Photos – You can display photos and pictures in JPEG, GIF or PNG formats which are automatically resized and converted to grey levels.

Listen to Music- Like most ebook readers, he Cybook can also act as a MP3 player – you can read while listening to music with the headphone connection.

Features and Specifications of the Cybook Gen 3

• Device Size – 4.7″ x 7.4″ x 0.3″ (118 x 188 x 8.5 mm)
• Weight 6.13 ounces (174 g)
• Screen 6″ E Ink screen – 600 x 800 pixels, 166 dpi, B&W, 4 greyscale
• Features – Daylight readable (no backlight), Portrait and landscape mode, 11 control buttons (no touchscreen)
• Audio – 2.5mm stereo headphone plug
• Battery – Rechargeable built-in Li-Polymer battery (8,000 page flips on one charge)
• Processor – 200MHz
• Memory – ROM memory: 8 MB, RAM memory: 16 MB, Storage memory: 64 MB
• Data Formats – HTML, TXT, PRC, PalmDoc, PDF
• Connectivity – Mini USB, SD Card slot
• Firmware 1.5 Update – 12 font sizes on all prc, html and txt files, Zoom, Create folders, Speed-up page turn
• Firmware 2.0 Update – Support of Adobe Digital Edition epub and pdf files, 12 font sizes on all ePub, txt, html files
• Available Accessories – USB charger, Protective cover, 2GB SD card, stereo earphones, extra battery

Summary of the Cybook Gen 3

As far as 6 inch ebook readers go, the Cybook Gen 3 is an adequate ebook reader that does the basics of storing and reading digital books. It is stylish, light-weight, and slim and now has the ability to read the ePub format which will make a difference to the number of ebook titles available. Some customers have complained about the poor post-sale support and that the device freezes up occasionally. At $249 though, you would be better of with the new Cybook Opus.

Cybook Opus

The 5 inch Bookeen Cybook Opus is the newest ebook reading device from Bookeen. This is truly a portable ebook reader that does indeed fit in your pocket and can be held comfortably in one hand. It is also the lightest ebook reader on the market at only 5.3 ounces.

Features of the Cybook Opus

With its large 1 GB of internal storage memory, the Cybook Opus can store more than 1,000 books. The Cybook Opus has a higher 200dpi e-Paper screen compared to the 160dpi of the Gen3 but still uses only 4 greyscale. The screen position can switch from portrait to landscape mode automatically with its accelerometer.

With the ePub format, the Cybook Opus has access to over 200,000 contemporary digital books and thousands of free classic public domain ebooks. The digital bookstore for Cybook Opus can be found at www.booksonboard.com/opus

Specifications of the Cybook Opus

• Device Size – 4.2″ x 6″ x 0.4″ (108 x 151 x 10 mm)
• Weight – 5.3 ounces (150 g)
• Screen – 5″ E-Ink screen, 600×800 pixels, 200 dpi, B&W, 4 greyscale
• Features – Daylight readable (no backlight), Automatic switch in Portrait and landscape mode, 9 Controls buttons (no touchscreen)
• Battery – Rechargeable and replaceable built-in Li-Polymer battery (8,000 page flips on one charge)
• Processor – 400MHz
• Memory – RAM memory: 32 MB, Storage memory: 1 GB
• File Formats – HTML, TXT, PDF, Secured and non secured Adobe ePub and PDF
• Connectivity – Mini USB, micro SD Card slot

Summary of the Cybook Opus

If you want an ebook reader with the ability to store and read over 1,000 ebooks, that is also exceedingly chic looking, then the Cybook Opus
is worth considering. Many customers, especially women, love the design and look of the Opus and appreciate its small size and light weight. Also, the fact that it doesn’t have a touchscreen makes the display very crisp and easy to read.

Hopefully Bookeen will improve their customer support and the frequency of their firmware updates as several customers have complained about this. On the whole, it is a viable option for people looking for a basic ebook reader that fits in your pocket and is ultra-light, slim and chic.

Related eBook Reader articles…

• Bookeen Cybook Opus e-book reader (ubergizmo.com)
• Aluratek’s $179 LCD-Based Libre eBook Reader Goes Cheap [Ebooks] (gizmodo.com)
• E-book readers to stay pricey next year (reghardware.co.uk)

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