Dymocks announces their new ebook reader

[mrsp]

done - edited original post

I have given up hope/lost interest in Dymocks after I found out it was going to be Iliad (not because I don't like Iliads but because it isn't the device for me) and $800 or more.

I was leaning towards the Sony but got spooked by the lack of warranty having noticed that quite a few people have had problems with their screens. Similarly, even though Cybook would give me a warranty, their non-existant customer service and distant location put me off especially seeing that people from the first shipment are already having a few screen problems.

I was too nervous to fork out the big bucks on either model so I went low-tech and ordered myself an ebookwise. Its costing me about $170 Australian and although there is no warranty, its not relying on any new tech for the screen and there are people who can report to their longetivity otherwise. I figure it will give me 12 months or so to sit back and watch things unfold a bit more while taking the edge of my gadget buying ebook reader device thang.

So Dymocks have already lost one potential customer...

I wonder if they, and companies like them, read forums like this - perhaps they'd learn what people wanted if they did.

[sianon]

MRSP, how did you get the ebookwise shipped to Australia.

[Stephen Cole]

Sorry I didn't respond to this discussion sooner; I've been travelling. Just to clarify:

• Our company, Ebooks Corporation, has partnered with Dymocks in Australia to enable them to offer our range of commercial ebooks to their customers in Australia, New Zealand and Asia, via www.dymocks.com
• Separately, Dymocks recently announced that they are in discussions with a device manufacturer with a view to offering a hand-held ebook reading device to their customers in-store and online.
• eb20 Reader is the name of our browser-based application that enables eBooks.com's customers to read their ebooks from any computer connected to the Internet. It's a smart Ajax-based ap that includes security measures to keep the publishers happy, but also attempts to give the user a really simple experience, akin to what they'd reasonably expect from an ebook

Most of the ebooks on offer at eBooks.com (and Dymocks) are available to download, as usual, in one of three formats. But additionally, you can go to your account at any time, from any computer and start reading, or continue reading a book online via eb20 Reader. If you'd like to sample this, you can go here for a copy of The Count of Monte Christo

I hope this clarifies things. I think the confusion arose because we were making announcements about each of these things in a period of a week or two.

I'd be very interested in any comments on eb20.

Cheers,

Stephen
Managing Director
Ebooks Corporation Limited

[mrsp]

Originally Posted by sianon

MRSP, how did you get the ebookwise shipped to Australia.

Hi Sianon

There is a seller on ebay named Kascarlett who sells them. They are brand new and she will ship outside the US if you email her first. She then explains that there is no warranty or return and that you need to get yourself a new power source and if you are happy with those conditions, then you can place an order.

She has a sale on at the moment until Christmas where the ebookwise is $US112 and the shipping to Australia was also discounted - I paid $US35 for mine.

Her stock was getting low but her ebay ad said she was due for new stock on Dec 10 so she should have lots today.

[GregS]

Stephen Cole I would like to try your software, but it requires a voucher number.

I wish you luck in this venture, and for that matter Dymocks. After much consideration, and I was hoping for a reader device that was cheap, I will gt the Iliad if it is on offer. I need to play with the technology, plus as a teacher I want to see if the Iliad writing features are usable in a school context.

Does your software integrate with the Iliad? Or is it a stand alone PC interface?

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by mrsp

Similarly, even though Cybook would give me a warranty, their non-existant customer service and distant location put me off especially seeing that people from the first shipment are already having a few screen problems.

Hi mrsp,

I can report that Bookeen's customer service certainly DOES exist - they have answered a number of my e-mails.

[dodgyville]

Hmm, I would possibly go $800AUD for a Iliad, but ... man, it's borderline. Hopefully Dymocks will release the IRex at something like $1100 and I'll be able to safely say "no way"!

[mrsp]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Hi mrsp,

I can report that Bookeen's customer service certainly DOES exist - they have answered a number of my e-mails.

Well they didn't answer my email - and at that point I was a potential customer.

I also see on the forum that they are not answering to someone whose screen has gone black.

I am sure they do exist but it remains to be seen whether they are reliable and so I would rather wait and find out before outlaying the $500 odd they are charging and risk having an expensive problem...

[mjdb]

Hello all. I have been lurking for a while but this is my first post here, prompted by this thread and a related article I read in an online paper.

This doesn't concern the handheld reader that Dymocks may be going to start selling, but the kiosks in their stores selling eBooks.

A link to an article in computerworld.co.nz that talks about the kiosks and the companies involved.
http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/...2573A90076E132

"Last month, Dymocks expanded its online offering to include more than 120,000 digital books, which customers can download either at home or using the in-store kiosks and a Dymocks-branded USB stick."


Martin.

[Stephen Cole]

Originally Posted by GregS

Stephen Cole I would like to try your software, but it requires a voucher number.

Greg, that link is fixed now. (Apparently it was set to go active at Midnight EST).

eb20 Online Reader is only suitable for reading ebooks on computers or tablet PCs. However, the MobiPocket versions that we sell at www.eBooks.com are compatible with the iLiad.

Hope this helps.

Stephen

[wallcraft]

Originally Posted by Stephen Cole

I'd be very interested in any comments on eb20.

I briefly tried out eb20 on your test book. I like it, and it is a useful "bonus" for buying from ebooks.com. However, I did not see any way to change the text size. The usual FireFox shortcuts (ctrl+ and ctrl-) change the font size in the sidebar but not in the main text.

My primary comment is that you are likely to get push back about "any computer that's connected to the internet" which is on your "(what's this)" eb20 page. The help page within eb20 is much more specific:

eb20 Reader supports the following browsers
- Microsoft IE 5.5+ (Windows)
- Safari 1.2.1+ (Mac)
- Firefox 0.8+ (Windows Mac Linux)
- Netscape 7.1+ (Windows Mac Linux)
- Mozilla 1.4+ (Windows Mac Linux)

The term "computers" covers a very wide range of devices, and it certainly includes PDAs for example. So I suggest adding something like "with a supported web browser" to your "what's this" page.

Since this is off the original thread topic, I assume it would be appropriate for you to re-post about eb20 (including the free example link) in the "reading software" thread. However, if you do so please mention that the link requires (free) registration.

[mrsp]

Hi Stephen

Wallcraft is right - you should get this topic into its own thread so that you get more people interested and taking a look at it and providing feedback.

I think it looks great. However as I read primarily fiction ebooks for recreation, I would never read one on my desktop or my tablet laptop. It would be really great if it could work on board reading devices. Presumably those that are capable of connecting to the internet continuously (wirelessly) would be able to run it? So far those devices are not available in Australia or are hugely expensive (thinking of Kindle and Irex) and thus not really helpful for recreational readers.

If I was a student or professional using text books then it would be an excellent tool and for the odd non-fiction text book that I read, I would definitely use it.

Good Luck!

[GregS]

Stephen Cole thanks for the prompt fix - everything worked well.

My firefox is acting very flaky (run off a USB stick, none of the addons will install), I had problems accessing the menus. I don't think this is a problem with your software.

I noticed when I downloaded the full file that it was encrypted/DRM PDF, or at least it would not display in Adobe reader, but was fine in digital library. Is your software reading this into the browser? If so it is a neat trick.

From what little I can understand the software appears as download manager and a browser display reader. It works well, though personally I can only see myself using fully downloaded ebooks on eink/epaper, I find browser reading horrible (which has nothing to do with your software).

I also like the fact that your site makes it clear what is encrypted and presumably what is not - this is a very good thing when considering what I am purchasing. I cannot remember this being so clearly stated on other sites.

Good luck, I know I will be using your site for purchases once I get some form of eink/epaper device - and thanks for the help.

[montsnmags]

Originally Posted by GregS

...
From what little I can understand the software appears as download manager and a browser display reader. It works well, though personally I can only see myself using fully downloaded ebooks on eink/epaper, I find browser reading horrible (which has nothing to do with your software)....

Did you go to the "View" menu and use the "Immersive Reader" option? It pretty much takes most everything off the screen except for the book.

Incidentally (he says, pulling on a loose thread) still no word from Dymocks.

Cheers,
Marc

[Stephen Cole]

Thank you for your comments and advice.

Wallcrat, I'll do as you suggest and open a new thread on eb20, but will respond here to the comments raised.

Zoom (text-resizing) is coming. It's being tested and de-bugged now but is still a few weeks away. Another big thing that's missing is text-to-speech (read aloud), which will be quite a development cycle and there's no date on that at this stage.

We'll add the qualification to the claim about "from any computer anywhere".

MRSP, we are working to make it possible for people to use eb20 on every conceivable device, either online or offline. As for your broader point about reading fiction on a PC, I sure take your point. The puzzling thing is, though, the number of people who do just that.

We really need to get a better handle on why they're choosing to do leisure reading on a computer. There's a fair amount of anecdotal evidence, but it's time we had some thing more. We do know, for example, that a lot of people are reading fiction during work hours. Is this a market we should be pursuing? As an employer myself, oughtn't I have some qualms about that?

GregS, our developers are all firefox freaks, and eb20 does seem to be working OK on that platform. Where we do have issues occasionally is when someone forgets to test in IE before loading a new build.

For downloaded files, we're using Adobe Content Server, MS Digital Asset Server and MobiPocket, depending on which format you choose. For eb20 online reader, we take the same files supplied by the publishers and spin them all off into the new eb20 format. It is indeed a neat trick, but it was a lot harder to do than we expected.

montsnmags, I'm glad you like the "Immersive Reading" mode for reading fiction. I'm trying to think of another name for that thing. David Rothman thinks it sounds naff.

Thanks again for your thoughts.

Stephen