back to article BeBook outs Kindle-beating e-book reader

Does half a millimetre matter? E-book reader maker BeBook believes it does. It's relying on that tiny, effectively unnoticeable difference to claim its new 8mm-thick Pure reader is the thinnest of its kind. Its nearest rival is the 8.5mm-thick Amazon Kindle 3, now called the Kindle Keyboard. BeBook Pure e-book reader Apart …

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  1. blofse

    A bit like this report....

    ...surprisingly small!

    (and this msg)

  2. YP
    Meh

    I like the crypto stuff, but this is still £10 more than the Kobo keyboard, ad only £10 less than the Kobo touch.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Why wait when you can pop down to W.H.Smiths and buy a Kobo for £59 or a Kobo Touch for £79.

      I got the touch for ease of use and size (only one button on the front for "Home"), The touch also has a faster processor so page turns are noticeably quickey that the standard model.

      I don't have iPad or smart phone so just use the PC software and Kobo, but these both work well and synch so all book marks and new purchases are transfered without issue.

      The article goes on about built in memory, but unless you reader does audio it's mostly a non issue. 2GB is a lot for text, my Kobo has 2GB, after the space for the OS is taken out that leaves 1400MB, of which I have used just 83 so far (~20 books). So assuming 4MB/book as a reasonable average that means I'd have to purchase >300 books before worrying about space.

      The Kobo's also have an microSD card slot for books/PDF/doc's aquired from other sources, the Kobo web site also allows downloads to ePUB format for most books so keeping your library backup (separate from Kobo and/or Adobe) up is not problem either.

  3. Whitter

    How many shades of grey?

    Does it have a higher dynamic range? If not, then I'll keep on waiting.

    1. Tom 38
      Joke

      Re: How many shades of grey?

      Fifty.

    2. johnnytruant

      Re: How many shades of grey?

      16. Almost certainly an eInk Pearl screen. Easily as white as a cheap paperback (although more grey than cheap paper's yellow/brown shade).

      IRex managed to get more shades out of eInk with a cunning pixel manipulating system - my Iliad did 16 shades on a screen which supposedly was only capable of 8 - but I expect that secret died with them.

      Why do you need more range? Most of the books I read don't have pictures, and 16 greys is enough to anti-alias text to an acceptable level, especially at the resolution eInk works at..

  4. technome

    Will it side-load...

    ... unencumbered epubs, though?

    And is it touch-screen?

    1. This post has been deleted by its author

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Will it side-load...

      re: Touch-screen

      I think all those buttons on it should give you a clue.

  5. Joe Harrison

    Why is there never one for work?

    If you want to read slushy novels on the train this size screen is ideal. I would rather have one that could show me a good actual-size A4 page from the boring but useful documentation library. 9.7 inch tablet does a reasonable job but a kindle-style e-ink thing could be much better.

    1. Bronek Kozicki

      Re: Why is there never one for work?

      So you want Kindle DX (I use it for PDFs). Or wait and see if a new version appears soon.

      1. ThomH

        Re: Why is there never one for work?

        The Kindle DX is 9.7" but inexplicably available only in the US. The lack of competition also seems to have allowed it to retain a disproportionate price tag.

      2. Michael Duke

        Re: Why is there never one for work?

        Kindle DX now ships internationally from amazon.com

  6. JDX Gold badge

    Why bother?

    Aren't e-readers a sewn-up market right now? Sure the walled-garden zealots are a fervent minority but still a minority - and those people would probably pay the same/more to avoid lock-in. Joe Public is surely going to stick with brand-name security... iPad or Kindle.

  7. Tom 38

    All my ebooks are on Kindle (app), and I've often thought about getting a real Kindle - touch screens are useless in the sunshine. If I get one of these, how do I get my Kindle books onto it?

    1. Absent

      Presumably remove the DRM, convert to ePub and sideload.

      1. This post has been deleted by its author

    2. JDX Gold badge

      I'm confused, if your books are in the Kindle app then surely they will automatically appear on ANY device you sign into with your kindle ID, including an actual Kindle? e.g I have a Kindle, and when I installed the app on my iPad, Windows Phone, Mac and PC, the books were ready to read.

      This slickness is one of Kindle's major strengths so I don't follow all the side-load advice, unless I misunderstood your setup?

      1. Tom 38

        You're confused because I was mooting not buying a Kindle, but buying a BeBook, and wondering how I get all my purchased Kindle books onto a ¬Kindle.

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Not worth the hassle

          If you already use Kindle App then get a kindle, as pointed out, if using the app, the Kindle will Sync (provided it has a connection), so you carry on where you left off, regardless of device.

          If you want other people on the kindle then you just use Calibre and bang it on there.

    3. terry 15

      Assuming they're legally bought from amazon, you can sync all the books onto any device/kindle app from the device/app itself.

      Once you've got a book on multiple devices; you can get it to sync to last read on all devices thus regardless of what you're reading on, you can pick up an alternative kindle device and continue from that point.

      Alternatively you can try using calibre2 to help you transfer stuff/convert them to mobi format for the kindle device.

    4. Epobirs

      If your books in the Kindle app were purchased from Amazon they sync to your handheld Kindle automatically. If they just file with no DRM you got somewhere else, yo just copy them to the Kindle as if it were a USB drive. Because at that moment, it is.

  8. adam payne

    Looks quick nice but doesn't it look a lot like a Kindle? Perhaps too much like a Kindle?

    1. Epobirs

      Don't be silly.

      It looks like a Nook.

      When you have the same tech at your core and don't want to distract from the primary function, it's hard to make an e-reader distinctive outside of the software.

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