Cybook Reader Improves On Many Past Digital Book Readers

The Cybook Reader builds on many of the previous digital book readers, offering added features such as:

Faster page turning, at around 700ms, compared to 1200ms
Better brightness, at 40 percent, compared to 32 percent
Supports 8 grayscale levels, compared to 4 levels with other top selling digital book readers


In other words, it appears to be the powerhouse of eBook readers, with faster page turning, improved brightness, and ability for high number of grayscale levels. On another note, the Cybook reader lowered the contrast (7:1) from the previous contrast (8:1). Both quite low levels in comparison to the LCD technology available these days, but this is being worked on.

Many people, after using the Cybook, claim that was quite disappointing in comparison to other readers, though not everyone had the same opinion. These disappointed users claimed that the text was often way too small to read (in landscape mode). They also claimed the device crashed at times when trying to read PDF documents. The company claimed that their device did not specify the ability to read PDF documents, and many users were disappointed. With eBooks readers, almost all generally have the ability to read PDF files. The company also noted that in order to read PDF files, the screen would have to be much larger, almost 10 by 13 inches. As well know, this is quite big, and has not been done yet. The price of such an eBook reader would be very high.

In short, if you are looking for an eBook reader to read PDF documents mostly, this is definitely not for you. Otherwise, the Cybook reader may be right for you. Although some users were disappointed with the reader, these were generally those who expected a PDF capable reader.

The Cybook reader is very portable, with a 6 inch screen at 600 by 800 pixels. The resolution is good for reading text, although the photos with such resolution will not look good at all. Another great feature of the Cybook is that you can add memory through the SD card slot. Also, adding books is as simple as plugging the USB into your computer, and just dragging them onto the drive. Simple enough.

On top of the features mentioned so far, the Cybook offers MP3 capabilities for audio books, or even music while your reading. The only problem is that the socket used for audio is not the standard 3.5mm, so you will most likely have to plan a trip to the electronic store for this.

Though it does have quite a few good features, the Cybook is definitely not one of the better readers out there. It does not have some features that should be in every device (for example, the PDF issue). Another huge downside to the device is that pages are not shown at the bottom, making it extremely confusing for users if they lose their page count. Nonetheless, if you are able to cope with these negatives, then the Cybook is fine. Otherwise, stay far away from the Cybook reader and look at other digital book readers to fill your requirements.