Australian BeBook Review

The BeBook is an ebook reader that competes directly with the Australian Kindle and is good in some comparisons against the Kindle whilst falls down in others.

2010 is going to be the year the ebook reader goes from niche device to a must have. The release of the Australian Kindle has ignited the eBook Reader marketplace and has lifted the visibility of eBook Readers with the Australian public.

The BeBook is a Dutch designed device that is has been on sale in Australia since 2009. It has a slightly smaller screen at 5inches than the Kindle however the screen itself is the same e-ink format and reading books on it is simple crisp and clear. It is very thin and light (much more so than the Kindle) and will slip easily into your handbag even with a leather cover.

Design wise, the BeBook is a bit of a let down with a simple black plastic casing being tricked up only by the addition of a variety of leather and neoprene covers.

The BeBook supports a large variety of ebook and document formats including Microsoft Office formats as well as support for the DRM MobiPocket format, however tracking down places to purchase ebooks in this format is not so easy in Australia.

Navigation is somewhat tricky with numbered buttons in the place of the Kindle easier next and previous page buttons with the lack of a keyboard making searching cumbersome and something you wouldn’t want to do on a regular basis.

Audio is enabled with support for all your mp3’s and you can load the BeBook up with a huge number of books with its SD slot meaning it can be expanded up to 16GB.

Battery life is great with a claimed 7000 page turns and charging took under 3 hours.

With no integrated store, WiFi or 3G access means that you will have to have a computer to own a BeBook, both to download free eBooks or purchase ebooks online and then transfer across. Whilst only supporting the old USB 1.1 standard slows down this process to especially if you want to copy a lot of content onto the BeBook in one session

Verdict

Overall the BeBook will appeal to those users who want the maximum ebook & document format support over those that want a simple eBook Reader experience. It lacks the elegance of the Kindle and its simple indevice book purchasing system.  The current price of $389 for the Mini and $499 for the standard BeBook will also be a stumbling block for users whose price point is the Australian Kindle at USD$259 (around $300 AUD)

Price

$389 for the Mini and $499 for the standard BeBook

Buy a Bebook Now From BeBook.net.au

Pros

• Very clear screen
• Great battery life
• Expandable up to 16GB
• Huge number of ebook & document formats supported

Cons

• Clunky navigation
• Lack of 3G wireless /WiFi/ wireless
• Lack of in device book purchasing
• Design is not up to the standard of competitiors

Supported eBook Formats

PDF, MOBI, PRC, EPUB, LIT, TXT, FB2, DOC, HTML, RTF, DJVU, WOL, PPT, MBP, CHM, BMP, JPG, PNG, GIF, TIF, RAR, ZIP AND MP3;

Other Features

• USB 1.1 port
• Headphone jack
• 512MB internal storage
• SD Card slot
• 7000 page turn lithium-ion battery

Dimensions

• 84x120x10mm
• 220g

Availability

• Through BeBook.net.au(Official Australian Distributor)
• Dymocks
• CoOp Bookshop