Hands on: BeBook's new e-reader

TechRadar has just had a very quick hands-on and good look over the new e-reader from BeBook and our first impressions are pretty positive indeed.

While we are pretty familiar with the recently released Sony reader [review link], which is currently on sale in Waterstones for £199 , BeBook claims that its device offers a wider and more affordable range of content (ie books!) including thousands of discounted (and many free) eBooks from places like Mobipocket

The device itself is very neat. It's far cooler looking than Amazon's unwieldy Kindle, with an impressive battery life that allows around 7,000 page turns (from a 4-hour charge) a 6-inch reflective screen, weighting in at just 220g including the battery.

Read any files

Bebook is also able to read a wide range of file types, including any .ePub, .doc, .txt, .pdf, .jpg, .htm and .rtf file and has an in-built 512MB memory, which is more than enough to hold 1000 books – enough to take yourself a mini library on your next two week retreat to the beach/poolside we imagine…

Of course, you can also store your BeBook content on an SD card, so if you grab a 4GB card you will most likely be able to keep enough books for your ENTIRE LIFETIME of reading in your pocket. Should you be so bibliographically inclined, that is.

The BeBook comes with 150 books preinstalled, so there will most likely be something of interest to most readers straight off the bat. It also offers a multi-sizing of text option (great for elderly readers and those with impaired vision) and – rather neatly – the option to change the font you are reading in.

As with other e-ink readers on the market, it's also fine to read in bright sunlight, though if you are reading at night, you will need a reading light as you would with a normal book.

Reading late at night

We asked BeBook about plans to include some form of backlighting on the device, but it seems the technology is currently not capable of offering this – a function we imagine would be a god-send to those who enjoy reading in bed late at night (particularly those with spouses that don't enjoy sleeping with reading lights on!).

Alternatively, and again rather coolly, you can use the BeBook as an RSS reader on-the-go – merely update from all of your favourite newsfeeds from your PC first thing in a morning and you can read all your chosen news as you travel into the office. Beats Metro or London Lite in our (e)book!

It's also a real plus point that the BeBook has over Sony's Reader, which can't currently handle RSS feeds. (For the record, Amazon's Kindle can read feeds, but you will need to install the mobireader software on it first.)

In-built anti-piracy

In terms of piracy, BeBook assures TechRadar that each device has a unique key, to enable the company to identify any copyright-infringing users that are using illegally obtained ebooks from torrent sites and the like. We will be sure to investigate how this aspect of the device works further when we get a unit in for review.

The device is retailing for £229, but if BeBooks claims that books and other content for the device will be notably cheaper than Sony and Amazon's current Reader and Kindle offerings, then it could well be a wise investment for keen readers that also happen to be frequent travellers or have a long daily commute which they'd like to make a little more palatable by having their personal e-library in their pocket.

Watch out for our full BeBook review very soon, as we are currently itching to get our hands on a review sample. And check the BeBook website for more news and regular updates on this intriguing new device.