Quote:
Originally Posted by pilotbob
Because the projected prices are $150-$200 less than the similar 6inch readers. And the 9.7inch reader is projected to be about $250-$350 less than the only 8inch reader on the market. Finally, the 5inch for $200 or less will be the least expensive eInk device on the market.
So, that is why there has been alot of excitement, anticipation and activity on this thread.
BOb
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I do think the price point is the #1 attraction. But there are a couple of other things also.
2) Hanlin and many others aren't really experienced in the US retail market. I know this is a worldwide message board, but a good proportion of the visitors are US-based. A lot of us have already seen problems with getting warranty service from, say, France.
3) Not only is the price cheaper, but their are more options than anybody but IREX. To have touchscreen and wi-fi on a 9+ inch device for below $350 is wonderful.
4) Hope and Change are also wonderful
. OK, I'm not meaning to get silly (or too political) here. But at this point, you can believe that the Astak is whatever that you want it to be. There has been announcement of the possibility of touchscreen options on all of the devices (though definitely on the largest). Ditto with wi-fi. Maybe color soon (9 months?). A Linux version - yep. WinCE - yep. Some folks hope that WinCE means basic PDA options. There have been different configurations shown so we can all hope for our favorite button design. I heard about the possibility of mobipocket, Adobe, epub and more on the Astak. Of course WinCE makes one think of the windows LIT format. So whatever your problem with the current batch of readers you can pretend that Astak has the solution.
However, I doubt they will really end up with this range of variation. Certainly, Walmart is unlikely to stock this many SKU's. Once they firm up on three or four hardware models then we'll start to see some folks realize they aren't the perfect answer to everyone.
On the software side, they will also need to limit their choices. Theoretically, they could have many different software versions and you could choose to load the version of your choice via the Internet. However, look at Bookeen as an example, and consider how tough and how long it is taking them to get software updates out. I'm not convinced that Astak will have the sales volume across all of these s/w choices to justify the level of investment you would want in order to see ongoing evolution of the operating system. I think we'll see a selection of one basic operating system, although there may be a few choices of 3rd party e-readers that can be loaded onto the system.
Bottom line is that when they reach market they may well be the cheapest and even most feature-rich choice. However, like everyone else they will need to make choices and there is no guarantee that their choices will please everyone like their current wish list of 'hope' does.