Should I buy an Astak EZ Reader?

[theducks]

Originally Posted by violetspike

I'd take British Racing Green or Forest or Emerald.

So, unless RobertB's announcement is that they are putting out a green one, I guess I'll stick with black. Can't go wrong with black.

Henry Ford had it right
Look at the current inventory mess caused by options.

[jusmee]

Originally Posted by Acreo Aeneas

If you want to avoid having to replace batteries so soon, try not to run them down before charging them. Li-Ion batteries only have about 500 to 1000 charge/discharge cycles. This means that if you charge it, then drain it till it dies, it's 1 cycle. So you can imagine that repeated over the course of a year will kill the battery. Charging before it hits 20% capacity is usually recommended so the battery lasts longer.

I'm struggling to follow this. If I charge it before it is flat, that means I go throught the charge/discharge cycles faster (i.e. I can't use it as long before I need to recharge). That means I will reach the limit of, 500/1000 cycles sooner, hence the battery will NOT last as long.

[Robertb]

Originally Posted by violetspike

I decided just after xmas that I could really use a ebook reader to read my favorite fan fiction on the go.
In the past week I have been hitting the ebook research pretty hard and as of yesterday I had it narrowed down to the Sony PRS 300 and Astak EZ reader.
The kicker for me was definitely the SD slot as I have gigabites worth of stories.

Also, the helpful presence of RobertB here in this forum really lets me know that this company stands by its product and will try it’s best to fix any problems that may arise.
I can’t imagine Sony even caring.
So as soon as my tax refund comes thru, I will be ordering an Astak EZ reader Pocket pro. Very exciting!

Now… what color should I get? OH if it only came in green!

Dear Violetspike:

On a seperate thread today I did a full comparison of the Sony PRS-300 and the Pocket PRO. Still, I am glad you reached the good decison for us both!!

We came SO close to having a green. But, alas, our Marketing Lady pushed hard for a Pink instead.

You may want to consider the Metallic Purple and the Maroon! The Metallic Purple is VERY eye catching and I had a Maroon at CES and loved it. You cannot really go wrong! Did you know all the colors were picked by MobileRead Forum members using the Pentene Color Charts? We are the only firm that let the forum members make the selections!

Anyway, it is great to read your post and I look forward to welcoming you to the Astak Faithful!!

[DaleDe]

Originally Posted by jusmee

I'm struggling to follow this. If I charge it before it is flat, that means I go throught the charge/discharge cycles faster (i.e. I can't use it as long before I need to recharge). That means I will reach the limit of, 500/1000 cycles sooner, hence the battery will NOT last as long.

Yes, that would be true of some technologies but lithium ion has a notion of topping off. Think of it like a 50% charge counts as only 1/2 of a charge. Thus you can top it off anytime with no penalty.

Dale

[jusmee]

Originally Posted by DaleDe

Yes, that would be true of some technologies but lithium ion has a notion of topping off. Think of it like a 50% charge counts as only 1/2 of a charge. Thus you can top it off anytime with no penalty.

Dale

That's good then. Thanks for the info.

[Robertb]

Originally Posted by jusmee

I'm struggling to follow this. If I charge it before it is flat, that means I go throught the charge/discharge cycles faster (i.e. I can't use it as long before I need to recharge). That means I will reach the limit of, 500/1000 cycles sooner, hence the battery will NOT last as long.

Dear Jusmee:

Yes, if you charge it before it is flat you will go thru the cycles a bit faster. However, a new battery is around $15, not a biggee. So what do you gain?
Allowing that 99% of all freezes and problems can be traced to a low battery charge... you gain far less agravation and more time reading!! AND... I have been recharging my six inch for 14 months doing what I recommend: charge when the battery charge life meter shows a bit less than half charge left! I have not had a single freeze or problem in doing this!

[theducks]

Originally Posted by jusmee

I'm struggling to follow this. If I charge it before it is flat, that means I go throught the charge/discharge cycles faster (i.e. I can't use it as long before I need to recharge). That means I will reach the limit of, 500/1000 cycles sooner, hence the battery will NOT last as long.

I take this to mean "Don't let it get low" or you use up a "cycle" dragging it up from empty :/
This seems to be true with my Cell (similar battery), It goes on-charge at night and will last 2 days if I need it to. It is over 2 years old.

This is 180 out from what we learned to do with NiCd batteries, where the "rule" was discharge all the way or they got lazy and would not last as long between charges.

Is this even an issue?
The charge in my PEz lasts well over a week of use:
1000/52 is 19 years if you charge once a week.
Now I expect that the battery will chemically deteriorate long before you cycle it to death

[Acreo Aeneas]

Originally Posted by jusmee

I'm struggling to follow this. If I charge it before it is flat, that means I go throught the charge/discharge cycles faster (i.e. I can't use it as long before I need to recharge). That means I will reach the limit of, 500/1000 cycles sooner, hence the battery will NOT last as long.

Edit: What ducks said.

There are other factors involved too like ambient temperature, if you're going to put the device into storage for a extended period of time, and so forth.

A really good battery reference can be found at Battery University. In particular, the section entitled "Prolonged battery life through moderation" in this article at Battery University tells you how you can prolong the life of any lithium-ion battery.

Apologies for derailing the topic (though I guess this does relate since the PP uses a Li-Ion battery).

[Solicitous]

I can't recall if it has been mentioned anywhere else, but in relation to the battery meter being a rough guide to the remaining charge, I noticed with my Pocket Pro running the November firmware (I assume the December is the same in this respect) that a low battery prompt comes up when reading (the prompt takes roughly the bottom 1/3 of the screen).

Nice little feature. This didn't happen with earlier firmwares, and IMHO was reasonably accurate as I had been on the last bar for a good period of time before being prompted.

[Dan21]

Update:
So I ordered the Pocket Pro from http://www.theezreader.com/, I was a little disappointed it was $17 for shipping, I looked at newegg and buy.com and those all would cost $250 in the end. So I saved a few dollars going directly from their site.

Will keep you all updated, looking forward to getting it!
-Dan

[jusmee]

Originally Posted by Robertb

Dear Jusmee:

Allowing that 99% of all freezes and problems can be traced to a low battery charge...

Wow, THAT's a big call. Not just freezes, but problems too? If you are basing it on your personal experience, as it seems from the rest of your text, then it's hardly scientific evidence!

[Acreo Aeneas]

Originally Posted by Dan21

Update:
So I ordered the Pocket Pro from http://www.theezreader.com/, I was a little disappointed it was $17 for shipping, I looked at newegg and buy.com and those all would cost $250 in the end. So I saved a few dollars going directly from their site.

Will keep you all updated, looking forward to getting it!
-Dan

You should love the reader. I'm still waiting mines which should get here by tomorrow. I think the $12-17 was worth it considering the $200 price point that included a charger and a cover.

[Robertb]

Originally Posted by jusmee

Wow, THAT's a big call. Not just freezes, but problems too? If you are basing it on your personal experience, as it seems from the rest of your text, then it's hardly scientific evidence!

Dear jusmee:

It's just me. Actually, it is based on past experience when talking with a few end users.

What it really comes from is that I remember my own experience on a plane with the first time I had my EZ Reader Basic (6 inch). It froze. I freaked out. "OH, MY GOD, we have a new eBook Reader and it locks up". I tried the paper clip on reset. Worked, but soon after froze again. It was all low charge!

SO... do I maybe harp too much on recharging somewhat more often. Yes, I likely do. But I still say the advice works; and saves a ton of new end users from freaking like I did.

[jusmee]

Originally Posted by Robertb

Dear jusmee:

It's just me. Actually, it is based on past experience when talking with a few end users.

What it really comes from is that I remember my own experience on a plane with the first time I had my EZ Reader Basic (6 inch). It froze. I freaked out. "OH, MY GOD, we have a new eBook Reader and it locks up". I tried the paper clip on reset. Worked, but soon after froze again. It was all low charge!

SO... do I maybe harp too much on recharging somewhat more often. Yes, I likely do. But I still say the advice works; and saves a ton of new end users from freaking like I did.

I agree that it is common (and good) advice that, when receiving a new rechargeable device, you should give it a good charge first time, and whenever a problem is experienced with electronics, the power supply is one of, if not the first thing to check.

...but we shouldn't go overboard

[violetspike]

I just took the plunge. I ordered the Astak EZ reader Pocket pro in classic black. I figure when in doubt, order black.
Now the wait for it to come!