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Originally Posted by gargoyle67
Yes its a clone, Which makes me laugh when all these companies that sell "Their" version of it talk as if they invented it, When in all reality they just stamped their name on it and tweaked the firmware  |
It's the same screen, yes, but the ergonomics are different, the Astak has an SD card slot, so with virtually unlimited capacity, and a user replaceable battery, a must-have for a product like this IMHO.
I've been waiting to post my experiences with the Pocket Pro--wanted to avoid confirmation bias with a new reader--but lately there have been a lot of complaints about the PPro and a lot of unfair criticism so I thought I'd give some early impressions anyway.
I had one of that first batch of colored ones. The blistering of the outer coating must have been a bigger disappointment for Astak than for any of us, but they were very nice about taking it back. I now have a black one and, apart from "operator errors" with it--another problem with a new reader--I'm very happy with it. This may be confirmation bias speaking, but I think it's the best book reader I've used or tried.
The ergonomics are superior. There are a few places where the interface can be improved but I won't really know until I've gotten used to the way it behaves and know I'm not just reacting to my own "operator error," expecting it to act like one of the other eBook readers. All of them have their little peccadilloes but getting down to serious issues, here's some of the features the Pocket Pro really has:
1. The control buttons give you tactile, audible and visual feedback, and the controls offer a crisp, clean "snap" when activated without requiring so much pressure as to make my fingertips sore after an hour or two of reading.
2. The layout of the controls provides easy access to the ones I use the most and encourages smooth reading.
3. The screen size works better for light reading than a 6-inch reader.
4. The light weight surprised me: it actually makes the PPro easier to use, especially when reading for long periods.
5. The ability to organize my library into nested "directory-like" levels provides a notable improvement to organization and the ability to find a particular book in the library.
6. It offers the ability to build and maintain my library using my computer's own SD card slot.
7. Cheap, readily available book lights light the entire screen without the need to weigh down the reader with a full-time reading light, although this is almost certainly an advantage that all 5-inch readers will have.
8. The included cover works very well and saves the bother and expense of having to go buy something from the aftermarket.
After I've used it a bit longer I should have more to say. But this Pocket Pro is a winner. I fretted over stories about problems with the battery while I awaited the arrival of mine, but the Pocket Pro has worked perfectly for me right from the start, right out of the box.