MobileRead Forums - View Single Post

Robertb · 11-05-2009, 05:05 PM

Dear All:

As always, I work for Astak and you should be aware that I may be biased. On the other hand, I have an elderly mother 89 years old.

Screen size can be important. Astak will unveil new 9.7 inch devices at the CES show in Las Vegas (January 7-10) in two diferent lines.

BUT... from my mother's perspective it is not all screen size. WEIGHT is a major factor with seniors. Often arthritic, senior wrists and hands feel the weight long before the rest of us do. The 5 inch Pocket PRO weighs only 5.8 ounces. It will also display in landscape mode for large font sizing.

The Mentor Lite now is in Version 2. The new Mentor Lite has the Epson Controller for fast page turns now, has EIGHT levels of font size increase, and weighs 6.5 ounces. It is a decent choice because of the 8 graduated font increases and it has Sudoku included on it and many seniors like that. That is $239 on www.astak.com It also has a user-replaceable rechargeable battery.

My personal feeling is that a 9.7 inch or 10 inch screened eBook Reader is NOT what a senior wants as they are heavy. That weight will go right to the wrist and will ruin the experience! My mom saw our 9.7 inch prototype and disliked it for that reason: "Bobby, I could never hold this for an hour".

I hope that this helps!

11-05-2009, 05:05 PM	#101
Robertb Astak Director, Bus. Devl Posts: 2,560 Karma: 2500000 Join Date: Apr 2008 Device: Astak Pocket PRO	Another factor for seniors besides the screen Dear All: As always, I work for Astak and you should be aware that I may be biased. On the other hand, I have an elderly mother 89 years old. Screen size can be important. Astak will unveil new 9.7 inch devices at the CES show in Las Vegas (January 7-10) in two diferent lines. BUT... from my mother's perspective it is not all screen size. WEIGHT is a major factor with seniors. Often arthritic, senior wrists and hands feel the weight long before the rest of us do. The 5 inch Pocket PRO weighs only 5.8 ounces. It will also display in landscape mode for large font sizing. The Mentor Lite now is in Version 2. The new Mentor Lite has the Epson Controller for fast page turns now, has EIGHT levels of font size increase, and weighs 6.5 ounces. It is a decent choice because of the 8 graduated font increases and it has Sudoku included on it and many seniors like that. That is $239 on www.astak.com It also has a user-replaceable rechargeable battery. My personal feeling is that a 9.7 inch or 10 inch screened eBook Reader is NOT what a senior wants as they are heavy. That weight will go right to the wrist and will ruin the experience! My mom saw our 9.7 inch prototype and disliked it for that reason: "Bobby, I could never hold this for an hour". I hope that this helps! Last edited by Robertb; 11-05-2009 at 05:09 PM.