[eGeezer]

While it doesn't provide much help for any Astak purchasers who don't frequent the MobileRead forums, Robertb is present throughout the threads constantly reminding people to read the Astak FAQ, to charge the battery, to update to the latest firmware.

While doing a "straight out of the box" review is commendable from the many aspects iterated, it can also be misleading. Reading a review, one assumes they are getting the latest information on the unit. For instance, perhaps the description of a cumbersome process to get back to the page last read might cause a shopper to buy elsewhere, when in fact the cumbersome process is no longer required.

Ereading devices are probably a rare animal, with Astak/Hanlin/BeBook even rarer, because there aren't many other devices out there for which a firmware update makes functional improvements without an accompanying new model year.

I would think starting a review with its own "read me first" paragraph would be fair to both the reader and manufacturer. It could either state something along the lines that the unit is reviewed as is out of the box, but that improvements may have been made with a later firmware (check theezreader.com).

Or a (more accurate) review could be after a firmware update, with a "read me first" paragraph stating that the unit is being reviewed using the latest firmware "nnnnnn", available at theezreader.com, which it is advised the buyer check out, as well.

I would much rather be told I need an update to get all the features mentioned in a review than choose not to buy the product based on a review that leaves stuff out because the information in it is out-dated.

On the other hand. If the review was written before the latest firmware was available, then shame on me for jumping to conclusions.

Btw, I still have all the stickers on my laptop, DVD player, and AV receiver, although I did take the clear plastic off the displays.