@all,
I downloaded and installed the new firmware release (dated 3/12/2010), and it seems to have re-introduced two of the nasty problems I had with the original firmware that shipped with my EZ Reader - i.e. extremely short battery life (I got less than a day with the new firmware on a fully charged unit) and also lots of missed key presses.
The previous firmware release (dated 12/10/2009) solved both these issues - I was routinely getting several weeks or a month without ever having to turn the unit off, and very rarely had a missed key press.
I'm recharging the unit now, and will give the new firmware one more chance - but I'm very glad I saved a copy of the previous firmware since I expect I will be reverting to it tomorrow. I recommend others grab a copy of the previous version in case it disappears from the
www.astak.com site (I notice it's not listed on
www.theezreader.com).
Ross.
P.S. I never got to the bottom of the original power problem (since it was solved) but I recall reading somewhere in these forums that it may have been due to the unit failing to power down the SD card correctly - if this is the case, this issue may not affect people without an SD card installed.