Longtime lurker here. I received my EZ Reader in 5 business days, which was far earlier than expected as I paid for only the standard shipping, so that's a plus (I live in CA).
I used to have a Cybook Gen3, but it kept freezing up on me when I tried to read PDFs and I hated how you couldn't organize your books at all. I just wanted an inexpensive reading device that works without any fusses or hassles, so I returned it and purchased an EZ Reader after reading through all of Robertb from Astak's posts about it and the upcoming Pro version.
To clear things up, from what I know, the EZ Reader is literally a Hanlin V3, but with US tech support, a support website (
www.mobiebook.com), free ebooks, AND all for less money!
The EZ Reader comes with a very nice leather case with a magnetic strap, which is nice because now I don't have to go out and buy a different one.
The actual device looks pretty discreet, and isn't ugly like some of the devices out on the market (cough Kindle cough).
The key layout and button controls are all very ergonomic. I had no trouble getting used to the number system that you can use to select things. You can separate ebooks into different folders on your computer when you transfer them, and this makes browsing your library much easier, especially if you are an avid reader. The whole thing is also fairly light, and my hand doesn't cramp at all when I use it for long periods of time.
The 6" screen is very good and does its job. The e-ink page turning speed is also fairly quick, and the device has yet to crash or freeze up on me
Transferring ebooks constitutes of a simple copy-paste or drag and drop, which really can't get much easier.
I will only use my reader for mobipocket (PRC), MS Word DOC, and occasionally PDFs, so these are the only formats I will address.
Mobipocket (PRC): Almost all the actual books on my device are in mobi format and the EZ Reader does an excellent job displaying these. One small thing is that there isn't a bookmark feature for PRC formatted books. There are bookmarks for all other formats though.
MS Word (DOC): This is not to be confused with Microsoft's RTF format. You can simply drag and drop word documents into the EZ Reader, and they read very well.
PDF: This was one of the main reasons I purchased the EZ Reader. I primarily use PDF files for everything but novels, and I had read that the EZ Reader is one of the better devices at displaying them. This is true. The EZ Reader has yet to freeze up on me while opening PDFs (unlike my Cybook), and they display very well. There are 3 zoom modes and image display is good.
The battery life on the EZ Reader is exceptional! Charging takes a little less than 3 hours, and lasts for approximately 8,000 page turns.
Customer service from Astak is unbelievably good! Standard shipping only took 5 days, as opposed to the weeks Amazon usually takes. Also, forum member Robertb is really working hard to satisfy all the requests from MobileRead members on the upcoming EZ Reader Plus, Pro, and the Astak Mentor. Check out the 82 page thread about Astak's upcoming devices
https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...=22658&page=82
Overall, I am extremely satisfied with the EZ Reader. I have no major gripes at all with the device. The only small complaint I have is the mobipocket bookmark thing, but that will probably be fixed soon.
PS if my review wasn't as detailed as you'd like, check out ccccclark's review here
https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=34969 and orwell2k's review here
https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=30913
Happy Reading!