What is most similar to an Astak EZReader ??

[smallhagrid]

This is/was NOT an invitation to beat me up with YOUR preferences, dear reader.

Unlike many folks (it seems) I know what I want and prefer - hence I am not asking here for any huge revelations in the interests of changing said preferences.

I asked here because a friend has seen mine and was sad to hear they are no longer made or supported.

I have been delighted with mine for years, even more so after I found out it uses the exact same battery as my cellular phone (a happy accident !!).

Others I tried were not satisfactory to ME; my good friend had also tried a couple of 'lesser' ebook readers and agrees with me fully in my preferences.

[eschwartz]

Limiting in what way?

I don't know what an Astak EZReader is like, so you will have to describe the functionality you want.

[AnemicOak]

The Astak EZReader, aka Hanlin v3 (aka BeBook, LBook, ECO Reader and a bunch of others) doesn't really have a modern counterpart I don't think. I'm not even sure if the manufacturer, Tianjin Jinke Electronics, is even around anymore. I'd guess a third party reader from someone like PocketBook would probably be closest (depending on what functionality you're actually looking for) or maybe an Android based reader you can install apps on like something from Onyx.

[smallhagrid]

Thanks for replying.

Since pretty much everything I said in this thread was used to club me over the head, this info has been removed as it is irrelevant.

[AnemicOak]

With people wanting thinner devices I don't know if any have user replaceable batteries anymore, or at least not in the sense of an actual battery access door a user can open. Many can have their batteries replaced if you were to pop the casing open. It's possible a PocketBook model might still have this. I'm pretty unfamiliar with their current stuff.

WiFi and touchscreen are pretty standard nowadays.

The 6" screen, like the EZReader, is the usual screen size for most eInk devices although most have much better resolution than the Astak and many can be had with front light technology. Kobo has a 6.8" model which is nice (still easily portable, slightly bigger screen) and there are larger screen models out there (8", 9.7", 13.3") from some manufacturers.

As for file formats I don't think most worry anymore and just store their stuff in Calibre and convert as needed, but again I think you'll have the most luck with the third parties (PocketBook, Onyx Boox, maybe Boyue or Bookeen), but even some of those have more or less standardized on a few formats.

[smallhagrid]

Thanks for the helpful info !!
I made use of that info in searching for both Hanlin Reader & Tianjin Jinke Electronics.
There are still plenty of articles about the company.

Looked over at Amazon just to see what may be selling and to my surprise, there is one for sale, new, under $50 that very much resembles mine in all the important ways.

The replies here also reminded me that I tried a Sony one as well when I tried the others, and it was quite nice except that its screen was just too small for me, and at the time their larger screened models were priced out of my range.

At any event, I can recommend the one I found to my friend as there is not likely to be anything else so much like mine to be found anymore, otherwise.

Thanks.

[eschwartz]

I've never been much of one for expandable storage. The average book size is 500 KB, and with an average internal storage of 3.5 GB, you can store thousands of books at a time.
Of course, this does not take into account people who read e.g. manga.

As AnemicOak said regarding format support, calibre makes formats something you don't have to think about -- and you are anyway going to sideload non-DRMed ebooks, right?

I cannot think of any devices now made without WiFi capabilities, but you don't have to turn the WiFi on if you don't want to, so we can safely ignore that factor.

Touchscreens are also pretty standard, so you will have to get an older device if you specifically want to avoid them. Would the Kindle Voyage/Oasis page turn buttons work instead?

[AnemicOak]

Originally Posted by smallhagrid

Looked over at Amazon just to see what may be selling and to my surprise, there is one for sale, new, under $50 that very much resembles mine in all the important ways.

I'm sure there is new old stock of some of the Hanlin v3 models floating around out there. It was a good device in its time and is still quite capable, although the newer eInk screens are generally higher resolution and have better contrast and refresh.

[meeera]

Originally Posted by smallhagrid

Thanks for replying !!
The obvious 1st...being the nice, big screen, e-ink or whatever that is called now, with a user replaceable battery, and something like an SD slot.
Most importantly, mine does excellently well with many open file formats like TXT, EPUB, PDF, RTF - rather than the site & device-specific ones.

Not needed or wanted:
Any connection with DRM pushing sites, wifi, color screen, touch screen, internet.

In other words - an excellent reader-only device rather than a tablet-wannabe.

I really liked the Kobo when I tried one - but its battery could not be replaced easily and it kind of stank at some file types I use all the time

Which file types, and in what way did it "stink"? The vast majority of file types convert perfectly well to epub in Calibre. PDF is the obvious exception, but PDF stinks, IME, on all non-tablet devices. Feel free to try to convert your PDFs (the output depends on the input quality and the skill of the person dealing with the conversion); or read them on a larger device like a Kobo H2O; or use koreader, if you prefer.

Connection with a bookstore is a non-problem. None of these devices are locked to any particular bookstore. Feel free to ignore it. It does not stop you reading your own files.

If you don't like wifi, leave it off. Again, its existence is a non-problem. And it's extremely useful in doing over-the-air updates without having to involve a computer; or to access your Calibre content server without plugging in.

[Phogg]

Originally Posted by eschwartz

I've never been much of one for expandable storage. The average book size is 500 KB, and with an average internal storage of 3.5 GB, you can store thousands of books at a time.
Of course, this does not take into account people who read e.g. manga.

As AnemicOak said regarding format support, calibre makes formats something you don't have to think about -- and you are anyway going to sideload non-DRMed ebooks, right?

I cannot think of any devices now made without WiFi capabilities, but you don't have to turn the WiFi on if you don't want to, so we can safely ignore that factor.

Touchscreens are also pretty standard, so you will have to get an older device if you specifically want to avoid them. Would the Kindle Voyage/Oasis page turn buttons work instead?

The Aztak devices do audio.
Mine has both all of Walter Gibson's Shadow novels and as many of the radio plays as I could find on it. That uses a whole lot more memory than just reading material.

I think a lot of Aztak owners used them in that way.


There aren't a lot of e-ink readers that handle audio left. The forthcoming Onyx Boox Kepler Pro will handle audio, but only through bluetooth.

I have an Aztak Pocket Pro that I use for pulps and cozy mysteries.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by meeera

Which file types, and in what way did it "stink"?

Kobo's stink with Mobi.

[meeera]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Kobo's stink with Mobi.

Which convert seamlessly to EPUB. Non-problem. But I was asking the OP, in an effort to solve their issue. Given how anti Kindle they are, I'm guessing MOBI isn't their issue.

[eschwartz]

Originally Posted by Phogg

The Aztak devices do audio.
Mine has both all of Walter Gibson's Shadow novels and as many of the radio plays as I could find on it. That uses a whole lot more memory than just reading material.

I think a lot of Aztak owners used them in that way.


There aren't a lot of e-ink readers that handle audio left. The forthcoming Onyx Boox Kepler Pro will handle audio, but only through bluetooth.

I have an Aztak Pocket Pro that I use for pulps and cozy mysteries.

Yes, you can abuse some E-Ink ereaders as an MP3 player. But that doesn't mean you should.

[DaleDe]

Originally Posted by smallhagrid

Thanks for the helpful info !!
I made use of that info in searching for both Hanlin Reader & Tianjin Jinke Electronics.
There are still plenty of articles about the company.

Looked over at Amazon just to see what may be selling and to my surprise, there is one for sale, new, under $50 that very much resembles mine in all the important ways.

The replies here also reminded me that I tried a Sony one as well when I tried the others, and it was quite nice except that its screen was just too small for me, and at the time their larger screened models were priced out of my range.

At any event, I can recommend the one I found to my friend as there is not likely to be anything else so much like mine to be found anymore, otherwise.

Thanks.

There is still wiki articles on all of these products.

Dale

[Phogg]

Originally Posted by eschwartz

Yes, you can abuse some E-Ink ereaders as an MP3 player. But that doesn't mean you should.

The Aztak devices were designed specifically to do it.

And as with a lot of the pulps, The Shadow had both a magazine and a radio show.
To have a complete collection audio and text are both required.
A standard tablet is a poor solution because I have always read outdoors a lot.

The reader market is big enough now to serve niche users.
I hope that Amazon's light and ergonomic Oasis does well, and that waterproof readers continue to sell.
I like seeing all the larger readers coming out now, and I hope we see five inch screens (this time with smaller bezels) again.

It doesn't matter that I am not in the market for every unit that comes out. I don't have analysis paralysis and more options is always better to me.