Astak Mentor eBook readers with WiFi and Touchscreen (read-only)

[pilotbob]

Originally Posted by Robertb

Only the tidbits that I have heard. Nothing concrete. I hear it is around $949.

By the way... Plastic Logic WILL be exhibiting at the eBook Pavillion at 2010 CES in early January. That is fact.

Interesting. I heard when they first announced it they said it will be priced very similar to the Kindle... which was $399 at the time.

We will see.... but with the DR1000 being less than that I can't see that they would sell any at that price.

BOb

[PKFFW]

Originally Posted by sirbruce

You're dodging the point. You said, and I quote:


You blamed the people at the factory -- *your employees* -- for NOT doing something you WANT to do.

There's a difference between something that's difficult to do and something that can't be done. If my boss asked me to do something impossible, sure, I couldn't do it. But if they asked me to do something I thought would be difficult and would interfere with other stuff, I'd say so. But then if he changed his mind and didn't want me to do it, that would not be me refusing to do it; it would be the boss deciding it wasn't worth it.

Now you're claimining that the factory management essentially "knows better". That's fine, but then it's still *YOU*, *YOUR COMPANY*, *YOUR MANGEMENT*, *ASTAK IN THE USA*, that's not willing to make a custom machine. Because you've made the judgement that it's not worth the effort because you believe factory management when they say the effort is too high. But you can't blame *them* for it. You can't say they *won't* do it unless you've ordered them to do it anyway and they still refuse.

You tried to deflect responsibility for your company's own decisions onto some faceless Asians, making it look like their lack of ability or willingness, and now you're claiming it's because you actually respect their judgement. Regardless, it's not their fault you're not making a custom Astak... it's your own.

Why don't you learn how business is done before coming in with crap you obviously don't understand.

There are such things as internal customers within most companies. This is done for a number of reasons, most often relating to accounting.

What this means is that company number 1 may own company number 2, however company number 2 is still run as an autonomous business and treats company number 1(it's owner) as a customer for accounting or other reasons.

In a situation like this it is quite normal and reasonable for company number 2 to refuse a request from company number 1 regardless of the ownership status.

Now, assuming Astak owns Netronix(as seems to be the case from what Robet has said), just because Astak asks it's subsidiary(Netronix) to create a custom ereader with XYZ specifications, this does not mean Netronix must do so.

It is not the same situation as your boss ordering you to do your job.

Get the picture now?

Cheers,
PKFFW

[snowgoose]

RobertB wrote:
Astak, as you know, is working with two factories to come out with an affordable device in the sizes you have named. We know that the main thrust is 9.7 inch: but we are also looking at 10.1 and 10.2 screens. I am looking forward to your specifications.

Keep in mind (I am sure you are) that price has a lot to do with devices for seniors also. While seniors supposedly have the largest amount of spendable cash for such things as eBook Readers... some do not. I believe that while a 10.4 inch screen by Plastic Logic may seem ideal... it is also a whole lot of money.
-----
PC Mag editors clearly think their main audience is younger persons and use mini fonts for their magazine. It is a bit extreme, needing 11.7", and anything in the range above 10" is probably great for seniors, particularly for books. So I watch your developments with the greatest interest.

Plastic Logic originally expected to compete with Kindle prices, and stated that plastic displays were much cheaper than glass versions, so I am very surprised if they come out with over $900 for production models. They won't sell many at that price I think, as Laptops are around $600 to $800 these days. We shall see.

Anyway, I will continue to watch and wait a little longer. Good luck with the screen negotiations, and thank you for at least listening to users suggestions. I await developments with great interest.

[griffonwing]

Mr Dalliard, I saw your name and almost spilled coke out of my nose. I can almost hear Stephen Fry calling towards the back of the shop "Mr Dalliard, I'll meet you at the peephole!"

Anyway, I digress. Now to the main point of this post.

RobertB -- Is there a way to uninstall Sudoku and remap the Sudoku button? I, for one, abhor the game. Having one button, of which there are only a few, assigned as a hotkey to a game, on a device that is intended to be a book reader?

I think that is a waste of a brainstorming session. Now, I may be in the vast minority on this. But just because one is an avid reader doesnt mean that one is also a pencil-puzzle fan. Now, I do love a good crossword now and then, but I would never play a crossword game, or any related pencil game.

When I first heard/saw mention of Sudoku on your posts, I assumed it was only in the 'talks' stage. If this aspect of Mentor cannot be uninstalled and rekeyed, then perhaps I will have to pass on the reader and wait longer.

[oggelbe2007]

Originally Posted by snowgoose

What do Seniors Need in E-readers. The Bells and Whistles Review.

Nice post, and being a senior, I agree with your assessment I also think it would sad and near criminal if the 9.7 was delayed in order to add/debug/test a touchscreen, dictionary, wireless, mp3, or game feature(s). A simple and early 9.7 Lite model would suck up a lot of fence sitting e-reader $$$ and pee in the pool for the Kindle 3 & Plastic logic gang.

Out of the strain of the doing,
Into the peace of the done.
- William Bluefield

[sirbruce]

Wow, it's actually working! I guess some people would just rather believe Astak wants to make them their custom ebook but can't because of some faceless Asian factory workers than believe Astak simply doesn't want to do it for business reasons.

[kacir]

Originally Posted by Robertb

I was trying to provide some information that I thought may be useful. Apparently it was not, and I will cut down on such info in the future.

It was useful and very interesting.
An insight to the process of how generic device is being born is something that an outsider as myself can only very rarely see.

I see why some people do not understand how it is possible that *Your* factory refuses to make device that *you* ask them to. Such is the economic reality. Bean counters step in and say, "OK. If you really, *really* want us to do this, put $XY,000,000 in escrow to cover our loses this will cause at the end of the fiscal year." Because even if factory is yours, their highest responsibility is still producing profit. Enough money to pay for workers, material, [thousands of other things] and, preferably, some money for the owner or for expansion of facility.

[kacir]

Originally Posted by griffonwing

Now, I may be in the vast minority on this.

Well, there are at least two of us ;-)
I want my reader for reading fiction. PERIOD.
I would very much prefer to have a "next page" button on every side and every corner of device.

[kacir]

Originally Posted by PKFFW

Why don't you learn how business is done before coming in with crap you obviously don't understand.

There are such things as internal customers within most companies. This is done for a number of reasons, most often relating to accounting.

What this means is that company number 1 may own company number 2, however company number 2 is still run as an autonomous business and treats company number 1(it's owner) as a customer for accounting or other reasons.

In a situation like this it is quite normal and reasonable for company number 2 to refuse a request from company number 1 regardless of the ownership status.

Now, assuming Astak owns Netronix(as seems to be the case from what Robet has said), just because Astak asks it's subsidiary(Netronix) to create a custom ereader with XYZ specifications, this does not mean Netronix must do so.

It is not the same situation as your boss ordering you to do your job.

Get the picture now?

Cheers,
PKFFW

This is exactly what I have been trying to say in previous post.
Very well said.

[Mr. Dalliard]

To Griffonwing: Mr. Dalliard and I offer our most green-felt apologies for our, it has to be said, inadvertant, near-inducement of nasal spillage of your carbonated beverage.

[pkovak]

Griffonwing, I would love to have some buttons on eReader customized too. Not all buttons, as I would hate to make a mistake and loose ability to access main menu, for example. But I think most other buttons can be customized. It's software thing, after all, so it doesn't affect HW design.

[sirbruce]

Originally Posted by kacir

I see why some people do not understand how it is possible that *Your* factory refuses to make device that *you* ask them to. Such is the economic reality. Bean counters step in and say, "OK. If you really, *really* want us to do this, put $XY,000,000 in escrow to cover our loses this will cause at the end of the fiscal year." Because even if factory is yours, their highest responsibility is still producing profit. Enough money to pay for workers, material, [thousands of other things] and, preferably, some money for the owner or for expansion of facility.

That's an entirely acceptable answer but one entirely different from the one provided. I'm not prepared to assume the man meant something that contradicted his statement, particularly when that explanation would render invalid his entire reasoning for providing it (as he was originally using it as an attempt to defend why it *wasn't* the company's fault).

[kacir]

Originally Posted by snowgoose

A Senior's View of E-reader sizes.

A 6" diagonal display just does not cut it. For the eagle eyed university crowd, these are probably just what they need, but for us older generation, the print is too small to read standard pdf full page documents.

This is not Senior's View.
This is View of the user that wants to read complicated pdf documents formatted for A4 or Letter. And that is a big difference.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by snowgoose

A Senior's View of E-reader sizes.

A 6" diagonal display just does not cut it. For the eagle eyed university crowd, these are probably just what they need, but for us older generation, the print is too small to read standard pdf full page documents.

With the greatest respect, Snowgoose, a 6" device is not intended for use with A4/letter sized PDFs. The primary function of such devices is to read fiction. The devices are quite intentionally produced the same size as paperback books, because that is a size that is easy to carry around.

You are absolutely correct in saying that there is a market for devices with larger screens, but it is not the same market that exists for 6" readers!

[Emu]

Originally Posted by pilotbob

Interesting. I heard when they first announced it they said it will be priced very similar to the Kindle... which was $399 at the time.

We will see.... but with the DR1000 being less than that I can't see that they would sell any at that price.

BOb

I don't know where, but I read somewhere in a blog about an estimated price for the plasticlogic reader which was way over 399$ (a ohmygodwhysomuch value) - but it was just an estimated price, even though reasonable explained