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

[Over]

Originally Posted by HarryT

A 12 foot screen? Is that not slightly excessive? Want do you want - a portable billboard?

He wants to attach it to an aeroplane to do some publicity. He could change the contents literally on the fly! Ingenious.

[ahammer]

Originally Posted by HarryT

A 12 foot screen? Is that not slightly excessive? Want do you want - a portable billboard?

yaya I always get them mixed up 12" is what I ment... if you fold it maybe 12' would be nice when you want to show off things to a group and for the realy blind.

[MaggieScratch]

Originally Posted by Robertb

The problem is that most retailers (such as COSTCO) are vehement on wanting 3G as it locks the end user into buying books only from them.

The worst thing that could have happened to the end user was AT&T and Verizon looking at another profit center; and making things a cloudy mess on 3G for other eBook Reader manufacturers.

Interesting and very illuminating. I wouldn't want a device locked into a single point of purchase, especially an expensive device like an eInk ebook reader.

Verizon especially is well known for forcing its users to stay within their "walled garden" so I definitely want to stay away from a Verizon-sponsored device, even if it is subsidized.

I think Whispernet is pretty keen, but the drawbacks aren't worth it IMO. I know not everyone shares that opinion.

[Robertb]

Originally Posted by pilotbob

It is not iRex's fault that your pocket is to small for the DR1000. Get a bigger pair of pants with bigger pockets.

BOb

Dear Xenophon:

I concur with pilotbob. The problem is definitely that you need bigger pants with huge pockets.

Astak is coming out with special slacks for you. Instead of two side pockets and two back pockets you get one whopping pocket of 22 inch across. The cuffs have extra batteries sown in and your zipper is a solar-charger.

This will be ideal for the new Gigantus Lite... a 21 inch screen that has no Sudoku and operates with chopsticks. As you eat the motion powers a backlight giving you 7,300 pixels per square inch and a sharp jolt to the sternum.

Now, before anyone posts asking where they can buy the Gigantus with the pants... this is just a little chance to bring some light humor to the thread.

[griffonwing]

Originally Posted by Robertb

Dear Xenophon:
Now, before anyone posts asking where they can buy the Gigantus with the pants... this is just a little chance to bring some light humor to the thread.

I recind the unasked question.

[basschick]

i've just read 71 pages of this thread and it's like history. i'll have to finish it later...

[Robertb]

Originally Posted by basschick

i've just read 71 pages of this thread and it's like history. i'll have to finish it later...

Dear BassChick:

What this thread is about is talking with a manufacturer of eBook Readers: Astak, maker of two lines: "EZ Reader" and "Mentor". As Amazon and Sony and so many others will not answer questions or try to reply to posts on new technologies with some "insider insight"... I will. Now, to be fair, any other manufacturer is invited to join in. They just do not. I am not always right, and not everything happens exactly on time, but the keynote of the thread is honesty and openness. People discuss what they want to discuss. Some compliment and some complain and some chuckle... but we all get a say. Occasionally, Astak will bring up a question and people can answer as to WHAT THEY want to see on an eBook Reader. The reason the thread is so long is that Astak has about 7 new models of eBook Readers coming out in the next ten months and one came out shortly after the thread started (EZ Reader Basic). Astak is trying to build what this community wants... such as color, or touchscreened models that are actually clear screened, or long-charged 9.7 or 10.1 devices, or the ongoing argument between Wi-Fi and 3G wireless. I talk about future models and the thread provides a chance to say "hate it, love it, don't care, or swallow it sideways".

THAT is why this thread goes on and on... it works for almost everyone. So, BassChick, welcome to the thread!!

Robert B

[Robertb]

While many of us are not exactly in love with DRM, it is presently necessary. In order to download the latest eBooks, you need it.

Astak is making enormous progress (finally) with securing plenty of choices for the Mentor line. We appear to be 3-4 weeks away from having the eReader (by Fictionwise) SDK. We are about 80% we will have Adobe Digital Editions for the Mentor Lite as they come from the factory and there will be no problem on future Mentor models. This is great because ADE (Adobe Digital Editions) has the best pdf in the industry. Using reflow, you can get some great graphics using ADE. It was expensive for Netronics (our factory) to get ADE... but there is no charge to the end users. You just profit from it.

As ADE is non-exclusive, we and you can have both ADE and eReader on the same device. Both ADE and eReader are effectively EPUB so they will make a good TEAM.

Netronics also has gotten approval from MobiPocket to put that on the Mentor line. Mobi is an exclusive format... so it appears you will have the choice of how you want to have your Mentor. We are working out the details now... but everything is finally moving forward.

Also, many of you do not care about MP3 and many do care. Netronix is getting the license for MP3. It is on the device now but not active. It will be available at least as a firmware upgrade from our new website.

[egret17]

Thanks for the update, Robert! Good to hear that mobi support will continue.

[arioste]

[QUOTE=Robertb;431136]Dear Emellaich:

Definitely noted. Truth be told, I wanted page advance on both sides too.


Dear Robert
Of course you need left and right buttons...reading each day during my travels in Paris through bus, tram and subway...I can assure you that ANY mobile reader NEED THIS DEVICE.

Now an other question (very stupid but I do not find the answer )
What is in centimeter the size of :
1 - The screen of the Mentor
2 - The screen of others Ebooks?

And thanks for the description of IDPF in N.Y.
Do you think that the IDPF will give us a better view of the market ? Here, in Paris, thinks does not seems to move....I will ask to the FNAC (main provider of this type of product with five stores here) what is the situation

All the best

JD

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Robertb

Netronics also has gotten approval from MobiPocket to put that on the Mentor line. Mobi is an exclusive format... so it appears you will have the choice of how you want to have your Mentor. We are working out the details now... but everything is finally moving forward.

Hi Robert,

Perhaps you are unable to answer this, but many manufacturers have announced support for ADE in addition to the DRM-Mobi that they already support - Bookeen and iRex, to name but two. Are you not able to do the same, and support both Mobi and ADE?

[arioste]

Hello Robert !!

Jean again from Paris.....

Would you know if something has been written and created specially for E.Books ?
Something like a news magazine for example ,...And if so, could I have the adress please ?

Thanks again

[snowgoose]

When investigating alternative pdf e-readers, it is always a good idea to review what the "opposition" can provide. One of the credible, but moderately expensive alternatives is the iRex Digital Reader 1000 series (with 10.2" diagonal screen). Very fortunately, they have selected to make their operator's manual available for download in pdf format. It is available here

http://support.irexnet.com/index.php...nloaditemid=26

This is a serious contender for the display of .pdf documents and others, but from reading this manual and other comments from users on mobileread forums, I personally would not buy this specific version for three main reasons as follows.

1. The screen is glass, and subject to breakage if dropped or twisted by accident. Later models may possibly use a more flexible screen, and this would help considerably.

2. The iRex 1000 ereader does not store the books on internal memory but insists that the SD card be inserted whenever one wishes to read books. Unfortunately this SD card sticks out of the bottom of the reader into one's stomach. I have never read any book with lumps sticking out of the bottom... how uncomfortable.

3. When the battery is being charged you can read books, but the cable connection (USB) is also at the bottom of the reader sticking straight out into one's stomach. Again, this seems a poor choice of location. It would be better placed on the side of the reader.


This ereader has many good features as well, and many people like it. I suspect that the need to keep the SD card in place for book reading has less to do with the claimed need “to be able to remove the material from the reader” as it has to do with the restrictive non-transferable Mobi DRM features. Adobe DE DRM has less restriction. We can only hope that future designers of larger ereaders make a note of these deficiencies and hopefully correct them. Being able to store books and .pdf documents on internal memory, rather than only on the SD card, seems to me to be highly desirable.

Finally, let me encourage all ereader designers to place their operating user manuals on line so that potential future buyers of their products can make a more informed choice of their good and not so good capabilities; each person will judge things differently, depending on their personal requirements. Every manufacturer is usually forced to make some compromises to be able to manufacture at reasonable cost, and it really helps to know what these are before buying these moderately expensive items.

[griffonwing]

Just got a letter from the IRS stating that I qualify for EIC, and that I didn't put it down on my tax return. I filled out the paper and mailed it back. Looks like I'll be able to afford an e-reader here shortly after all!

Now, here's hoping the new readers will be out by the time my returns get in.

gw
(my manson avatar)

[snipenekkid]

Originally Posted by griffonwing

Just got a letter from the IRS stating that I qualify for EIC, and that I didn't put it down on my tax return. I filled out the paper and mailed it back. Looks like I'll be able to afford an e-reader here shortly after all!

Now, here's hoping the new readers will be out by the time my returns get in.

gw
(my manson avatar)

Nice use of the EIC..."nice" to see it going to your kids as is the intended purpose of the credit, not to some frivolous use.