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

[griffonwing]

Originally Posted by phenomshel

Don't make me restrain you! (you might enjoy it too much... *evil grin*)

Aye, that I might.

As far as fonts go, a very elegant font for the EZ would be Trajan Pro. Although the E would have to be 150% horizontal Scale, and the Z would have to be Bold. For some reason, the default E seems to be narrower than the Z.

As for the "Reader", a nice cursive would be great, but nothing too fancy or scripty.

[AJ Starr]

Since the design on the EZ Reader is obe, why don't we come up with an acceptable logo for the Pocket Pro.....
AJ

[phenomshel]

Originally Posted by griffonwing

Aye, that I might.

As far as fonts go, a very elegant font for the EZ would be Trajan Pro. Although the E would have to be 150% horizontal Scale, and the Z would have to be Bold. For some reason, the default E seems to be narrower than the Z.

As for the "Reader", a nice cursive would be great, but nothing too fancy or scripty.

I was thinking Carpenter Script for the "Reader" part. It's very stretched out, but still readable.

[griffonwing]

Here is a quick one i did.

EZ = Trebuchet MS font - 40pt CAPS
Reader = Trebuchet MS font - 30pt CAPS
pocketpro = Chaparral Pro font - 18pt lowercase

I rasterized the "READER" and removed the vertical on the Rs and Es, and removed the legs of the A.

Granted, its not scripty, but I reinstalled the OS yesterday and inadvertantly forgot to copy my font library before wiping it. I have a backup at home and will have to remember to get it tonite. I hate not having fonts.

[Robertb]

Originally Posted by emellaich

Robert,

Can we see a picture of a pocket pro displaying a text page? I am interested in how close the text goes to the top/bottom and left/right of the page. If there is a 'fullscreen' mode that eliminates any headers and footers that would be ideal.

My interest is because I believe that a 5 inch that allows you to use the full screen will have more reading area than my 6 inch that has left/right margins and a header and footer.

Thx

Dear Emellaich:

Please see if these three will work for what you need.

[Robertb]

Originally Posted by Sonist

Just looked at the photos. Pretty neat, but cover icons would be better.

On another subject, wow! That huge EZ Reader logo is ugly enough, to prevent me from considering the product bearing it. I seriously couldn't look at it on regular basis :-) It looks cheesy and makes the device look cheap....

Astak needs to think of design, if it's to play with the big boys.

We have an all new black on white logo for the devices. That logo you saw is just the logo for the website. I LIKE very much the example logo that Griffonwing did... that IS class. But I think everyone is confused. The website will sell both EZ Reader and Mentor eBook Readers so we had to pick a logo just for that.

The logo for the devices is different. Let me see if I can post that.

[Robertb]

Originally Posted by griffonwing

Here is a quick one i did.

EZ = Trebuchet MS font - 40pt CAPS
Reader = Trebuchet MS font - 30pt CAPS
pocketpro = Chaparral Pro font - 18pt lowercase

I rasterized the "READER" and removed the vertical on the Rs and Es, and removed the legs of the A.

Granted, its not scripty, but I reinstalled the OS yesterday and inadvertantly forgot to copy my font library before wiping it. I have a backup at home and will have to remember to get it tonite. I hate not having fonts.

Dear Griffonwing:

This is a superb effort. I love it. Let me see if we can work it in to the packaging for the Pocket PRO.

YOU have talent, you old pirate you!!

[phenomshel]

Originally Posted by griffonwing

Here is a quick one i did.

EZ = Trebuchet MS font - 40pt CAPS
Reader = Trebuchet MS font - 30pt CAPS
pocketpro = Chaparral Pro font - 18pt lowercase

I rasterized the "READER" and removed the vertical on the Rs and Es, and removed the legs of the A.

Granted, its not scripty, but I reinstalled the OS yesterday and inadvertantly forgot to copy my font library before wiping it. I have a backup at home and will have to remember to get it tonite. I hate not having fonts.

Very cool! I did the same thing - haven't even reinstalled Paint Shop Pro or Photoshop yet, so no graphics program AND no fonts. That is very classy, Griffonwing!

[griffonwing]

Originally Posted by Robertb

We have an all new black on white logo for the devices. That logo you saw is just the logo for the website. I LIKE very much the example logo that Griffonwing did... that IS class. But I think everyone is confused. The website will sell both EZ Reader and Mentor eBook Readers so we had to pick a logo just for that.

The logo for the devices is different. Let me see if I can post that.

Yes, I look forward to seeing the new EZreader-pocketpro logo. Will this be the new logo for the entire EZReader line? i.e, the same "EZ Reader" logo with the only difference being the Pro/Pocketpro/True/etc..?

Originally Posted by Robertb

Dear Griffonwing:

This is a superb effort. I love it. Let me see if we can work it in to the packaging for the Pocket PRO.

Astak is doing something that I never would have thought a company would ever do.

• A member on this forum suggests a possible name for the 9.7 reader, and boom! it's chosen as an official name. The EZ Reader True
• Many members suggests possible color tones that they would like to see for the a reader, and they are used.
• Suggestions are made for reader features, and these are brought before the developer in a one-on-one personal meeting

and now this, even though just a 'possibility' of this logo being used on the packaging, it's still...crazy. I am glad you like it. Although, personally, I think it needs more work. Maybe a bit shorter and longer, and slanted italicized maybe, making it a bit sleeker. I dunno. I ramble.

And here I though Astak was just the stuff my mother used to glue the seat of my pants to the chair as a child...

Question. Is it "Pocket Pro" two words, or "Pocketpro" one word? I had written is as "pocketpro" lowercase one-word, but I'm not sure exactly how you wish to market it.

Oops, nevermind, I see above, it's "Pocket PRO". The logo might have to be changed after all.

[griffonwing]

Originally Posted by phenomshel

Very cool! I did the same thing - haven't even reinstalled Paint Shop Pro or Photoshop yet, so no graphics program AND no fonts.

This is on a work PC. I went through everywhere, moving everything to the network drive, went through every folder in My Docs, and all the MISC folders on the root drive. I even backed up my Opera Browser settings and bookmarks. How could I have overlooked my fonts!

Even after reinstalling XP, and reinstalled Adobe Design Premium CS4, I still have only a few fonts. I figured Adobe would have included a large font library. I'll have to go through the install disks again, I might have missed it somewhere.


-----EDIT-----

OK, new logo. Same as the old, but now with correct spelling of the device. I'd like to see other ideas as well. How bout you, Phenom! Show me what you go with your fancy script! Or are you just all talk?

[brecklundin]

Originally Posted by Robertb

Dear Emellaich:

Please see if these three will work for what you need.

Weird, what changed between the lighting for the 1st compared with the 2nd and 3rd images? The first shows the typical dingy grey background but the latter two show a warmer background which, for me, offers a more paperback look and is far more readable than my K1 is for me. The font size in the 3rd shot is very readable to my eyes. But if that warmer background coloring is not true to life, but just a result of an environmental lighting change which affected the camera's processing of the image, then bummer because it means no improvement in the displays yet. But that warmer color is very close to the colors I use on my devices as a background. If someone could make displays with that warmer cast, it would be interesting to see how they would go over compared to pbooks for most of us who have probs with the grey on eink of today.

A shame the device you received had firmware issues, I thought you said they were production units? Not enough testing time? But firmware is about the easiest fix for a device that there is. As long as the firmware provider (and I am assuming this is not an Astak specific firmware?) actually gets it done as promised.

[pjssilva]

I have to concur that the "EZ" in the device logo is very ugly. Actually, I am considering buying a EZ reader in a trip to the US that I'll do in August. However, whenever I see that logo, I think: "I must buy a sticker or something to cover that logo".

The logo created by griffonwing is already a major improvement. But I believe that Bob should hire a professional designer to create a definitive logo, maybe starting from griffonwing work. Looks are very important in portable electronic devices, never underestimate it.

Finally, I think the logo for the new site is cheessy too...

(No offense implied...)

[MaggieScratch]

Originally Posted by Sonist

P.S. Robert, one last word of friendly advise: Never, ever, do design by committee :-) Assign it to someone you trust, and then trust them.

*points at Sonist*

*nods energetically*

[griffonwing]

Originally Posted by MaggieScratch

*points at Sonist*

*nods energetically*

I also concur on the device logo. Is the logo something you brand in-house, or is this done at the same factory which makes the coloured plastics? I am assuming it's done at the factory.

If so, and if they are ready to begin the creation of the units, then time is very important. I would definately have a professional graphic artist create a couple options.

I am not a professional. I don't even play one on TV. I don't even watch TV.

[pkovak]

On the logo issue: I would like to see something much less visible and distracting, even Griffonwing's design is too much for my taste. Maybe "hand written" text and no bold letters? It's a design thing, it should improve the looks of the device. Not invisible, but with style.