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

[Luigino]

Originally Posted by Nate the great

So the CPU isn't running in the background (while the screen isn't drawing power)?

I can only suppose they found some way to play with a condensator which is like a battery that keeps the eInk on.... we should read better the specifications of that ORSiO....

[Nate the great]

I was being mildly sarcastic in my previous remark. I had assumed that you would realize that particular marketing claim about the Orsio is simply not true. If the page is changing, then the CPU must be running, and power must be supplied to it.

[Luigino]

Originally Posted by Nate the great

I was being mildly sarcastic in my previous remark. I had assumed that you would realize that particular marketing claim about the Orsio is simply not true. If the page is changing, then the CPU must be running, and power must be supplied to it.

Yeah but maybe ORSiO has an hardware where the Next or Previous or First or Last page button has also a power-switch-on circuit which just in a second it runs the CPU, then performs a little code to change the page like reading a variable stored in a internal flash memory to know what page number is currently... but as I said before, who knows? I can only suppose since the specifications you can read from squonk's post translated about ORSiO's says so...

[Indigo Ink]

how do I delete this double post

[Indigo Ink]

Originally Posted by Luigino

Ehm.... you should re-edit it and write it in english... I think no one except me and you knows italian hehehehhehe

At all about Epson product I'm waiting for it since the characteristics are really impressive as you wrote down...in the meanwhile I'm waiting for the Mentor 6" product coming out in the market :-D

Well I dont know Italian, but I can still understand it going by my knowledge of Portuguese. And I guess anyone with some knowledge of the latin based languages vcan easily understand the given text.

[Luigino]

Well, anyway I guess here it's admitted only english for comprehension from everyone... ok now we are O.T.

Oh well I'm still waiting for the 6" Mentor........ :waiting: :waiting:

heheh

[Rosethorn1403]

Hey RobertB,

when you have a second (I'm sure it's pretty hectic at the moment) could we get an update on whats happening?

thanks

[kacir]

Hi Robertb.

I know it might be a little late ;-), but I have an idea about enhancement of the user interface (list of e-books).
The enhancement could be very cheap in terms of programer work.

The current situation:
- The reader device stores information about the current page the user is reading for each e-book, so it can open the book at the page where the user was reading last time.
- The reader displays list of e-books for user to choose the e-book

The improvement:
- If the current page for the e-book is the last page, the book icon or name is displayed in a list of books in grey color (or perhaps in italics), so the user can see at the first glance that this is the book he has already finished. If you decide you do not want to finish the book you simply go to the last page prior to closing the book.

The designers of the user interface for a typical book reader (Sony PRS, for example) have not foreseen the situation where user wants to upload several hundred, or perhaps even over a thousand of e-books from Silk Pagoda, Moblieread fantastic collection, Project Gutenberg, private hoard, .... This is why power users are clamouring for folders, possibility to move books between folders, rename books or delete books. I think this situation could be greatly alleviated by possibility to distinctly mark or filter e-books based on the page where the user has left the book.

You might even implement a virtual folder or list of books that would be called "To be read" for all the books where the current page is page 1.

I hope this helps to create a better product, an interesting firmware update, or, perhaps, a better second generation of Astak ;-)

Hey, Sony engineers, I hope you are following this thread as well

[alanastoz]

Hi Guys,
ASTAK has updated their site. Worth a lOOK.
5" now has a price!!! $249.00

[Luigino]

Originally Posted by alanastoz

Hi Guys,
ASTAK has updated their site. Worth a lOOK.
5" now has a price!!! $249.00

Where did you see that? I checked on their main site and also on astakshop but I haven't found anything about it...

[Mindy]

Was a bit confused by that myself, but it's under the section for the 5", not the overview page or the shop. None of the other sections appear to be updated yet.

Copy & Paste for ease of reference:

"Imagine reading books while listening to music... and yet the device fits in your pocket or purse! The 5 inch Astak Mentor will allow you to store around 500 full length books plus hundreds of songs... yet one charge lasts to 8,000 pages! No eye strain either... as you can increase font size as needed. This 5 inch device gives you E-ink and E-paper technology... yet is less thick than a pencil. You download direct to your computer and simply USB in the books you choose to download. Perfect for the plane, the football game, reading while dining, waiting for your spouse, or waiting for the fish to bite. How can anything so small and light bring so much learning and enjoyment into your life? Believe in magic... magic's name is Astak! The projected retail price is less than $249 and we should be selling the 5 inch FIRST through our website: www.astakshop.com in late August. Later they will sell through the Retail Stores. "

[gollu]

I think that's quite a blow to the "big screened average priced eInk"...
I so much hoped that the the 9.2" will be around $300, but if 5" is $250. Well, maybe in a few more years...

[alanastoz]

Originally Posted by Luigino

Where did you see that? I checked on their main site and also on astakshop but I haven't found anything about it...

Here's the exact link for you Luigino.

http://www.astak.com/5Ebook_Reader.html

There' getting closer and closer!

By the way for anyone who feels they can't wait and wants to bbuy a cybook instead BEWARE
They have AWFUL AWFUL customer service after you buy their product. It took me four emails and three weeks to get an answer about a product fault.
there is NO WAY that Astak or anyone else for that matter could be worse.
The Mentor/Litebook is going to be worth the wait.

[Luigino]

Originally Posted by alanastoz

Here's the exact link for you Luigino.

http://www.astak.com/5Ebook_Reader.html

There' getting closer and closer!

By the way for anyone who feels they can't wait and wants to bbuy a cybook instead BEWARE
They have AWFUL AWFUL customer service after you buy their product. It took me four emails and three weeks to get an answer about a product fault.
there is NO WAY that Astak or anyone else for that matter could be worse.
The Mentor/Litebook is going to be worth the wait.

OK thanks, even if I got pasted from the site in the previous post... at least that makes me thinking the 6" model will cost something like USD $250-$300...

at all, was that Bookeen's support really on late or could they be pretty busy lately replying to everyone had a malfunction? something like at the supermarket "you get the number ticket and wait your turn"...?
But I could also be wrong...

[Luigino]

Originally Posted by gollu

I think that's quite a blow to the "big screened average priced eInk"...
I so much hoped that the the 9.2" will be around $300, but if 5" is $250. Well, maybe in a few more years...

welcome here gollu.. I see it's your first post if I am right... but I would say who knows? could be possible a scenery like this: 5" less than USD $249, 6" less than USD $300 and the bigger less than USD $350...

In fact at their site, they say "less than $249"... could be also USD $230 for example.... we have to wait robertb which he is the only one here that can give us updates...