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

[Robertb]

Originally Posted by Robertb

Dear Luigi:

WE badly want the Epson S1D13521 controller; but wanting it and getting it from Epson is not simple! The latest from Epson is the controller will be available in LATE November at earliest (IF all goes well). That MAY miss the first boat as we have to have these units for sale on or about November 27 and in order to do this we would need the new controller in early October. The EZ Reader will be very, very fast... with Apollo controller... and I think you will find it excellent.

Actually, there will be a second more full-featured version with WiFi and possible Touchscreen from Astak planned for March, 2009. The General Manager is going to Taiwan on October 4 with a laundry list of WHAT we know would be absolutely ideal for the March intro! PLEASE... any Forum readers with comments let me know before October 4. We already have down the Epson controller.

Regarding the dictionary with T9... we are going to TRY to get this added before the EZ Reader is released in November. I cannot say for sure; but I desperately want it!

Oh, we did firm up the colors: they will be: Black, Metallic Red, and Electric Blue... very similar to Apple iPod Nano colors if you want some idea in advance.

Astak trusts Dale DePriest of MobileRead Forum a lot! This man has kind of been a guiding light in my sea of darkness. As such, I am entrusting the official post on the EZ Reader to Dale to announce and post! I expect he will post this on or around September 26. Ciao!!

Robert B

Also>>> Astak is planning a "waiting list" to guage how many we should order initially.

We have never done this before so please WAIT until the announcement posted by Dale of MobileRead Forum. Then, please email to irish@teamresearchinc.com to be put on the waiting list for the 6 inch EZ Reader by Astak. Iris will NOT answer questions or correspond with you. She will simply place your name and email address on the waiting list. Please be serious about purchasing after you read the announcement. More info on the EZ Reader will be posted on www.astak.com and the price will be posted on there. Please include your preference for color: black, Electric Blue or Metallic Red.

[Rosethorn1403]

Yay, at least we can get on the waiting list when it happens. I have a question in general for the tech wiz people (since i am most definately not one). I am going to get the astak 6 inch, but want to get something simple like an ebookwise to tide me over. will it be possible to convert the ebookwise imp files into a format that can be used on the astak? a little off topic, so apologies in advance for that

[askyn]

Originally Posted by Rosethorn1403

Yay, at least we can get on the waiting list when it happens. I have a question in general for the tech wiz people (since i am most definately not one). I am going to get the astak 6 inch, but want to get something simple like an ebookwise to tide me over. will it be possible to convert the ebookwise imp files into a format that can be used on the astak? a little off topic, so apologies in advance for that

good question!

Ive decided to do the very same thing ( just recieved my ebookwise 1150 this week, im VERY happy with it fyi ).

[DaleDe]

It is difficult to convert IMP files to anything else. But you can get a source file that can be converted into any format you choose. For example most of the IMP books created and uploaded on this site are converted from other formats such as Mobipocket. Since many sites that sell books in IMP form have the same book available in other formats, I usually grab a couple of formats while I am at it. Fictionwise will let you redownload files you purchased in one format to another format in what they call multi-format books. You seldom will even find any DRM books for the ebookwise so it is generally not a problem getting the source and converting it.

Dale

[wallcraft]

Originally Posted by Rosethorn1403

will it be possible to convert the ebookwise imp files into a format that can be used on the astak?

The best advice I ever got for the EB-1150 was to buy ebooks from fictionwise.com rather than ebookwise.com (same company, different web site and ebook formats). As DaleDe says, many are sold as multiformat, including IMP, at FictionWise and even if ebookwise.com has them as Secure IMP you are better off buying a Secure LIT (say) at FictionWise instead and converting it.

If you are buying an Astak, then Secure eReader format may be better than LIT (since eReader is presumably the initial native format of the Astak). However, I don't know if this makes the conversion to IMP harder.

[nekokami]

I don't think secure eReader can be converted. LIT is probably your best choice, as once it's been de-DRM'd, you can then convert it to whatever Astak uses later.

[Justy]

Originally Posted by nekokami

I don't think secure eReader can be converted. LIT is probably your best choice, as once it's been de-DRM'd, you can then convert it to whatever Astak uses later.

secure eReader can be converted to HTML and then to other formats, with the right software. If the goal is to have an ebook which could be read directly on an Astak at a later date, then I would definitely buy eReader ebooks.

[AJ Starr]

Originally Posted by Robertb

... Regarding the dictionary with T9...
Robert B

T9? can someone explain

Never mind, I looked it up in the Wiki.

[Luigino]

Hello RobertB!

Originally Posted by Robertb

WE badly want the Epson S1D13521 controller; but wanting it and getting it from Epson is not simple!
[...]
The EZ Reader will be very, very fast... with Apollo controller... and I think you will find it excellent.

Just being curious, what characteristics has this Apollo controller?.... Is there somewhere a datasheet of this Apollo controller that I can look at?... :-)

Originally Posted by Robertb

Actually, there will be a second more full-featured version with WiFi and possible Touchscreen from Astak planned for March, 2009.

So that would mean at launch it will be a non-full-featured and economic model of EZ Reader right? (which is want I would like to get... without extra options that I don't need really) Will at launch be showed also the price to see if affordable to me?...

Originally Posted by Robertb

Oh, we did firm up the colors: they will be: Black, Metallic Red, and Electric Blue... very similar to Apple iPod Nano colors if you want some idea in advance.

Hmmm I guess I'd like the black one... it's a color which represents elegance...

Originally Posted by Robertb

Also>>> Astak is planning a "waiting list" to guage how many we should order initially.
We have never done this before so please WAIT until the announcement posted by Dale of MobileRead Forum. Then, please email to irish@teamresearchinc.com to be put on the waiting list for the 6 inch EZ Reader by Astak. Iris will NOT answer questions or correspond with you. She will simply place your name and email address on the waiting list. Please be serious about purchasing after you read the announcement. More info on the EZ Reader will be posted on www.astak.com and the price will be posted on there. Please include your preference for color: black, Electric Blue or Metallic Red.

About the "waiting list" I'd like first to know if the EZ Reader that will be launched is a non-full-functional and economic version and its price to check if it'd be affordable to make myself subscribing into the "waiting list"... :-)

Lemme guess those details will be announced around that date of September 26 as you said, right RobertB?

Thank you again, RobertB, for sharing with us latest informations.
Ciao!
Luigi :-)

[wallcraft]

Originally Posted by Luigino

Just being curious, what characteristics has this Apollo controller?.... Is there somewhere a datasheet of this Apollo controller that I can look at?

This is the original controller for 6" devices. It is used in the Kindle for example. See Article on Linux and E Ink displays.

[emellaich]

Robert, since there was discussion of T9 above, have you folks looked into the company, swype (www.swypeinc.com) that recently demo'ed at TechChrunch (I think).

Not for your current release, maybe for March or maybe for next October, but it certainly looks like a highly superior text entry method on touch screens. They claim to reach typing speeds with no learning curve and the demo makes the claim look reasonable.

Michael

[alanastoz]

Originally Posted by Rosethorn1403

Yay, at least we can get on the waiting list when it happens. I have a question in general for the tech wiz people (since i am most definately not one). I am going to get the astak 6 inch, but want to get something simple like an ebookwise to tide me over. will it be possible to convert the ebookwise imp files into a format that can be used on the astak? a little off topic, so apologies in advance for that

It is not possible to download from another format apart fromm IMP from ebookwise.com. Us fictionwise.com instead, they are the same commpany and have generally the same books. Choose the multi-format option whenever you can. If you do have an Imp file you wish to convert i have yet to find a converter that can do this. If you do find one please post it! Instead you are better off downloading in another format such as mobipocket, ereader or palm and then use ABC Amber Converter or similar to convert to Rtf and then to imp.
Hopefully between us we can work it out but we may need to start a new thread.
Cheers, Gaby

[zelda_pinwheel]

Originally Posted by alanastoz

It is not possible to download from another format apart fromm IMP from ebookwise.com. Us fictionwise.com instead, they are the same commpany and have generally the same books. Choose the multi-format option whenever you can. If you do have an Imp file you wish to convert i have yet to find a converter that can do this. If you do find one please post it! Instead you are better off downloading in another format such as mobipocket, ereader or palm and then use ABC Amber Converter or similar to convert to Rtf and then to imp.
Hopefully between us we can work it out but we may need to start a new thread.
Cheers, Gaby

i confirm, imp format is a deadend for now. nrapallo has been tinkering with it to try to extract all the useable data, but i'm not sure how far along his efforts are, in any case not even close to a conversion tool.

i never buy a book in imp format (even when i download one for free from MR, if it's available as a mobi format as well i take that one too for archival purposes). the best plan is to buy LIT (Microsoft Reader) format ; it's almost always available and is very easy to convert (particularly with nrapallo's "one-click" converter tool : look at the stickies in the eb1150 forum), and has a decent core of html so the extracted file can be archived for later conversion to other formats with reasonably good results.

[HarryT]

Robert,

Can you explain, please, how we went from your statement (concerning your 6" reader) that:

The price for this is expected just under $200 (YES, THAT IS $200).

to the current situation where Dale informs us that:

Rumor has it that this first unit will hit the streets at a bit over $300 US.

Is that rumour correct, or are you going to stand by your previous price estimate?

I mean no disrespect in saying this, but for months you've been raising peoples' expectations, and now we have what appears to be nothing more than "yet another Hanlin clone" at the same price point as all the others. What do you have to say to people who are certain to be disappointed by this?

[AJ Starr]

Robert,

I just "googled" EZ Reader and found several other products with that name. Should you rethink the name?