Astak Mentor eBook readers with WiFi and Touchscreen (read-only) - Page 9

Gester · 04-17-2008, 09:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSWolf

I'd be fine with 9.7" as I carry my reader around in my bag and it would fit fine.

I wonder what the weight is on the 9.7" model. The Netronix EB-300 PDF lacks that bit.

Now some folks will complain about feature creep (what folks? Shhh...hypothetical folks), but they can cram all they want into them as long as the interface makes sense and it doesn't weigh as much as a laptop.

DaleDe · 04-17-2008, 10:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gester

I wonder what the weight is on the 9.7" model. The Netronix EB-300 PDF lacks that bit.

Now some folks will complain about feature creep (what folks? Shhh...hypothetical folks), but they can cram all they want into them as long as the interface makes sense and it doesn't weigh as much as a laptop.

Hanlin V9 is spec'd at 320g including the battery. Check the wiki for the specifcations. https://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/Hanlin_V9

Dale

Gester · 04-17-2008, 10:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaleDe

Hanlin V9 is spec'd at 320g including the battery. Check the wiki for the specifcations. https://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/Hanlin_V9

Dale

Thanks, I always forget that all of these devices are essentially the same with different features.

delphidb96 · 04-17-2008, 11:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaleDe

Hanlin V9 is spec'd at 320g including the battery. Check the wiki for the specifcations. https://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/Hanlin_V9

Dale

11.3 ounces? Hmmm... That's really not that bad considering one would be getting about twice the number of pixels. I could live with that as a tech manual/textbook reader. And if Astak meets what we've heard may be it's price range for the 9.7" unit, well that would make it a darned nice reader!

Derek

TheJohnNewton · 04-19-2008, 11:42 AM

Looks interesting. I like having another choice and competition for the other readers but the name of the company in English sounds like a pain in the you know what.

Do we really need all these different incompatable file formats?

NatCh · 04-19-2008, 12:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheJohnNewton

Do we really need all these different incompatable file formats?

Nope. But the problem is getting folks to settle on a single one.

jor · 04-27-2008, 05:36 PM

Hi,
will astak mentor say definitive price in May?

DaleDe · 04-27-2008, 07:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jor

Hi,
will astak mentor say definitive price in May?

Unlikely I believe. I would take their estimates with a grain of salt and not make purchase decisions today based on what they might cost in September or December.

Dale

aleks · 04-28-2008, 05:54 PM

A reader tht displays a full page in pdf without me having to use a magnifying glass? I can hardly wait!!!!

radleyp · 04-28-2008, 05:58 PM

Assuming this is an 8x11" page, the reader will have to be that size too. Do you want to carry something that big? I don't.

aleks · 04-28-2008, 06:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by radleyp

Assuming this is an 8x11" page, the reader will have to be that size too. Do you want to carry something that big? I don't.

It's a matter of personal prefrence and intended use. Me, I use my to read when in bed. The biggest problem I have is that I enjoy reading older books that are scanned into google and they do not easily (nor comfortablly) fit onto my Sony. Some of them you can't read without using a magnifying glass (or so it seems)

For me it's not the size that matters but how you use it....

radleyp · 04-28-2008, 06:07 PM

Understood. That's the problem with pdf - it's designed with a set page size in mind and there is almost no good way to shrink it down so it fits well on a smaller page, so either you shrink the print (and then you need that magnifying glass) or you butcher the page.

DaleDe · 04-29-2008, 01:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by radleyp

Understood. That's the problem with pdf - it's designed with a set page size in mind and there is almost no good way to shrink it down so it fits well on a smaller page, so either you shrink the print (and then you need that magnifying glass) or you butcher the page.

typically, if you split the page in half it will work fine with a large eBook reader in landscape mode. Not too much butchering but still can be problem on mulicolumn PDFs.

Dale

aleks · 04-29-2008, 06:57 AM

Yesterday I read through the nine pages of posts regarding the Astak Mentor and just thought it was too good to be true so, I sent a note to Astak asking for confirmation that they are indeed intending to issue an ereader. Here is their reply:

Yes, at the IDPF show in New York, May 14, Astak will introduce three new eBook reading devices known as "Mentor". They will be in 5 inch, 6 inch, and 9.7 inch. WiFi, Bluetooth, and Touchscreen will be options on smaller models and standard on the larger ones. Stereo music is standard and it will read 8,000 pages on a single charge. Astak is a partner in the manufacture and design and sales of these units. Expected sales dates will be between July and September for all three.

The designs and the price are still not fully set... but we expect the 5 inch to retail at less that $200. All the features are not cast yet in concrete but they should be far better than anything else on the market.

Thank you,

Bob Barry

I sent a follow up regarding a proected cost on for the 9.7 inch version and will post when I hear back but I would gues about $300-$400.

NatCh · 04-29-2008, 11:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by radleyp

Assuming this is an 8x11" page, the reader will have to be that size too. Do you want to carry something that big? I don't.

I agree: not for reading I wouldn't.

However for a professional usage, I'd naturally have different needs and parameters of what I'd put up with. For that I'd love to have something that size. Especially if I could integrate using it with OneNote -- I've been using that application for about 8 months now, and it's really working well for managing my projects. An A4 reader with stylus support that could talk to OneNote would be really nice.

Although, I wouldn't be carrying it around all that much, and when I did, it'd be in a briefcase, which handles things in that size range nicely.

04-19-2008, 11:42 AM	#125
TheJohnNewton Addict Posts: 256 Karma: 144599 Join Date: Jan 2008 Device: Boox Nova 2	Looks interesting. I like having another choice and competition for the other readers but the name of the company in English sounds like a pain in the you know what. Do we really need all these different incompatable file formats? Last edited by TheJohnNewton; 04-19-2008 at 11:47 AM.

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04-27-2008, 05:36 PM	#127
jor Junior Member Posts: 6 Karma: 10 Join Date: Apr 2008 Device: iLiad Reader	Hi, will astak mentor say definitive price in May?

04-28-2008, 05:54 PM	#129
aleks Connoisseur Posts: 89 Karma: 205 Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Upstate NY Device: Rocket eBook & Sony Reader	A reader tht displays a full page in pdf without me having to use a magnifying glass? I can hardly wait!!!!

04-28-2008, 05:58 PM	#130
radleyp Evangelist Posts: 499 Karma: 20623 Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: North Salem & NYC, NY Device: Kindle Global, iphone4, ipad	Assuming this is an 8x11" page, the reader will have to be that size too. Do you want to carry something that big? I don't.

04-28-2008, 06:07 PM	#132
radleyp Evangelist Posts: 499 Karma: 20623 Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: North Salem & NYC, NY Device: Kindle Global, iphone4, ipad	Understood. That's the problem with pdf - it's designed with a set page size in mind and there is almost no good way to shrink it down so it fits well on a smaller page, so either you shrink the print (and then you need that magnifying glass) or you butcher the page.

04-29-2008, 06:57 AM	#134
aleks Connoisseur Posts: 89 Karma: 205 Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Upstate NY Device: Rocket eBook & Sony Reader	Yesterday I read through the nine pages of posts regarding the Astak Mentor and just thought it was too good to be true so, I sent a note to Astak asking for confirmation that they are indeed intending to issue an ereader. Here is their reply: Yes, at the IDPF show in New York, May 14, Astak will introduce three new eBook reading devices known as "Mentor". They will be in 5 inch, 6 inch, and 9.7 inch. WiFi, Bluetooth, and Touchscreen will be options on smaller models and standard on the larger ones. Stereo music is standard and it will read 8,000 pages on a single charge. Astak is a partner in the manufacture and design and sales of these units. Expected sales dates will be between July and September for all three. The designs and the price are still not fully set... but we expect the 5 inch to retail at less that $200. All the features are not cast yet in concrete but they should be far better than anything else on the market. Thank you, Bob Barry I sent a follow up regarding a proected cost on for the 9.7 inch version and will post when I hear back but I would gues about $300-$400.