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

[bbusybookworm]

Originally Posted by pilotbob

I think the BoB CyBook comes with a cover.

BOb

They have two packages

The basic one which is the same as Bookeen basic package has just the Cybook. This the one that is now at $289 (with $10 of rewards)

The other package is the Cybook with the Deluxe Leather Cover and Ac wall charger is on sale for $379 (with $25 of rewards).

Only the 2nd package comes with the Cover.

[tompe]

Originally Posted by HarryT

To amend the above: I've just checked on Bookeen's web site and, although Bookeen recently made a pretty drastic reduction in the Pound and Euro price of the Gen3, they don't seem to have changed the US$ price. I've no idea why not.

Isn't the reason obvious? The margin on the Euro price was much higher than the margin on the dollar price so they can lower the Euro price a lot and still make a profit.

[bbusybookworm]

Originally Posted by tompe

Isn't the reason obvious? The margin on the Euro price was much higher than the margin on the dollar price so they can lower the Euro price a lot and still make a profit.

Perhaps, But its probably not the whole story. While it may have been true in the past, Its looks a little different now.

You can get the Gen 3 in the UK with the cover for £180 which is about $294.
Keep in mind that this includes 17.5% VAT which should be around £31 ($51).

So the Actual price should be below £150 ($243).

And as I don't think WH Smith is selling them at a Loss (maybe a thin margin) There should still be room for reduction in the US costs.

Part of the issue might be that a large retailer like WH Smith was able to get much better prices then the other retailers as they will be able to move a higher volume and this in turn forced Bookeen to bring down its prices to be more in line across the board in Europe.

[Robertb]

Originally Posted by SaraD

Yes, those are all great (especially the less fragile), but personally I'm really looking forward to the much less tiring to my eyes factor that e-ink will bring and willing to give up a little to have it. I've only been able to read for a few minutes on the store models (many thanks to Borders and Target), but it does feel more restful based on the limited experience than my LCD monitor does. Since reading from a computer monitor or a printed paper in a dim environment gives me a headache the backlight feature is a big so-what since I must have lots of light anyway.

By the time my gadget piggybank has enough for a dedicated reading device I'm hoping that the technology will have evolved to be a bit sturdier. I picked a less expense and somewhat less capable digital camera partially so if/when I do something to break it I won't have quite so much to cry about. The current price tags on readers and how fragile they are makes me a bit nervous. If I can't aford to lose something I won't buy it, but even after the 2 year contract is up and I retire a cell phone it often looks like new because of the care I take.

Dear Sara:

Thank you for making a point! Ruggedness and sturdiness are important. That is the real value of the EZ Reader by Astak... it is a Hanlin V3 and tough as nails. I think that is very important.

Monday we did our first Trade Show with the EZ Reader at a small gathering in Las Vegas. We had ONE unit... which meant that one ran all day with about 300 different people who never read the instructions beating on it and making mistakes and recovering and trying again. It was dropped three times onto the floor. Not a single hang-up occurred.

The main comment that came from the first 300 people to see it was: "it is so thin and light." I still feel that ergonomics of a Reader are critical.

RobertB

[DixieGal]

Do you know when and where it will be available? Sorry, but I haven't been keeping up with the news on it.

[Robertb]

Originally Posted by Chuckwade87

Well it seems that the Astak Mentor project is on the back-burner or the moment, which is probably for the best, after all what kind of product could any company come up with in only 6 months of developing and what not. So I kind of disappointed, But I still have questions about the future products that Astak plans on selling in early "09".
Robertb stated earlier that they were still going to come out with EZ Reader Plus (WiFi in March), and EZ Reader Pro (Touchscreen and Note Taking in March). So what are the plans for prices for these wonderful machines? I cant say that I was very happy with the around 300 price tag for the Ez reader being released in November. So plz Robertb/Astak can you give us at least some competitive prices for the next models?

Dear Chuckwade87:

Thank you for your comments.

Let me correct by again saying that the Mentor project is NOT on the back burner at all. The Mentor will ne made in our factory, Netronix. Netronix in the past has NOT seemed well organized to build units for the American market. They came to that conclusion also and hired the right engineers and a lady named Catherine to whip everything into shape fast. As such, Netronix is back-on-track and doing some very impressive things now.

Astak has a 54 foot long booth at CES (Consumer Electronics Show booth 73206) in Las Vegas (January 8-11). Netronix will be at our booth showing off their new products and gaining feedback specifically for the American Market. We like what we are seeing so far and we want to see some solid performance and innovation. Netronix is responding with a Touchscreen Model with Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, the Epson Controller, and Note-Taking.

The EZ Reader line is also coming out with new features such as Wi-Fi and Touchscreen with note-taking. The EZ Reader is built by Jinke of China. We are a distributor. As such, we do have input on what we want to see from them for the American Market... but price is set by their cost to us. Our margin on this is thin. SO... how do I sell at a loss to reduce your cost?

Netronix will be less expensive to us and thus less expensive to you. It sure will not be $200, however. The EZ Reader Plus and EZ Reader Pro will cost more than the EZ Reader. You cannot add features and reduce cost. Every effort in being made to keep the additional costs on those models DOWN.

I hear you and we are trying.

RobertB

[tirsales]

Originally Posted by Robertb

The EZ Reader line is also coming out with new features such as Wi-Fi and Touchscreen with note-taking.

When?

(And actually neither feature is new. Still I would be interested)

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Robertb

Thank you for making a point! Ruggedness and sturdiness are important. That is the real value of the EZ Reader by Astak... it is a Hanlin V3 and tough as nails. I think that is very important.

I admire your enthusiasm, Robert, but don't you think it's a little unwise to describe it as "tough as nails"? It has exactly the same delicate glass screen substrate as every other device on the market. If people start banging it around, that substrate WILL fracture!

You can quite safely hit a nail with a hammer (in fact, I believe that people quite commonly do!), but I really wouldn't recommend hitting your EZ Reader with a hammer...

[Robertb]

Originally Posted by DixieGal

Do you know when and where it will be available? Sorry, but I haven't been keeping up with the news on it.

Dear Dixie Gal:

The first shipment of EZ Reader will be released next week (at the latest the week after). They are being air-freighted to get them here quickly at additional cost. There is a short waiting list. You can email to: irish@teamreserachinc.com to be placed on that list. I expect to be shipping in two weeks.

We expect the new website: www.mobiebook.com to be operational in about three weeks. You can buy them there also. We are rushing to get ready.

OH, by the way, the first 500 units are coming preloaded with ten free classics. Good reading like "Call of the Wild" and "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" will be pre-loaded. ALL of the ten titles are outstanding reading. ALSO... it comes WITH a crush-resistant "leather" case that is the best I have seen (magnetic closure) and decent earbuds. The SOUND of this unit is a real feature and the equalizer works great.

RobertB

[NeweReader]

Originally Posted by Robertb

The first shipment of EZ Reader will be released next week (at the latest the week after). They are being air-freighted to get them here quickly at additional cost. There is a short waiting list. You can email to: irish@teamreserachinc.com to be placed on that list. I expect to be shipping in two weeks.

We expect the new website: www.mobiebook.com to be operational in about three weeks. You can buy them there also. We are rushing to get ready.

RobertB

I figure the first shipment of EZ Readers will be black. Do you know when the colored EZ Readers will be available? I think I would like the blue one.

You don't always get to all the questions, but I hope you can answer this one.

Thank you.

[DixieGal]

The links at mobiebooks are still mostly dead, must still be getting the website ready.

[igorsk]

Originally Posted by Robertb

The main comment that came from the first 300 people to see it was: "it is so thin and light." I still feel that ergonomics of a Reader are critical.

"Thin and light" does not necessarily mean good ergonomics. A major complaint about Netronix EB600 (aka Cybook Gen3 and others) is that it's very hard/impossible to use one-handed. Other readers fare somewhat better, but still could use some improvement.

[delphidb96]

Originally Posted by igorsk

"Thin and light" does not necessarily mean good ergonomics. A major complaint about Netronix EB600 (aka Cybook Gen3 and others) is that it's very hard/impossible to use one-handed. Other readers fare somewhat better, but still could use some improvement.

Bullpuckey! I use my Cybook Gen3's for hours every day and have had no problems using them one-handed. Of course, this works fine for righties. Lefties would probably not be as comfortable with one-handed use.

Derek

[delphidb96]

Originally Posted by HarryT

I admire your enthusiasm, Robert, but don't you think it's a little unwise to describe it as "tough as nails"? It has exactly the same delicate glass screen substrate as every other device on the market. If people start banging it around, that substrate WILL fracture!

You can quite safely hit a nail with a hammer (in fact, I believe that people quite commonly do!), but I really wouldn't recommend hitting your EZ Reader with a hammer...

I concur. As the attached photo shows, the Netronix devices are just as susceptible to screen breakage as a Cybook. In fact, this particular unit broke when I pressed the navigation control to move to the next page in the ebook I was reading. BTW, I've been attempting to get Netronix to repair this EB-100 since early July (when the breakage occurred) and I've not been able to get a response from Lisa Lin (my original contact person), the sales department or the support department - this despite *NUMEROUS* emails from Comcast, Google and Inbox email accounts. (Google and Comcast get blocked right off the bat and, since July, my Inbox email has been routinely ignored)

Derek

[delphidb96]

Originally Posted by Robertb

Dear Dixie Gal:

The first shipment of EZ Reader will be released next week (at the latest the week after). They are being air-freighted to get them here quickly at additional cost. There is a short waiting list. You can email to: irish@teamreserachinc.com to be placed on that list. I expect to be shipping in two weeks.

We expect the new website: www.mobiebook.com to be operational in about three weeks. You can buy them there also. We are rushing to get ready.

OH, by the way, the first 500 units are coming preloaded with ten free classics. Good reading like "Call of the Wild" and "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" will be pre-loaded. ALL of the ten titles are outstanding reading. ALSO... it comes WITH a crush-resistant "leather" case that is the best I have seen (magnetic closure) and decent earbuds. The SOUND of this unit is a real feature and the equalizer works great.

RobertB

I just tried sending my request to the email address and Comcast bounced it back as undeliverable.

Derek