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

[Sweetpea]

Originally Posted by pkovak

I wish it was "late February or March" already
Can't wait to read some reviews and finaly have my own eReader! I read so many books on PC that it would be definitely worth the cost.

Same here! I bought my current PDA specifically for reading e-books (no e-ink devices back then) but I want a dedicated ebook device (again).

[Robertb]

Originally Posted by dki

Are you serious about the device being usable while charging?? Kudos to you, then, others do not cut it. Honestly, I don't understand why Cybook or Sony cannot be used while charging, but this is a VERY strong point against them, in my opinion. I hope Mentor will have the same option and I will be able to read in bed while my ebook is connected to the charger. And the battery is important too. I'd love to be able to change the battery, you should have a package with additional battery & a charger that is just for the battery. My old Axim had that, and it came very handy. Admittedly, it could only go for about 10 hours on the charge, but with two batteries I could make it through the longest airplane trips.

And the problem with even 3 hour charging time is this - there is never a good time . Sometimes I can go on without a book for an hour or two, but three is a no-no. Therefore - a spare and a charger for it would be the way to go . Keep up the good work, this is shaping up to be an excellent device.

Dorota

Dear Dorota:

I thought they all did display while charging. Isn't it a little silly NOT to be able to plug in the device and use it if the battery is low?

We had 8 EZ Readers on all during the show letting people push every button on them and put them thru every test they could think of. This constant page up, page back, and jump pages wears out battery charges. So, we ran a charger to them when they got low and just kept displaying.

Also, we did not know what to expect from having the eight get manhamdled this way so we brought spares. I am happy to report that all eight never skipped a beat and the spares were never used. As I said from the first day I wrote on the EZ Reader... it is a workaholic and the perfect base machine.

Thank you,

Robert B

[Robertb]

Originally Posted by miki

For anyone who's interested, I put up a pretty detailed review of my experiences with EZ Reader on MobileRead https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=35366

There are also plenty of other reviews available. In my (admittedly biased) opinion, mine is the most detailed, but does not cover every format supported.

Dear Miki:

Thank you for really tearing into the EZ Reader and doing a very thorough evaluation. You seemed very objective and I am overjoyed that you found it "very, very great". That makes my job a pleasure.

However, you DID note a few small problems so I took your exhausting and well-writter evaluation and the follow-up report and sent them to every person here at Astak and to the key people of Jinke in China. I got confirmation that the reports were sent to the President of Jinke himself!! We have been promised immediate action to solve every problem noted no matter how small.

I also have personally noted that the battery gauge is not totally accurate when the battery is new. Now Jinke knows and is working on that. I will let them do their testing before I hazard a guess why this occurs... but I am also very honest and will say that I have not had anybody complain BUT I also agree with your finding. I saw this on the seven new display units at CES (my Electric Blue unit was the eighth unit). And... yes... when they get low on charge, no matter what the gauge says, they do start to act up and act strangely.

I will put this up on our FAQ sheet at www.mobiebook.com also to help warn new buyers. Yes, with a few recharges, the battery gauge becomes accurate again.

Thank you. We will get all you noted explained and corrected. While everyone knows that the EZ Reader is a Hanlin V3... what they do not see is the value of buying a foreign-manaufactured device from an American company. That value is we get heard by Jinke and improvements happen because we pay attention to your problems.

Robert B

[dki]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

The Sony readers cannot be used to read an eBook while you are charging via USB. But if you charge using an AC adapter, then you certainly can use it to read an eBook while it's charging. The 505 and 700 do not come with AC adapters, but you can pick up a PSP AC adapter that works fine.

Thanks for this info, I was mistaken as to the Sony. I don't believe that Cybook can be charged via charger (other than USB charger) at all, and cannot think why, I used to charge mine via USB charger, w/o computer connection, and it was a major pain . The logic of such set-up eludes me totally. I almost have enough points to get a Sony for free, however I think Mentor may be also in the works (once it's out of the works, that is). I wonder if the plastic technology for Astak is far behind. I would think the larger the screen the more vulnerable to inevitable twists and damage caused by pressure.

Originally Posted by Robertb

...Thank you. We will get all you noted explained and corrected. While everyone knows that the EZ Reader is a Hanlin V3... what they do not see is the value of buying a foreign-manaufactured device from an American company. That value is we get heard by Jinke and improvements happen because we pay attention to your problems.
Robert B

Not only that, but hopefully a way better customer service, as well. I have only bad things to say about Bookeen's customer service, really. And your clients in the US get a benefit of US warranty and way better turnaround time in case of problems when the device has to be shipped.

[theDwarf]

Hey Robert,
How well would a PDF with 5.5"x8.5" pages work on the EZ Reader?
I ask because I am writing my own pen & paper fantasy RPG and figure some players and GMs may be interested in having e-copies. Originally I was looking at the EZ Reader (actually larger version) for research but after hearing much of what has been stated so far the 6" may work well for the PDF version of the saddle-stapled physical booklet versions of my FRPG
(part of my goal was to create a product easily portable by soldiers in the field, etc). Note that using Open Office one can easily make PDFs with "half-sized" pages (5.5" x 8.5").

-theDwarf

[cobalt8]

Robertb,

I read your post on the mobiebook forum that stated that the Mentor line won't be released until the end of Q309. Does this hold true for the EZ Reader Pro line as well? Or do you still plan on releasing it by the end of February as was alluded elsewhere (I'll find the link later)?

[wallcraft]

Originally Posted by theDwarf

How well would a PDF with 5.5"x8.5" pages work on the EZ Reader?

I enclose scans of the User's Manual on the EZ Reader. The scans are 100 ppi, so they are lower resolution than the EZ Reader screen (i.e. a bit fuzzy). The User's Manual is a PDF with 6.24" x 8.32" pages. The first three images show the 3 magnification options (full size, margins cropped, half page landscape). In the cropped view there are actually two screens per page, primarily because of the page number at the bottom of the page but also because the aspect ratio of the text filled portion isn't quite 6x8. The last image shows the top level of the Table of Contents. In a Desktop PDF viewer, the TOC shows up as "bookmarks". These are nested, and EZ Reader follows the nests (e.g. 3 is showing more nesting available) but only shows one level at a time.

So, 5.5 by 8.5 pages should work well.

[Robertb]

Originally Posted by theDwarf

Hey Robert,
How well would a PDF with 5.5"x8.5" pages work on the EZ Reader?
I ask because I am writing my own pen & paper fantasy RPG and figure some players and GMs may be interested in having e-copies. Originally I was looking at the EZ Reader (actually larger version) for research but after hearing much of what has been stated so far the 6" may work well for the PDF version of the saddle-stapled physical booklet versions of my FRPG
(part of my goal was to create a product easily portable by soldiers in the field, etc). Note that using Open Office one can easily make PDFs with "half-sized" pages (5.5" x 8.5").

-theDwarf

Dear Dwarf:

For the most part that size may not be too bad on the EZ Reader sat all. HOWEVER, the present EZ Reader comes ported with Mobi and that is changing rapidly. Withput saying anything bad about anybody's format... what you need is known as "reflow" where the .pdf is resized to fit. Dale Depriest of MobileRead Forum is an expert on reflow. From what I remember, eReader by Fictionwise and Adobe Digital Editions both have reflow with the Adobe stronger. I expect EZ Reader with eReader within the next four weeks and Adobe DE on EZ Reader within three months, when they release. The aim is to put both formats on the same device. Mobi will not allow that and demands exclusivity.

Robert B

[Robertb]

Originally Posted by cobalt8

Robertb,

I read your post on the mobiebook forum that stated that the Mentor line won't be released until the end of Q309. Does this hold true for the EZ Reader Pro line as well? Or do you still plan on releasing it by the end of February as was alluded elsewhere (I'll find the link later)?

The very latest that I have from Jinke is that the PRO will be released in late February or early March. Now, maybe it will be delayed by having to boat them over (takes 4 weeks approx)... but I hope not. Jinke KNOWS that the PRO is urgently wanted in North America. I will check with Jinke tonight for an update but right now I think this timeline is fair assumption. New releases are a pain as things do pop up. I hate it and you hate it. But, again, nobody wants to release and do a recall.

Robert B

[Robertb]

Last night I finally heard from Jinke the first talk of a 9.7 inch Jinke with "plastic" Flexi Screen.Knowing Jinke, it will be a hell of a device and will have everything amazing loaded onto it. Also knowing Jinke, they will assure it is perfect first but stay on schedule (whatever their schedule may be).

Tonight I will try to find out more on approximate timeline and thoughts on probable features (without giving out anything they consider confidential).

WHY I am mentioning this is the MobileRead Forum community, in particular, has wanted a 9.7 for what seems like forever... since the first day of this thread certainly. It is early and please so not get excited... but the planning is there!

Robert B

[Sweetpea]

Originally Posted by Robertb

The very latest that I have from Jinke is that the PRO will be released in late February or early March. Now, maybe it will be delayed by having to boat them over (takes 4 weeks approx)... but I hope not. Jinke KNOWS that the PRO is urgently wanted in North America. I will check with Jinke tonight for an update but right now I think this timeline is fair assumption. New releases are a pain as things do pop up. I hate it and you hate it. But, again, nobody wants to release and do a recall.

Robert B

Will the PRO be available in Europe too?

[DG25]

Any plans to introduce dictionary support in EzReader or EzReader PRO?

[Robertb]

Originally Posted by Sweetpea

Will the PRO be available in Europe too?

Sweetpea:

Astak is allowed to sell to individuals in Europe. I do not know yet if a didtributor will sell them there also. There are a lot of issues to work out such as warranty procedures if ever needed. In other words, we can sell to you; but I have no answer on going larger in Europe.

I am sorry.

Robert B

[cobalt8]

Thanks for the time-line information! I do have a few more questions if you don't mind, though.

1) Are you allowed at this time to release even a ball-park price point for the Pro?

2) Do you know if they'll be released in color models as well?

3) By "soft-key note taking" do you mean an on-screen keyboard or a physical keyboard?

[PKFFW]

Originally Posted by Robertb

Last night I finally heard from Jinke the first talk of a 9.7 inch Jinke with "plastic" Flexi Screen.Knowing Jinke, it will be a hell of a device and will have everything amazing loaded onto it. Also knowing Jinke, they will assure it is perfect first but stay on schedule (whatever their schedule may be).

Tonight I will try to find out more on approximate timeline and thoughts on probable features (without giving out anything they consider confidential).

WHY I am mentioning this is the MobileRead Forum community, in particular, has wanted a 9.7 for what seems like forever... since the first day of this thread certainly. It is early and please so not get excited... but the planning is there!

Robert B

This is what I'm waiting for. Touch screen, wifi etc would all be well and good but the 9.7" screen is really what I'm after. That's close to being trade paperback size, which has always been my preferred book type.

Very keen to hear more details when they become available.

Cheers,
PKFFW