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

[pilotbob]

Originally Posted by Druidsbane

The list of products is impressive, however I don't see a way to buy any of these.

These are "planned" products. So not yet available yet.

BOb

[emellaich]

Originally Posted by Robertb

Dear All:

Mentor Electra: 9.7 inch, Windows CE/ Linux 2.6, 16 grey scale, or 26k Color, same formats as above. Touchscreen, hand-written note taking, Wi-Fi, 3G, Bluetooth, 16,000 pages to a single charge.

Robert B

Hmmm, I haven't heard about color e-ink out of the labs yet. Interestingly, on the Netronix page it calls everything an e-ink screen except this color one. It just says it is a flexible screen. I suspect that this is actually a Pixel Qi screen.

Michael

[Druidsbane]

Originally Posted by pilotbob

These are "planned" products. So not yet available yet.

BOb

Ah, that makes sense. Thanks for the info.

[DaleDe]

Originally Posted by emellaich

Hmmm, I haven't heard about color e-ink out of the labs yet. Interestingly, on the Netronix page it calls everything an e-ink screen except this color one. It just says it is a flexible screen. I suspect that this is actually a Pixel Qi screen.

Michael

E Ink is certainly working on a color screen. I suspect it is that screen and is a couple of years away for production.

Dale

[arioste]

Hello ROBERTb

Always about Astak....
Would it be possible to have a dictionnary (anglo-french or else) that we could use in the reader ?..... to translate some words which we do'nt know ?....see what I mean : You are reading....you miss a word...you press a button and you get the translation at once ?...Well...It's only for parisians like me who believe they can understand Your beautiful language !!!!

[cerement]

Originally Posted by arioste

It's only for parisians like me who believe they can understand Your beautiful language

Okay, the end of the world is here when a Parisian calls English "beautiful" ...

[snipenekkid]

Originally Posted by DaleDe

E Ink is certainly working on a color screen. I suspect it is that screen and is a couple of years away for production.

Dale

Then again, announcing a color display will cost sales today as people will wait. Why buy dim gray background displays with marginal contrast ratios today when crisper color will be out soon? This is where current pricing also harms device sales. If gray scale devices were priced where they should be, even knowing color will be out in say a year, many would not be reluctant to buy now then buy again in a year or two. But at $300-$800 the smart and frugal will wait because, in reality, few truly need an ebook reader now. I am fine on my old PDA until a device comes out that betters it's price point and ease of reading. I have felt that this has long been a reason more readers have not sold, device makers and suppliers constantly announce and promise things which are never delivered. Too many products and too few actual devices most of which are just cookie-cutter devices with a different logo silk screened across the front.

Of course there will eventually be color displays, any dolt with half a wit can figure that much. So unless the product will be out at the same time there is likely a negative sales impact and also diminished brand reputation to announce color only to dangle it like a carrot to get the jackasses to follow it. Problem with such marginal marketing slight of hand, it WILL costs sales today and perhaps even more in the long run as people lose faith in those constantly misleading announcements of products that never materialize.

And I do no mind my PDA's battery life as I can carry 3-4 batteries and get days of use without need to recharge. Plus I have color (transreflective) and web access over wifi if need be, as well as email. All in a 2.5"x5"x3/4" form factor supporting up to 2gb CF cards and all of it for well about $150. Granted that was used but I have it now and today.

But that is why I am following the Astak devices so closely. For some reason I have faith they will deliver as promised this year. Robertb does come across as a reasonably honest marketing person (a long time buddy is president of marketing for a medium size corp and, well, he is a snake I would not trust with a flat tire, but still a super person, if THAT makes any sense ) Robertb is saying the right things so and putting in the work to keep people here informed. I like that. but fail on any of the key selling points for me and there are going to be 50+ other devices out in the next couple years. And yes, that includes color in all screen sizes. Maybe not eink, but still low power displays what might give days of use just not the weeks of use eink offers.

Sorry for going way OT there but I thought I should offer what I am seeing as a potential customer for the bleeding edge of color devices. If it's not then then give me a real incentive to buy now if color is not realistic for a year after the gray scale devices come out this year.

[Emu]

@snipenekkid

true. but think about the ptential buyers:

1. nerds
2. technocrats
3. students
4. John Does


1: nerds will buy a good device now, and in 3 months and again in 9 months and so on. color makes them hot, but they can't wait and go buying the best device every few months

2: some techs will wait for color, if they don't need a reader now. but many will only wait for better contrast 6" or 9,7" because they don't need color anyway

3: some students need 9,7", of course all are hungry for color. why not. but only students who don't need a reader will wait. all the engineer will buy a 9,7" as they can, the don't need color.

4. John Does will buy what commercials and magazines are talking about, e.g. the Sony 505. They just don't know/care about color yet. The Does will be the main market, so who cares about the others who are waiting for color?

I'm tired of waiting, so I'll get a "cheap" 9,7" or a netvertible for the time beeing

[igorsk]

Photos of Netronix's 5" reader (preliminary version):
http://www.the-ebook.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=10561

[oggelbe2007]

I’ve been following the progress of E-ink technology since the beginning and, from what I've learned, it doesn’t seem to lend itself to color very easily. It's a physical process, not an electronic one. To mix color would require multiple tiers of RGB beads and a mind-bogglingly complex control system for conversion to CMKY values or HSV settings. Doable, of course, but it would be very expensive in the face of alternate technologies, such as lasar based displays. I don’t know why so many folks get a hard-on over color displays. I always read in black & white and I can’t image enjoying reading a book with Fuchsia or Electric Lime colored text. Who would care to spend an EXTRA $300-500 dollars just to view a colored book jacket or a color photo of the author on your ereader? E-ink is perfect for what it does and the readers are wonderful when used as intended – long enjoyable hours reading good books!
People that still read from LCD screens have no idea what they’re missing and they won’t until they’ve spent a few days with an E-ink device. I personally don’t miss the lasar burned-retina headaches and running out of power with no place to re-charge. I'm looking forward to the new devices with 16k pages on a recharge - now that's a feature!

[kacir]

Originally Posted by igorsk

Photos of Netronix's 5" reader (preliminary version):
http://www.the-ebook.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=10561

I want THAT one!

Dear RobertB
You have explained that you are not allowed to resell EZreader in Europe because the manufacturer has different exclusive distributors for different locations.

Will you be able to sell the 5 inch Mentor in Europe?

[cerement]

Originally Posted by Emu

1. nerds
2. technocrats
3. students
4. Readers
5. John Does

Readers focus on fiction, want something paperback sized, don't need color, but want better contrast than currently available, better attention to rendering, design, typography, hyphenation, access to as many formats as possible, and a UI that doesn't interfere or get in the way of the act just reading.

[Emu]

Originally Posted by oggelbe2007

I don’t know why so many folks get a hard-on over color displays. I always read in black & white and I can’t image enjoying reading a book with Fuchsia or Electric Lime colored text. Who would care to spend an EXTRA $300-500 dollars just to view a colored book jacket or a color photo of the author on your ereader?

Comics, Mangas, Internet, photos, some day movies

I want color for Comics.


@cerement

you're right, readers don't need color, they "just" need good contrast and high res!

[DaleDe]

Originally Posted by igorsk

Photos of Netronix's 5" reader (preliminary version):
http://www.the-ebook.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=10561

The black one is the one I have seen and held in my hand.

Dale

[DaleDe]

Originally Posted by Emu

Comics, Mangas, Internet, photos, some day movies

I want color for Comics.


@cerement

you're right, readers don't need color, they "just" need good contrast and high res!

When color comes out it will likely be 8 bit max (256 total colors). It might only be 2 bits per color or 64 colors max. Still good enough for comics I would think.

Dale