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

[Robertb]

Originally Posted by AJ Starr

RobertB,

In reference to your upcoming website: www.goEZebook.com, I know it is not up and running yet. However, everytime I check it out, I get the default site for "godaddy" essentially wanting to sell that name.

I assume your company has purchased the URL, shouldn't you have your own, for want of a better name, Title page there.

What I see is that the URL goezebook.com is still for sale. I assume this is not correct though, since you say ASTAK has it.

AJ

Dear AJ:

We do own the url for www.goEZebook.com!! That is defintiely ours. I do not know about the godaddy wanting to sell that name. They cannot. We registered the url with goDaddy so all is done.

We are only waiting on Barnes&Noble to ink the agreement and the website will open. We have seen the final on it and it is really great. I think you all will love it. I expect the agreement signed any day now and then we turn it on. Yes, this site will sell eBooks and it will include the Google 500,000 free eBook library WITH A SEARCH ENGINE!!

[AJ Starr]

Originally Posted by Robertb

Dear AJ:

We do own the url for www.goEZebook.com!! That is defintiely ours. I do not know about the godaddy wanting to sell that name. They cannot. We registered the url with goDaddy so all is done.

We are only waiting on Barnes&Noble to ink the agreement and the website will open. We have seen the final on it and it is really great. I think you all will love it. I expect the agreement signed any day now and then we turn it on. Yes, this site will sell eBooks and it will include the Google 500,000 free eBook library WITH A SEARCH ENGINE!!

Robert, what is on the page when you go to the site right now?

[jessTay]

Rob told me the mentor isn't going to have wifi, the EZreader plus will...
so go for the EZreader if you want wifi.. he said it will be out in about 2 months

[griffonwing]

Originally Posted by jessTay

Rob told me the mentor isn't going to have wifi, the EZreader plus will...
so go for the EZreader if you want wifi.. he said it will be out in about 2 months

If this was written to you in a PM, then it probably shouldnt be told to the public. There are some things he'll tell you one-to-one, but they aren't allowed to go on public yet.

Basically, if RobB says it in a post, you can quote him, if he PMs you, it's probably wise to wait until he tells the crowd. Just to be safe.

[Robertb]

Originally Posted by jessTay

Rob told me the mentor isn't going to have wifi, the EZreader plus will...
so go for the EZreader if you want wifi.. he said it will be out in about 2 months

Dear Jess:

The Mentor Lite will not have Wi-Fi. The Mentor Intrique, scheduled in about 4 months, will have Wi-Fi. The EZ Reader Plus is going to have Wi-Fi and is projected to be released in two months.

It is still conceivable that, using a Wi-Fi dongle or SD card, we may see an option for the Mentor Lite to be optioned with Wi-Fi. But that is not the planning at this time. The Mentor Intrique should be the first Mentor device out with built-in Wi-Fi.

[Robertb]

Originally Posted by griffonwing

If this was written to you in a PM, then it probably shouldnt be told to the public. There are some things he'll tell you one-to-one, but they aren't allowed to go on public yet.

Basically, if RobB says it in a post, you can quote him, if he PMs you, it's probably wise to wait until he tells the crowd. Just to be safe.

Yes, there is no problem this time; but, if I do tell you something in personal mail, it is intended to answer your question and not to be announced. Sometimes there are answers that I can give in a personal mail that are my best guesses... and not solid enough to post until I can try to firm them up, or the information is not something I want to announce to the world yet because competitors could see it.

No harm done... but please do abide by what Mr. Griffonwing states above. This guy, despite his picture, has a great head on his shoulders and my respect!

[Robertb]

Originally Posted by AJ Starr

Robert, what is on the page when you go to the site right now?

Dear AJ:

Yes, I do see the Go Daddy ad. It does not say "buy this url"; but it is misleading. Our webmaster had promised to put up an "under construction" sign and I apologize. Yes, it was great that you brought this to my attention.

I had already written the webmaster after I saw your first post on this subject. I intend to get an answer tonight as to why this is not yet done.

You are totally right, AJ! Thank you!!

[Robertb]

Originally Posted by etherspin

with significant actual controls i think touchscreen becomes a huge waste, especially considering these are reading devices and the pinnacle of their design is e-ink and its contrast and readability (which the touchscreen reduces) , if it adds a huge price premium i think its a costly gimmick , give me wifi or cellular connection over it any day

Dear Etherspin:

I don't know if you are new or not to this thread,; but I am happy to have your opinion. Yes, at present, I think that resolution wins out as more important than Touchscreen. Touchscreen is a conveinance but sharp and clear resolution, I think, is why we buy eBook Readers primarily.

I have not given up on Touchscreen. I use to sell POS equipment and that is almsot 100% touchscreen. The technology works fine on a backlit device IF it can remain plugged in all day like POS (Point of Sale) terminals. But, E-Ink is the way to go and Touch is not ready quite yet. Yes, we are looking into IR touch and under-the-E-Ink touch... but these are not a perfect option yet either.

[jessTay]

sorry bout that...hope i didn't cause any mischief.. i just didn't know that there would be different things said in PM vs the thread.. the only reason why I went through PM was because I thought I'd get my answer faster. At least I know now

That's cool that the Astak device coming out in a few months will have wifi.. i'm thinking of getting one after more are developed and get a lower-tech device right now since I don't travel that much yet. I'll always keep astak in mind

[griffonwing]

Originally Posted by jessTay

sorry bout that...hope i didn't cause any mischief.. i just didn't know that there would be different things said in PM vs the thread.. the only reason why I went through PM was because I thought I'd get my answer faster. At least I know now

That's cool that the Astak device coming out in a few months will have wifi.. i'm thinking of getting one after more are developed and get a lower-tech device right now since I don't travel that much yet. I'll always keep astak in mind

No worries. I did the same thing once. But it was something that I should NOT have said.

You see my avatar? That's what I looked like after RobertB got done with me. This is my BEFORE pic...

[derrell]

Originally Posted by AJ Starr

RobertB,

In reference to your upcoming website: www.goEZebook.com, I know it is not up and running yet. However, everytime I check it out, I get the default site for "godaddy" essentially wanting to sell that name.

I assume your company has purchased the URL, shouldn't you have your own, for want of a better name, Title page there.

What I see is that the URL goezebook.com is still for sale. I assume this is not correct though, since you say ASTAK has it.

AJ

Thats sort of strange because ever since I noticed the goEZebook.com url that RobertB has in his sig it has said that it was parked. Which I took to mean that someone had already registered that domain. Just checked again before this post and still shows as parked.

Also not meaning any disrespect to RobertB but I sort of take what he says in this thread the same way I take anything that a salesman says. You have to sort cock your head to one side squint your eyes a little and try to parse out the good bits while letting the I want to sell you something bits go on by.

I have to say that I am excited about the hinted at Spectrum that might use the PixelQi display. This could be a low cost larger size reader that could handle PDFs, not that I have many pdfs, and more web like content. I really like being able to navigate through a book easily and quickly, with a tap on screen. To me that is part of the reason that I like etexts. Put simply hyperlinks and the ability to search and do dictionary lookups.

I just hope that someone will pay a little closer attention to the ergonomics that go into them. I have to say the ergonomics of the EZ-Reader leave a lot to be desired at least for large pawed induviduals. The thing is actually hard for me to hold onto. Some of that could be fixed by simpling moving the page turn buttons up to the center of the side of the reader. I realize that Astak most likely has very little input on any design considerations but it would be nice if there were more reading devices that were actually comfortable to hold.

[AJ Starr]

Originally Posted by derrell

Thats sort of strange because ever since I noticed the goEZebook.com url that RobertB has in his sig it has said that it was parked. Which I took to mean that someone had already registered that domain. Just checked again before this post and still shows as parked.

To one and all, I apologize for my innocence. I didn't realized the "canned" screen meant "parked". I had never heard the term "parked" when it came to web sites. My experience, though practically non-existent, with new web sites was the "under construction" page. At least that is what I put when I amend my web site.

Please, let this thread deviation end here.

AJ

[Musicman]

Originally Posted by Robertb

Also... I have heard from both Jinke and Netronix that they have the license now for Adobe Digital Editions. Fictionwise eReader's SDK is also moving ahead quickly now. We aim to post both of these formats for download on our new website as soon as all is ported and trouble-free and the new website (www.goEZeBook.com) opens.

Robertb,

This is what I have been waiting to hear!

Will the download be a firmware upgrade?

[Robertb]

Originally Posted by griffonwing

No worries. I did the same thing once. But it was something that I should NOT have said.

You see my avatar? That's what I looked like after RobertB got done with me. This is my BEFORE pic...

Girls:

Under that scary looking avatar of Griffonwing you can now see he is a handsome fellow. Perhaps some kind girl is looking to reclaim a man and Griffonwing would be a project. We are holding a "Save The Griffonwing" contest. The winner gets a camo eBook with every feature yet known to man. Please feel free to enquire within!!

[jessTay]

at least I don't feel as much like a fool now. Thanks griffonwing. glad to know I wasn't the only one

My brother was with me when I read that post, and he burst out laughing and agreed that this little community is definately fun... now if only I could get him interested in ebooks...

i think the fake facial hair suits you though