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

[brecklundin]

Originally Posted by emellaich

I have it on good authority that he is alive. I understand that he heard something about the color plans coming out of discussions in China. My source overheard him muttering: 'how could they pull the slate blue'. The he said something about: 'walking the d*mn plank'. He also seemed to be stuttering something about a parrot pecking his eyes out.

He was last seen in a nondescript rental car heading for the hills and as far away from the sea as possible. I wonder if anyone ever told him that there are inland pirates in them thar hills of Arkansas -- probably about 100 miles northwest of Toad Suck.

Just send him the ISO for Deliverance....with a not to remember what happened to "Ned"....that should be warning enough about them thar hills....

[Andybaby]

does anyone else find it odd that he left with exactly 666 posts?

I Think not. He is satan!

Jet Book 180
Kindle 1 Refurb 199
PRS-505 250
Kindle 2 299
PRS-700 350

5 inch reader better come in cheaper than the Kindle 1, and based on specs alone. it should cost 160 bucks compared to everything else. as the kindle 1 price just dropped.

but the only price that's been stated by the clone by bookeen was $250.

and Barnes and Noble + Plastic Logic in 5 months + Direct competition with amazon. the prices will begin to fall further.

if the pocket pro shipped last month for 199. it would have been a great deal. now I don't feel it would be a great deal for less than 160

[rgeorg]

Just a note: jetBook can be purchased for $160 from BB&B using -20% coupon.

[rixte]

Originally Posted by Andybaby

does anyone else find it odd that he left with exactly 666 posts?

I Think not. He is satan!

Jet Book 180
Kindle 1 Refurb 199
PRS-505 250
Kindle 2 299
PRS-700 350

5 inch reader better come in cheaper than the Kindle 1, and based on specs alone. it should cost 160 bucks compared to everything else. as the kindle 1 price just dropped.

but the only price that's been stated by the clone by bookeen was $250.

and Barnes and Noble + Plastic Logic in 5 months + Direct competition with amazon. the prices will begin to fall further.

if the pocket pro shipped last month for 199. it would have been a great deal. now I don't feel it would be a great deal for less than 160

That's similar to how I feel. Not so much because of the refurbished Kindle 1 but with how easy it is to find new devices under 250 (either standard or on sale) I think the Pro is going to need to come in at 175 or under to be really competitive.

[wallcraft]

Originally Posted by bjmoslener

I''ve not been able to find much info about Astak's Mentor - can you advise when they will be available and who will be selling them?

The Mentor brand is for Netronix devices. The best summary is First glance at Astak's Mentor line (however, I think the "Basic" is now called "Lite" and there may not be a 5" Mentor device). The Mentor Lite is in the E-book Reader Matrix, and it is an EB600 just like the Cool-er and Elonex. It should be on sale soon, but we don't know when or which retailers (if any) will carry it. We also don't know when the rest of the line will be released.

[6charlong]

Originally Posted by Andybaby

Jet Book 180
Kindle 1 Refurb 199
PRS-505 250
Kindle 2 299
PRS-700 350

5 inch reader better come in cheaper than the Kindle 1, and based on specs alone. it should cost 160 bucks compared to everything else. as the kindle 1 price just dropped.

but the only price that's been stated by the clone by bookeen was $250.

and Barnes and Noble + Plastic Logic in 5 months + Direct competition with amazon. the prices will begin to fall further.

if the pocket pro shipped last month for 199. it would have been a great deal. now I don't feel it would be a great deal for less than 160

I have to disagree.

This list tries to compare unlike devices. The Pocket Pro is the only one that offers an eInk screen in a smaller size (which some like), with tighter resolution (200 dpi versus 160 dpi), faster page turns, a more powerful CPU, a user replaceable battery, and support for secure books published in both ePub and eReader format.

Barnes and Noble has opened an online store to sell books at competitive prices in those formats. I’ve used eReader for several years (I’ve even formatted a few books in it myself) and read a lot more professionally formatted books in eReader, ePub and BBeB formats. The fact is that a book of fiction and nonfiction books without complex graphics can be as well formatted in eReader as anything. I’ve installed the new, free B&N eReader rendering engine on my PC and I like it better than the old eReader and a lot better than the Sony Library. eReader has the best, that is to say the fairest, DRM scheme available for those publishers who insist on using DRM and those readers who want to read the newest fiction.

In sum, although no one knows what Sony will do this fall, for now the Pocket Pro is the only device with all these features, all of which are things I want in a book reader. I think $199 to $210 is a good and reasonable price. What will be reasonable in a year’s time no one knows, but that’s the nature of competition. I learned a long time ago that it never pays to keep waiting for the best electronic... anything. It just keeps getting better, and Jenkie will have to keep competing too.

[griffonwing]

Originally Posted by emellaich

I have it on good authority that he is alive. I understand that he heard something about the color plans coming out of discussions in China. My source overheard him muttering: 'how could they pull the slate blue'. The he said something about: 'walking the d*mn plank'. He also seemed to be stuttering something about a parrot pecking his eyes out.

He was last seen in a nondescript rental car heading for the hills and as far away from the sea as possible. I wonder if anyone ever told him that there are inland pirates in them thar hills of Arkansas -- probably about 100 miles northwest of Toad Suck.

Close. If you are thinking of Toadsuck Inn/Ferry, that is in Conway, about 80 miles south of me. The Toad Suck Quarry or OneStop is about 120 miles south.

No pirates down there. Least ways, none worth their salt.

Originally Posted by 6charlong

I have to disagree.

This list tries to compare unlike devices. The Pocket Pro is the only one that offers an eInk screen in a smaller size (which some like), with tighter resolution (200 dpi versus 160 dpi), faster page turns, a more powerful CPU, a user replaceable battery, and support for secure books published in both ePub and eReader format.

Barnes and Noble has opened an online store to sell books at competitive prices in those formats. I’ve used eReader for several years (I’ve even formatted a few books in it myself) and read a lot more professionally formatted books in eReader, ePub and BBeB formats. The fact is that a book of fiction and nonfiction books without complex graphics can be as well formatted in eReader as anything. I’ve installed the new, free B&N eReader rendering engine on my PC and I like it better than the old eReader and a lot better than the Sony Library. eReader has the best, that is to say the fairest, DRM scheme available for those publishers who insist on using DRM and those readers who want to read the newest fiction.

In sum, although no one knows what Sony will do this fall, for now the Pocket Pro is the only device with all these features, all of which are things I want in a book reader. I think $199 to $210 is a good and reasonable price. What will be reasonable in a year’s time no one knows, but that’s the nature of competition. I learned a long time ago that it never pays to keep waiting for the best electronic... anything. It just keeps getting better, and Jenkie will have to keep competing too.

I'd have to agree. You can't just compare device and prices. You have to include everything about the device and compare it to other devices in the same way. The Pocket Pro is advanced compared to the Kindle 1, even the Kindle 2 or DX. The fact that you get a faster, higher res, more advanced device for the same price as a K1 refurb, you can't go wrong.

[rgeorg]

Speaking strictly for myself, I would wait until I hear a few actual user reviews before I'd recommend a specific device or make comparisons - or have you tried it? Actually, you *can* go wrong by strictly following specs sight-unseen ...

[griffonwing]

I'll purchase one as soon as it's announced for pre-order. Then I'll give you a review. My review will be from someone who has never used/owned an ereader before.

[6charlong]

Originally Posted by rgeorg

Speaking strictly for myself, I would wait until I hear a few actual user reviews before I'd recommend a specific device or make comparisons - or have you tried it? Actually, you *can* go wrong by strictly following specs sight-unseen ...

Someone has to take a chance.

When I bought my first home computer people laughed at me: "What did you pay for that thing? It isn't a computer you know, it's a toy!"

But five years later our Comodore 64 had given way to an IBM compatible with more computing power than their 1960's era, $100 million mainframe.

Jenkie takes a chance with millions. I only have to risk a couple hundred and my risk is minimal. I know how the Jenkie v3 works because it has been reviewed. I know what eReader can do because I've used it for years on three other different kind of devices. I know what books are available for it because I've bought books from Fictionwise, eReader, Books on Board, B&N, etc. The only risk is if Astak doesn't sell the thing, in which case I can't guy one and I'm not risking anything.

Don't worry so much. It's only technology.

[slayda]

Originally Posted by griffonwing

I'll purchase one as soon as it's announced for pre-order. Then I'll give you a review. My review will be from someone who has never used/owned an ereader before.

I'm sure griffonwing will get the very first on but I won't be far behind and will add my 2 cents worth to his review.

Assuming RobertB comes through on the Pocket Pro's price.

[Musicman]

Originally Posted by 6charlong

Jenkie takes a chance with millions. I only have to risk a couple hundred and my risk is minimal. I know how the Jenkie v3 works because it has been reviewed. I know what eReader can do because I've used it for years on three other different kind of devices. I know what books are available for it because I've bought books from Fictionwise, eReader, Books on Board, B&N, etc. The only risk is if Astak doesn't sell the thing, in which case I can't guy one and I'm not risking anything.

Don't worry so much. It's only technology.

I agree - It might be taking a chance, but it is a very small risk.

I am an also a long time Ereader user and have no problem with the format.

The reason I bought the EZ-Reader was for its promised support (they also are throwing in Adobe Digital Editions support).

[rixte]

Well, I think it's less about worry and taking chances than it is about creating unrealistic expectations. It wouldn't surprise me if the Pocket Pro ends up being a really solid device that happily meets customer expectations. It *also* wouldn't surprise me if it turns out there are problems or issues at launch. And of course, I doubt there's a single device on the market that meets everybody's particular needs, as long as people can find the one(s) that work for them and can research the actual strengths and weaknesses of a particular device, that's what matters.

[Andybaby]

how is the pocket pro more advanced then the Kindle 1?

If it can read books from the barnes and noble bookstore. that is a good thing and perhaps it would be worth just a tad more.

but if I had a choice between a 199 kindle, or a 199 pocket pro. I would get the kindle.

though since I do like smaller sizes, I really love the pocket pro size.

[wallcraft]

Originally Posted by Andybaby

how is the pocket pro more advanced then the Kindle 1?

8 greyscales and the Epson display controller. Does not have dictionary support though, nor wireless connectivity.