Astak's 5" Pocket Pro $199

[rling]

Bugs are just that. Until someone reports it, a fix cannot be sought. So, if you come across one, report it for a fix, and not use it to bash the product. If no action is taken, then bring out the clubs

[Chuckwade87]

So since the Astak utilizes PDF, what are comics(PDF) going to look like?
Has anyone tried this on an EZreader?

[GA Russell]

May I ask a newbie question on this thread?

OK, let's say that I have my brand new Pocket Pro right out of the box. (Supersalesmen like Robert call that "taking possession"!) So I want to download a book. So I download it onto my SD card, right? So then I plug the card into the Pocket Pro and read the book. OK.

But let's say that I don't want to keep the card in the Pocket Pro while I am reading. Is it easy to transfer the book onto the reader, or should I have downloaded the book onto the reader to begin with?

If I transfer the book onto the reader, can I keep the original copy on the card, thus having two copies of the book?

If I download the book from the website onto the reader itself, is it easy to transfer it to a card?

It appears to me that the purpose of the card(s) is for long-term storage. Any other reason? Of course, with cards one has infinite storage capability.

[wallcraft]

Originally Posted by GA Russell

So I download it onto my SD card, right? So then I plug the card into the Pocket Pro and read the book. OK.

But let's say that I don't want to keep the card in the Pocket Pro while I am reading. Is it easy to transfer the book onto the reader, or should I have downloaded the book onto the reader to begin with?

If I transfer the book onto the reader, can I keep the original copy on the card, thus having two copies of the book?

If I download the book from the website onto the reader itself, is it easy to transfer it to a card?

It appears to me that the purpose of the card(s) is for long-term storage. Any other reason? Of course, with cards one has infinite storage capability.

There isn't a way to transfer the ebook between SD and internal memory on the device itself. Since the Pro has USB 2, and most ebooks are not very large, transferring via USB from a desktop computer should be quick enough. Note that you get both the SD card and the internal memory exported to the desktop.

With Adobe DRMed ebooks, you must first download to a desktop Adobe Digital Editions and that desktop counts as one of your allowed 6 devices.

With all the current DRM schemes, there is no limit on how many copies of an ebook you can have. The limit is on the devices that can read the ebook.

[GA Russell]

Originally Posted by wallcraft

There isn't a way to transfer the ebook between SD and internal memory on the device itself. Since the Pro has USB 2, and most ebooks are not very large, transferring via USB from a desktop computer should be quick enough. Note that you get both the SD card and the internal memory exported to the desktop.

With Adobe DRMed ebooks, you must first download to a desktop Adobe Digital Editions and that desktop counts as one of your allowed 6 devices...

Thanks wallcraft.

I'm still not clear. Your first sentence answered my basic question.

I don't understand what you mean by your third sentence, which I have highlighted. Could you please rephrase it for a simpleton (me)?

Also, must one always download to the hard drive of one's computer, and then move it over to either the card or the reader itself?

[wallcraft]

Originally Posted by GA Russell

I don't understand what you mean by your third sentence, which I have highlighted.

When you connect the Pro to your desktop PC using USB, it will ask you to hit the OK key if you want to access via USB (otherwise it just charges and you can use it while plugged in). Once you hit OK, the screen will lock and both the internal memory and the SD card appear on your desktop PC as USB disk drives (like a USB memory stick). At this point you can use the normal desktop PC actions to transfer files to/from the Pro.

If you open (desktop) Adobe Digital Editions while USB-connected you also have the option of having it transfer ADE files for you, but I prefer doing this manually since that way I can setup a directory (folder) structure. For example, I use: Genre\Author\Series\Author_Title. I have Author twice (in the folder name, and the file name) so that the directory structure isn't essential.

[GA Russell]

Thanks wallcraft. I'm looking forward to trying this for myself!

[Robertb]

Originally Posted by Chuckwade87

What is the Pocket Pro made of ? plastic or Metal like the 505?

The Pocket PRO is made of plastic as it meets RoHS standards better and it is lighter and PLASTIC is made of resin... meaning the color is not a coating... it is impregnated into the resin and lasts. Metal can have a tendency to wear if painted in colors.

[Robertb]

Originally Posted by rling

Bugs are just that. Until someone reports it, a fix cannot be sought. So, if you come across one, report it for a fix, and not use it to bash the product. If no action is taken, then bring out the clubs

Look, all, I think our factory did exactly right. They got ADE approval only about three weeks or so ago. They rushed and did a fine job of meshing the ADE with the device. My God, would you have delayed the shipping to identify and fix every tiny (and really non-affecting) glitch?? This is the problem with a very few members on MR... they want it all, for a sensational price, shipping yesterday. MOST MR people understand that it was quite a feat to load on ADE and port it into the device so quickly.

NOW... you will soon have the Pocket PRO WITH ADE. I say "HOORAY". The factory spent the last few weeks engineering to make it pertfect and they have announced that a firmware upgrade is coming soon. A firmware upgrade is simple and pain free. WHERE do you see a problem here? I see good news for the end user!

[SDRebel]

Originally Posted by Robertb

Look, all, I think our factory did exactly right. They got ADE approval only about three weeks or so ago. They rushed and did a fine job of meshing the ADE with the device. My God, would you have delayed the shipping to identify and fix every tiny (and really non-affecting) glitch?? This is the problem with a very few members on MR... they want it all, for a sensational price, shipping yesterday. MOST MR people understand that it was quite a feat to load on ADE and port it into the device so quickly.

NOW... you will soon have the Pocket PRO WITH ADE. I say "HOORAY". The factory spent the last few weeks engineering to make it pertfect and they have announced that a firmware upgrade is coming soon. A firmware upgrade is simple and pain free. WHERE do you see a problem here? I see good news for the end user!

Rober,
rling seems to be in your favor but somehow you took it against him.... just saying

[Robertb]

Originally Posted by SDRebel

Rober,
rling seems to be in your favor but somehow you took it against him.... just saying

Arling, I know you do understand. I was addressing my comments to the very few who persist in thinking that somehow perfection should be a given. All of us at Astak and the factories strive for perfection. But, sometimes solving even the smallest little thing can slow down an otherwise wanted and needed great introduction. I am not espousing here that we should not all want everything just perfect... only that there was not time to get it perfect and a simple firmware upgrade can be done to please all. In this case I think it was a good decision.

[rling]

Originally Posted by Robertb

rling, I know you do understand. I was addressing my comments to the very few who persist in thinking that somehow perfection should be a given.

Like I said, bugs are just bugs, and is rare to find a product that is perfect and bug free. Some we can live with, others need to be fixed. Anything that is not catastrophic should not delay the lauch of a product.

I can't wait to get a hold of my device, and certainly would not want any delays for minor fixes.

I'm more than happy to have regular firmware updates - to me, it is a sign that the product is still being actively looked at, supported and updated, and that the vendor is still thinking about existing customers.

[Robertb]

Originally Posted by GA Russell

Thanks wallcraft.

I'm still not clear. Your first sentence answered my basic question.

I don't understand what you mean by your third sentence, which I have highlighted. Could you please rephrase it for a simpleton (me)?

Also, must one always download to the hard drive of one's computer, and then move it over to either the card or the reader itself?

Dear GA Russell:

Wallcraft means that when you use the USB cable between the Pocket PRO and the computer, when you open My Computer you will notice TWO icons under "Devices With Removable Storage". One icon is for the Internal Memory and One is for the SD Card. It is so simple to transfer from one to the other. Just open the icon that has what you want to transfer and drag and drop it to the other icon.

Yes, you do "have" to always download to the hard drive and then drag and drop it to your device memory (internal or SD). This actually is GOOD as if you loose the SD card or (God Forbid) your device... all your titles are there on your computer waiting to be dragged and dropped. I do not want to get into another battle on wired versus wireless... but this permanent record on your computer is why a lot of people prefer to be wired. This is very, very simple, GA, and you will feel like an expert in a minute or two.

Plus, we are here to help if you have any problem. Just breath easy!!

[Robertb]

Originally Posted by rling

Like I said, bugs are just bugs, and is rare to find a product that is perfect and bug free. Some we can live with, others need to be fixed. Anything that is not catastrophic should not delay the lauch of a product.

I can't wait to get a hold of my device, and certainly would not want any delays for minor fixes.

I'm more than happy to have regular firmware updates - to me, it is a sign that the product is still being actively looked at, supported and updated, and that the vendor is still thinking about existing customers.

Dear rling:

Thank you for putting it succinctly! Yes, I do not favor a release on a device that is a mess or does not work saying "we will fix it later". However, minor nuisances can and will be dealt with by Firmware Upgrade. This is good and not bad. Firmware Upgrades do not just fix small items, they often contain brand new features or expanded use of a present feature. Nobody is charged for these... they are free and painless. I suspect that sometime there will be a firmware upgrade to mesh TTS with EPUB or pdf files. It just takes a while to engineer it. When Adobe did ADE they certainly did not anticipate the need for TTS support. Now, maybe, that can be dealt with (we will see).

In any case, YES, it shows the Vendor is still thinking about the End User to improve his or her experience with the unit!

[SDRebel]

Originally Posted by Robertb

Dear rling:

Thank you for putting it succinctly! Yes, I do not favor a release on a device that is a mess or does not work saying "we will fix it later". However, minor nuisances can and will be dealt with by Firmware Upgrade. This is good and not bad. Firmware Upgrades do not just fix small items, they often contain brand new features or expanded use of a present feature. Nobody is charged for these... they are free and painless. I suspect that sometime there will be a firmware upgrade to mesh TTS with EPUB or pdf files. It just takes a while to engineer it. When Adobe did ADE they certainly did not anticipate the need for TTS support. Now, maybe, that can be dealt with (we will see).

In any case, YES, it shows the Vendor is still thinking about the End User to improve his or her experience with the unit!

so what will TTS work with?