What will the Nook & Kindle do to Astak?

[jusmee]

I think Astak's problem, when positioning itself as having "the best product" is the depth of support. By this I mean, that Robert is very responsive and seems to have the right attitude, BUT he seems to have all sorts of trouble getting things to actually happen. Look at the problems with the website for the bookstore, and also the faulty flash on the main website that stops downloading of updates. Especially, look at the lack of responsiveness of the factory in fixing firmware problems, let alone adding badly needed features.

[SensualPoet]

Originally Posted by Robertb

I could use a group hug about now. I have been so scared lately. But, I think I am regaining composure and feeling better.

We do want your business. I AGREE totally that the prices thru the Canada stores are HARD. Our distributor sets the price to the store and then the store marks up.

I admire your efforts, Robert; I truly do. I am sure management does not believe the Canadian market is worth pursuing and that is what is driving decisions like allowing $289 -- far above the going market price. If the current Canadian "partner" isn't delivering, perhaps a different partner is needed and a new view of how to tackle this market as well.

I am struck by what is happening at Fictionwise: management has gutted what appeared to be a successful, profitable e-bookstore with a strong niche audience and loyal base ... and dismantled it, piece by piece.

There is a place for a vendor interested in building a truly useful, credible e-bookshop that builds on its customer base and delivers value. Value isn't code for "cheapest" ... value is a combination of factors and brand loyality which is earned in everyday interactions. Look at Amazon, Sony bookstore, Fictionwise and Smashwords -- each offers a radically different customer proposition. There is room for very profitable niche players, especially in an expanding market; but execution separates the wheat from the chaff. Where is the Astak guiding vision?

Alas, nice guys sometimes finish last.

[oncdoc]

Originally Posted by jusmee

I think Astak's problem, when positioning itself as having "the best product" is the depth of support. By this I mean, that Robert is very responsive and seems to have the right attitude, BUT he seems to have all sorts of trouble getting things to actually happen. Look at the problems with the website for the bookstore, and also the faulty flash on the main website that stops downloading of updates. Especially, look at the lack of responsiveness of the factory in fixing firmware problems, let alone adding badly needed features.

yes, i think they need to close down that bookstore. I kinda feel bad for the company. oh well. Competition is the name of the game.

[Robertb]

Originally Posted by Solicitous

I disagree. If you look at this 'price war' for lack of a better phrase it is between Amazon and B&N, with Sony playing a distant third. All other ereader companies are doing business as usual. If those three players are selling their readers at a loss this pricing will only be short term as it wont be able to be sustained in the long term.

Where the strength in Astak is in my opinion is; personalised support, quality product and an obvious desire to sell a product that consumers want. To me that is worth the extra money. The freedom to buy my books from where I want, the freedom to structure my books the way I want, the freedom to install updates if and when I want. You can't put a price on that. I strongly believe buying from Astak you get freedom, buying from one of the big players and you get locked into their will and ways.

Dear All:

Yes, where the price war leaves Astak is questionable. On the one hand, we have the only true online friendly customer interface, the products are always quality and technically close to excellent, and they are essentially jammed with features that people love. The warranty is well honored and we go out of our way to cheat nobody. You can buy from our bookstore or any of 300 others. Astak does listen and does try to make decisions based on MR comment.

The question is: will this be enough? Think of the EZ Reader PLUS. Suppose that B&N fires back in the war with Amazon and sells the NOOK at $99. Maybe Amazon reciprocates and they both sell at $99. What does Astak do? Will an EZ Reader PLUS be able to sell at $219 or even $199 against this onslaught? Yes, there will be some MR people who truly value Astak and realize the PLUS is a far faster, lighter, and better product... but how many? 20, 50, 100 people?

These are not easy times for an Astak!

[cfrizz]

In time all those who want ereaders will have them with the features that they want & the pace will wane on buying them.

What truly has to happen is to have MORE competition as far as bookstores go. As it stands right now, with Fictionwise in its death throes, EZreads.com is going to become my #1 store since so far, they have the lowest prices.

Once they get the Agency 5 books online, I will be able to continue my book purchases. Until then, I have a TBR pile to work through!

[oncdoc]

how much is the ezreader plus -- the new one gonna weigh?

[DaleDe]

Originally Posted by oncdoc

how much is the ezreader plus -- the new one gonna weigh?

Same as the old one.

Dale

[Robertb]

Originally Posted by oncdoc

how much is the ezreader plus -- the new one gonna weigh?

Dear Oncdoc:

Everything shows it to still weigh in at 6.1 ounces which is very light for a 6 inch. The Amazon Model is about 10.2 ounces for comparison.

[Robertb]

Originally Posted by cfrizz

In time all those who want ereaders will have them with the features that they want & the pace will wane on buying them.

What truly has to happen is to have MORE competition as far as bookstores go. As it stands right now, with Fictionwise in its death throes, EZreads.com is going to become my #1 store since so far, they have the lowest prices.

Once they get the Agency 5 books online, I will be able to continue my book purchases. Until then, I have a TBR pile to work through!

Dear All:

EZread.com is a decent bookstore. It has really low prices; but it looks and feels a bit "clunky" and we DO need the Agency Model eBooks up on it. They are coming!

We know it. We have heard so many of you say: "Get PayPal, fix the search, get a wishlist, sort by DRM and DRM-free, do book reviews, be different than other sites, and a lot more.

We are doing it. The contract has been let and we are looking this week at three mock-ups. Cathy (cfrizz) is right... the one thing we have is a great price. Best price will not hold people all by itself. So, we are doing a drastic re-do. We are in this for the long haul! Eventually, everyone of you will (I truly believe) love this site. Give it a chance. Praise the good things and wait a short time for the bad things to all get better!

I am, as you know, the first to be honest. I am NOT saying only great things about it. Rather, I am speaking out and getting heard. I also hear you. There are already the workings to make it radically better.

Just stay tuned!

[SmartyPants]

ugh... unfortunately, when the big guys fight, its the small guys that suffer!
As someone who works in the airline industry, its something i know all too well.
I personally still think that Astak offers more than A LOT of the competitors do. But then again, I am reasonably gadget-savy, I did my research. I knew what features were most important to me, so as a result i am VERY happy with my choice.
I can get Kobo here in Australia now for $199, but i still would rather pay extra and a get a feature-rich reader.
But to be honest, out of the general population, how many customers bother with an in-depth research?? How many will simply walk in the shop and buy Kobo upon seeing that magic 199 number?

[Robertb]

Originally Posted by SmartyPants

ugh... unfortunately, when the big guys fight, its the small guys that suffer!
As someone who works in the airline industry, its something i know all too well.
I personally still think that Astak offers more than A LOT of the competitors do. But then again, I am reasonably gadget-savy, I did my research. I knew what features were most important to me, so as a result i am VERY happy with my choice.
I can get Kobo here in Australia now for $199, but i still would rather pay extra and a get a feature-rich reader.
But to be honest, out of the general population, how many customers bother with an in-depth research?? How many will simply walk in the shop and buy Kobo upon seeing that magic 199 number?

Dear Smarty:

You hit it right on the head!! Having a technically proficient device with more features and more formats and more languages and less weight does not make a winner. It does with the tech-savvy crowd but the average pbook reader knows NOTHING about this stuff. Formats, languages, TTS, Epson Controller, expandable memory, replaceable battery... all a big giant MOOT Point!! The 5 inch Sony is selling great and it is SO outclassed by the Pocket PRO it is almost sinful. BUT... it is successful and we are not. The average pbook reader has heard of electronic readers and eBooks but has zero knowledge. They WILL try... but they would rather try at $149 than $199. I think it is that simple!

[Freeshadow]

smarty 'd right itd s pity there are so much ppl out there who simply (at first) don't mind about the tech-specs but are willing to complain when'its too late - as I believe to have already said, the problem are specific categories of buyers.

• the uninformed (non tech-savvy)
• the ignorant (stupid)

btw what is about freely available source-code from the factory?
since it's linux-based stuff, it should be accessible

even apart from that your devices are 1st choice for linux-users, because they don't user proprietary tech for connection being simply usb-storage accessible.

programmers use enough digi documentation to make a potentially interesting customer group - plus a lot of them might be tempted to tinker with the device itself.

if I'm pointing out things too obvious SORRY feel free to slap me around, it wasn't intended to be smartassed or something like that.
I just try to help out whit as much ideas I can squeeze out of my brain, because of the personal interest NOT to see a free device which I can use whitout trouble being endangerd by technically inferior and closed ones.

If I'm not, well maybe it'd be a good idea to wave some astaks in front of the noses of several Linux magazine's editors around the world.

as always with the best wishes on your quest Robert.

[SmartyPants]

well i know i am trying my best to advertise Astak to everyone and anyone who would listen.. i got one for my mum.. i got a few ppl very interested when they saw me using it.
But its still a drop in an ocean compared to lots of 'the uninformed' out there.

Same as with iPod really. There are HEAPS of perhaps much better mp3 players available, but majority only know and use iPod. Which basically creates a monopoly in the market.

[Freeshadow]

both the same, the sad thing is (already NOW) being asked if "that's the kindle-thing"
which i like to answer "No, this is actually a real reader you can use with whatever you like, not just a portable Amazon outlet." proceeding with explanations thereafter.

my last "catch" was a lass telling it'll perfectly fit her mum (who already heard somwhere from about such devices) because she (being a teacher) uses nearly all of her baggage weight limit in vacation travels for books.

After a tech demo and trying to give n estimated amount of books fitting on (explaining mem usage sizes to a non techie is a kind of creative task ) plus pointing out that she could get the most of her books for free (I of course pointed to mobilereads excellent selection) since said ma reads a fair amount of classics; teaching english and german she reads the english stuff untranslated. Well - said girl was happy like a kitten in a wool-basket: they had the best possible bday present for mum (mums additional liking for audio books and the mp3-ability was a nice extra too.

I also second you as far the mp3 players are concerned. I use a Creative zen stone plus
2 Gig small display, no itunes needed for "usage allowance" and usb-storage access.
sadly most ppl who bought the nano,because they wanted something small never heard of THESE...

the avarage buyers fail to see that consumer electronics are still more than a broom... thus that a bit of market orientation would be not only useful but dictated by common sense. A pity that such a lot of them fails to adapt the behaviour they see as normal when buying the next car to a handfull of smaller but not less complicated devices...

[hch568]

Maybe it is not "uninformed" or "non-tech-savvy" for "the majority" (the majority in that specific market) to buy Ipod/Iphone/Ipad or "famous/popular products". There's more reasons for the majority to do that. We can't say people are stupid or xxx simply because they don't act like us. I never consider using Mac or buying Apple's products, not because I'm smart, but simply because they are too expensive and not suitable for my purposes (or not "user-friendly" enough for my usage). And I never consider buying Kindle or Nook before they dropped their prices. But I'm still not buying them because their limited format-support and the "locked-in" DRM issue.

People who bought and will buy ipod/iphone/ipad will continue doing so and think they are making a stylish and smart decision. It might be called "network-effect" that affects people's "taste" or preferences. If there are enough people admiring the thing or a status, you will believe it is an object for admiration. Why would we believe "slim and thin and ...." is beautiful/fashionable (what is fashion, anyway)? Why would we dress just like one another? (Don't you think it's boring?) Why don't you celebrate your uniqueness in dressing, doing things, taste and so on? If our tastes are very different from one another, business will not expand in such a scale. And there's no chance for big corporations and mega-multi-millionaires....

We would seek to be recognized and included in a group/society, and we would compromise consciously or unconsciously. And the factors that molded our tastes and preferences are dynamic, it might be your mother/family/friends/or anyone in your network who would determine the first and next phase of your preferences. So if all the people in your network think ipod/ipad/iphone is beautiful and user-friendly, would you question their judgement? Maybe you will question yourself first, then convince yourself the one function that you consider important is not that important anymore (because it is not possible for Apple to do that without affecting some other major factors, such as Job's claim about Flash would drain IPad's battery....).

We are not as smart and unique and unchangeable as we think.