Astak website decorations

[DaleDe]

Originally Posted by theducks

Battery on the EZReader site? Does not exist if you can't see it.
80% of my friends use Firefox or anything but IE.

I use Firefox 3.x (Windows and Linux)

Lose the M$ specific web stuff.
IE is for getting M$ security updates only

I do not believe this is an IE issue. The data is not on the EZReader site no matter what browser you use. No sense in starting a browser war when it is not necessary. It is on the Astak site. It would seem that there is not a single control point for the two sites and EZReader site is not current and difficult to maintain from San Jose.

Dale

[theducks]

Originally Posted by DaleDe

I do not believe this is an IE issue. The data is not on the EZReader site no matter what browser you use. No sense in starting a browser war when it is not necessary. It is on the Astak site. It would seem that there is not a single control point for the two sites and EZReader site is not current and difficult to maintain from San Jose.

Dale

I mis-understood.
Someone had said the Battery / book light showed on the EZReader site in IE. I assumed FF was excluding these entries.

I had found it after digging about the Astak site a while back (using FF). Not a Logical site layout

Reader Accessories belong off of the Reader page.
Camera Accessories belong off of the Camera page.
Key words here: "Context sensitive"

And Please , No Silverlight use.

[Robertb]

Dear All:

I do not know if you will find this helpful. I do not want to insult anyone by pretending. Please read the following and let me know if this is a help:

"I think the website issue is not about the Firefox, its about the flash. I use FF and it works great. There are two situations: 1, if people do not have flash player plugin on their browser, it will NOT display correctly. 2, if people have flash plugin but the display resolution is too small (that's why I don't like flash, it does NOT automatically adjust content size according to user's display settings), some content will overlap. Normally I will suggest they to click "Buy Now", and then go to the page they want. The "Buy Now" button will link to the HTML pages which have NO flash. Hope this can help."

We are trying at least. Should I praise the techie or beat him severely?

[Davimee]

Originally Posted by Robertb

. Normally I will suggest they to click "Buy Now", and then go to the page they want. The "Buy Now" button will link to the HTML pages which have NO flash. Hope this can help."

This is what I do, only I go to the faq page, then click to where ever I want to go on the site. I've got a 10" netbook, and the pages just don't display quite right, there is a lot of overlap. But I always just assumed it's just me, because of my small screen size.

[polly]

Originally Posted by Robertb

Dear All:

I do not know if you will find this helpful. I do not want to insult anyone by pretending. Please read the following and let me know if this is a help:

"I think the website issue is not about the Firefox, its about the flash. I use FF and it works great. There are two situations: 1, if people do not have flash player plugin on their browser, it will NOT display correctly. 2, if people have flash plugin but the display resolution is too small (that's why I don't like flash, it does NOT automatically adjust content size according to user's display settings), some content will overlap. Normally I will suggest they to click "Buy Now", and then go to the page they want. The "Buy Now" button will link to the HTML pages which have NO flash. Hope this can help."

We are trying at least. Should I praise the techie or beat him severely?

Suggest to the techie that if he's had to figure out ways to get around the problems on his own web page, perhaps he should fix the web page? Perhaps he can beat the web designers until they understand this?

[Solicitous]

Originally Posted by Robertb

Dear All:

I do not know if you will find this helpful. I do not want to insult anyone by pretending. Please read the following and let me know if this is a help:

"I think the website issue is not about the Firefox, its about the flash. I use FF and it works great. There are two situations: 1, if people do not have flash player plugin on their browser, it will NOT display correctly. 2, if people have flash plugin but the display resolution is too small (that's why I don't like flash, it does NOT automatically adjust content size according to user's display settings), some content will overlap. Normally I will suggest they to click "Buy Now", and then go to the page they want. The "Buy Now" button will link to the HTML pages which have NO flash. Hope this can help."

We are trying at least. Should I praise the techie or beat him severely?

Beat him severely

All seriousness I understand the suggested workarounds, but they are only for flash issues. For me the big problem is for International buyers. By clicking the International Orders page in FF I only see 6 Pocket Pros and 1 6" EZReader to select, I don't see the option to buy batteries. If I load IE I get all the readers and the batteries.

Now looking at the page source I can see the code for the batteries (as well as for the ability to enter a coupon code), though those lines are ignored and are wrapped in the following line of code;

<!------------------->

at ether end of the block of relevant code. Now this page is just .asp, no flash at all. I am not a .asp code monkey so unfortunately I can't narrow down the problem much further with the code. This is only one page, and with the entire astak website written in .asp I am sure there'd be more information not displayed to FF users.

Robert, something else you can pass on to the web site guru is;

This problem I have been experiencing seems to be associated (with my few tests) with web browsers using the Gecko engine (Firefox, Netscape). Webkit-based browsers (such as Midori - Safari on the Mac *may* be the same) doesn't appear to have this problem.

[Robertb]

Originally Posted by polly

Suggest to the techie that if he's had to figure out ways to get around the problems on his own web page, perhaps he should fix the web page? Perhaps he can beat the web designers until they understand this?

Dear Polly:

Suggesting to the techie only works with a good beating!

Yes, you are right and we know it. Our website is cramped, crowded with stuff, the flash is disconcerting, and it lacks real "meat".

SO... on the agenda is a re-do of the website.

Unfortunately, Iris would have done a lot of this and she had to move back to Taiwan. The webmaster is in Taiwan and he is swamped right now on a new project that I hope I can finally reveal to everyone soon. Google is taking forever and a day to approve. In the meantime, the poor webmaster is in limbo.

We are in the process of hiring a replacement for Iris and that will help. I do not handle the hiring; but hopefully they will get someone with a graphics arts background.

I just want a website with more help in it for users!! I want more info and I want a few seperate pages for such things as accessories and firmware upgrades.

[JSWolf]

The problem is not the holiday decorations but the flash based menu. That needs to go like yesterday. It's a sign of a website that's not professional. And I would never buy from a website with flash so integrated. So dump the flash and make it a real site.

[Davimee]

Robert, I don't know if this is a possibility (or maybe it's even out there somewhere), but while people are suggesting things for the web page, they might consider having the ability to download the users guide or manual for the ebook readers. I know for myself, when considering an electronic purchase, I like being able to see the manual ahead of time so I have a better idea what I'm getting myself into. Also, it makes it a little easier to use the device if I've already read up on it while I'm waiting for it to arrive.

[Elfwreck]

Originally Posted by Robertb

There are two situations: 1, if people do not have flash player plugin on their browser, it will NOT display correctly. 2, if people have flash plugin but the display resolution is too small (that's why I don't like flash, it does NOT automatically adjust content size according to user's display settings), some content will overlap.

He missed one.

3, if people are using dialup internet, a flash-based website is a nightmare, and they just don't bother visiting at all. (I tend to think any website designed around Flash carries a meta message: Elf, you are not our customer of choice; go away.)

I don't spend time on the Astak site. I really, really *love* the features, and I want a Pocket Pro (and someday I'll have the money for it), but I can't find anything on the site and I don't visit except to get specific links.

By the way, it'd be REALLY HELPFUL to have a single page for each model of ebook reader, with links to the separate pages with each color; right now, I can't direct people to a page with a choice. When people ask me "what is there besides the Kindle & Sony," I want to point them to Astak--but there's no convenient "here's the Pocket Pro; [feature list] [links to individual colored options]" and "here's the EZ Reader [etc] [etc]" pages.

Or if there are, I can't find them. And I'm pretty good at wading through troublesome websites looking for the right page.

[Robertb]

Originally Posted by Elfwreck

He missed one.

3, if people are using dialup internet, a flash-based website is a nightmare, and they just don't bother visiting at all. (I tend to think any website designed around Flash carries a meta message: Elf, you are not our customer of choice; go away.)

I don't spend time on the Astak site. I really, really *love* the features, and I want a Pocket Pro (and someday I'll have the money for it), but I can't find anything on the site and I don't visit except to get specific links.

By the way, it'd be REALLY HELPFUL to have a single page for each model of ebook reader, with links to the separate pages with each color; right now, I can't direct people to a page with a choice. When people ask me "what is there besides the Kindle & Sony," I want to point them to Astak--but there's no convenient "here's the Pocket Pro; [feature list] [links to individual colored options]" and "here's the EZ Reader [etc] [etc]" pages.

Or if there are, I can't find them. And I'm pretty good at wading through troublesome websites looking for the right page.

Dear Elfwreck:

WOW!! People really HATE Flash. Me too. I want a straight site.

WHILE we are waiting, you can use: www.theEZreader.com.html and not get any flash!

I will try immediately to add a features list to the FAQ sheet, as a patch, until I can get a new website re-design!!!

[Robertb]

Originally Posted by Davimee

Robert, I don't know if this is a possibility (or maybe it's even out there somewhere), but while people are suggesting things for the web page, they might consider having the ability to download the users guide or manual for the ebook readers. I know for myself, when considering an electronic purchase, I like being able to see the manual ahead of time so I have a better idea what I'm getting myself into. Also, it makes it a little easier to use the device if I've already read up on it while I'm waiting for it to arrive.

Dear Davimee:

Here is the oft-explained problem and I am glad you brought it up again!

Generally, we get the User Manual to rework about three months before we get the real device. In other words, I get a file of horribly written English that I have to try to put into some semblance of readability. Then, I have no knowledge of the real device and yet I am charged with explaining it. BUT... the Printer in Taiwan has to print it up so I have to rush it back.

The end result is that the User Manual hits some good points but only a few. That is why we use the FAQ sheet as that we can change and keep relatively current. THE FAQ is a great tool for us and the User Manual not so great.

THIS is why I try to recommend to each new end user to "READ THE FAQ SHEET".

The situation is gradually improving on the User Manual.

[Davimee]

Robert, thanks for the explanation! I'll go reread the faq sheet. (I'll finally be getting mine next week! Yeah!!!!! )

[Elfwreck]

Originally Posted by Robertb

Dear Elfwreck:

WOW!! People really HATE Flash. Me too. I want a straight site.

It's not so much that I hate it, as it freezes my browser. (OK, I hate it. But I hate it *because* it slows down my web activities. My awareness of badly-made flash bits is years old, 'cos I don't load them at all these days.)

Dialup. 5min/mb for downloads. Including loading flash, only that's sometimes slower 'cos apparently it often runs through weird filtering software on one end or the other.

128kb tiny flash movie? 30+ seconds of load time. Lots of little flash buttons? Would freeze entirely, except I browse with Firefox using Flashblock; I get little circles-with-arrows instead of flash content until I click on each one to let it start loading.

Site with a cluster of little button-windows? I have to be convinced it's worth my time to click on them. If those little windows aren't hiding pics of Captain Jack Sparrow in bed with someone interesting, they're probably not worth my time.

WHILE we are waiting, you can use: www.theEZreader.com.html and not get any flash!

Doesn't load; is there a typo somewhere? (It's possible that somehow the site is blocked at work, but I don't think so.) AH! it's at http://www.theezreader.com/html/

Hrrm. Let your site design/marketing people know it'd probably be a good idea to choose a sample text that's not riddled with hard returns; when every other line is short, it looks weird, and most viewers won't realize that's a problem with the (presumably Gutenberg) source file, not the device.

[erosco]

Originally Posted by Davimee

This is what I do, only I go to the faq page, then click to where ever I want to go on the site. I've got a 10" netbook, and the pages just don't display quite right, there is a lot of overlap. But I always just assumed it's just me, because of my small screen size.

It's not just you.. the same is true for my 10' netbook. Flash is sucky and doesn't turn on scroll bars causing a loss of access to screen realestate. Parts of the screen are lost on a 10" netbook due to the fact those building the site assumed it was a min of 1024x768.

(Hitting F11 to go fullscreen and get rid of menus etc does help).


Cheers
erosco