just pulled the trigger on a pocket pro

basschick · 11-20-2009, 12:21 AM

i wanted to get my husband an ebook reader as he likes ebooks but doesn't like reading on his computer. i figured with the holidays coming, this was the time. i was torn between the sony, the ez reader and the pocket pro, but then i hear great things about astak support. my husband preferred the astaks, and then i remembered how involved robertb and his company seemed to be, and how i pushed for a $200 reader. so i just placed my order for a pocket pro - we'll open it, charge it try it, and then comes the hard part - putting it back in its box, giftwrapping it and waiting for christmas to use it

Laura81 · 11-20-2009, 12:42 AM

Congrats! Just got one myself for Christmas... though not sure how I am supposed to wait until then to use it!

moorspede · 11-20-2009, 09:54 AM

I hope you don't need to find out how bad Astak's support is.

JIGACE · 11-20-2009, 10:16 AM

Congrats I have mine for 6 weeks now, i love it! no problems at all, i have read epub, txt, pdf, word, fb2, even zipped files! all worked very well. No battery problems I read a lot and even so, i just recharged one since i received it... even if I could use a better interface i very happy with my pocket pro, and I think its a very good reader for the price, and I see de Astak people care about us enough to be in this forum so I think the support is good.

Robertb · 11-20-2009, 01:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by moorspede

I hope you don't need to find out how bad Astak's support is.

Dear Moorspede:

Have you had a problem?

I work for Astak. Give us a call at: 1-866-368-8788 and let us help you. I am here most days trying to get things right.

Javed · 11-21-2009, 01:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by basschick

my husband preferred the astaks, and then i remembered how involved robertb and his company seemed to be, and how i pushed for a $200 reader. so i just placed my order for a pocket pro - we'll open it, charge it try it, and then comes the hard part - putting it back in its box, giftwrapping it and waiting for christmas to use it

Yes, Astak does have very good representation on the forum.
I'm sure your husband will be pleased with the Pocket Pro as his reader of choice.

luvshihtzu · 11-21-2009, 02:51 AM

It will cost you a total of over $22 to order and return if you don't like it, plus about three weeks to get your refund. We didn't like it. We do like the used Sony 505 we bought instead. Much more intuitive to operate.
I am hoping that the newest Astak coming out will be easier to use.

Solicitous · 11-21-2009, 07:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by luvshihtzu

It will cost you a total of over $22 to order and return if you don't like it, plus about three weeks to get your refund. We didn't like it. We do like the used Sony 505 we bought instead. Much more intuitive to operate.
I am hoping that the newest Astak coming out will be easier to use.

I've seen mentioned the difference in peoples opinion on the PP not being as intuitive as the Sony readers, yet I find the PP quite simple and effective to interact with. Are you able to, for my curiosity sake, give a few examples of how the Sony is more intuitive?

Laura81 · 11-21-2009, 10:19 AM

I'm curious about that as well. Granted I've yet to use my PP but I don't understand what people really mean when they complain about it's lack of being intuitive... I'm assuming they mean it's not as easy to use as other devices.

bbqncigars · 11-21-2009, 06:42 PM

Well, it doesn't have a 'point and drool' interface like windoze promotes. Maybe that's it.

luvshihtzu · 11-22-2009, 02:44 AM

You asked, so.....Being that you have already ordered the Astak Pro, you will find out shortly how it is to operate. One of my biggest complaints was the small print on the menu. After that, every time you did any operation, it took several steps to accomplish something. The steps didn't make sense. It is not a straight forward system like the Sony or the Kindle and you do need some computer savvy to be able to get everything up and running. Let us know how you feel about it later. You will have 14 days from date of arrival to return the Astak for a refund, if needed. If this is a gift, make sure the recipient checks it out for a few days before wrapping it back up for Christmas.

It was a relief to get the Sony as our library reader for Overdrive Internet ebooks after returning the Astak. We originally were so spoiled by the ease of use of our Kindles. Am sure that having Kindles first made it more difficult to use the Astak. We also were less inclined to put up with all the problems of use the Astak presented.

Be sure to let us know how you do with the Astak.

One last thought. I won't comment anymore about the problems I had with the Astak or why I thought it wasn't the best reader out there. When I ordered my Astak Pro, I too thought I had made the best decision based on the information being given as to pros and cons. I just got caught up a little in the hype from the Astak site and was disappointed in the reality. Luckily, one of the Mobileread members clued me about the Sony 505 and that it might work better for me. He was so incredibly correct.

basschick · 11-22-2009, 04:23 AM

my husband and i are extremely computer savvy.

Solicitous · 11-22-2009, 04:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by luvshihtzu

You asked, so.....Being that you have already ordered the Astak Pro, you will find out shortly how it is to operate. One of my biggest complaints was the small print on the menu. After that, every time you did any operation, it took several steps to accomplish something. The steps didn't make sense. It is not a straight forward system like the Sony or the Kindle and you do need some computer savvy to be able to get everything up and running. Let us know how you feel about it later. You will have 14 days from date of arrival to return the Astak for a refund, if needed. If this is a gift, make sure the recipient checks it out for a few days before wrapping it back up for Christmas.

I actually find the PP quite simple to use. Turn it on, the main screen has up to 8 options per screen, then press the corresponding numeric button for the option you want - simple. If you're structure is;

1 - Recently Read
2 - Fantasy
3 - Sci Fi
4 - Public Domain
5 - Adventure
6 - Non-Fiction

and you decide you want to read a Sci Fi novel, just press 3, then follow the same procedure to select the book you want. A lot easier than having a 5-way button requiring identifying where the cursor/highlighter is and press the 5-way up/down until Sci Fi is highlighted, then select it. Want the main menu? Press the Menu button in either the bookshelf or currently read book. I don't know how much more straight forward or simple it can be made. I lent my PP to my wife and off she went reading, worked it out very quickly. Only two questions I got from her were 1) which folder did you put XXXX book in, and 2) Do I need to turn it off when finished reading?

I certainly don't feel you need to be savvy to use the PP. It is as simple as plug it in to your computer, drag'n drop your book, turn it on, select the number corresponding with the folder/file you want and away you go.

LoganK · 11-23-2009, 12:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Solicitous

Are you able to, for my curiosity sake, give a few examples of how the Sony is more intuitive?

I haven't actually used the Pocket Pro, but a quick list off the top of my head:

The buttons are alongside the menu items and are a single row. This means that I can, in effect, push the menu item rather than hunting for the correct numbered button.
The reader can jump to a page by just entering the number while reading.
There is a list of books by author, title, or date (my personal favorite).
The font sizes are correct (see earlier discussions on points versus pixels).
Document links always work and navigating is more apparent.

Issues that Astak's factory may have improved since I last checked:

Seemingly better re-flow of PDFs such as not losing images.
Bookmarks work as you would expect (you go back to the page as you saw it previously).
Option to delete books as you finish them.

On the minus side, of course, is fewer features, the provided desktop software is complete crap (it is sad that Astak does a better job by virtue of the fact that it doesn't give you anything), and Sony doesn't issue any firmware updates.

griffonwing · 11-27-2009, 01:28 PM

I think one of the biggest advantages of Astak over the Sony is their dedication to updating the firmware. Not only do they upgrade constantly, they listen to us here, and implement the changes that we want. Granted, it may take some time, and some things are still on the list, but they are constantly evolving and improving the product.

That, to me, trumps any other ebook company on the market.

11-20-2009, 12:21 AM	#1
basschick Wizard Posts: 1,096 Karma: 4695691 Join Date: May 2008 Device: Kindle Paperwhite	just pulled the trigger on a pocket pro i wanted to get my husband an ebook reader as he likes ebooks but doesn't like reading on his computer. i figured with the holidays coming, this was the time. i was torn between the sony, the ez reader and the pocket pro, but then i hear great things about astak support. my husband preferred the astaks, and then i remembered how involved robertb and his company seemed to be, and how i pushed for a $200 reader. so i just placed my order for a pocket pro - we'll open it, charge it try it, and then comes the hard part - putting it back in its box, giftwrapping it and waiting for christmas to use it

11-21-2009, 02:51 AM	#7
luvshihtzu Groupie Posts: 194 Karma: 39390 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Tucson, Arizona Device: Kindle DX Graphite, Sony 950 and iPad	It will cost you a total of over $22 to order and return if you don't like it, plus about three weeks to get your refund. We didn't like it. We do like the used Sony 505 we bought instead. Much more intuitive to operate. I am hoping that the newest Astak coming out will be easier to use. Last edited by luvshihtzu; 11-21-2009 at 02:57 AM.

11-22-2009, 02:44 AM	#11
luvshihtzu Groupie Posts: 194 Karma: 39390 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Tucson, Arizona Device: Kindle DX Graphite, Sony 950 and iPad	You asked, so.....Being that you have already ordered the Astak Pro, you will find out shortly how it is to operate. One of my biggest complaints was the small print on the menu. After that, every time you did any operation, it took several steps to accomplish something. The steps didn't make sense. It is not a straight forward system like the Sony or the Kindle and you do need some computer savvy to be able to get everything up and running. Let us know how you feel about it later. You will have 14 days from date of arrival to return the Astak for a refund, if needed. If this is a gift, make sure the recipient checks it out for a few days before wrapping it back up for Christmas. It was a relief to get the Sony as our library reader for Overdrive Internet ebooks after returning the Astak. We originally were so spoiled by the ease of use of our Kindles. Am sure that having Kindles first made it more difficult to use the Astak. We also were less inclined to put up with all the problems of use the Astak presented. Be sure to let us know how you do with the Astak. One last thought. I won't comment anymore about the problems I had with the Astak or why I thought it wasn't the best reader out there. When I ordered my Astak Pro, I too thought I had made the best decision based on the information being given as to pros and cons. I just got caught up a little in the hype from the Astak site and was disappointed in the reality. Luckily, one of the Mobileread members clued me about the Sony 505 and that it might work better for me. He was so incredibly correct. Last edited by luvshihtzu; 11-22-2009 at 03:17 AM.

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11-20-2009, 12:42 AM	#2
Laura81 Addict Posts: 360 Karma: 407796 Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Victoria, Australia Device: Paperwhite 5	Congrats! Just got one myself for Christmas... though not sure how I am supposed to wait until then to use it!

11-20-2009, 09:54 AM	#3
moorspede Junior Member Posts: 4 Karma: 80 Join Date: Nov 2009 Device: none	I hope you don't need to find out how bad Astak's support is.

11-20-2009, 10:16 AM	#4
JIGACE Member Posts: 21 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jul 2008 Device: EZ Reader Pocket Pro	Congrats I have mine for 6 weeks now, i love it! no problems at all, i have read epub, txt, pdf, word, fb2, even zipped files! all worked very well. No battery problems I read a lot and even so, i just recharged one since i received it... even if I could use a better interface i very happy with my pocket pro, and I think its a very good reader for the price, and I see de Astak people care about us enough to be in this forum so I think the support is good.

11-21-2009, 10:19 AM	#9
Laura81 Addict Posts: 360 Karma: 407796 Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Victoria, Australia Device: Paperwhite 5	I'm curious about that as well. Granted I've yet to use my PP but I don't understand what people really mean when they complain about it's lack of being intuitive... I'm assuming they mean it's not as easy to use as other devices.

11-21-2009, 06:42 PM	#10
bbqncigars PDA dino Posts: 80 Karma: 1527072 Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Iowa, USA Device: Palm IIIx, Rooted NC, Voyages(2)	Well, it doesn't have a 'point and drool' interface like windoze promotes. Maybe that's it.

11-22-2009, 04:23 AM	#12
basschick Wizard Posts: 1,096 Karma: 4695691 Join Date: May 2008 Device: Kindle Paperwhite	my husband and i are extremely computer savvy.

11-27-2009, 01:28 PM	#15
griffonwing Suave Swabby, Savvy? Posts: 1,602 Karma: 520350 Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Harrison, ARrrr, USA - southern Ozark mountains Device: Slate Blue PEZ (Astak Pocket Pro), CVSCX-9300 Quad-band watch phone	I think one of the biggest advantages of Astak over the Sony is their dedication to updating the firmware. Not only do they upgrade constantly, they listen to us here, and implement the changes that we want. Granted, it may take some time, and some things are still on the list, but they are constantly evolving and improving the product. That, to me, trumps any other ebook company on the market.

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