Review: Astak 5" Easy Reader Pro

[Spiffy]

Originally Posted by DaleDe

An inconvenient feature. I like that. It is the most versatile system around. Just create folders which you can name anything you wish and as deep as you wish and put you books wherever you wish. If you need favorites just make a folder named favorites. Easy. It does keep track of recently read which is enough organization for me along with alphabetical order. Of course YMMV. I don't like systems that forces me to learn their way of organizing. However you can always use ADE or Calibre to do your organizing.

The inconvenience is mostly that you have to do it while connected to a computer.

The fact that you have to hook it up to a computer to make directories and/or move files around is the issue. Needing a PC to manage things makes it no better than iTunes.

As for making a favorites directory? That means file copying or moving. So you either have to maintain duplicate copies of your books on the same device, or you have to yank the original files out of your otherwise efficient sorting system into this special directory. Neither is very efficient, and again they require the use of a computer. That's the bug up my butt here. I don't like being chained to a PC. The whole POINT of a good ebook reader is to break that dependence as much as possible. I'd be reading books on my PC if it wasn't. Hooking it up to the PC to get books in the first place? I'm FINE with that--I don't need stupid 3G capability to get my books. But after that? I shouldn't need the PC for every last bit of basic file maintenance.

I don't see what the crime is in wishing for some firmware updating. The actual hardware is great. Its the software which needs work. A lot of work. Basic file level tools ON the unit would be the easiest way to stay with the "open" philosophy of the product. Sort of like what the alternate firmware that Buggins guy has been doing, but a bit further, since all Buggins firmware really adds is an ability to delete files and the ability to move files between the SD card and the built in memory. What we really need is a full service file cut and paste. Cut from here, paste here. All on the unit. Add that, and we're in business. That, and as I said elsewhere, a mimicking of the "Recent Files" mechanism, but with things you deliberately mark as Favorites. All of this can be done with a popup file context menu, the same way Buggins version does it (by holding DOWN a number key).

[Steven Lake]

I guess that whether or not it's inconvenient is in the eye of the beholder. For me, the lack of onboard file management is not an inconvenience, since the only time I'll be managing files is when it's connected to the PC, so lack of a file manager on the device is not a loss for me.

[dyosa888]

Hi, I am interested in buying Astak 5 but the problem is that it is not available in my country (Philippines). Can someone help me how to get one?

[Sylver]

Originally Posted by dyosa888

Hi, I am interested in buying Astak 5 but the problem is that it is not available in my country (Philippines). Can someone help me how to get one?

Many Asian countries have Hanlin 5 available, Astak PocketPro is Hanlin 5, and Astak 6 inch ezreader is Hanlin 3.

[Spiffy]

Originally Posted by Steven Lake

I guess that whether or not it's inconvenient is in the eye of the beholder. For me, the lack of onboard file management is not an inconvenience, since the only time I'll be managing files is when it's connected to the PC, so lack of a file manager on the device is not a loss for me.

I guess so, but I have to ask how many ebooks you have on the unit at one time.

Maybe I'm the odd one out here, but I have a large percentage of my collection on their all at once.

Before I figured out how to have Calibre shove everything into subdirectories (something the average home user probably won't or can't do) I was, I admit, totally disgusted at having to hit the page down button dozens of times in a row to get to books later in the alphabet.

After figuring out a nice way to have Calibre arrange things (A-Z top level directories, and author specific directories below that), things were much better. But THEN it turns into a game of having to memorize author names corresponding to titles to find what you want.

The latest idea is maybe using the Catalog feature in Calibre, except the two problems there is that a.) it keep crashing when building one b.) I believe its a Catalog of both what I have on the unit AND what I don't, right? Which makes it a bit less convenient.

Anyway, sure there are workarounds for everything, but it would be oh so much easier with that basic file maintenance on the device, including that Favoriting ability (I know the PB360 has that one, for example). I've resorted to using the Buggins firmware (got to be extra careful to find a version which doesn't have an awful battery drain problem), and temporarily copying my "Favorite" books to the built-in storage (keeping a master copy on the SD card).

Still, I can't be the only one annoyed by stuff like this, and not everyone has the wherewithal to find a site like this and fool with all these workarounds. So yeah. The firmware needs to be better. The hardware is golden, in my opinion, as long as you don't get one of the overly Paint-peely versions of the unit.

[theducks]

Originally Posted by Spiffy

find what you want.

The latest idea is maybe using the Catalog feature in Calibre, except the two problems there is that a.) it keep crashing when building one b.) I believe its a Catalog of both what I have on the unit AND what I don't, right? Which makes it a bit less convenient.

I keep 1K books on my SD Card
I also put the Calibre Catalog in main storage.
The Catalog (EPUB format) is 12 M in size.
It has never crashed either my PC while generating, nor my PEz Dec Astak FW in use or Lbook FW)
You may have corruption in your Calibre library. Run the advanced preference: Check Database integrity.

[dyosa888]

Originally Posted by Sylver

Many Asian countries have Hanlin 5 available, Astak PocketPro is Hanlin 5, and Astak 6 inch ezreader is Hanlin 3.

So Hanlin 5 and Astak 5 is the same under one company or they just happen to have the same features? I think it is China made and I am quite wary to buy China made for I might buy an imitation. No offense coz I know they have lots of good products but I really want to be sure that what I'm getting is the real deal.

[Steven Lake]

Spiffy, I'm a minimalist. If it doesn't need to be there, it's not. So I typically don't have more than half a dozen books on a reader at any one time. Of course, I don't actually own a portable ebook reader yet, since I do the majority of my reading via Calibre, but when I do finally get my reader (it'll be an astak), I figure to plunk a few books each onto my sd cards and just swap as needed.

[Dave_S]

Originally Posted by dyosa888

So Hanlin 5 and Astak 5 is the same under one company or they just happen to have the same features?

Astak, BeBook, Lbook, and some others are all sell the same Hanlin V5 device. Some resellers do value added firmware development for the V5, but Astak and BeBook both use the firmware provided by Hanlin. One of the nice things about so many sellers selling the exact same hardware is that you can try the firmware from any other Hanlin V5 reseller on your device to find what works best for you.

[dyosa888]

Originally Posted by Dave_S

Astak, BeBook, Lbook, and some others are all sell the same Hanlin V5 device. Some resellers do value added firmware development for the V5, but Astak and BeBook both use the firmware provided by Hanlin. One of the nice things about so many sellers selling the exact same hardware is that you can try the firmware from any other Hanlin V5 reseller on your device to find what works best for you.

Thank so much for giving me an idea, I may be able to check what is available here in Asia.

[theducks]

Originally Posted by dyosa888

So Hanlin 5 and Astak 5 is the same under one company or they just happen to have the same features? I think it is China made and I am quite wary to buy China made for I might buy an imitation. No offense coz I know they have lots of good products but I really want to be sure that what I'm getting is the real deal.

They are NOT clones of another product.
They are the SAME product with different branding and accessory kits.

OEM (re)branding is very common in electronics (sometimes there are also color and trim variations to disguise it).

[Spiffy]

Originally Posted by Steven Lake

Spiffy, I'm a minimalist. If it doesn't need to be there, it's not. So I typically don't have more than half a dozen books on a reader at any one time. Of course, I don't actually own a portable ebook reader yet, since I do the majority of my reading via Calibre, but when I do finally get my reader (it'll be an astak), I figure to plunk a few books each onto my sd cards and just swap as needed.

Well, I guess. But considering an 8GB SD card can hold like... ten thousand e-books, that's a bit of a bass ackwards way to do it, in my opinion. If it works for you, then that's great though. Not that most people will have ten thousand ebooks, but its kind of the principle of the thing. Project Gutenberg is 32,000 titles, for example, but I bet no particular person out there would want to read more than 1000 of those.

[Freeshadow]

Originally Posted by Spiffy

Needing a PC to manage things makes it no better than iTunes.

Ouch that hurt really really badly.

On ther one hand:Using a PC as that what it basically is: a data management, creation and transition tool.

On the other: Using a piece of software i.e. iTunes* to get the devices' creators permission to actually use a device one has bought and as such already paid for. all this iCrap thingies which don't work at all until you register them with iTunes...

Well, "no better" is indeed the very last term I would have used.
In my eyes this two concepts are divided by a big honking wall with the word "Freedom" sprayed on it.
I am not one of those eagerly waiting for the red blinkenlight staring at me from my own computer. along with the most famous

Originally Posted by HAL

I fear I can't let you do that

*) which runs only under certain conditions I am not willing to fulfill:
as there are:

• Paying and using of a mac
• same for Mac OS
• same for Win OS

[DaleDe]

Originally Posted by dyosa888

Hi, I am interested in buying Astak 5 but the problem is that it is not available in my country (Philippines). Can someone help me how to get one?

I believe Astak will ship all over the world. Check http://www.astak.com.

Dale

[jyl]

can this really open chm and djvu files?