"Astek Mentor" at CES

[griffonwing]

Apart from misspelling the name, and touting that the Mentor has been out for half a year already, what else are they fouling up?

Here is the complete quote from http://www.ubergizmo.com/15/archives...ok_reader.html

[CES 2009] The Mentor E-Book Reader from Astek might be out for over half a year already, and it has yet to challenge the Kindle's position in the e-book reader market despite posting some pretty decent specifications. Here's a rehash of the specifications for your perusal :-

• Samsung S3C2443 400MHz processor
• 64MB RAM
• 1GB flash memory
• 6" e-Ink screen with 170dpi, 4 grayscales, and 800 x 600 pixel resolution
• Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity
• USB 2.0 connectivity
• 3.5mm headphone jack
• SD card memory card slot

This Windows CE5.0-based device doesn't do color unfortunately, but that's all in the name of battery conservation across the long run.

[pilotbob]

Ah.. so the screen isn't color to save battery life eh?

BOb

[kacir]

Look at the video linked in an another thread
https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...=22658&page=31 and you will learn even more interesting ... aehm ... facts ;-)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3gshDchF-o

"what makes it different from other products on the market - it's really thin"
(he is showing rebranded Hanlin - the same thickness as all the other readers)

"is't also small, so you can carry it in a purse"
(see the previous comment)

"it comes with a 'crush resistant' case"
(the term 'crush resistant' case, ... where did I hear that? I wonder how much of a 'crush' the case can withstand. Is it made of ribbed titanium? Or perhaps only a magnesium-aluminum alloy? Does it at least have some 3mm thick lining of carbon-kevlar laminate?)

AND ....
"it has an equalizer!"
(WOW! *That* is what I have been missing from my reader all the time! Forget directory support, user replaceable fonts, touch screen, low price. )
[OK, OK, I shall stop being sardonic for the rest of the comment]

and now comes the really juicy part.
The moderator says that:
"the Sony will only read DRM-ed texts"
...
"... And with the Kindle you have to do that weird thing, you have to send it to their servers and than it comes back to your Kindle"
<sigh>

[John Bailey]

Perhaps these two are angling for a home shopping show. I gave up when the interviewer pointed out the SD card, and went " so I can put my own stuff on this?" I lost the will to watch after that, so I have no idea if they even went into the formats supported.

[astra]

I have watched the video yesterday and one more time I understood why I would never make a good sales person...

[kacir]

Originally Posted by John Bailey

I gave up when the interviewer pointed out the SD card, and went " so I can put my own stuff on this?"

That was not THAT stupid observation.

THE very very first e-ink reader was Sony Librie
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Librie
and one of the notable features was that the only content you could put on it was the content purchased from Sony. And even that content expired after 60 days.I wonder why the whole device was one magnificent failure from marketing point of view ;-)

[John Bailey]

Originally Posted by kacir

and one of the notable features was that the only content you could put on it was the content purchased from Sony. And even that content expired after 60 days.I wonder why the whole device was one magnificent failure from marketing point of view ;-)

True.. but is was Sony. so an incompatible file format is pretty much the norm.

[JSWolf]

All I can say is how underimpressed I am with this.

[R o d]

There is a post from Robert B that the 9.7 inch model is now delayed until October at the earliest.

[Dylrob]

Originally Posted by R o d

There is a post from Robert B that the 9.7 inch model is now delayed until October at the earliest.

Very sad news.