Mentor Lite Version 2

Astak made a wise decision and did not ship the Mentor Lite in its first version. The old unit was slow and did not have DRM and had no MP3. We liked the idea of one-touch buttons to the main menu and to Sudoku, and we liked the cursor-style of making selections. But, slow is not what we want the Mentor Line to be known for. SO, we simply very quietly pulled back on marketing it and went back to the factory to get it improved.

Well, the improvement is really apparent! The revised Mentor Lite Version 2 has MP3, has Adobe Digital Editions, and has the famous Epson controller! It now has 8 levels of grey scale where it used to have only four. It comes now in : black, white, and a Metallic Pink.

The case is also new. The new case looks and smells like leather and is cut-out for the screen and controls. In other words, it continues to protect the Mentor Lite front even while you are using it... a very nice design.

The first thing you notice is that the device is now far faster with its page turns. It is a major improvement. The DRM works very well on the device and of course you have ADE reflow. Pictures have a much better image in 8 levels of grey scale and now you can really enjoy them.

There were some major items we loved about the old "Mentor Lite Version 1" and we kept those! It has 8 levels of font increase! It still has the user-replaceable rechargeable battery. It still has an SD card slot to 4GB for easy memory enhancing. The Sudoku still works flawlessly and is a lot of fun on a long airplane flight or a guiet evening in the bedroom. While some may not like the small buttons on the left side... one-touch is a great way to navigate around your device without clicking a bunch of icons and the buttons on the right increase and decrease the music volume! I enjoy music while reading and you might also.

So... where does this leave the Mentor Lite 6 inch? Version 2 is stronger, faster, and just as light as ever. For those who want a good, honest, dependable, and speedy basic eBook Reader that has DRM and handles a dozen formats... the Mentor Lite is going to be pretty hard to beat! A lot of people had wished the Astak EZ Reader Basic had the Epson and had 8 level grey scale. I think this could be just what you are looking to find and it weighs less than 7 ounces.

A careful and detailed look at the Astak Pocket PRO

This is a round-up of the features on the EZ Reader Pocket PRO by Astak. A lot of new (to this Astak forum) people will come here and may not know much about the device!The Astak EZ Reader Pocket PRO is brand new... yet not so new too. There is an Astak 6 inch EZ Reader Basic that has been out about 10 months around the world... with a million sold. The Pocket PRO is essentially an EZ Reader Basic on Steroids! The inner workings and the tactile feel are the same and very well proven... but it becomes now smaller, lighter, more full featured, and exceedingly powerful on the 5 inch Pocket PRO! I call the Pocket PRO a landmark device because nothing else on the market really comes close.First off is the improvement to the electronic guts of the device! The heart and soul of any eBook Reader is centered around the controller and the processor. The speed of bringing up a book and speed of turning pages... all are a matter of the controller and processor. The Pocket PRO has the new Epson high-speed controller and a 400MHz processor (about double what the competition has in most cases).Second, we loaded Adobe Digital Editions on the Pocket PRO. Now, the Pocket PRO already displayed 12 formats and 20 languages. Those formats include: pdf, doc, jpg/bmp, txt, mp3, pdb, html, lit, and prc. What does this mean? It means the Pocket PRO is a true Open Format device!! You can go to hundreds of websites and download books and they should display just fine. It also means that you are NOT tied to one website or one format which limits where and what you can download... and allows you to shop for the best price! The Adobe Digital Editions gives you epub and pdf reflow in a secure format that allows you to download the very latest copyrighted (DRM) titles!The Pocket PRO uses E-Ink technology. That means that it should get about 8,000 page turns to a single charge when all you are doing is reading. It also means no eye strain!The Pocket PRO has MP3 stereo. Many others leave this off their device and that is a shame. Still others have MP3... but you can either read OR play... not both. The Pocket PRO allows you to play your music while reading!The Pocket PRO has Text-To-Speech... meaning it reads to you and advances the pages automatically when in that mode. It even has a tiny external speaker for this purpose... or you can use the 3.5mm headphone jack (the standard size)!You also get: 8 levels of grey scale for far better display of pictures or illustrations, a user-replaceable rechargeable battery, an SD card that supports up to 16GB (roughly more than 10,000 eBooks and a ton of music), bookmarking, and three levels of font size and different font choices! If you have poor eyesight... this will help a lot! Further, it displays both vertically or horizontally (wide sreen sideways). It also has both left and right page advance buttons and a Scroll Wheel!Lastly, the Pocket PRO comes in six beautiful colors! Express yourself! OH, here is a plus... in the box is a great crush-resistant case with magnetic clasp (a $39-$59 extra with other brands), ear buds, AC charger, USB cable, and a wrist leash!Now, you get all of this for roughly $199 (limited time) with a one year parts and labor warranty and Astak's now-famous USA customer support and techncial support!! This is a great bargain!Go to http://www.theezreader.com/ to find out more, choose your colors, and buy it!!

Support for EZ Reader devices outside North America.

First off, let me say that the EZ Reader is built by a factory that makes more eBook Readers than Amazon and Sony combined. FRYs Electronics tells us that we have the lowest retrun rate of any eBook Reader device. So... chances are you will not need support.

However, IF YOU DO, you have the same parts and labor warranty as everybody else gets. The problem will be that like with everyone, freight to send it to our repair center in California is borne by you. That freight may rin around $40USD (a rough estimate).

You may always email our tech support at: walters@teamresearchinc.com. Most problems can be solved this way without actual repair. Do not forget that the EZ Reader line has a user-replaceable rechargeable battery that is a cinch to change and the battery is readily available online. IF there is a problem, the battery is normally the source of most problems.

A certain bias in the minds of reviewers?

We all know that very often a bad review can kill a promising new gadget or device. Likewise, a fair and impartial review that comes out liking a device can boost it enormously.

So it is with eBook Readers! New devices are coming out and many of them have innovations and nuances that are important to the industry.

It is no secret that Kindle and Sony dominate the eBook Reader market. That, by itself, is a shame as it limits competition in the marketplace.

What I am railing about today is a well-intentioned but unjustfiable misconception by the press... specifically the reviewers of eBook Readers.

Maybe I can help! Most of you know that every day I am on MobileRead Forum. This week MobileRead Forum celebrated its 39,000 member. This is no small audience... and represents an incredible proving grounds for ideas and suggestions that I do not think you can find anywhere else amongst the most informed segment of the public on eBook Readers. In short, when these people talk they know what they are talking about. I utilize them for Astak for everything from color choices on our products to naming our devices. I also bounce ideas off them and gain valuable insight. NO other eBook Reader Manufacturer has a presence on MobileRead Forum that I have seen.

One thing I have relentlessly asked about is the subject of wireless versus drag-and-drop. Amazon, of course, uses wireless exclusively. WHY? Really because Amazon wants to ensure that anybody that buys a Kindle MUST buy eBooks from them. They will be the first to say that they make their money off of the sale of the eBooks. Surprisingly, I am not writing today over this way of doing business by Kindle. I am writing based instead on the feedback I have received on MobileRead Forum over the last year.

Reviewers seem to feel that there must be an inherent desire in all Americans to want wireless.
This does not hurt too badly until they grade down non-wireless devices as somehow lacking. Let us set the record straight. About HALF of the people on MobileRead Forum like wireless and about half do not. THAT is my point, friends. WHY is a device deficient for NOT having wireless?

Non-wireless has some great advantages! There are no carrier fees to pay or "plans" to sign up for. You have a record of every book you purchased on your desktop or notebook. You can drag and drop your work files, pictures, word documents, and your MUSIC easily and efficiently into your eBook Reader, AND IT COSTS LESS TO THE CONSUMER TO BUY A NON-WIRELESS DEVICE.

Now, recently I have seen some reviews that seem to dismiss non-wireless devices as inferior or difficult or sadly lacking. Astak has come out with numerous new models that do not use wireless. They have been easier to use, less expensive, and have worked flawlessly. Somehow many reviewers take their own bias for the height of high-tech into their reviews and that is not at all fair.

There are some outstanding examples of eBook Readers where the manufacturer has chosen to go non-wireless and put the savings into other features! Witness the Astak EZ Reader Pocket PRO. This has made a huge technological JUMP. It is a 5 inch device, but it has an Epson Controller and 400MHz processor for blazing page turns. It is quicker than the Kindle 1, 2, or DX. It has Adobe Digital Editions... which can reflow .pdf. It displays 14 formats and 20 languages. You can buy eBooks from hundreds of websites... MEANING you can find books and materials that Amazon does not offer. It comes in a choice of six colors. It has Text-To-Speech! It has 8 levels of grey scale. And it costs around $200!!

I am NOT saying let us compare the Pocket PRO to a Kindle 2. I am saying that its lack of wireless is irrelevant... neither a plus or a minus. It IS what it is.

So, please Mister of MRs. Reviewer... open your mind to the fact that half of the public, maybe more, does NOT want wireless. Astak is coming out with wireless devices too. WHY? To serve the other 50%. I see this as a real PLUS and not a minus. Just as Atak devices are made for both left and right-handed people... we are trying to serve the entire public and not half. That is a good thing!!

Adobe Digital Editions for EZ Reader

Astak will have Adobe Digital Editions as an upload available on its new website (www.goEZebook.com) which is now under construction. We will have it for both lines: EZ Reader and Mentor.

We also are close to being able to offer Fictionwise eReader as well. We are waiting for the final SDK and the porting to take place and then that will also be an upload on the new website.

You ARE allowed to have BOTH formats on the same device. Only Mobipocket is exclusive of other formats.

We think that this will be exactly what EZ Reader end users will want and it should do all you want a format to do. NEW EZ Readers arriving the end of this month WILL have Adobe Digital Editions already on them.

IF you have one of the few EZ Reader 6 inch with Mobipocket you have a choice. You may stay with Mobi OR do the upload when they are available. You cannot have Mobi and any other format as Mobi is exclusive. Amazon wanted it this way. On the website we will give ample instructions on how to do all of this. The money has been paid and it is coming very soon.

Astak is overjoyed to have this good news for you and rteally appreciates your patience!

Why no blogs lately??

Dear All:

Thank you for reading my blogs. Right now is a waiting game on just about everything.

The new website looks great and is really coming along... but getting the agreements from the people doing the work is maddening. It has to go throufgh so much bureaucracy. I am hoping that we can do the free walk-through of the site (no buying... just look and make comments) on Tuesday, June 23.

FRY's Electronics is having their best price ever on the EZ Reader, coming up. That will be July 4 or July 5 or both days. We gave in on a huge rebate so this will be the time to buy!! You already know the EZ Reader Basic is a Freedom Machine... Open Format and displays 14 formats!! You can buy books from hundreds of sites!! It is strong, reliable, E-Ink, and has brilliant features. AND... it is backed by Astak with USA support!

We are at battle over exclusivity!! We have spent about 9 months promoting the EZ Reader line (made by Jinke of China) all over North America. Now, we have to battle with Jinke over getting the rights to be exclusive for their product. At stake is the wonderful EZ Reader Pocket PRO. WHY? Because they did not just shrink it into 5 inch size... they improved everything on it. It has the Epson Controller, they upgraded the processor to 400MHz, it has Text-to-Speech, and it supports 16GB SD cards!! And, we want to offer it in 6 colors. WOW!! This thing is SO good that Kindle may just buy one!!

So what does a great device do? It starts conflicts. It is all about numbers. We know we can sell a lot of the Pocket Pro... but Jinke dreams of 100,000 units for one order. They aren't looking for growth... they want the pot of gold now. I mean absolutely NO disrespect for Jinke. They build fabulous devices. We love them. We just need to get them to ride with us just a bit longer. We are on the verge of greatness for Astak and Jinke. Long range... it will be Astak that makes Jinke happy. Long range... we can build a dynamo for them.

Anyhow, it is very hard to speak nothing but praise for a device and then wonder if you will have it to sell. The frustration is unbearable.

So, that is why I am not blogging much. We are waiting for decisions!!

Two samples of Pocket PRO arrived

Today customs released the first two samples of the EZ Reader Pocket PRO. I promised a first analysis so here it is:

The factory has upgraded both the processor (to Samsung ARM9 400MHz processor) and the controller to the Epson High-Speed. So... the first question I had is if it helped.

I am happy to say that page turns are a matter of 1-2 tenths of a second. You do see, if you look hard, a trace of a balck screen but just barely. Page turns are lightning quick and so is bringing up a new book selection.

Lightness: I picked up an EZ Reader 6 inch and then a Pocket PRO. YES, the difference in lightness (weight) is noticeable. The Pocket PRO is the lightest eBook Reader I have ever held and it feels great in the hand.

Scroll Wheel: the Pocket PRO comes with THREE page advance/ regress buttons. There are two buttons on the left, two buttons onthe bottom (#9 and #0) serve for this purpose, and you have a scroll wheel about 2/3 of the way up the right side. The wheel has a stud on it so you do not have to actually rub your finger over the wheel... just move the stud up or down. It works well and I am pleased. Between the three buttons a left hander, right hander, or ANYBODY will find the page turn exactly where they want it.

The USB/charging port has been moved to the TOP on the Pocket PRO. This is because it was a tiny bit cumbersome to charge the 6 inch when it was in the case. Now, charging is a breeze. The headphone jack (3.5mm) is at the bottom right.

There are two large and somewhat deep slots on the upper left and right. Some people think these are extra SD card slots. They are not. They are indentations to allow the crush-resistant leather case to hold the Pocket PRO securely. They do their job. In event of a nuclear detonation the case will still be holding the Pocket PRO like life depended upon it. Great design but watch your finger nails.

Just like the EZ Reader 6 inch, the clarity and resolution of the screen is at least as good, maybe better, than any screen in the business.

There is more but please wait for me to read the user manual and translate it into English fully. We are still discovering the more subtle changes and improvements.