A New eReader on the Scene: Astak's EZ Reader
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California 
on 09.30.08
Photo: Astak's 9.7" Mentor e-Book Reader
While we’ve lurked around the Kindle for some time now, new readers are popping up right and left. We just saw the launch of the iRex, and digital newspaper readers are on the rise.
Now, adding to its lineup of Mentor e-book readers, Astak is offering the EZ Reader. To be released in late November, 2008, the EZ Reader is touted as the lightest, smallest and thinnest eBook Reader ever introduced in North America. And if the press release is honest, it is going to have some features that make greenie on-the-go readers drool with anticipation.
The Astak will be just 7.2” long, 4.7” wide and a teensy .4” thick. The very light 7.8 oz reader uses e-Ink and e-Paper so your eyes will have an easy time with long reads.
Also interesting to note, the screen uses zero power while you read – only standby computer power is needed for it to function until you turn a page. And this reader will be good for long hauls - you can flip through 8,000 pages on a single charge. That is great news for those of us always on the prowl for ways to green up our reading.
A “Plus” version will be offered in 2009 with WiFi, and a “Pro” version is due out after that which will have both WiFi and Touchscreen. According to the rumor, it will be priced competitively at about $300.
Astak will soon out-do itself with its Flexi-Screened 9.7 inch eBook Reader to be introduced in the first half of 2009. So stay tuned for an even wider selection of e-readers!
Why All These E-Readers?
E-Readers are popping up all over for a couple of reasons. One is that they're prefect for people who are always on the go. Frequent travelers who want something to read don't really want to carry around the weight and bulk of paper books. Also, heavy-duty readers who go through a stack of books each month can cut down on the cost of reading while lessening their impact on trees by going for an e-Reader.
Newspapers are latching on to paper-thin readers because circulation has fallen with the advent of online news. Newspaper e-readers provide the immediacy of now! news along with increased compact portability.
However, e-Readers aren't necessarily for everyone. They're a fairly large investment, and if you're the type of person who just wants to read for pleasure every once in a while, the library is likely the best option for low eco-impact reading.
Via MobileRead
More on E-Readers:
iRex Introducing Improved iLiad E-Reader on Monday
TreeHugger Picks: Electronic Reading with E-Books and Readers
Esquire eInk Abuse Exposed
Follow @TreeHugger on Twitter & get our headlines with @TH_rss!
Thirsty for more? Check out these related articles:
What about using this for textbooks? I teach nursing, and we burn through tons of paper because our massive textbooks are updated so frequently. I think that over the length of a nursing program, such a device holding content could be both easier and cheaper.
How far away is color? We like our pretty/gory pictures :-)
Sigh. Another ebook reader that misses the mark (ok *my* mark). I want to *read* a *book* - I don't care about wifi, playing music or any of the other 'features' today's readers supply. I have a laptop, cellphone, mp3 player... I don't need this to do it all - I need it to do one thing well. These 'features' add up to one thing - terrible battery life and a grossly overpowered, overpriced device that is supposed to mimic a book with the added advantage of storing your whole library (the large internal storage and SD socket is a good feature). All of those other peripherals use too much power and add a lot to the manufacturing cost of the reader. You do not need a 400MHz ARM processor and WinCE/Linux for this task - that just adds to the power consumption of this bloated reader (which adds cost and reduces battery life).
I don't mean to pick on Astak - I like the product they offer compared to the others but I have long thought that ebook readers have all missed the mark. I want a cheap, clean reader that feels like a real book, that turns the pages of my book and uses so little power that something like 1-2 rechargeable AA batteries would last at least a month or more. These displays only need power to change so the device should use next to no power when I'm not turning pages. That's my $0.02 on every ebook reader I've ever seen.
@ Ian M. Camera:
The Kindle is working on a text book version so that all college textbooks can be downloaded an toted around via Kindle. Also, the Papyrus e-reader is also in the works, and that would allow classroom interaction like PMing the teacher and sharing highlighted notes with fellow students. Cool stuff on the horizon!
My favorite ebook reader: http://www.ebookwise.com/ebookwise1150.htm
1/3 the price, backlit too.
I read books on my Blackberry and I love it. I have had e reading devices in the past, but why carry more electronics than you have to?
You can adjust the font to fit your needs with no problem. My fav site for books is mobipocket.com.
Check out my blog about ebook readers at http://journeytobecoming.blogspot.com/2008/09/save-trees-with-ereaders.html
Many e-readers are only Windows compatible. Does anyone know of any GOOD readers that work WELL with MACs?
The Sony Reader (PRS-505) does everything this does, and looks aesthetically prettier- including a leather cover. It can go a month between recharging, easily. It also has twice as many shades of gray for better contrast. I love to see competition and newer devices for reading ebooks, but this seems to be a cheaply made version of an existing product for $30 more.