5” EZ Reader
Pocket PRO
By Astak
Step aside Kindle and Digital Reader, Astak is here to put
the fun back into reading with the 5” EZ Reader Pocket PRO. In recent years
these e-book readers have taken the consumer market by storm with now dozens of
similar products available. So how is someone to make an educated decision
without some time spent on research? These units now range from about 150-500
dollars making it very difficult to decide on a cost effective reader that have
surpassing capabilities. Fortunately for those who like to get the most out of
their money, Astak has crafted the 5” EZ Reader Pocket PRO.
Initial
impressions are very important, especially when it comes to electronics. One of
the first things I noticed upon taking the reader out of the box was the
included case. The protective case was a perfect suit for the device made of a
hard leather with a soft exterior. Cases for similar devices can cost around 50
dollars and are seen as something of a necessity when you have already invested
some hundreds of dollars into the device. It’s nice to see that Astak is
looking out for the costumer and including all that is required in the
purchasing price. The only drawbacks of the case are the plastic clips to hold
the device secure. It takes some fumbling around to get the reader hooked in
and avoid cracking the plastic. You are better off just leaving it alone.
While the
unit is charging you can now install the adobe digital editions software and
library onto your computer. Follow the step by step instructions and in minutes
you will be ready to browse for some of your favorite titles online. What is so
great about electronic books is their comparatively low price. If you are an
avid reader you will probably end up paying for the device with the money you
are saving on the ebooks. Once you download the book it automatically transfers
into your library which can store all the books and media you do not want saved
on the unit. The Pocket PRO comes with 512MB of internal memory, large enough
to store many ebooks but not much for music. Fortunately, the reader is
compatible with up to 16GB of external memory in a NAND Flash or SD Card. Then
connect the device to the computer with the included USB cable which also
charges the EZreader with a wall outlet adapter. Then you just transfer the
media.
The overall
layout of the exterior design is similar to other readers. To access the
features of the device you use the numbers on the keypad which correspond to a
prompt on the menu screen. There is also a command button, “back button,” as
well as next/previous page buttons on the side of the device. The reader is
built extremely compact and fits into the size of an outstretch hand, making it
much easier to read. I was worried that the screen and text would be too small
to be legible, but that was not the case. You can personalize it so the text
will be bigger in size, unfortunately that means less text on the page and more
pages to turn. There is a bit of a delay when turning the pages or accessing
the menu features, it is not incredible but something you may have to get used
to. Similar to the 6” EZ Reader, the 5” Pocket PRO uses “E Ink” technology, a
feature Astak is very proud of. “E Ink” technology makes the appearance of the
text more print like with a solid appearance. This feature makes it a little
easier to read in low lit areas, but doesn’t replace a back-lit screen in the
least bit. I would like to see a future EZ Reader equipped with a back light but
doesn’t sound like it will happen any time soon, Astak is adamant on the “E
Ink” technology. On the other hand, backlit screens eat up the battery and last
up to 10 hours compared to EZreader of approximately 2 weeks of average use.
There are also plans for a more permanents solution with Mighty Bright, such as
clip-on light specifically designed for the EZreader. Furthermore, the EZ
reader has features similar to other readers such as the text to speech and
JPEG file support for viewing pictures in black and white. The reader is also
capable of supporting a slew of other formats such as HTML, Microsoft Word DOC,
ZIP, EPUB, and WOL. The full list of formats is below. One thing that the EZ
Reader is especially lacking in is the wireless support. Similarly, I would
also expect to see a future reader integrated with Wi-Fi to browse the internet
and make purchases directly off the unit.
The Astak
5” EZ Reader Pocket PRO is an all around great device, especially for the price.
Astak is now offering a special sale on the website for a low 199$ (http://www.theezreader.com/),
comparatively better than what you would find on Amazon or similar consumer
market websites. Astak is also offering a free Mighty Bright Mini-Flex LED
clip-on light with the purchase of a unit. Lastly, The Astak 5” EZ Reader
Pocket PRO comes in a variety of colors and would make a great gift for the
bookworm in your family.
You may
also consider waiting for the new wireless edition which should be arriving
within the coming months. While you wait you should check out Astak’s
designated forums for the EZreader if you have any further questions.
Specifications
- Dimensions:
4.1 in x 0.4 in x 6 in - Battery
(User-Replaceable Rechargable): Lithium Polymer 1000mAh - Internal
Memory: 512MB - External
Memory: 16GB - Display
Resolution: 800 x 600 - Text
Formats: CHM, DOC,
FB2, PDF, RTF,
TXT, WOL,
DJVU, EPUB, HTML - Still Image Formats: BMP, GIF, PNG, JPEG, TIFF
What’s in the Box
1.
Protective Case
2.
Carrying Strap
3.
Ear Phones
4.
Mini USB cable
5.
Charging Adapter
6.
Manuel
Grab Your own:
Amazon.com: $204.99
TheEZreader.com $199.95
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