The Astak family of eReaders had high hopes to become a viable alternative to the Kindle and Sony ebook readers, but we've been disappointed by the features, despite a relatively cheap price. The 9.7'' Mentor is slated to follow the release of three eReaders unveiled by Astak in October 2009--the 5-inch EZ Reader Pocket Pro, 6-inch Mentor (or Mentor Lite), and the 6-inch EZ-Reader. Astak gained great publicity when it announced these products were on the way chock full of features and cheap, but the actual retail versions have less features, so beware the many "reviews" littering the web which hype the Mentor's planned, but as yet not delivered, capabilities.
The Astak readers are a joint project between Taiwanese PVI (screens), Netronix (assembly and design and Touch expertise), and the California-based Astak (end design and sales). The two Taiwanese companies have extensive experience marketing many models of eReaders.
The Astak Mentor 9.7-inch 9.7 inch version aims to be a large reader to rival the expense Kindle DX and iRex readers--we've yet to see whether they will succeed.
We'd expect based on the past readers that the new Mentor will have menu languages is available in English, Spanish, German, French, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Portuguese, and Russian.
Connecting:We're as yet uncertain as to what connection capabilities the Astak Mentor 9.7-inch will have--early press releases said the Astak readers would have optional Bluetooth or WiFi support.
Accessories: We're as yet uncertain as to what accessories will be included with the Mentor, or what optional items will be available.
Price: The Astak Mentor 9.7-inch's retail price is as yet unannounced.
The Astak Mentor 9.7-inch 9.7 inch version is a planned large-scale eReader likely to debut in early 2010.
eBook Reader Basics