Features:  

Newcomers to ebooks will undoubtedly feel some trepidation about carrying around an expensive computerized gadget instead of a cheap paperback. Out of the box, the Astak EZ Reader will put any doubts to rest. The 6-inch display provides plenty of space for navigation and comfortable reading. E-ink technology really manages to approximate the feel of printed text. Even after multiple hour reading sessions, you won’t suffer from eye strain like you would on a backlit computer monitor. I liked the fact that I spent a lot of time reading it in direct sunlight. The text actually looked better in the light.

I loved the layout of the buttons on the EZ Reader. Navigating by using numbers instead of scrolling or clicking down took a little time to get used to, but I really appreciated the shortcut keys Astak included on the numbers. The page turn buttons are on the side of the device, so if I was holding it up to read they were pretty easy to reach, but when I was holding the device from the bottom, there were shortcut keys to turn pages there as well. I loved that.

There were also shortcut keys for text zoom, the menu and bookmarking pages. I liked it and I thought it was easy to use. I also liked the ability to rotate to landscape, it made it even easier to use the page turn buttons when I was holding it to read. Odds of falling victim to accidental page turns are slim, however, make sure you turn the EZ Reader off before you throw it in your bag. The leather case isn’t quite enough to keep it from turning a couple pages from where you left off.

The EZ Reader feels good in your hands too. The matte finish on the body of the Astak EZ Reader allows for a solid, slip-free grip. Alternatively, the Astak EZ Reader includes an elegant leather case with a viewing window.

While the EZ Reader supports just about every format known to man, it can have a harder time with some of them than others. There were awkward line breaks when we tried out the TXT format, but EPUB and HTML worked well. I personally liked the EPUB format best. The page numbers, battery life and other information was hidden until I pulled up the menu. It was there always hanging out on the bottom of the page. All I had was the text on the page, and that’s all I needed.

From a strict booklover’s perspective, the EZ Reader’s real strength concerns its native support for DRM-free file formats. With the EZ Reader, you can read public domain titles for free and don’t have to worry about whether or not a title is compatible with your eBook reader. The EZ Reader supports PDF, FB2, MOBI/PRC, LIT, TXT, MS Word, RTF and PPT file formats.

At 7.8 ounces, the EZ Reader is pretty light as far as electronic gadgets go – especially when compared to the Kindle DX. But compared to other devices, like the COOL-ER, it felt like a brick after a few minutes. But it still is smaller than a hardcover book and will fit well in your briefcase or purse.

The 8,000+ page turn battery life on the EZ Reader will get you through most of the canon, but should you run out of juice, the EZ Reader’s battery is replaceable. It also has 512 MB of on-board storage with an SD card slot to store thousands more books on your device. You’ll have your whole library there.