Augen burst on the gadget scene last year when they released The Book, their Kindle clone with a 7″ screen. While they got a lot of attention at birth, their demise has gone unnoticed.
I was first clued in to the story by an owner of Augen’s The Book. She was supposed to have gotten her device back from a warranty repair, and while she had an estimated delivery date she never got the ereader. She checked Augen’s website, and it was down. No one responded to her emails, so she reached out to me for help.
It turns out that Augen’s website has been down for over a month. I’m not getting any responses to any of the emails I sent – not from either of the Augen email accounts I know. I asked about the problems with their website, and they said nothing. I didn’t even get a response when I asked them if the company had died.
I know that’s not based on anything solid, and there really isn’t any proof. But the company looks dead to me.
That’s a pity. I was looking forward to Augen’s line of tablets and their new ebook readers. Last fall Augen unveiled a line of 6 tablets ranging from entry level to a couple high end models. They were quite pretty and I admired the ambitiousness of trying to get 6 devices on the market all at once. And then there were Augen’s ebook readers, which were supposed to be shipping in April. I was so looking forward to them.
image by amandabhslater
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geez
did you even use “the book”? if so and you liked it you must have got that one in a million that actually worked
the third one i got after returning 2 did work sorta – it can’t remember where i left off but at least it turns on
my sister has that one now and i have the Nook Color (which is great)
I’ve had my hands on it, and it was okay. I’ve also gotten several comments from people who were happy with it.
It turns on your sister? Even greater shame they went out of business now…
I have to say as a Canadian, one of the things I most looked forward to on a trip into the US early last year was getting to a K-Mart so I could pick up one of the Augen Gentouch78 tablets. In case you haven’t heard about it, it was a 7″ Android tablet that sold for about $150.00. Unfortunately, like alot of Augen’s products, it was close to being a good product.
It’s not just cheap construction (which you expect in a $150.00 tablet), it’s just that it plain didn’t work. Discount hardware is just that, discount hardware. If it doesn’t work, people aren’t going to buy it, at least people other than me.
Don’t weep, Nate. That stuff will now all come out under Coby and other minor brand names. Until those companies too bite the dust.
Budget e-reader / tablet maker Augen bites the dust | Netbooknews - Netbooks, Netbook Reviews, Smartbooks and more // Jul 6, 2011 at 11:40 pm
[...] been pushing out budget e-readers and Android tablets this past year in the US, has bit the dust. The Digital Reader has been trying to contact them for over a month and their website has been down for as long. No [...]
Tablet- & Smartbook-Anbieter AUGEN offenbar pleite » Netbooknews.de - das Netbook Blog // Jul 7, 2011 at 8:57 am
[...]The Digita lReader[...]
Augen gone under? // Jul 7, 2011 at 1:36 pm
[...] Posted by Chris Garcia via The Digital Reader [...]
Hi-res e-reader first to offer direct Google eBooks access « Linux « Technology « Theory Report // Jul 12, 2011 at 4:08 am
[...] Facing augmenting competition, some of a early e-reader and inscription vendors are starting to fall, including Entourage Systems, with a e-reader focused Entourage Edge Android tablet. Now inscription builder Augen’s website has “gone cold,” according to a Digital Reader report. [...]
Daily Deals: $80 Android netbook, $70 Eken Android tablet, - The Digital Reader // Jul 23, 2011 at 2:36 pm
[...] there’s every indication that Augen are dead, so there is no warranty. Also, I don’t like the site that is selling the netbook. I’ve [...]
Mobipocket missing payments to pubs, forums clogged with spam – Are they dead yet? - The Digital Reader // Aug 12, 2011 at 12:44 pm
[...] little while back I reported on the death of Augen, the nobody e-reader and tablet maker. I came up with a rule of thumb that when I can’t see any sign that the company is still [...]
So I’ve still got one. The Wi-Fi has never worked. Does anyone know if the firmware updates improved functionality and where I could get them?
Has anyone else picked up development for this device as a platform?
Whatever Happened to the iPad Rivals of 2010? // Sep 30, 2011 at 4:46 am
[...] exactly knocked out. Whatever happened to the Gentouch78? In July, the Digital Reader reported that Augen’s Web site seemed to be in limbo. And it’s still down. Sorry, Kmart [...]
New Technical Support for Augen Devices
Please call 1-800-535-5198 ext 103
Hours of Operation: 7AM-4PM PST
(woot.com, 1saleaday, dailysteals.com customers who purchased Augen will be prioritized)
Damn. I happen to have 2 (my dad bricked his first). I want to get the bricked one fixed. Any help?
Augen The Book eReader Shows Up Again Under a New Brand - The Digital Reader // Apr 29, 2012 at 3:03 pm
[...] company. It looks like Augen, a tablet company best known for releasing crappy products and then quietly going bust, is going to get a footnote for its company history. Augen never actually put this ereader on the [...]