Thanks to an anonymous tipster for pointing us at a recent PowerPoint presentation (http://e-paper.i-merge.net/press.htm) with some more details (in Dutch) on the current trial of the iRex iLiad (http://www.mobileread.com/forums/search.php?query=iRex+or+iLiad&do=process) e-book reader. Slide nine has a timeline according to which the e-paper project won't be ready for commercialization before Q4 2006. Now, we don't know if this implies a delayed launch of the reader, or of the IDS e-content delivery service, or just of some specific "features" such as contextual and timed ads. But from what it looks like, it'll be still some time before we can expect e-newspapers to hit the streets.

If you dig some further on the same site, you can find two basic (http://e-paper.i-merge.net/epapermanual.pdf) tutorials (http://e-paper.i-merge.net/initialisatie_procedure_epaper.pdf) (both in PDF) on how to use the iRex device. We extracted some photos for you and attached them to this post.

Interesting stuff, but if the Iliad is delayed until Q4 then it is unlikely I'll get one. If even one of the alternative technologies that have popped up recently comes to fruition in a year then they will probably be better than the Iliad. Of course, there could well be better eink technology by then (or almost by then). I hope the Q4-thing was just about some sort of content delivery.

-Drachasor

The goal of the trial is to research the possiblities of offering readers a user-friendly digital newspaper ("e-paper"). The Q4 date mentioned in the presentation is the possible time frame for the commercial launch of such a service. (I.e. actual subscriptions and not the devices.)

But it becomes clear that when you buy the iRex now, you'll pay the full price (if not a premium) for receiving only a fraction of its functionality (unless the purchase includes the option to participate in the individual trials).

Yeah, but that's what you get for being an early adopter. (My DVD player cost about 600 euro back when I bought it 6 years ago.)

if this whole eink circus don't deliver a device by June, I'm getting a clamshell zaurus ... possibly a c1000. :o

Did anyone else notice the note on the second diagram Alexander posted (thanks, Alexander) regarding the USB "connection": "USB-stick slot (NOTE: NOT FOR USB-CABLE"?

That sounds like it's going to be a whole lot less useful than I was assuming the USB conn would be.

hmmm...doesn't that mean that it is not the port for connecting the Iliad to the pc, but rather for connecting it to an external USB storage?

Maybe USB sync is located elsewhere?

got it...I think the connection on the device is for memory stick (USB) and the normal sync is done via the travel hub...

I'm concerned that it means that in order to have a direct PC to ILiad connection I have to have WiFi -- oh, wait, their WiFi doesn't work that way, does it?

So now I'm suspectin' that the only way to xfer personal files onto Mr. ILiad is via CF/SD/USB Flash drive. Hardly a crippling situation, but rather annoying considering the extra work that went into making extra work for the user.

But, then again, they weren't thinking of Joe User in the first place when they designed the rascal, so I guess it goes along with that.

I don't think so...it should work via the travel-hub...after all..they say on their website, that it works with you laptop or something...

Ah. Well that's some better. :)