A lot has happened since Brian asked us (http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=5667) which e-book device would appeal the most to us. In retrospect, the iRex iLiad won with a majority popular vote.

Who'd be your winner today?

Until I can actually touch a reader, I am undecided.

Right now, my iLiad does the job, works well and has a battery life long enough to get me through the day without a recharge.

The competitors offer cheaper prices, less features, smaller screens, more closed systems, and, possibly, more polished devices (until I get more information, I can't tell).

Now that I am experienced eInk user, :rolleyes: my requirements in a device are clearer.

1. Content. The ability to create my own content and the ability to get content that displays well. Right now iRex's larger screen beats the competition.
2. Battery life.
3. Convenience. This is my only issue with the iRex. The larger size makes it more cumbersome to carry around. But a smaller device would make certain content harder to read (or unable to be read).

I haven't tried the sony reader yet and can't do it because it won't be sold outside the Us for some time (if it ever will...) but I still voted for the Sony.

They published their sources, opened their webstore and are offering books at acceptable prices (Wintersmith is 11$ and I would have to pay 22€ in a shop here in Wuerzburg).

I can't say how good the battery life really is and how well the device really works, but from what i've heard so far it has to be beter than the Iliad.

I really still think the Iliad is the best device when it comes to size and features, but without porper software (the wacom works a lot worse than a standard pen-input system at the moment) it can't really justify it's high price.

Tough call. Before I was 100% convinced that the iLiad was my choice. Now I am not so sure anymore, considering the various issues we've been dealing with lately.

I think the iLiad is still superior hardware-wise. It has the better screen and the better connectivity. On the other hand, it's more than twice as expensive! And it's only backed up by a small company.

Well, last time I picked the iLiad, this time I am going to do the same again - as a sign of good faith ;)

Well, I was initially torn between the Hanlin V8 and the Sony Reader... In fact, leaning towards the V8. But I am impatient, I wanted a reader months ago, and so when the Reader came out I broke down. I guess I decided existence was the most important feature of the perfect eReader (the ontological reader? Hmm....) ;-)

They published their sources, opened their webstore and are offering books at acceptable prices (Wintersmith is 11$ and I would have to pay 22€ in a shop here in Wuerzburg).

With the euro-dollar exchange rate, it would be my pleasure to buy the Reader and have my first paid-for ebook be a Pratchett's (the ebook is even cheaper than the British hardcover on Amazon!). Sadly, Sony doesn't want my foreign money. I will have to exercise patience once again.

I voted for Sony, anyway. It may not have a large screen, but the Iliad is too much a machine for me, and not only because of the extra money.

I actually bought Wintersmith as .lit for 13$ at Diesel-ebooks and then ripped and converted it for the Iliad. The Footnotes don't work right now, but apart from that it worked pretty well...

The Footnotes don't work right now, but apart from that it worked pretty well...

Yes, well, footnotes are kind of important with the Master :shrug:
I don't like what I read about RTF support on the Reader at this thread (http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7813), either.

There's always PDF, but... I hope someone can get a HTML reader out for the Reader. It's the obvious choice for footnotes.

Hardware feature-set, Iliad, hands down. My aging eyes need a bigger screen, and the notes features will eventually be compelling.

I'm waiting for irex to get to a stable and finished product, though. I've been an early adopter on ... well, pretty much everything since the early '90s, but the e-book market has me acting conservatively.

Having voted for the Iliad, I was ready to pull the trigger on the Sony reader until they ran out of stock before I could even move my mouse to the order button. My current thinking is, the Sony reader will function as a useable place-holder for the shorter term, and I can sell that and upgrade to an Iliad when it's stable, and a little bit less of an adventure for a US-consumer.

I am looking forward to new information of the new white display version of my EBK reader (refer to my signature picture) and the panasonic Words Gear (as shown in the attached photo; official website: http://saidoku.com/ (in Japanese)).
The iLiad and Sony reader are both my candidates.

The sony has the right feature for what it is marketed to be. With it I'd like an A4 business machine with input capabilities and color eink presentation.

None of them are a good fit for me yet. The iRex is just too expensive, and the battery life / suspend issues worry me, and will only display my converted content. The Jinke has the right price, but again no commercial content. The Sony has some content, but as a Mac user, not only can I not access any of it, I cannot even convert my own content unless I want to stick to PDFs. None of them have an integrated light source.

Too many shortfalls at the moment, so I'll stick with my handhelds for now.

Jack

The Sony has some content, but as a Mac user, not only can I not access any of it, I cannot even convert my own content unless I want to stick to PDFs.
I thought Macs support RTF just fine?...

I thought Macs support RTF just fine?...

They do, but I thought the RTF files still needed to be converted by the Connect software? If not, that would at least put the Sony on par with the Jinke.

Jack

They do, but I thought the RTF files still needed to be converted by the Connect software? If not, that would at least put the Sony on par with the Jinke.

Nope, just drop them on the card, insert it in the Reader and you're done. Same with .txt. Though you do need to wait a bit for the pagination to finish the first time you open the file.

Yeah, you can either have the Connect software do it on the PC, or the Reader do it the first time it opens them. The advantage to the Connect software is you can preview the look and it saves you time because you don't have to wait for the Reader to do it the first time you open the file, but it will work both ways.

Thanks for the correction! Like I said, at least that puts the Sony on par with the Jinke.

Jack

Hi.Iam from Greece.My english is poor but i will try to describe you the situation.

I ordered the IREX 3 months ago.When i received it i realised technical problems.I couldnt turn on the device from the switch on/off button but only from the...reset button.Also when i charged the battery and i turned of the irex, when i turned on it again after 4-5h was empty(the battery).

I send a video to the company and they accepted that the device had problems because of them.They told me that they will send me a replacement.

I received 2 days before the replacement.Almost the same problems.Now the device is turning on no from the switch on/off button but only(automatically)when i conect the device to the socket.The battery is full.

I report again to them about it.Nobody(2 days now)answer me.I am not gonna lose 686euro.My loyer is ready.But i am surprised from the company's behaviour.

My apologises for my english