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sordie · 03-17-2010, 10:38 PM

I've been reading this forum for a while; it is a very useful site with lots of great information, and thanks to everyone for your contributions - much appreciated.

My interest in this forum started because I have been looking for an ereader for about 4 months now. Finally, as the post title suggests, I am close to making a decision, so I have decided to post a question myself. I tend to read lots of technical and business docs, mainly in the form of PDFs (and frequently large, scanned PDFs). I also like to read lots of novels. I am lucky enough to have a Tablet PC (a Fujitsu) with a 12" Wacom screen. While it is fantastic for reading/annotating PDFs, it is heavy (just below 4 lbs) and the fan is amazingly loud (one reviewer on the Web referred to it as "screaming like a Banshee"). Let's just say it is the last thing you'd want to curl up with in bed or in your cozy chair.

I would like to get a reader that'll let me read novels (epub), be extremely portable, and also allow me to occasionally work on PDFs when my Tablet is not available (on the move or in bed). Another feature that is important is annotation and note-taking. I like to scribble notes when I am on the go; and when I read PDFs, annotation is a must. Several months ago I bought the Sony PRS-600. Although I loved it for novels, I returned it in the end. The glare was really unpleasant in low light conditions and the 6" screen made it very awkward for PDFs, even for infrequent use.

So I started to look for a larger device. With the upcoming firmware update, DR800 and DR1000 both seem to fit the bill. It also looks like I can get a used DR1000 for the same price as a DR800 (I don't believe new DR1000s are available any more - I know IREX site says "temporarily unavailable", but it has been "temporarily unavailable" for a couple of months now, and to me that suggests that IREX could discontinue the DR1000). Having not seen either ereader in person, I am having a bit of a difficulty deciding.

DR1000 seems to have several attractive points: larger screen, excellent PDF handling, yet still light enough to be fairly portable. On the other hand based on everything I have read, I do have some concerns as well: As I said above, it is not currently being sold by IREX, so I am hesitant about buying a potentially orphaned device. Also, based on posts here, it seems to have power management issues. Finally, build quality seems to have had some issues as well.

DR800 has a smaller screen, but it is IREX's latest and greatest device, and the one they'll be working to upgrade for the next little while. Also,the smaller size means excellent portability.

So here is my question to you all - especially for those who own both readers- is there anyone like that. Is the PDF readibility on 800 similar to 1000 - I realize the 2 inch difference means they definitely won't be the same. Is the build quality of 800 improved over 1000? Finally, given the use case, which one would you buy, and why?

Thanks in advance to all of you for your help.

03-17-2010, 10:38 PM	#1
sordie Enthusiast Posts: 25 Karma: 20 Join Date: Mar 2010 Device: IREX 800SG	IREX DR800 or DR1000? I've been reading this forum for a while; it is a very useful site with lots of great information, and thanks to everyone for your contributions - much appreciated. My interest in this forum started because I have been looking for an ereader for about 4 months now. Finally, as the post title suggests, I am close to making a decision, so I have decided to post a question myself. I tend to read lots of technical and business docs, mainly in the form of PDFs (and frequently large, scanned PDFs). I also like to read lots of novels. I am lucky enough to have a Tablet PC (a Fujitsu) with a 12" Wacom screen. While it is fantastic for reading/annotating PDFs, it is heavy (just below 4 lbs) and the fan is amazingly loud (one reviewer on the Web referred to it as "screaming like a Banshee"). Let's just say it is the last thing you'd want to curl up with in bed or in your cozy chair. I would like to get a reader that'll let me read novels (epub), be extremely portable, and also allow me to occasionally work on PDFs when my Tablet is not available (on the move or in bed). Another feature that is important is annotation and note-taking. I like to scribble notes when I am on the go; and when I read PDFs, annotation is a must. Several months ago I bought the Sony PRS-600. Although I loved it for novels, I returned it in the end. The glare was really unpleasant in low light conditions and the 6" screen made it very awkward for PDFs, even for infrequent use. So I started to look for a larger device. With the upcoming firmware update, DR800 and DR1000 both seem to fit the bill. It also looks like I can get a used DR1000 for the same price as a DR800 (I don't believe new DR1000s are available any more - I know IREX site says "temporarily unavailable", but it has been "temporarily unavailable" for a couple of months now, and to me that suggests that IREX could discontinue the DR1000). Having not seen either ereader in person, I am having a bit of a difficulty deciding. DR1000 seems to have several attractive points: larger screen, excellent PDF handling, yet still light enough to be fairly portable. On the other hand based on everything I have read, I do have some concerns as well: As I said above, it is not currently being sold by IREX, so I am hesitant about buying a potentially orphaned device. Also, based on posts here, it seems to have power management issues. Finally, build quality seems to have had some issues as well. DR800 has a smaller screen, but it is IREX's latest and greatest device, and the one they'll be working to upgrade for the next little while. Also,the smaller size means excellent portability. So here is my question to you all - especially for those who own both readers- is there anyone like that. Is the PDF readibility on 800 similar to 1000 - I realize the 2 inch difference means they definitely won't be the same. Is the build quality of 800 improved over 1000? Finally, given the use case, which one would you buy, and why? Thanks in advance to all of you for your help.