Where did you first hear about the Sony Reader or iRex Iliad?

Bob Russell · 08-08-2007, 09:27 AM

Sometimes we almost take it for granted that the whole world is familiar with the various e-book devices. The Sony Reader, for example, has been on the tech news, and is advertised on-line and in magazines.

With PDAs, I remember that when I was working in a marketing department, I saw a few Palm Pilots. But it was only when I saw a WSJ article and then an advertisement in a local office supply store that I really paid attention in a serious way, and decided to get one.

So how did you first hear about your reading device, which one is it, and what caused you to first think seriously about buying one?

sammykrupa · 08-08-2007, 09:41 AM

The TWiT podcast covered the Librie, researched that and eventually I later heard about the Reader (via Gizmodo).

JSWolf · 08-08-2007, 09:54 AM

I first heard about the Sony Reader when it was announced that Borders would be selling it.

Gadzooks Mike · 08-08-2007, 10:20 AM

I have been reading books on my palm pilot for years. When I read about the Sony, I put my name on their mailing list, and was very excited when they finally notified me of the release date. It's just exactly what I wanted, too!

yvanleterrible · 08-08-2007, 10:38 AM

January 2006 on Engadget. A week later here on MR. I read threads here occasionally until May when I happily joined in.

tribble · 08-08-2007, 11:07 AM

I have been following e-ink development for more than 10 years. I was already thinking about getting the librie, but it was just not good enough yet.
So i knew about the development of the sony and the iLiad from press releases.

I ordered the iLiad as soon as it was available. It was just the first. I havent seen the Sony yet, but i might get one soon. I have seen the starereader and liked its weight and size for casual reading. And i can't wait to get my hands on a cybook, which should be able to read PDF aswell as mobipocket books.

So no coincidence here. And i am looking forward to the new displays from plasticlogic.

slayda · 08-08-2007, 11:27 AM

I first heard about the Sony Reader here on Mobileread & ordered it. Had read about the Iliad somewhere else but don't remember where.

robyn · 08-08-2007, 02:23 PM

I saw the Sony in a sonystyle store in Dec 06 and then ran home to research it. I saw a bit of info about the iLiad, but liked the price of the Sony better (full disclosure: I got a discount through my employer on it). Within a few days, I was back at the store making my purchase, and now it is the most asked about item I travel with.

EatingPie · 08-08-2007, 02:55 PM

I too have been following e-Ink since its introduction, though I don't know where I first got wind of it. I was hot on the trail of the Librie forever, but could never justify importing one, so I waited for the inevitable US release of the Reader.

The reason I so closely followed e-Ink is because the site I'm associated with is actually built entirely around the philosophy that people DO NOT WANT TO READ ON A COMPUTER MONITOR. War and Peace on a PowerBook? No thanks, Mr Eye Strain.

My benefactor developed his site with that in mind, writing very short stories. That way it was something people could read online, but not kill their eyes. Most of the stories are about a half printed page, some as short as 2 words, others as long as 2048 (a typical "short story" length).

http://www.storybytes.com

I used some of the stories as samples in my pielrf application.

Anyway, I have long been awaiting the Reader. I had planned to wait for a price drop but my neighbor got one for Christmas from her husband -- both of them being totally computer clueless! When I saw her Reader in Real Life, I started saving up!

-Pie

yvanleterrible · 08-08-2007, 03:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EatingPie

... No thanks, Mr Eye Strain...

Now that's funny!

kovidgoyal · 08-08-2007, 03:09 PM

slashdot!

anotherchance · 08-08-2007, 03:45 PM

I had been keeping an eye on the Libire so had a Google News alert setup for it. When the Reader was announced, the Librie was mentioned of course, so voilà!

The GreatGonzo · 08-08-2007, 04:04 PM

Early in 2006, I was over on teleread.org for some reason (can't remember why; it's a great site, but I really wasn't interested in e-books at the time) and the whole "it looks like paper!" part caught my eye. Went quickly from that to comparing specs to deciding on the Iliad to whiling away the days on mobileread (ommmm!) to finally getting the actual device in August...

RWood · 08-08-2007, 04:08 PM

I was never happy reading on my cell phone, if I was stuck somewhere it was a bit better than reading the laundry and care labels on my socks. I read somewhere (Gizmod?) that the improved Sony had been released in the US and I did a bit of research. The iLiad, available in Europe, was out of the price range and the other eink offerings were either vaborware or not available anywhere I was. I saw the Reader at a Boarders and bought it on the spot (my wife said I should buy it before I even said a thing.) It is a lot more enjoyable than reading the labels on my socks ("wash in cold water, do not ....")

13xforever · 08-09-2007, 12:23 AM

To be honest, I've tried reading eBooks on every mobile device I ever had. Most of them were cell phones, and now it's Sony PSP.
And what about eInk devices, then I've been track their tech progress since lab prototypes some years ago.
Recently some magazines have been born in Russia -- "Мир фантастики" ("World of Fantasy|Fiction") and "Mobi" -- which are narrowly follow the evolution of mobile reading devices (though, that is not their primary goal).
--
Offtopic: It's shame, that many manufacturers disallow legally extend software components of their devices (and I didn't mean "haven't bored to give some kind of SDK", but actually block any possibility -- Sony's PSP would be a good example of such a platform). But on the other side, writing various converters for some devices was one of the funniest things that I ever had done.

08-08-2007, 09:27 AM	#1
Bob Russell Recovering Gadget Addict Posts: 5,381 Karma: 676161 Join Date: May 2004 Location: Pittsburgh, PA Device: iPad	Where did you first hear about the Sony Reader or iRex Iliad? Sometimes we almost take it for granted that the whole world is familiar with the various e-book devices. The Sony Reader, for example, has been on the tech news, and is advertised on-line and in magazines. With PDAs, I remember that when I was working in a marketing department, I saw a few Palm Pilots. But it was only when I saw a WSJ article and then an advertisement in a local office supply store that I really paid attention in a serious way, and decided to get one. So how did you first hear about your reading device, which one is it, and what caused you to first think seriously about buying one?

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08-08-2007, 09:41 AM	#2
sammykrupa Reader of the Reader Posts: 103 Karma: 107 Join Date: Apr 2006 Device: Sony Reader PRS-500	The TWiT podcast covered the Librie, researched that and eventually I later heard about the Reader (via Gizmodo).

08-08-2007, 09:54 AM	#3
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 73,966 Karma: 128903250 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3	I first heard about the Sony Reader when it was announced that Borders would be selling it.

08-08-2007, 10:20 AM	#4
Gadzooks Mike Junior Member Posts: 8 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jan 2007	I have been reading books on my palm pilot for years. When I read about the Sony, I put my name on their mailing list, and was very excited when they finally notified me of the release date. It's just exactly what I wanted, too!

08-08-2007, 10:38 AM	#5
yvanleterrible Reborn Paper User Posts: 8,616 Karma: 15446734 Join Date: May 2006 Location: Que Nada Device: iPhone8, iPad Air	January 2006 on Engadget. A week later here on MR. I read threads here occasionally until May when I happily joined in.

08-08-2007, 11:07 AM	#6
tribble iLiad Maniac Posts: 1,382 Karma: 2369 Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Germany Device: Bookeen Opus (i love that thing) and iPad (what an irony)	I have been following e-ink development for more than 10 years. I was already thinking about getting the librie, but it was just not good enough yet. So i knew about the development of the sony and the iLiad from press releases. I ordered the iLiad as soon as it was available. It was just the first. I havent seen the Sony yet, but i might get one soon. I have seen the starereader and liked its weight and size for casual reading. And i can't wait to get my hands on a cybook, which should be able to read PDF aswell as mobipocket books. So no coincidence here. And i am looking forward to the new displays from plasticlogic.

08-08-2007, 11:27 AM	#7
slayda Retired & reading more! Posts: 2,764 Karma: 1884247 Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: North Alabama, USA Device: Kindle 1, iPad Air 2, iPhone 6S+, Kobo Aura One	I first heard about the Sony Reader here on Mobileread & ordered it. Had read about the Iliad somewhere else but don't remember where.

08-08-2007, 02:23 PM	#8
robyn Junior Member Posts: 4 Karma: 10 Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: washington, usa Device: sony reader / htc wizard / tablet pc	I saw the Sony in a sonystyle store in Dec 06 and then ran home to research it. I saw a bit of info about the iLiad, but liked the price of the Sony better (full disclosure: I got a discount through my employer on it). Within a few days, I was back at the store making my purchase, and now it is the most asked about item I travel with.

08-08-2007, 02:55 PM	#9
EatingPie Blueberry! Posts: 888 Karma: 133343 Join Date: Mar 2007 Device: Sony PRS-500 (RIP); PRS-600 (Good Riddance); PRS-505; PRS-650; PRS-350	I too have been following e-Ink since its introduction, though I don't know where I first got wind of it. I was hot on the trail of the Librie forever, but could never justify importing one, so I waited for the inevitable US release of the Reader. The reason I so closely followed e-Ink is because the site I'm associated with is actually built entirely around the philosophy that people DO NOT WANT TO READ ON A COMPUTER MONITOR. War and Peace on a PowerBook? No thanks, Mr Eye Strain. My benefactor developed his site with that in mind, writing very short stories. That way it was something people could read online, but not kill their eyes. Most of the stories are about a half printed page, some as short as 2 words, others as long as 2048 (a typical "short story" length). http://www.storybytes.com I used some of the stories as samples in my pielrf application. Anyway, I have long been awaiting the Reader. I had planned to wait for a price drop but my neighbor got one for Christmas from her husband -- both of them being totally computer clueless! When I saw her Reader in Real Life, I started saving up! -Pie

08-08-2007, 03:09 PM	#11
kovidgoyal creator of calibre Posts: 43,856 Karma: 22666666 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Mumbai, India Device: Various	slashdot!

08-08-2007, 03:45 PM	#12
anotherchance Zealot Posts: 115 Karma: 666 Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Philadelphia, PA Device: PRS-505	I had been keeping an eye on the Libire so had a Google News alert setup for it. When the Reader was announced, the Librie was mentioned of course, so voilà!

08-08-2007, 04:04 PM	#13
The GreatGonzo Old Yeller Posts: 180 Karma: 67 Join Date: May 2006 Device: Iliad & Kindle - The Best of Both Worlds	Early in 2006, I was over on teleread.org for some reason (can't remember why; it's a great site, but I really wasn't interested in e-books at the time) and the whole "it looks like paper!" part caught my eye. Went quickly from that to comparing specs to deciding on the Iliad to whiling away the days on mobileread (ommmm!) to finally getting the actual device in August...

08-08-2007, 04:08 PM	#14
RWood Technogeezer Posts: 7,233 Karma: 1601464 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Virginia, USA Device: Sony PRS-500	I was never happy reading on my cell phone, if I was stuck somewhere it was a bit better than reading the laundry and care labels on my socks. I read somewhere (Gizmod?) that the improved Sony had been released in the US and I did a bit of research. The iLiad, available in Europe, was out of the price range and the other eink offerings were either vaborware or not available anywhere I was. I saw the Reader at a Boarders and bought it on the spot (my wife said I should buy it before I even said a thing.) It is a lot more enjoyable than reading the labels on my socks ("wash in cold water, do not ....")

08-09-2007, 12:23 AM	#15
13xforever Connoisseur Posts: 60 Karma: 1852838 Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Russia Device: Kobo Aura H₂O & iPad Pro 2020 12.9"	To be honest, I've tried reading eBooks on every mobile device I ever had. Most of them were cell phones, and now it's Sony PSP. And what about eInk devices, then I've been track their tech progress since lab prototypes some years ago. Recently some magazines have been born in Russia -- "Мир фантастики" ("World of Fantasy\|Fiction") and "Mobi" -- which are narrowly follow the evolution of mobile reading devices (though, that is not their primary goal). -- Offtopic: It's shame, that many manufacturers disallow legally extend software components of their devices (and I didn't mean "haven't bored to give some kind of SDK", but actually block any possibility -- Sony's PSP would be a good example of such a platform). But on the other side, writing various converters for some devices was one of the funniest things that I ever had done.