Which one should I buy: Irex DR 800SG vs. Kindle DXi ?

[Dr. Drib]

I've got a lot of ebook Readers (ebookieuses to YOU!), and have thought about buying yet another one to complement my abusive, selfish, childish lifestyle.

Perhaps you can give me some help. (You see, my Drill Sergeant once told me that everyone has opinions, but he said it in a slightly different way.)

What's your opinion?



Don

[mgmueller]

Originally Posted by Dr. Drib

I've got a lot of ebook Readers (ebookieuses to YOU!), and have thought about buying yet another one to complement my abusive, selfish, childish lifestyle.

Perhaps you can give me some help. (You see, my Drill Sergeant once told me that everyone has opinions, but he said it in a slightly different way.)

What's your opinion?



Don

I hear you!
Already thinking about a new gadget myself...
I'd go for iRex 800 - be it 800S or 800SG.
Way more advanced than Kindle. 3rd party development already has started.
You can read B&N's PDBs on it.
Touchscreen always is extremely convenient.
File format probably isn't a criteria for you, but still ePUB should be preferable to AZW.
The actual firmware release eliminates most of iRex 800's shortcomings.
Personally, I find Kindle DX a bit bulky. Given iRex 800's way smaller bezel, it's by far more mobile.
Kindle DX probably has had its peak already, a successor should appear shortly, whereas iRex 800 is "state of the art".
Hmmmm, I guess that's it.

[=X=]

PRICE
Tough call here. The DX is $100 more but it is also has a screen size that is 1.5" bigger than the iRex.

PDF Viewing
First of my felling is that if you are buying these devices it's for the larger screen and for reading PDFs. That said, after two years of playing with getting PDF readable on my Sony PRS-505 I've come to the conclusion that I do not want to put any effort in manipulating a PDF just to read it, it was fun at first, now it's something I try to avoid.


With the larger screen of the DX you are going to be able to read most PDF throw your way. Now with 2.5 on its way (zoom) you should be able to read any pdf. On the iRex most books are 9" (including 1" margins) so you should be able to read most PDF on an 8.1" screen.

3G
I just don't understand how some companies advertise 3G as a feature when it is exclusive to their store/online content. Yeah it's is nice go be able to download a book from their store w/o wires but it would not be a purchasing consideration for me. Now Amazon has done this right. It is a free unrestricted 3G access which means I can download books from ANY store, visit Blogs on ANY site, and web sites (though mobile web sites are better suited).


ANNOTATIONS/PEN interface.
This is one area that iRex should have KILLED the DX. The pen screen is a killer input mechanism. However they really crippled the input features to only a menu selection and a virtual keyboard input. There seems to be no way to hand write notes or use a gesture input (ala Windows CE). There seems to be no annotation so you cant use the fine point of the pen to highlight text.

Formats online stores
In theory this sounds great. ePUB with Adobe gives one access to more book stores. The irony is that it gives you access to less books. Amazon to date has the largest selection of books, not including the PD repositories out there, but everyone has access to those books.

Public Library
Hands down iRex beats the Kindle here. For me this is a moot point, my public library does not carry eBooks.


Conclusion
I think the iRex looks much nicer than the Kindle DX, and I like the Pen interface, but unfortunately they did not make full use of this tool. It seems the UI was very sluggish when typing with the UI.

I don't know considering that the DX has a bigger screen, true 3G, and a better input solution. I'd probably go with the DX.


=X=

[Mickey330]

My opinion is - what do you want the new device FOR?

I have a DR800SG and I love it - but, essentially, all I do is read novels on it (ones I own and library books).

I have zero trouble with PDFs re-flowing ('cause all PDFs I generally have are text-only library books). The Irex also easily reads epubs, which is another library (Overdrive) standard and a format in which I put all my personally owned books.

I bought an ereader 'cause they're cool (and very convenient) but I didn't want to spend a fortune on books - so I HAD to have access to the library. I can check out an ebook (PDF or epub), download it with ADE and sideload it to my Irex with a simple click-hold-drag-drop. No muss, no fuss.

The Irex has AWESOME folder management. I can put my books into any folder I want (mine or Irex defaults). I can access the books several ways via the unit. Using the system is easy without the stylus, though I must admit that using the stylus makes navigation easier. I usually use both hands to navigate: one clicks the menu button, the other operates the stylus. You'd be amazed how fast you can get to the next book. Plus, you can delete books from the Irex so you can keep it neat and tidy.

As I said, I feel the Irex is an excellent ereader for reading books. However, you can take notes (and with ... can't remember who ... a mod, you can transfer/read/print the notes from your PC). It has a scribble function for PDF files.

To top it all off - but not trying to start anything - I like the appearance of the Irex better. It's prettier - because I don't like the plastic look of the Kindles, nor do I like having all that space taken up with the keyboard. YMMV.

So, if you want to read a novel/text-based something - get the Irex DR800. The screen is wonderful and large and I don't have to page turn as much.

Good luck with your decision.

Marilyn

P.S. Please note, I don't own a Kindle, so, obviously, I am spouting my own biased opinion here. As your drill sergeant probably told you: "Opinions are like ... noses () ... we all have 'em."

[Dellaster]

I own a DR800SG and a Kindle 2, not a DX. However, I also have an eDGe with the same size e-ink screen as the DX so I can kind of extrapolate (except for "look & feel"). I think the iRex is a better choice unless one of the following things rise to enough importance:

1. Amazon Store - still the widest selection of ebooks and the easiest to browse and find what you're looking for. One-click purchasing: I like that you can download a free sample of an ebook and when you get to the end there's a link to purchase. Click and you can pick up where you left off in the full ebook in a minute or so.
   
2. Full-page PDFs - the DR800, with the firmware update, handles PDFs better than the Kindle DX. But there's no substitute for size if you want to see an entire PDF page at once. I always switch to my eDGe for PDF viewing.
   
3. Dictionary - the iRex doesn't have one.

Otherwise I can see only aesthetics or perhaps a preference for the DX user interface (I know I like my Kindle 2 page-turn buttons a lot) as reasons not to get the DR800.