Alternatives to DR800

Mr. Goodbar · 02-13-2010, 03:12 PM

Given what seems to be the perpetual delay of the 800, I'm curious as to what people are thinking about as an alternative? I was looking at the pictures and specs on the upcoming Asus DR-950 and it certainly looks pretty nice. It has a 9 inch screen, but a case size not much bigger (about 23% by area) than the 800. It's quite a bit smaller than the Kindle DX (about 26% by area) and has a capacitive touch screen which is said to not diminish the display quality like the resistive displays on the Sony's. Pictures can be found at:

http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/22/a...wilds-of-asus/

As much as I like the 800, my confidence level that it is actually going to be released anytime soon is diminishing quickly. With that come concerns on the viability of Irex as a company. The Asus is looking pretty good on paper, but since it is not yet released we don't know what it is truly like. I definitely want something bigger than a 6 inch screen, but I'm starting to find my Kindle DX just a little bit too big.

eLiNK · 02-13-2010, 03:28 PM

The ditto book's D9 (9.7") has quite enticing features but is still an unknown.

eLiNK · 02-13-2010, 03:33 PM

Jinke has announced the availability of its A9 starting in march, so it should be in theory available from Astak.
To the best of my knowledge, the pocketbook 901 and Onyx 80 are not to be available before this summer.

SCION · 02-13-2010, 03:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr. Goodbar

I was looking at the pictures and specs on the upcoming Asus DR-950 and it certainly looks pretty nice.

It does look very nice.

Mr. Goodbar · 02-13-2010, 04:21 PM

There are definitely some emerging options.

badbob001 · 02-13-2010, 05:08 PM

The single particle nature of sipix vs e-ink's double particles is said to make the refresh of sipix e-paper slower, but real comparison is needed:
http://www.epapercentral.com/auo-bec...r-in-sipix.htm

For whatever reason, a 9" sipix display is needed to match an e-ink 8" display at a resolution of 768x1024. I would think sipix would want to match sizes and resolutions with e-ink's offering so OEMs can more easily drop-replace an e-ink screen with a sipix one, so there may be an unsolved technical limitation at this moment.

Here it says e-ink's vizplex epaper has reflectivity of 40% (http://www.eink.com/products/matrix/High_Res.html) while here it says sipix is at 33% (http://www.epapercentral.com/auo-not...for-epaper.htm). Then in terms of contrast, it says e-ink is at 7:1 while sipix is at 9:1. Not too sure how they compare in the end given all those factors.

Mr. Goodbar · 02-13-2010, 05:59 PM

Good points. I was also reading somewhere that the production version of the sipix was supposed to improve on the reflectivity piece and refresh rates to bring it more in line with with the viziplex screens. I guess we'll need to wait until some production devices start to hit the market.

nikkie · 02-13-2010, 06:17 PM

I consider the Sony Daily Edition with a 7" screen a pretty decent competitor. My biggest beef is that it has a proprietary OS (unreleased source) and I don't see many people hacking it to add useful software.

Mr. Goodbar · 02-13-2010, 08:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nikkie

I consider the Sony Daily Edition with a 7" screen a pretty decent competitor. My biggest beef is that it has a proprietary OS (unreleased source) and I don't see many people hacking it to add useful software.

I like the design of the Sony, but I tried one and can't get past the sacrifice in screen quality. Not a big deal if you typically read with big fonts, but for me I just didn't like the tradeoff.

FutureBSD · 02-13-2010, 09:06 PM

I was also searching for alternatives for the DR800S(G).
The Asus looks pretty nice and seems to be an interesting alternative to the DR800SG. But it's not an alternative because it's not available yet.

You don't want to wait any longer for the DR800? Then you also have to find another alternative then the Asus DR950.

I was already thinking of buying an Amazon Kindle DX but the PDF features + missing ePub Support killed the device.

Right now NO device on the market is fitting my wishes. The DR800S(G) will, as soon as it gets the pdf zoom and annotation feature implemented.

Mr. Goodbar · 02-13-2010, 11:12 PM

I'm just thinking through alternatives now that the device has been delayed for so long. I have the Kindle DX and generally like it, but it's a little too large for what I want. The 800 was exactly what I was looking for, but with the delays other devices are getting closer to release and has me pondering waiting a little longer. The Asus looks like a pretty nice device, but I'll make a decision when the 800 is finally released. If it hits the market within the next couple of weeks I'll probably still get it, but if it's later than that I may wait for one of the other mid-size devices. I really can't understand how iRex can continue to screw up product launches the way they do. I work in high tech and understand how delays can happen, but some heads should definitely roll over this one.

TGS · 02-14-2010, 07:18 AM

Not sure if you are asking whether there are alternative which, like the DR800, you can't buy, or alternatives which you can actually get your hands on.

Mr. Goodbar · 02-14-2010, 08:09 AM

Actually it was more just meant as a conversation thread for people interested in the 800, but starting to look/think about alternatives due to continued delay in it's release. Sometimes people on the board get exposed to other devices before general release or to ones that may have regional releases and may have some insight on them. I still think the 800 is a nice device, but it's continued delay means there are more options coming on the market shortly that will compete directly with it. The Asus is just one example. The Sony is another, but I've personally eliminated it from my options due to the screen quality (strictly my opinion).

catharsis · 02-14-2010, 03:54 PM

what about the Entourage eDGe? people who want to use the DR800 for academic reading and they are in US can get quite soon an eDGe.

FutureBSD · 02-14-2010, 06:59 PM

The Entourage eDGe is the most ugliest device on the market

Even if it would have great technical specs I'd never buy one.
If Sony wouldn't build their devices with those silly displays I'd buy a Sony.

Factors for my eBook reader are:
- Build quality
- Annotation
- PDF Zoom (or another kind of feature to deal with pdfs)
- 8-9 inch display (preferred eInk + Wacom combination)
- fast screen (like the DR800S(G))
- design

The only thing stopping me buying the iRex are the first two features listed after the build quality. The rest is already there.

02-13-2010, 03:12 PM	#1
Mr. Goodbar Wizard Posts: 1,005 Karma: 98078 Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Atlanta, GA Device: iPad Mini 4	Alternatives to DR800 Given what seems to be the perpetual delay of the 800, I'm curious as to what people are thinking about as an alternative? I was looking at the pictures and specs on the upcoming Asus DR-950 and it certainly looks pretty nice. It has a 9 inch screen, but a case size not much bigger (about 23% by area) than the 800. It's quite a bit smaller than the Kindle DX (about 26% by area) and has a capacitive touch screen which is said to not diminish the display quality like the resistive displays on the Sony's. Pictures can be found at: http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/22/a...wilds-of-asus/ As much as I like the 800, my confidence level that it is actually going to be released anytime soon is diminishing quickly. With that come concerns on the viability of Irex as a company. The Asus is looking pretty good on paper, but since it is not yet released we don't know what it is truly like. I definitely want something bigger than a 6 inch screen, but I'm starting to find my Kindle DX just a little bit too big.

02-13-2010, 05:08 PM	#6
badbob001 Fanatic Posts: 556 Karma: 1102020 Join Date: Sep 2009 Device: Kindle Keyboard (rip), Kindle Voyage, Fire Tablet 10 '17, iPad '19	The single particle nature of sipix vs e-ink's double particles is said to make the refresh of sipix e-paper slower, but real comparison is needed: http://www.epapercentral.com/auo-bec...r-in-sipix.htm For whatever reason, a 9" sipix display is needed to match an e-ink 8" display at a resolution of 768x1024. I would think sipix would want to match sizes and resolutions with e-ink's offering so OEMs can more easily drop-replace an e-ink screen with a sipix one, so there may be an unsolved technical limitation at this moment. Here it says e-ink's vizplex epaper has reflectivity of 40% (http://www.eink.com/products/matrix/High_Res.html) while here it says sipix is at 33% (http://www.epapercentral.com/auo-not...for-epaper.htm). Then in terms of contrast, it says e-ink is at 7:1 while sipix is at 9:1. Not too sure how they compare in the end given all those factors. Last edited by badbob001; 02-13-2010 at 05:17 PM.

02-13-2010, 09:06 PM	#10
FutureBSD Junior Member Posts: 9 Karma: 10 Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Germany Device: none	I was also searching for alternatives for the DR800S(G). The Asus looks pretty nice and seems to be an interesting alternative to the DR800SG. But it's not an alternative because it's not available yet. You don't want to wait any longer for the DR800? Then you also have to find another alternative then the Asus DR950. I was already thinking of buying an Amazon Kindle DX but the PDF features + missing ePub Support killed the device. Right now NO device on the market is fitting my wishes. The DR800S(G) will, as soon as it gets the pdf zoom and annotation feature implemented. Last edited by FutureBSD; 02-13-2010 at 09:09 PM.

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02-13-2010, 03:28 PM	#2
eLiNK Addict Posts: 344 Karma: 6494 Join Date: Jan 2008 Device: PRS-505, KDXG	The ditto book's D9 (9.7") has quite enticing features but is still an unknown.

02-13-2010, 03:33 PM	#3
eLiNK Addict Posts: 344 Karma: 6494 Join Date: Jan 2008 Device: PRS-505, KDXG	Jinke has announced the availability of its A9 starting in march, so it should be in theory available from Astak. To the best of my knowledge, the pocketbook 901 and Onyx 80 are not to be available before this summer.

02-13-2010, 04:21 PM	#5
Mr. Goodbar Wizard Posts: 1,005 Karma: 98078 Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Atlanta, GA Device: iPad Mini 4	There are definitely some emerging options.

02-13-2010, 05:59 PM	#7
Mr. Goodbar Wizard Posts: 1,005 Karma: 98078 Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Atlanta, GA Device: iPad Mini 4	Good points. I was also reading somewhere that the production version of the sipix was supposed to improve on the reflectivity piece and refresh rates to bring it more in line with with the viziplex screens. I guess we'll need to wait until some production devices start to hit the market.

02-13-2010, 06:17 PM	#8
nikkie Guru Posts: 614 Karma: 73700 Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: WA, USA Device: Android, Kindle Paperwhite, lots of ancient readers	I consider the Sony Daily Edition with a 7" screen a pretty decent competitor. My biggest beef is that it has a proprietary OS (unreleased source) and I don't see many people hacking it to add useful software.

02-13-2010, 11:12 PM	#11
Mr. Goodbar Wizard Posts: 1,005 Karma: 98078 Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Atlanta, GA Device: iPad Mini 4	I'm just thinking through alternatives now that the device has been delayed for so long. I have the Kindle DX and generally like it, but it's a little too large for what I want. The 800 was exactly what I was looking for, but with the delays other devices are getting closer to release and has me pondering waiting a little longer. The Asus looks like a pretty nice device, but I'll make a decision when the 800 is finally released. If it hits the market within the next couple of weeks I'll probably still get it, but if it's later than that I may wait for one of the other mid-size devices. I really can't understand how iRex can continue to screw up product launches the way they do. I work in high tech and understand how delays can happen, but some heads should definitely roll over this one.

02-14-2010, 07:18 AM	#12
TGS Country Member Posts: 9,058 Karma: 7676767 Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Denmark Device: Liseuse: Irex DR800. PRS 505 in the house, and the missus has an iPad.	Not sure if you are asking whether there are alternative which, like the DR800, you can't buy, or alternatives which you can actually get your hands on.

02-14-2010, 08:09 AM	#13
Mr. Goodbar Wizard Posts: 1,005 Karma: 98078 Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Atlanta, GA Device: iPad Mini 4	Actually it was more just meant as a conversation thread for people interested in the 800, but starting to look/think about alternatives due to continued delay in it's release. Sometimes people on the board get exposed to other devices before general release or to ones that may have regional releases and may have some insight on them. I still think the 800 is a nice device, but it's continued delay means there are more options coming on the market shortly that will compete directly with it. The Asus is just one example. The Sony is another, but I've personally eliminated it from my options due to the screen quality (strictly my opinion).

02-14-2010, 03:54 PM	#14
catharsis Addict Posts: 206 Karma: 14 Join Date: Dec 2009 Device: iRex DR800SG, Onyx Boox M92	what about the Entourage eDGe? people who want to use the DR800 for academic reading and they are in US can get quite soon an eDGe.

02-14-2010, 06:59 PM	#15
FutureBSD Junior Member Posts: 9 Karma: 10 Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Germany Device: none	The Entourage eDGe is the most ugliest device on the market Even if it would have great technical specs I'd never buy one. If Sony wouldn't build their devices with those silly displays I'd buy a Sony. Factors for my eBook reader are: - Build quality - Annotation - PDF Zoom (or another kind of feature to deal with pdfs) - 8-9 inch display (preferred eInk + Wacom combination) - fast screen (like the DR800S(G)) - design The only thing stopping me buying the iRex are the first two features listed after the build quality. The rest is already there.

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