Any shops that sell DR1000s in UK? (and should I buy it?...)

[sarikan]

Hi there,
I am a PhD student who has just moved into London, it has been only 3 days actually. There is a tremendous amount of reading I have to do, and I have been done with carrying around thousands of printed pdfs around. I can not read from the computer screen, and I was just about to go for iliad.
Then I heard the DR1000 and the screen size made me wait for it. With inherently problematic eyes, I consider a larger screen a very important advantage.

However, the battery issues outlined by CJP, and slowly being confirmed by others in mobileread forums IS a problem. Do you think that future updates can increase battery life, or should I assume the mentioned 5 hour~ as what to expect from the device for future too.

And in case I decide to spend a large part of my limited budget on this device, is there a shop in London that I can go and buy it instead of online shops? I'd love to see the device and play with it a little bit before spending my money on it.

It is obvious that I'll be getting an e-reader and Irex seems to offer the largest two devices which would be much better for my eyes. (and annotations is another killer feature for me)

Your comments would be appreciated a lot. Now back to reading from the laptop screen

Kind regards
Seref Arikan

[zerospinboson]

However, the battery issues outlined by CJP, and slowly being confirmed by others in mobileread forums IS a problem. Do you think that future updates can increase battery life, or should I assume the mentioned 5 hour~ as what to expect from the device for future too.

it should be fairly trivial to fix that, IF there is a 'switch' built into the wacom pen slot like there is on the iLiad (i can't confirm that as i don't have a DR)

And in case I decide to spend a large part of my limited budget on this device, is there a shop in London that I can go and buy it instead of online shops? I'd love to see the device and play with it a little bit before spending my money on it.

While their website is a horror, google tells me Borders does actually sell the thing.. (Borders online store)
Though I doubt there will be many stores that carry them (already), given the shortage and the slow shipping, if there is any place where they have one at all, it'll be in the biggest Borders store in inner-city London, I guess.

[pilotbob]

Originally Posted by sarikan

However, the battery issues outlined by CJP, and slowly being confirmed by others in mobileread forums IS a problem. Do you think that future updates can increase battery life, or should I assume the mentioned 5 hour~ as what to expect from the device for future too.

My thoughts...

1. For continuous use the battery life isn't going to improve much. They could possible switch the CPU down to a lower voltage mode and get a bit more out of it... but your not going to see 12 or more hours.

2. They will probably be able to extend the stand-by battery life. So, if it is just sitting on your desk after say 10 mins of inactivity they will sleep it. This will greatly extend the time between charges, but probably not the continuous use times.

3. If you are not in a major hurry you may want to wait till the summer to see what Plastic Logics device comes out with in terms of price/battery performance. It will certainly be more durable considering there is no glass in the screen, it is all plastic.

BOb

[sarikan]

Hi Bob,
The thing is I am in a hurry. Have a huge amount of reading to do, and I have brought only pdfs with me when I moved to UK from Turkey, since chunks of paper is not the cheapest thing to transfer by plane
Most of my reading is done next to a computer, in some sort of office environment anyways, so I can live with 5 hours.
I guess there is no real alternative to DR when it comes to reading A4 pdfs, especially if you have weak eyes like mine.
It would be great if the early owners would share their experiences for guys like me.
Thanks for all the feedback

Regards
Seref

[cjp]

Originally Posted by sarikan

Hi Bob,
The thing is I am in a hurry. Have a huge amount of reading to do, and I have brought only pdfs with me when I moved to UK from Turkey, since chunks of paper is not the cheapest thing to transfer by plane
Most of my reading is done next to a computer, in some sort of office environment anyways, so I can live with 5 hours.
I guess there is no real alternative to DR when it comes to reading A4 pdfs, especially if you have weak eyes like mine.
It would be great if the early owners would share their experiences for guys like me.
Thanks for all the feedback

Regards
Seref

Hi there, it's a fellow doctoral student, who also reads thousands of pages a week. Although my DR1000S seems to be problematic, - still waiting to hear back from iRex - it is truly a delight! It is just great to read all the PDF's that go with our position. Read around - others have had good luck with the iLiad but I am holding out to see if this issue with my DR1000S improves or find out what iRex wants to do about it. If 3-5 hours works for you, then this Reader is for you! (But again - not me!)

BTW, This forum is very helpful, but also try the iRex forum too, you might be able to gather enough information between the two to make a decision.

Really, the DR1000S is a great Reader! (Now if they could just get the software, battery, Wacom, ...etc issues straightened out....)


CJP

[pilotbob]

Originally Posted by cjp

Really, the DR1000S is a great Reader! (Now if they could just get the software, battery, Wacom, ...etc issues straightened out....)


CJP

Does the device work while it's plugged into the charger? If so, perhaps this could resolve this issue. I know most people use their laptops for long stretches while they are plugged in.

BOb

[bbusybookworm]

I'm doubtful that Borders is going to have the DR1000 available for sale and on display anytime soon.

It's still a pretty new device, and I've only seen it available from the iRex's official reseller Libresco (http://www.iliadreader.co.uk/products.htm) in the UK.

You could try contacting them to see whether it would be possible to see and buy one in person from them.

[sarikan]

Originally Posted by pilotbob

Does the device work while it's plugged into the charger? If so, perhaps this could resolve this issue. I know most people use there laptops for long stretches while they are plugged in.

BOb

Ah,
The exact question that I wanted to ask: does it work with the charger plugged in? CJP? Also I've seen a mini usb cable in the web site, is it any different than the one that is normally used, or same?

[allovertheglobe]

Originally Posted by sarikan

Ah,
The exact question that I wanted to ask: does it work with the charger plugged in? CJP? Also I've seen a mini usb cable in the web site, is it any different than the one that is normally used, or same?

Yes, it does. When you plug in the cable, the reader asks you if you want to go into "PC transfer" mode or not. You just choose no, the reader will start charging while you continue to use it.

[cjp]

Originally Posted by allovertheglobe

Yes, it does. When you plug in the cable, the reader asks you if you want to go into "PC transfer" mode or not. You just choose no, the reader will start charging while you continue to use it.

Hey there allovertheglobe dude, I am wondering the same thing. I took your (good) advice and ordered the adapters/chargers. I could only order the $13 on Newegg, but the Garmin, I had to go to their website. I sort-of guessed which one to order, many look similar! - but selected it based on the photo's on your earlier review. (I need one at home and one for my office, so I thought I'd try one of each) Both look like I plug the original cord into the DR1000S, then the USB side goes into the charger, which then plugs into the wall. Do I have this right? Although I will find out soon enough when they arrive, I am just wondering....

[sarikan]

Hi CJB,
care to give a link to post that contains advice about chargers?

Kind regards
Seref

[allovertheglobe]

The Garmin one goes straight from the wallwart to the USB connector. The advantage is that it came with the international plug adapters and is certified to work with different voltages (important for me as an expat traveling back and forth)

The Tekkeon one requires the use of the USB cable. The advantage is that you plug in any rechargeable USB device (and with the included 1/2 dozen adapters also cellphones etc.) iPod, Garmin GPS, Sony reader... it all works since the connector on the charger is a regular flat female USB port like on any computer nowadays. I could use the A/C plug adapters from Garmin too, but I don't quite trust the multi-voltage ability of the Tekkeon, it's so cheap I'm sure they cut some corners.

I also want to point out that there are other similar products out which will probably work every bit as good.

[cjp]

Originally Posted by pilotbob

My thoughts...
If you are not in a major hurry you may want to wait till the summer to see what Plastic Logics device comes out with in terms of price/battery performance. It will certainly be more durable considering there is no glass in the screen, it is all plastic. BOb

Or perhaps better, the Hamlin V9t looks interesting!