Taken the plunge

RobbieClarken · 12-06-2008, 08:51 PM

I was trying to hold off until the DR1000SW came out but I discovered a local business that sells iRex products and couldn't help but take a look. The sales rep was very helpful (thanks cbell!

) and I was extremely impressed by the size of the DR1000S screen so I bought one

.

Here are my thoughts:

The DR1000S is perfect for reading PDF. I am mostly reading non-fiction books with diagrams and equations and these are almost exclusively PDF or DJVU files.
The battery life is a little annoying. You definitely need to recharge at least once a day. I generally leave my DR1000S recharging whenever I'm not using it and I don't run out of power.
The long start up time is frustrating when you want to jump straight into a book. I'm looking forward to the next firmware update.
I actually find the device great for reading novels. It isn't too heavy and the screen is so clear that scanned books look beautiful.
The page turns are a little slower than the Sony but this is compensated by having more text on the screen.
I love the thumbnail view. Makes navigating much faster. The table of contents is also much nicer than on the Sony.
The dictionary is great. Definitely a feature Sony should implement. The ability to find a word in a book is extremely useful as well and surprisingly efficient.
I rarely use the stylus but scribbling is much more responsive than I thought it would be.
Navigating around the menu is a bit clumsy. I don't see any reason why the buttons on the left are identical to the buttons on the right. Plus they should have made the bottom circle a square to distinguish it from the other two circles. The interface definitely needs streamlining - why does it take six button presses to add a bookmark (three with the stylus but getting it out is a hassle)?
The most annoying thing for me has been the device freezing, not detecting the SD card or not turning on. These problems have always been fixed with a restart but hopefully future updates will resolve them.

Overall I am very happy with my DR1000S and would recommend them to anyone who wants to read A4 or diagram-heavy PDFs. If you just want to read novels, go for one of the smaller, cheaper devices.

pthwaite · 12-07-2008, 02:01 PM

Yes, that generally agrees with my views. You can't beat it for pdfs & technical papers. There are a lot of things that need fixing & hopefully they will come with the upcoming firmware fixes & future developments.

harryE123 · 12-16-2008, 01:31 AM

Great Review. Thanks to the op!

omro · 12-16-2008, 08:10 AM

I agree totally.

I think the menu needs to be changed into a simple linear list, perhaps with pop outs, rather than screen changes to make an update. It would be nice to use the up/down sensors just to perform an entire action.

It would also be great to have more control over the view for the PDF in a global setting, rather than per PDF, i.e. I'm tired of always going into full screen mode, I'd like to always open that way.

I agree with everyone, the screen is brilliant, though perhaps a little more reflective than I was expecting.

cbell · 12-16-2008, 07:28 PM

It was really nice to meet you, epiphany, and I agree with all your comments. This is a thoughtful, helpful review for new and potential DR1000S users.

I find the large screen beautifully clear for reading PDFs. Forward page turns are faster than I expected (after using the iLiad). The ability to search for words and also lookup the dictionary in PDF, HTML and Mobipocket files are very good features. I'm impressed with the newspapers downloaded through the PressReader program and I'm pleased with how fast I can zoom and pan around. I read The Age and The Australian each day on the DR.

I would like a hardware button to switch it off quickly, rather than software shutdown only, but I guess I'll get used to that. I also press the Menu button instead of one of the side buttons many times per day, but I guess that's something I'll improve on with practice, too. I agree that a square Menu button might have been better (but only when using the device in portrait mode).

I don't want to disable any of the buttons and I'm learning how to hold and use the DR so I don't touch any buttons accidentally. I like the capacitive sensors (activated with the gentlest touch), although it took me a little while to perfect the short, long and extra-long presses.

Its good to see iRex taking notice of users' comments and providing updates.

Thanks for the review, epiphany!

12-06-2008, 08:51 PM	#1
RobbieClarken Addict Posts: 371 Karma: 1002274 Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Australia Device: Kindle	Taken the plunge I was trying to hold off until the DR1000SW came out but I discovered a local business that sells iRex products and couldn't help but take a look. The sales rep was very helpful (thanks cbell! ) and I was extremely impressed by the size of the DR1000S screen so I bought one . Here are my thoughts: The DR1000S is perfect for reading PDF. I am mostly reading non-fiction books with diagrams and equations and these are almost exclusively PDF or DJVU files. The battery life is a little annoying. You definitely need to recharge at least once a day. I generally leave my DR1000S recharging whenever I'm not using it and I don't run out of power. The long start up time is frustrating when you want to jump straight into a book. I'm looking forward to the next firmware update. I actually find the device great for reading novels. It isn't too heavy and the screen is so clear that scanned books look beautiful. The page turns are a little slower than the Sony but this is compensated by having more text on the screen. I love the thumbnail view. Makes navigating much faster. The table of contents is also much nicer than on the Sony. The dictionary is great. Definitely a feature Sony should implement. The ability to find a word in a book is extremely useful as well and surprisingly efficient. I rarely use the stylus but scribbling is much more responsive than I thought it would be. Navigating around the menu is a bit clumsy. I don't see any reason why the buttons on the left are identical to the buttons on the right. Plus they should have made the bottom circle a square to distinguish it from the other two circles. The interface definitely needs streamlining - why does it take six button presses to add a bookmark (three with the stylus but getting it out is a hassle)? The most annoying thing for me has been the device freezing, not detecting the SD card or not turning on. These problems have always been fixed with a restart but hopefully future updates will resolve them. Overall I am very happy with my DR1000S and would recommend them to anyone who wants to read A4 or diagram-heavy PDFs. If you just want to read novels, go for one of the smaller, cheaper devices. Last edited by RobbieClarken; 12-06-2008 at 08:55 PM.

12-16-2008, 07:28 PM	#5
cbell Frenetic Posts: 590 Karma: 8181 Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Australia Device: iLiad V2	It was really nice to meet you, epiphany, and I agree with all your comments. This is a thoughtful, helpful review for new and potential DR1000S users. I find the large screen beautifully clear for reading PDFs. Forward page turns are faster than I expected (after using the iLiad). The ability to search for words and also lookup the dictionary in PDF, HTML and Mobipocket files are very good features. I'm impressed with the newspapers downloaded through the PressReader program and I'm pleased with how fast I can zoom and pan around. I read The Age and The Australian each day on the DR. I would like a hardware button to switch it off quickly, rather than software shutdown only, but I guess I'll get used to that. I also press the Menu button instead of one of the side buttons many times per day, but I guess that's something I'll improve on with practice, too. I agree that a square Menu button might have been better (but only when using the device in portrait mode). I don't want to disable any of the buttons and I'm learning how to hold and use the DR so I don't touch any buttons accidentally. I like the capacitive sensors (activated with the gentlest touch), although it took me a little while to perfect the short, long and extra-long presses. Its good to see iRex taking notice of users' comments and providing updates. Thanks for the review, epiphany! Last edited by cbell; 12-16-2008 at 07:58 PM. Reason: Menu button changes in the rotated view.

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12-07-2008, 02:01 PM	#2
pthwaite Fanatic Posts: 597 Karma: 430 Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Ellesmere Port, UK Device: DR1000S Sony PRS505 iPad iPhone	Yes, that generally agrees with my views. You can't beat it for pdfs & technical papers. There are a lot of things that need fixing & hopefully they will come with the upcoming firmware fixes & future developments.

12-16-2008, 01:31 AM	#3
harryE123 Banned Posts: 272 Karma: 70 Join Date: Dec 2008 Device: irex reader	Great Review. Thanks to the op!

12-16-2008, 08:10 AM	#4
omro Addict Posts: 373 Karma: 452000 Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Hamilton, On Device: Kobo Aura HD	I agree totally. I think the menu needs to be changed into a simple linear list, perhaps with pop outs, rather than screen changes to make an update. It would be nice to use the up/down sensors just to perform an entire action. It would also be great to have more control over the view for the PDF in a global setting, rather than per PDF, i.e. I'm tired of always going into full screen mode, I'd like to always open that way. I agree with everyone, the screen is brilliant, though perhaps a little more reflective than I was expecting.

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