Mainstream iRex 8.1-inch reader for 400$ (rumor)

[Riocaz]

Originally Posted by EowynCarter

What's your problem with iRex ?

Any of the early iLiad adopters can give you tell you the numerous problems, evasions and outright lies iRex told us. Up to and including, altering specs on documents, deleting those documents, and managing to get thearchive to remove earlier versions of their website which referenced them.

But this is neither the time nor the place, if you want more info please feel free to PM me, and I will try to point you at the relevant threads.

[jboardman]

I don't know about the "lies" and misinformation Irex promolgated when the Iliad was first released, but I do know that I purchased a V2 Iliad about 7 months ago and it hasn't left my side until I bricked it and had to send it back. Irex was quick to respond once I opened a "ticket", and I expect my Iliad to be back any day. I also own a Kindle 1. Sure the page turns are faster on the Kindle, but the text enlargement is not so hot, so reading on the treadmill is hard without glasses. I have never been disappointed with the selection of books available for the Iliad either. I think that the 3G network will be more widely useable if that is what the new device includes. And I have never been disappointed with the performance of the Iliad.

When the new proposed reader becomes available from Irex, COUNT ME IN!

[pratyk]

any new updates on the iRex reader ?

[brecklundin]

Originally Posted by ProDigit

I don't know if you ever seen on the 505 a black pixel next to a white one, next to a black, and so the whole screen full.
The smallest particle is hardly perceivable with the naked eye. I need a magnifying glass to see it's smallest shape of a black dot on the screen!

Don't tell me you are able to differentiate the pixels from 1 foot away from the device!
That'd mean you have eagle's eyes, not humans...

We are talking about the same resolution found on older computers with a 14" screen, only now condensed in a 6" screen!

I can not tell,but only guess that a dot (at the end of a line) exists out of about 10 black pixels (you can see very faintly under a magnifying glass it has a star shape).

I think the 166dpi resolution is pretty awesome!
Also, I think if you compare color print (paper) to the e-ink screens, you'll have to multiply the resolution of the ebook reader with 3x, in order to have the same resolution as the b&w e-ink. (which is slightly less than 500dpi)...

You know...that is an excellent point. It does indeed come down to the actual scale. The eink displays are small but like you point out it is like a 14" display at 800x600 shrunk down. I am willing to bet they cannot get them much smaller given the materials used now though I am sure they have tried.

I think a lot of us get caught trying to relate printed DPI to display DPI...it really does not work out the same. And like you mention anything 166dpi and above is going to be clean.

[zerospinboson]

Originally Posted by Shaggy

That does seem awfully strange.

Just remember that we're dealing with second hand information and rumors right now. It may be that there are two different versions of the DR800 being planned (or even just two different firmwares, similar to how they have the Chinese version of the iLiad). One for the US and one for Europe, and the quote was specifically about the former. Sometimes it's hard to tell what a company really meant, and what a reporter may have been confused about.

It would be out of character for iRex to release a US-only device. They haven't done that previously.

The dutch fairly unambiguously says that "this model will not come to Europe". Now, while I have no idea what the use of that noun implies, I'm guessing that, seeing how iRex is not talking about any other models, they're currently only close to finishing this one.
The website (tweakers.net) is fairly reputable in dutch tech-circles, and they've competent enough writers to not make elementary mistakes like misunderstanding the people they're communicating with.
So I would hazard a guess they're breaking with tradition.

(disclaimer: I haven't visited their own forum for quite some time now, so I haven't seen any of Karel's (frequently mostly useless) vague hints there.)

[Shaggy]

Originally Posted by zerospinboson

seeing how iRex is not talking about any other models...

iRex is not talking about any models. There is no mention at all anywhere on their site about the DR800. The only thing they talk about is a color reader coming in 2011.

I'm sure the staff at tweakers.net are good writers, but I've seen reporters get details like this wrong before. I wouldn't read too much into it yet. iRex haven't even publicly stated that the DR800 exists, much less when/where it will be released.

[Shaggy]

Originally Posted by pratyk

any new updates on the iRex reader ?

No official announcements that I've seen. I wouldn't expect to hear anything from iRex until it's closer to the release date.

[wallcraft]

To me, "sold in the US" probably means sold under a different brand name and probably associated with a newspaper chain or a bookstore chain or a cell phone provider. Crave said:

Allegedly, the unit will have a tie-in with one of the large online e-book sellers, though iRex wouldn't say which one.

Perhaps we have been here before with the Kindle. If "3G" means EV-DO (e.g. Sprint, like the Kindle), then this model won't be sold in Europe. It would not be hard to produce another version with a different 3G module, but that would depend on having a European "reseller" for its device.

[Shaggy]

Originally Posted by wallcraft

To me, "sold in the US" probably means sold under a different brand name and probably associated with a newspaper chain or a bookstore chain or a cell phone provider.

Perhaps we have been here before with the Kindle. If "3G" means EV-DO (e.g. Sprint, like the Kindle), then this model won't be sold in Europe. It would not be hard to produce another version with a different 3G module, but that would depend on having a European "reseller" for its device.

Yeah, I had a similar interpretation. We'll see if/when iRex makes an official announcement.

[jboardman]

Let me tell you of my experience with Irex. A week ago on Sunday I bricked my Iliad by not knowing what I was doing. Couldn't get more than the startup screen. I opened a ticket immediately, and by Tuesday Irex had sent me a UPS box for return (total cost $129.00 USD including postage and fixing). I tracked the package, and Irex received it on Thursday morning. This last Monday, I got a message from Irex that the unit was fixed and an its way back to me in Michigan. Today is Thursday. I had it back completely reflashed and tweeked by noon. In my opinion, Irex is a top-noch company.

Also, I told them to put me "first on the list" for a new DR800. The reply was that I wasn't "first", but that I was on the list. That seems like almost a confirmation. No matter, IMO Irex is a GREAT company with GREAT service!

[klikklak]

I have to say that I'm eagerly waiting for this, even if there's no talk about european launch. I'm pretty certain there will be a new 8" model for europe from Irex at some point and I'll be getting one.

[kleykenb]

Originally Posted by jboardman

Let me tell you of my experience with Irex. A week ago on Sunday I bricked my Iliad by not knowing what I was doing. Couldn't get more than the startup screen. I opened a ticket immediately, and by Tuesday Irex had sent me a UPS box for return (total cost $129.00 USD including postage and fixing). I tracked the package, and Irex received it on Thursday morning. This last Monday, I got a message from Irex that the unit was fixed and an its way back to me in Michigan. Today is Thursday. I had it back completely reflashed and tweeked by noon. In my opinion, Irex is a top-noch company.

Also, I told them to put me "first on the list" for a new DR800. The reply was that I wasn't "first", but that I was on the list. That seems like almost a confirmation. No matter, IMO Irex is a GREAT company with GREAT service!

Well, I got my DR1000 last januari, only to have to send it back after 2 weeks because of a broken SD Card reader (it had never worked properly but the problem became worse and worse during those weeks). It took more than a month before it was back with me. A few days later, during what I consider normal use (I was charging the DR while reading while laying on my back with the device on my chest) the USB port broke off. I opened a call for that but the cost to repair it would have been 300Euro (!) for what should have been a relatively easy and inexpensive repair. Since the device crashed on me several times a day and the battery drained way too quickly I decided to just let it be and put the broken DR up for sale. No, although one can argue about service (I think even that is not up to par ...) the design is just not up to par with the other players in this market. Irex as a company SUCKS , and it's service SUCKS too.

[jboardman]

I guess we all have our separate stories. Sounds like you got a "lemon" in that DR1000. I have heard lots of other folks who love their 1000s, but for me, the unit is just to damn big, as is the Kindle DX. I eagerly await the DR800 hoping that it will have faster page turns, even clearer graphics and a mainstream bookseller from whom I can purchase books directly and have them delivered via 3G.

[wallcraft]

IRex has a press release, and an i to i blog post IREX “consumer” eReader to feature Barnes & Noble eBookstore:

When the IREX consumer device launches later this year in the U.S. it will include the Barnes & Noble eBookstore, which gives users access to more than 750,000 titles.

In terms of product specs, here’s what I can tell you so far: the device will include an 8.1-inch screen and 3G wireless connectivity.

Also, from this ExtremeTech article:

iRex North American CEO Kevin Hamilton says the new product will have about the footprint of the Kindle 2 but with an 8-inch display (because it has a smaller bezel), with a stylus-enabled touch screen.

He says the goal is for this to be a "universal document reader," supporting the ePub standard, Microsoft reader, Barnes and Noble, PDFs, etc. While a formal price isn't available yet, he said he expected it to be competitive with the Kindle.

Given the timing (too soon to be B&N ePub), the DR800(?) probably includes eReader DRM and Adobe DRM (ePub and PDF). It therefore won't include MOBI DRM (which is currently supported by the iLiad and DR1000S). Perhaps "Microsoft reader" means MS Office formats rather than LIT.

[Shaggy]

Yeah, I saw that this morning too. Sounds interesting.