Is the iRex Digital Reader worth the money?

RainDog2 · 03-03-2009, 08:02 AM

I have settled on buying an ebook reader am looking for a basic reader that is big, easy to read, handles well, and supports pdf format. Other formats would be nice, but pdf is the one I have the VAST majority of my ebooks in.

The Digital Reader appeals very much to me. It is the biggest on the market, which is important to me, because I do not want to have to squint to see anything. My eyes aren't great (but not bad) and I don't need the struggle. I don't need compact, as I figure any place I would want to take a book, I could bring the Digital Reader.

The digital e-ink feature appeals to me a good deal too. I don't write much on my books, so it wouldn't be a terrible to lose it, but I like the concept.

The things that are holding me back are the price obviously ($859), and the reviews I've read that the reader is very buggy/not user friendly.

http://www.teleread.org/2008/09/25/u...iendly-enough/

http://gizmodo.com/5108154/irex-digi...ghtning-review

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/columni...x-kindle_N.htm

What say you? I could afford to buy it, but I'm hesitant to drop that sort of cash on something I might ultimately be dissatisfied with.

RobbieClarken · 03-03-2009, 09:18 AM

What sort of books do you read? If they are mostly text then the big screen might not be necessary as you can use a program to cut the PDF pages up so they fit nicely on devices with smaller screens, and still have large, readable text. If the formatting isn't too complicated, the Sony can reflow the text in which case no conversion is necessary. Otherwise Calibre is quite good at converting PDFs to other formats.

If you are reading textbooks which have lots of images, I think you do need a device with a larger screen. I was impatient to get a new digital reader so I snapped up the DR1000S and am very pleased with it. There may be other large devices coming out this year with more features and a better price. Netronix, Jinke and Onyx have said they will release 9.7" devices but I don't think there are any firm release dates. The Plastic Logic device looks very nice but it wont be out until 2010 at the earliest and we don't know how it will handle. So there is a good chance the DR1000 will be the only large e-ink device on the market for a while.

Are you determined to have e-ink? If not, a subnotebook or a tablet PC might be worth looking at. I had a tablet and found it too heavy and the battery life too short to be useful as an ebook reader so I would recommend e-ink.

By the way, since those iRex DR1000S reviews were written the battery life has been significantly improved and many useful features have been added. There are still a few annoying bugs but it is definitely a much better device than it was.

PhishStyx · 03-03-2009, 03:15 PM

I agree with Epiphany in pretty much everything said above. I use my DR 1000s for rpg PDF's, which are very much like textbooks in many ways (except subject matter), and truthfully, I wouldn't want to use anything smaller for my highly formatted books. My eyesight is not great by any means. But if I were reading novels in PDF, I'd say that something less expensive that reflows the text would be fine.

03-03-2009, 08:02 AM	#1
RainDog2 Junior Member Posts: 2 Karma: 10 Join Date: Mar 2009 Device: None	Is the iRex Digital Reader worth the money? I have settled on buying an ebook reader am looking for a basic reader that is big, easy to read, handles well, and supports pdf format. Other formats would be nice, but pdf is the one I have the VAST majority of my ebooks in. The Digital Reader appeals very much to me. It is the biggest on the market, which is important to me, because I do not want to have to squint to see anything. My eyes aren't great (but not bad) and I don't need the struggle. I don't need compact, as I figure any place I would want to take a book, I could bring the Digital Reader. The digital e-ink feature appeals to me a good deal too. I don't write much on my books, so it wouldn't be a terrible to lose it, but I like the concept. The things that are holding me back are the price obviously ($859), and the reviews I've read that the reader is very buggy/not user friendly. http://www.teleread.org/2008/09/25/u...iendly-enough/ http://gizmodo.com/5108154/irex-digi...ghtning-review http://www.usatoday.com/tech/columni...x-kindle_N.htm What say you? I could afford to buy it, but I'm hesitant to drop that sort of cash on something I might ultimately be dissatisfied with.

03-03-2009, 09:18 AM	#2
RobbieClarken Addict Posts: 371 Karma: 1002274 Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Australia Device: Kindle	What sort of books do you read? If they are mostly text then the big screen might not be necessary as you can use a program to cut the PDF pages up so they fit nicely on devices with smaller screens, and still have large, readable text. If the formatting isn't too complicated, the Sony can reflow the text in which case no conversion is necessary. Otherwise Calibre is quite good at converting PDFs to other formats. If you are reading textbooks which have lots of images, I think you do need a device with a larger screen. I was impatient to get a new digital reader so I snapped up the DR1000S and am very pleased with it. There may be other large devices coming out this year with more features and a better price. Netronix, Jinke and Onyx have said they will release 9.7" devices but I don't think there are any firm release dates. The Plastic Logic device looks very nice but it wont be out until 2010 at the earliest and we don't know how it will handle. So there is a good chance the DR1000 will be the only large e-ink device on the market for a while. Are you determined to have e-ink? If not, a subnotebook or a tablet PC might be worth looking at. I had a tablet and found it too heavy and the battery life too short to be useful as an ebook reader so I would recommend e-ink. By the way, since those iRex DR1000S reviews were written the battery life has been significantly improved and many useful features have been added. There are still a few annoying bugs but it is definitely a much better device than it was. Last edited by RobbieClarken; 03-03-2009 at 09:20 AM.

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03-03-2009, 03:15 PM	#3
PhishStyx The me that I am Posts: 413 Karma: 1078 Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: In my house! Duh! Device: Kindle 1 & DR 1000s	I agree with Epiphany in pretty much everything said above. I use my DR 1000s for rpg PDF's, which are very much like textbooks in many ways (except subject matter), and truthfully, I wouldn't want to use anything smaller for my highly formatted books. My eyesight is not great by any means. But if I were reading novels in PDF, I'd say that something less expensive that reflows the text would be fine.