Announced: the iRex Reader DR1000

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Indigo Ink

Another nugget of information: if it turns out to be true...fingers crossed

iRex has partnered with Wacom to bring Tablet PC like features in the ebook reader. For instance you can use the stylus pen to write or sketch on the screen and that gets saved with your document in iRex’s memory. You could connect the iRex to your PC via USB and convert all the handwritten text into digital format just like Microsoft OneNote or Abbyy Reader.

Source

http://www.labnol.org/gadgets/irex-d...0-review/4623/

Sorry - you can do exactly that on the iLiad, can you not?

[b0rsuk]

Hi

1.
Does anyone have any clue if Irex Digital Reader is going to work with an USB keyboard ? I know it's miniUSB, but there ARE miniUSB keyboards. Can the device work as "usb master" ? If so, which version(s) ? Would it work for the basic one ?

2.
Can the stylus be used to input japanese characters (OCR them) ? That would be very useful for me because I'm dealing with chinese/japanese characters at work. Can the software available for Iliad do that ? Is it possible to use japanese dictionary, for example ?

3.
Any news on boot time ?

[bob_ninja]

I wonder why it doesn't support MS Word???? Since most office users have to deal with Word it would make sense to support Word from the start.
Is Word format so difficult to handle?

[yokos]

Irex sells additional sytli an "advanced" and a "professional" one.
https://www.irexshop.com/index.php?cPath=1_31

Originally Posted by irex shop

Processional Stylus is fitted with an eraser*.
* Eraser will be supported in future software update for Digital Reader"

I'm a bit confused. How does connenting to LAN work?

[zerospinboson]

Originally Posted by bob_ninja

I wonder why it doesn't support MS Word???? Since most office users have to deal with Word it would make sense to support Word from the start.
Is Word format so difficult to handle?

yes, especially since MS probably won't sell a licence to them so that it'll work in linux.

Edit: the old (.doc) format spec and its contemporaries has been released, yes.. but i doubt the new Office 2007 formats work.

[zerospinboson]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Sorry - you can do exactly that on the iLiad, can you not?

That is correct.

[Slite]

Originally Posted by zerospinboson

yes, especially since MS probably won't sell a licence to them so that it'll work in linux

Ummm, OpenOffice ring a bell? Can handle MS Word propriety formats without problems

[wallcraft]

Originally Posted by b0rsuk

Does anyone have any clue if Irex Digital Reader is going to work with an USB keyboard ? I know it's miniUSB, but there ARE miniUSB keyboards. Can the device work as "usb master" ? If so, which version(s) ? Would it work for the basic one ?

Its a safe bet that as delivered the USB port won't work with a keyboard. The Freescale i.MX31L FactSheet mentions USB On-The-Go and 2x USB Hosts. So (a) it might be possible to reconfigure the USB for OTG (which would allow some keyboards to work), and (b) there is an unused "iPod-like connector" located at the bottom of the DR1000 (see Post #75). I'm not sure what "iPod-like" means, but if this is a USB port then it can probably be made to work with memory sticks and keyboards.

[b0rsuk]

Originally Posted by wallcraft

Its a safe bet that as delivered the USB port won't work with a keyboard. .

You mean it's not likely to work at first because they have higher priorities and such things typically (if ever) come in later software updates ? Because DR1000 is first and foremost a reading device ?

The Freescale i.MX31L FactSheet mentions USB On-The-Go and 2x USB Hosts. So (a) it might be possible to reconfigure the USB for OTG (which would allow some keyboards to work),

So it all depends on the software they use ? Linux is open source, but they may have used binary blobs here and there. It depends on how tightly it's locked, right ? I think the only thing we know right now is that the CPU is capable of handling USB "master". (By USB OTG). By the way, how does USB OTG look like ? Is it a distinct slot, or another "way" of using existing USB slots ? Is it possible that Irex Digital Reader has an "ordinary" USB slot, not OTG one and connecting a keyboard is simply impossible ?

I'm not sure what "iPod-like" means, but if this is a USB port then it can probably be made to work with memory sticks and keyboards.

I wish I knew. I guess the best I can do is wait for some reviews by technical people. If it requires some hacking, library/kernel modifications etc to make it work - I'm fine with it. I can follow instructions as long as they don't involve writing assembly code.
Thank you for information.

[wallcraft]

Originally Posted by b0rsuk

By the way, how does USB OTG look like?

The existing hardware may support it, but I don't know for sure, from the usb.org FAQ:

USB OTG defines a dual-role device, which can act as either a host or peripheral, and can connect to either a PC or other portable devices through the same connector.

The Nokia N8X0 (also Linux based) has explicit OTG support, and I think the only issue for connected devices is the lack of power and the need for weird cables.

I doubt iRex will support OTG, because it is outside their concept of how the device is used. If the hardware is OTG-capable, it should be possible, though, to enable this via add-on system-level software (or just switch the connector to a master, which I think has also be done on the N8X0 via software).

[Tomek]

Does anyone know if the Mobipocket support in DS1000S includes:

1) highlights
2) notes
3) bookmarks
4) changing between sarif and sanserif fonts

[manekineko]

Originally Posted by Indigo Ink

http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-18438_7-10047886-82.html

And this is the interesting part

And Brons says the $849 wireless version will have a full-fledged Web browser that's able to deal with moving Flash images by converting them into static still images

OMG, if true, they've got a sale here.

[pilotbob]

Originally Posted by Tomek

Does anyone know if the Mobipocket support in DS1000S includes:

1) highlights
2) notes
3) bookmarks
4) changing between sarif and sanserif fonts

From the FAQ:

A:
• Remember last read page
• Change font size
• Zoom selection (custom area and pre-defined zoom levels)
• Auto crop content (remove border white space)
• Fit page to screen
• Panning
• Landscape and portrait reading mode
• Continuous and page-by-page reading mode
• Show pages as thumbnails
• Full screen reading mode (no page- and toolbar)
• Back and forward in viewed pages
• Table of content
• Create/remove a bookmark on a page
• Table of bookmarks
• Search in the document
• Write and erase comments (handwritten annotations)
• Change the pen thickness
• Mobipocket dictionary support from any content format

So, yes it has bookmark and notes support.

BOb

[NatCh]

These are the most interesting ones to me:

• Auto crop content (remove border white space)
• Landscape and portrait reading mode
• Continuous and page-by-page reading mode

[pilotbob]

Originally Posted by NatCh

T
• Continuous and page-by-page reading mode

I also wonder how they will do "continuous" reading mode. Does that mean there will be sometype of scrolling support?

BOb