iRex DR1000S Pressreader Review

Adam B. · 12-11-2008, 10:18 AM

iRex has released software update 1.03 for the DR1000S. This update allows you to read newspapers from PressDisplay. The update also includes a 30 day free trial of the website.

The Selection
PressDisplay has a relatively large newspaper selection. They certainly don't have every newspaper (my local Indianapolis Star newspaper is missing), but they do have the major players in the US. Among the USA selection is the USA Today, Chicago Tribune, Washington Post, among others. You can see the full selection on their website. It's sorted by country, and definitely has international appeal.

Downloading Newspapers
Downloading a newspaper is a relatively simple process. You will have to download the Pressreader application. There is a Windows version, and also a Mac version in beta. I downloaded the windows version on my Vista laptop. I authorized the computer, searched for the newspaper I wanted, and selected "Read Offline". It then downloaded the newspaper to my computer. After the download finished, I had to tell the software to copy it to my DR1000. It was a simple process, although slightly time consuming. The newspaper file is about 40 megabytes. It would be nice if it could download directly to my device, but I understand why it needs to be a two step process.

Reading on the DR1000S
The PressReader application on the DR1000S is fairly simple, although easy to use. It didn't include instructions, but I'm not sure if they're needed. I selected the newspaper file I copied to my device, and it quickly opened. I was immediately greeted with the front page of the USA today. You can read the text without zooming in, however it's not very comfortable. You can zoom in on an article by tapping the center of it. It will zoom in to the text at a very readable level. You can then use either the on screen arrows to move around, use the arrows on the device, or drag the stylus on the screen to pan. The viewer also supports thumbnails. You can easily make out the image of the page and any pictures that are on it. Overall, it's a very nice reading experience.

There are a few things that are slightly disappointing about the software. There appears to be only one zoom level. This isn't a big deal, as the text should be readable to most people with even below average vision. But it would be nice to zoom out slightly to get more text on the screen. The viewer also doesn't have page numbers or hyperlinks. If you're reading an article that says it's "Continued on page 5A", you have no way of quickly navigating there. Because you have to select an area to zoom in on, there is also no way to read effectively without the stylus. This may be a problem for when the DR1000 comes out without the wacom screen. Also, bookmarking and annotation could be useful, but since newspapers expire after 14 days (at least on the PC, I don't know about the DR), I'm not sure if it's necessary.

Conclusion
The PressReader application is very nice if you would like to read one of the supported newspapers on your DR1000S. I highly recommend everyone with a DR to upgrade and take full advantage of the 30 day trial. It's a pleasure to read a newspaper without having to hold a gigantic stack of dead trees. Personally, I get all of my news from the internet and RSS feeds, and I doubt I will purchase one of their plans after the 30 day period. However, if you're currently subscribed to any of the newspapers that they carry, it may be well worth subscribing to their $9.95 31 issue plan, or their $29.95 unlimited plan.

smp_iliad · 12-11-2008, 10:22 AM

I'm still downloading a paper to DR. I think one thing that kills the usability of Press Reader is its file size. It takes about 3 minutes to download an issue (~30MB) to DR. If they think seriously about supporting DR, they must optimize their app.

Added> I found PressReader on DR is quitely well optimized. Navigating and reading 150MB file(washington post) is really interactive. Quality of applicaiton itself is beyond my expectation!

-Thomas- · 12-11-2008, 11:44 AM

So what's the newspaper's file format on the iLiad? IIRC the desktop application works with some kind of Adobe DRMed PDF files. Is this the same for the DR?

Adam B. · 12-11-2008, 11:52 AM

This is a proprietary, encrypted file format specifically for the PressReader application.

Shaggy · 12-11-2008, 02:25 PM

I guess it doesn't count towards the Mobipocket DRM exclusivity agreement, even though they're encrypted.

pthwaite · 12-11-2008, 03:23 PM

Can't seem to get their beta MAC software to authorise. It keeps telling me I get a bad answer from the server and to check the URL. I'm tempted to give a bad answer back. In the meantime I await press readers support.

bazmi · 12-11-2008, 04:38 PM

an absolute pleasure to see the responsiveness of the pressreader app on dr1000s. this gives me hope that one day my magazines in pdf format would be turn pages a lot faster than they do now. is there a better(=faster) pdf reader out there?

press reader along with fbreader pretty much justifies for me the price of the irex device.

/bazmi.

pilotbob · 12-11-2008, 04:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Adam B.

and also a Mac version in beta.

Any mention of subscription pricing?

BOb

Adam B. · 12-11-2008, 04:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pilotbob

Any mention of subscription pricing?

BOb

$9.95/Month 31 issue plan, or $29.95/Month unlimited plan.

Adam B. · 12-11-2008, 04:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bazmi

an absolute pleasure to see the responsiveness of the pressreader app on dr1000s. this gives me hope that one day my magazines in pdf format would be turn pages a lot faster than they do now. is there a better(=faster) pdf reader out there?

press reader along with fbreader pretty much justifies for me the price of the irex device.

/bazmi.

Agreed. It's odd how well PressReader works, and how slow PDF's can be. Hopefully they optimize the PDF plugin for future versions.

pilotbob · 12-11-2008, 05:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Adam B.

Agreed. It's odd how well PressReader works, and how slow PDF's can be. Hopefully they optimize the PDF plugin for future versions.

I assume this is due to the news stuff being a text based format rather than page based format. (Just guessing)

BOb

adi · 12-11-2008, 07:17 PM

The windows version of the pressdisplay reader works partially. It can be installed using wine, I can browse Press Display's website and view the papers using their software, but I cannot save the newspapers. However, if I browse the papers through firefox, and save it for offline reading, it works. The paper shows up in press display software, and I can export it to irex (the option is there, I haven't actually tried exporting it yet).

Not all features of the software work, but I will be happy as long as I can transfer the papers to DR.

Shaggy · 12-12-2008, 10:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Adam B.

Agreed. It's odd how well PressReader works, and how slow PDF's can be. Hopefully they optimize the PDF plugin for future versions.

A lot of that probably has to do with how well the document is optimized, rather than the reader/plugin. Since PressReader is delivering the content, they should have a lot more control over how it is formated, etc. PDF documents can be all over the place since the spec is fairly loose. Some of them are well optimized, others are just a mess.

donCalpe · 12-12-2008, 10:55 AM

How can I export the newspaper to the DR1000S after downloading to the computer ? I can't see an export option. ( I am running pressreader Windows SW v. 5.0.8.1209 after downloading to a MAC does not work at all ).

pthwaite · 12-12-2008, 02:32 PM

I don't think the MAC version works yet, at least not with either myself or the others posting here.
However, running the Windows version under parallels does. The downloads are terribly slow.
Once you have it in the pressreader application you then view it in the Library. Opening it you should then see it in the "Now Reading" section.
At this point you can then go to the file menu and "Export to irex".

This can be either the SD card or the connected DR1000, (In the Pressreader folder). In my experience just saving it to the SD Card via a card reader is quicker & more reliable in the MAC.

Does this help?

12-11-2008, 10:18 AM	#1
Adam B. Addicted to Porting Posts: 1,697 Karma: 7194 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Indianapolis, IN Device: iRex iLiad, Nokia 770, Samsung i760	iRex DR1000S Pressreader Review iRex has released software update 1.03 for the DR1000S. This update allows you to read newspapers from PressDisplay. The update also includes a 30 day free trial of the website. The Selection PressDisplay has a relatively large newspaper selection. They certainly don't have every newspaper (my local Indianapolis Star newspaper is missing), but they do have the major players in the US. Among the USA selection is the USA Today, Chicago Tribune, Washington Post, among others. You can see the full selection on their website. It's sorted by country, and definitely has international appeal. Downloading Newspapers Downloading a newspaper is a relatively simple process. You will have to download the Pressreader application. There is a Windows version, and also a Mac version in beta. I downloaded the windows version on my Vista laptop. I authorized the computer, searched for the newspaper I wanted, and selected "Read Offline". It then downloaded the newspaper to my computer. After the download finished, I had to tell the software to copy it to my DR1000. It was a simple process, although slightly time consuming. The newspaper file is about 40 megabytes. It would be nice if it could download directly to my device, but I understand why it needs to be a two step process. Reading on the DR1000S The PressReader application on the DR1000S is fairly simple, although easy to use. It didn't include instructions, but I'm not sure if they're needed. I selected the newspaper file I copied to my device, and it quickly opened. I was immediately greeted with the front page of the USA today. You can read the text without zooming in, however it's not very comfortable. You can zoom in on an article by tapping the center of it. It will zoom in to the text at a very readable level. You can then use either the on screen arrows to move around, use the arrows on the device, or drag the stylus on the screen to pan. The viewer also supports thumbnails. You can easily make out the image of the page and any pictures that are on it. Overall, it's a very nice reading experience. There are a few things that are slightly disappointing about the software. There appears to be only one zoom level. This isn't a big deal, as the text should be readable to most people with even below average vision. But it would be nice to zoom out slightly to get more text on the screen. The viewer also doesn't have page numbers or hyperlinks. If you're reading an article that says it's "Continued on page 5A", you have no way of quickly navigating there. Because you have to select an area to zoom in on, there is also no way to read effectively without the stylus. This may be a problem for when the DR1000 comes out without the wacom screen. Also, bookmarking and annotation could be useful, but since newspapers expire after 14 days (at least on the PC, I don't know about the DR), I'm not sure if it's necessary. Conclusion The PressReader application is very nice if you would like to read one of the supported newspapers on your DR1000S. I highly recommend everyone with a DR to upgrade and take full advantage of the 30 day trial. It's a pleasure to read a newspaper without having to hold a gigantic stack of dead trees. Personally, I get all of my news from the internet and RSS feeds, and I doubt I will purchase one of their plans after the 30 day period. However, if you're currently subscribed to any of the newspapers that they carry, it may be well worth subscribing to their $9.95 31 issue plan, or their $29.95 unlimited plan. Attached Thumbnails

12-11-2008, 10:22 AM	#2
smp_iliad Connoisseur Posts: 70 Karma: 816 Join Date: Dec 2007 Device: KindleDX, iPhone3Gs	I'm still downloading a paper to DR. I think one thing that kills the usability of Press Reader is its file size. It takes about 3 minutes to download an issue (~30MB) to DR. If they think seriously about supporting DR, they must optimize their app. Added> I found PressReader on DR is quitely well optimized. Navigating and reading 150MB file(washington post) is really interactive. Quality of applicaiton itself is beyond my expectation! Last edited by smp_iliad; 12-11-2008 at 11:21 AM.

12-11-2008, 07:17 PM	#12
adi Enthusiast Posts: 34 Karma: 36 Join Date: Oct 2008 Device: irex digital reader	Works on Linux The windows version of the pressdisplay reader works partially. It can be installed using wine, I can browse Press Display's website and view the papers using their software, but I cannot save the newspapers. However, if I browse the papers through firefox, and save it for offline reading, it works. The paper shows up in press display software, and I can export it to irex (the option is there, I haven't actually tried exporting it yet). Not all features of the software work, but I will be happy as long as I can transfer the papers to DR.

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12-11-2008, 11:44 AM	#3
-Thomas- Addict Posts: 325 Karma: 1725 Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Münster, Germany Device: iRex iLiad v2	So what's the newspaper's file format on the iLiad? IIRC the desktop application works with some kind of Adobe DRMed PDF files. Is this the same for the DR?

12-11-2008, 11:52 AM	#4
Adam B. Addicted to Porting Posts: 1,697 Karma: 7194 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Indianapolis, IN Device: iRex iLiad, Nokia 770, Samsung i760	This is a proprietary, encrypted file format specifically for the PressReader application.

12-11-2008, 02:25 PM	#5
Shaggy Wizard Posts: 4,293 Karma: 529619 Join Date: May 2007 Device: iRex iLiad, DR800SG	I guess it doesn't count towards the Mobipocket DRM exclusivity agreement, even though they're encrypted.

12-11-2008, 03:23 PM	#6
pthwaite Fanatic Posts: 597 Karma: 430 Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Ellesmere Port, UK Device: DR1000S Sony PRS505 iPad iPhone	Can't seem to get their beta MAC software to authorise. It keeps telling me I get a bad answer from the server and to check the URL. I'm tempted to give a bad answer back. In the meantime I await press readers support.

12-11-2008, 04:38 PM	#7
bazmi Enthusiast Posts: 40 Karma: 10 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: zurich, switzerland Device: irex dr 1000s, sony prs 700, 505, iliad BE. N800, SL6000, SL3200...	an absolute pleasure to see the responsiveness of the pressreader app on dr1000s. this gives me hope that one day my magazines in pdf format would be turn pages a lot faster than they do now. is there a better(=faster) pdf reader out there? press reader along with fbreader pretty much justifies for me the price of the irex device. /bazmi.

12-12-2008, 10:55 AM	#14
donCalpe Junior Member Posts: 9 Karma: 10 Join Date: Apr 2008 Device: iRex DR1000S	How can I export the newspaper to the DR1000S after downloading to the computer ? I can't see an export option. ( I am running pressreader Windows SW v. 5.0.8.1209 after downloading to a MAC does not work at all ).

12-12-2008, 02:32 PM	#15
pthwaite Fanatic Posts: 597 Karma: 430 Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Ellesmere Port, UK Device: DR1000S Sony PRS505 iPad iPhone	I don't think the MAC version works yet, at least not with either myself or the others posting here. However, running the Windows version under parallels does. The downloads are terribly slow. Once you have it in the pressreader application you then view it in the Library. Opening it you should then see it in the "Now Reading" section. At this point you can then go to the file menu and "Export to irex". This can be either the SD card or the connected DR1000, (In the Pressreader folder). In my experience just saving it to the SD Card via a card reader is quicker & more reliable in the MAC. Does this help?

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