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Originally Posted by pdam
It just seems strange that the device is more expensive than the Sony device, it has additional features (theoretically) such as pen input and mp3 ...
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Both Sony's do MP3's. The Librie even has a built in speaker and can do "Talking eBooks" that speak to you as you flip the pages.
From the internal photos posted of the iLiad I can tell you that the iLiad is not a cost reduced consumer oriented design. It looks to be more closely related to an engineering proof of concept design. I've often wondered if iRex pitched the iLiad to Sony and Sony said no.
I've also begun to wonder if iRex though they were going to be getting a BBeB DRM license from Sony...
In any case, to be able to market a device at $350 USD (and include a $50 ebook rebate and retail mark up for Border's) you can't be tossing in integrated circuits like a drunken sailor.
Best example I can give: real time clock.
The PXA-255 CPU chip in the iLiad has a built in real time clock, but the iLiad has a real time clock integrated circuit in the design, ignoring the one they got with the CPU chip.
Intel also thought the PXA-255 CPU would be in charge of the FLASH memory for the ebook storage. Instead the iLiad uses the MSystem's Disk On Chip device, which costs more $$$ (and I'm beginning to suspect is running very much slower than FLASH attached to the PXA-255 would have been...)
The Sony Reader has one lithium ion battery, the iLiad has two "custom designed" (iRex's phrase) batteries.
Or as I've put it before: the iLiad is a Rolls to the Sony Reader's Ford Probe. If you open it up you know where some of the extra $350 went. If you wanted to pay for it, well that's another matter.
