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firekat · 12-02-2006, 12:28 PM

Well, we are coming up on the date where the iLiad was supposed to be a fully operational and functional device that was to be marketed to the masses this month.

To say that I am disappointed would be an understatement.

I have paid a premium for a device that for all practical purposes is only half way finished. I have not recently seen any news that would indicate that completion is anywhere on the near horizon.

Just in the basic functionality we still have yet to see fully implemented power conservation, a realistic and usable boot time, a fully functional pdf viewer with bookmark support (as promised), a DRM material viewer, pen calibration, mp3 capability, and a myriad of other things.

When I purchased this device I fully understood that it was not completely functional and that there would be a protracted development period. They sold us the device with the intention of it being fully functional at the end of the year. What we have had is updates that have been issued infrequently and those that have been include only miniscule incremental improvements and usually include bugs that need further correction. Oh, but we did get the offer to purchase $75.00 software that would give additional functionality (that was originally promised as being inclusive) but yet without pen calibration the functionality is questionable at best.

The thing is that right now is it appears that the state of continued development for us, the non b2b beta testers has come to a complete standstill. There is no further news from iRex that would indicate that there is even anything to be expected in the near future.

One thing I would have to say though is that I really don't want to hear any spin or empty promises from iRex. What I want is the truth. What is going on with this device?

The shame of the matter is that while using the device at work and showing it to others it has always garnered a lot of attention, but there is always the same negative comments mostly centered on the speed of the device. I have a friend that is most definitely NOT a tech kind of person - still does not use a computer or do email. She is waiting with anticipation to get her hands on my iLiad after I get frustrated with it because she does a lot of reading and thinks that it's a great idea. Of course if she actually had to suffer with the current handicapped capacity she would be equally frustrated as well.

I am not ready to give up on the iLiad yet - mostly because of the cost, but I am massively disappointed so far. Too bad, because I basically like the device, it just needs to be finished.

I watch from the sidelines as talented individuals implement functionality and improvements that iRex has not yet seen fit to work on and they do it fighting a locked down device. Just how well could things work if there was more open cooperation between this community of talented developer/beta testers and iRex?

This has all been a painfully slow process, and there is no end in sight other than a possible Apple Newton like demise.

What is all your opinions?

12-02-2006, 12:28 PM	#1
firekat Groupie Posts: 157 Karma: 314 Join Date: May 2006	State of the device Well, we are coming up on the date where the iLiad was supposed to be a fully operational and functional device that was to be marketed to the masses this month. To say that I am disappointed would be an understatement. I have paid a premium for a device that for all practical purposes is only half way finished. I have not recently seen any news that would indicate that completion is anywhere on the near horizon. Just in the basic functionality we still have yet to see fully implemented power conservation, a realistic and usable boot time, a fully functional pdf viewer with bookmark support (as promised), a DRM material viewer, pen calibration, mp3 capability, and a myriad of other things. When I purchased this device I fully understood that it was not completely functional and that there would be a protracted development period. They sold us the device with the intention of it being fully functional at the end of the year. What we have had is updates that have been issued infrequently and those that have been include only miniscule incremental improvements and usually include bugs that need further correction. Oh, but we did get the offer to purchase $75.00 software that would give additional functionality (that was originally promised as being inclusive) but yet without pen calibration the functionality is questionable at best. The thing is that right now is it appears that the state of continued development for us, the non b2b beta testers has come to a complete standstill. There is no further news from iRex that would indicate that there is even anything to be expected in the near future. One thing I would have to say though is that I really don't want to hear any spin or empty promises from iRex. What I want is the truth. What is going on with this device? The shame of the matter is that while using the device at work and showing it to others it has always garnered a lot of attention, but there is always the same negative comments mostly centered on the speed of the device. I have a friend that is most definitely NOT a tech kind of person - still does not use a computer or do email. She is waiting with anticipation to get her hands on my iLiad after I get frustrated with it because she does a lot of reading and thinks that it's a great idea. Of course if she actually had to suffer with the current handicapped capacity she would be equally frustrated as well. I am not ready to give up on the iLiad yet - mostly because of the cost, but I am massively disappointed so far. Too bad, because I basically like the device, it just needs to be finished. I watch from the sidelines as talented individuals implement functionality and improvements that iRex has not yet seen fit to work on and they do it fighting a locked down device. Just how well could things work if there was more open cooperation between this community of talented developer/beta testers and iRex? This has all been a painfully slow process, and there is no end in sight other than a possible Apple Newton like demise. What is all your opinions? Last edited by firekat; 12-02-2006 at 12:33 PM.