ziegl027,
As far as the iRex DR1000S is concerned, here are my answers to your questions:
1) PDF files— Display well on the DR. Regarding the issue mentioned later in the thread, about annotating locked PDFs: The DR stores annotations (scribbles) in a seperate file, whether the PDF is locked or not, so, as long as you only want to see them on the DR, they will be there. You probably won’t be able to merge the files on your computer, though.
2) Taking notes— See above for the 1000S. For your question, “Does Irex have a reputation of living up to such promises?” The answer is
NO. I suggest waiting for favorable reviews (here, not commercially), and updates, before buying the DR800.
3) Stylus— The 1000S uses a Wacom tablet that requires a Wacom
PenAbled stylus; they are plentily available, but they are not what I’d call ‘cheap.’ As long as you have not turned off
all buttons, you can use the DR without a stylus--if you
have turned off all buttons, and lose the stylus, you’ll need to reset, and will lose all unsaved notes. If you’re just reading, and you are not taking notes, you don’t need the stylus at all, and can turn the Wacom tablet off, saving battery power.
4) File organization—The DR allows organizing files just as on your computer, excepting the ability to use shortcuts/pointers/aliases. My understanding is that the Sony and Amazon offerings allow only a flat filesystem: no sub-folders/directories (I don’t get the point...).
5) Bookmarks—Yes, you can bookmark any page or pages, in as many documents as you want to, but... Lots of bookmarks (800 to 1000) seem to cause problems, at least for some. I use few, so I can’t help.
6) Ease of transfer—When connected, the computer sees the DR’s SD card as an attached drive; it appears the same as when the card is read thru a card reader.
7) Random notes—You can take random notes, however you can’t name the files (i.e. no ‘save as’ ability). You can store empty pre-named notes, like project 1, ToDo, Work Project, etc., to help with organization.
8) Wireless— If you don’t see a need, don’t make it a part of your buying decision. As I understand it, iRex's
Free part will be limited; again, wait and see.
And last, you said:
I’m sure I’ll come up with more stupid questions, bear with a poor ignorant soul!
The only stupid thing would be to realize your ignorance and do nothing about it! Ask questions; head for the light!
Kent Walters