MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - Vaporware face-off: Sony Daily Edition vs. iRex DR800SG

badbob001 · 11-24-2009, 10:56 AM

When I had yet to see an e-ink reader first hand, I visited a sony store to eagerly check out a reader to see the great contrast and clarity of an e-ink display. When I first picked up the Sony 600, it was a let down as it looked a bit muddy. But when I compared it with the 300 next to it, I knew the problem was all due to the touch screen layer. This rules out Sony for me.

As for the Que, who knows. It has a touch screen as well so it's possible it can look as muddy as the sony. Since all readers use the same e-ink displays, the real deciding factor is the software and again, we don't know how well the Que software operates. Unlike 99% of other readers, Que's OS is not free but uses Microsoft WinCE, so it may have less available 'hacks' and 'community software' for it. And unless it turns out to be a borderless device unlike the prototype they had been showing, the display will be smaller than the device size of 8.5x11. I'm guessing it's a 10.7" screen (9.7" for the kindle dx, 10.2" for the dr1000s). If you're use to 1+" margins on printed paper and you set the QUE to display with no margins, then the text may be the same size as a real 8.5x11. No idea how reliable PL or their products will be. I wonder if it will come with a stylus since not everyone finger paints their notes.

The only thing going for the DR800SG is the 8.1 XVGA screen in a kindle-size device. Irex just doesn't seem to have the energy to market or support their products. Perhaps they have been on the market for too long and lack the energetic ignorance hope of a startup like Plastic Logic. Or perhaps the combination of a small company and a slow market means overworked, unmotivated, and underpaid employees. The dr800sg feels like just an evolution of the iliad reader and doesn't offer anything revolutionary to catch the market's attention (like higher resolutions in the same size display). Yeah, the limiting factor is the common e-ink display, but they can try to excel in other areas like the software. Competitive pricing would be key if you can't compete on features, but again, probably a limited variable due to the small size of the company.

If I had to choose, I would wait until both the dr800 and the Que are out and compare the two.

11-24-2009, 10:56 AM	#4
badbob001 Fanatic Posts: 556 Karma: 1102020 Join Date: Sep 2009 Device: Kindle Keyboard (rip), Kindle Voyage, Fire Tablet 10 '17, iPad '19	When I had yet to see an e-ink reader first hand, I visited a sony store to eagerly check out a reader to see the great contrast and clarity of an e-ink display. When I first picked up the Sony 600, it was a let down as it looked a bit muddy. But when I compared it with the 300 next to it, I knew the problem was all due to the touch screen layer. This rules out Sony for me. As for the Que, who knows. It has a touch screen as well so it's possible it can look as muddy as the sony. Since all readers use the same e-ink displays, the real deciding factor is the software and again, we don't know how well the Que software operates. Unlike 99% of other readers, Que's OS is not free but uses Microsoft WinCE, so it may have less available 'hacks' and 'community software' for it. And unless it turns out to be a borderless device unlike the prototype they had been showing, the display will be smaller than the device size of 8.5x11. I'm guessing it's a 10.7" screen (9.7" for the kindle dx, 10.2" for the dr1000s). If you're use to 1+" margins on printed paper and you set the QUE to display with no margins, then the text may be the same size as a real 8.5x11. No idea how reliable PL or their products will be. I wonder if it will come with a stylus since not everyone finger paints their notes. The only thing going for the DR800SG is the 8.1 XVGA screen in a kindle-size device. Irex just doesn't seem to have the energy to market or support their products. Perhaps they have been on the market for too long and lack the energetic ignorance hope of a startup like Plastic Logic. Or perhaps the combination of a small company and a slow market means overworked, unmotivated, and underpaid employees. The dr800sg feels like just an evolution of the iliad reader and doesn't offer anything revolutionary to catch the market's attention (like higher resolutions in the same size display). Yeah, the limiting factor is the common e-ink display, but they can try to excel in other areas like the software. Competitive pricing would be key if you can't compete on features, but again, probably a limited variable due to the small size of the company. If I had to choose, I would wait until both the dr800 and the Que are out and compare the two. Last edited by badbob001; 11-24-2009 at 10:59 AM.