Vaporware face-off: Sony Daily Edition vs. iRex DR800SG

nikkie · 11-23-2009, 05:29 PM

In one corner, we have: The Sony Daily Edition *claps*
Primary features:

Annotation
7" diagonal screen
3G
Landscape mode
$399

Oh, and
It's actually available for pre-order!

And in the other, The iRex DR800SG! Seriously, who came up with this name??

Primary features

8.1" diagonal screen
3G
Software SDK
*Eventually* annotation
Supports multiple DRM implementations
$449

The dark horse contender, which becomes more and more viable as neither of these products make their Christmas release date, is the Que ProReader!
Primary Features:

Multiple formats such as PDF, PPT, Word, etc.
Fully developed software suite capable of annotation, highlighting, and a buhzillion other things
8.5x11" display made of plastic

So what would you pick? Would you just wait for the Que at this point? I'm a software developer, so the iRex's SDK is very tempting to me. But I feel like I should wait until all three are out...I'm just not that patient.

wallcraft · 11-23-2009, 06:00 PM

There are probably going to be half a dozen large-format Readers showcased at CES in January. Most probably won't be available for purchase until at least the Spring though.

My Best Buy order for the DR800SG expired after a month last week. It would still be my pick out of these three, but if they can't deliver by mid-December I am probably going to wait and see what CES brings to light. If I cared about annotation I would definitely wait until it arrived on the DR800SG before buying.

HansTWN · 11-23-2009, 08:11 PM

I wouldn't consider the Sony for 2 reasons:

1.The touchscreen the Sony uses is on top of the reading screen. As the 700 and 600 show the screen is not as good for reading as the Irex's which uses a touch screen layer below the screen.

2.The screen size of the Sony is too small, it is still not suitable for newspapers and such.

I would have been happy with the Irex 800, but they don't include WiFi. So for me the Que looks most promising -- unless they start selling an 800 or 1000 with WiFi at an attractive price soon.

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.

HarryT · 11-24-2009, 11:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HansTWN

I wouldn't consider the Sony for 2 reasons:

1.The touchscreen the Sony uses is on top of the reading screen. As the 700 and 600 show the screen is not as good for reading as the Irex's which uses a touch screen layer below the screen.

Perfectly true, but the Sony's screen is perfectly "acceptable", in my personal experience of actually using one every day, and the iRex will not (initially at least) support annotation. This is, for me, an absolutely critical feature.

jboardman · 11-24-2009, 11:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wallcraft

There are probably going to be half a dozen large-format Readers showcased at CES in January. Most probably won't be available for purchase until at least the Spring though.

My Best Buy order for the DR800SG expired after a month last week. It would still be my pick out of these three, but if they can't deliver by mid-December I am probably going to wait and see what CES brings to light. If I cared about annotation I would definitely wait until it arrived on the DR800SG before buying.

I agree with this strategy. One more month reading on my Iliad isn't going to kill me. But it is annoying having broken the on/off switch to have to turn it on/off with a paperclip!

Dulin's Books · 11-24-2009, 05:04 PM

I've just seen a note that said the Que may not be in consumer hands until March. Havent confirmed it anywhere though so....

dmaul1114 · 11-24-2009, 09:26 PM

I'm waiting for the Que and other large format readers as my next reader purchase will be a large screen device with full stylus annotation/highlighting features as I need one for my academic research work.

May also wait longer and see what happens with the long-rumored apple tablet and other tablet devices as I don't necessarily need e-ink, super long battery life etc. for these purposes.

HarryT · 11-25-2009, 02:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dulin's Books

I've just seen a note that said the Que may not be in consumer hands until March. Havent confirmed it anywhere though so....

Nobody knows when the Que will be available. They are going to announce the release date and price in January; that is the only information we currently have.

Dulin's Books · 11-25-2009, 08:19 PM

unless there is corroboration of what I saw before then.

abookreader · 11-28-2009, 01:25 PM

We're in the same situation here. If just one of these companies could have managed to bring a product to market this December we would have bought.

Now, I think we'll wait until late Spring or early Summer and see how they compare once they all ...... you know actually exist in a form that is more tangible than a press release.

jboardman · 12-04-2009, 12:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by abookreader

We're in the same situation here. If just one of these companies could have managed to bring a product to market this December we would have bought.

Now, I think we'll wait until late Spring or early Summer and see how they compare once they all ...... you know actually exist in a form that is more tangible than a press release.

I agree with this position, absolutely and entirely - unless I see the new 800SG and decide I need it! Is that a "kinda, maybe, sorta?"

11-23-2009, 05:29 PM	#1
nikkie Guru Posts: 614 Karma: 73700 Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: WA, USA Device: Android, Kindle Paperwhite, lots of ancient readers	Vaporware face-off: Sony Daily Edition vs. iRex DR800SG In one corner, we have: The Sony Daily Edition claps Primary features: Annotation 7" diagonal screen 3G Landscape mode $399 Oh, and It's actually available for pre-order! And in the other, The iRex DR800SG! Seriously, who came up with this name?? Primary features 8.1" diagonal screen 3G Software SDK Eventually annotation Supports multiple DRM implementations $449 The dark horse contender, which becomes more and more viable as neither of these products make their Christmas release date, is the Que ProReader! Primary Features: Multiple formats such as PDF, PPT, Word, etc. Fully developed software suite capable of annotation, highlighting, and a buhzillion other things 8.5x11" display made of plastic So what would you pick? Would you just wait for the Que at this point? I'm a software developer, so the iRex's SDK is very tempting to me. But I feel like I should wait until all three are out...I'm just not that patient.

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.

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11-23-2009, 06:00 PM	#2
wallcraft reader Posts: 6,977 Karma: 5183568 Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Mississippi, USA Device: Kindle 3, Kobo Glo HD	There are probably going to be half a dozen large-format Readers showcased at CES in January. Most probably won't be available for purchase until at least the Spring though. My Best Buy order for the DR800SG expired after a month last week. It would still be my pick out of these three, but if they can't deliver by mid-December I am probably going to wait and see what CES brings to light. If I cared about annotation I would definitely wait until it arrived on the DR800SG before buying.

11-23-2009, 08:11 PM	#3
HansTWN Wizard Posts: 4,538 Karma: 264065402 Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Taiwan Device: HP Touchpad, Sony Duo 13, Lumia 920, Kobo Aura HD	I wouldn't consider the Sony for 2 reasons: 1.The touchscreen the Sony uses is on top of the reading screen. As the 700 and 600 show the screen is not as good for reading as the Irex's which uses a touch screen layer below the screen. 2.The screen size of the Sony is too small, it is still not suitable for newspapers and such. I would have been happy with the Irex 800, but they don't include WiFi. So for me the Que looks most promising -- unless they start selling an 800 or 1000 with WiFi at an attractive price soon.

11-24-2009, 05:04 PM	#7
Dulin's Books Wizard Posts: 2,806 Karma: 13500000 Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Portland, OR Device: Boox PB360 etc etc etc	I've just seen a note that said the Que may not be in consumer hands until March. Havent confirmed it anywhere though so....

11-24-2009, 09:26 PM	#8
dmaul1114 Wizard Posts: 2,300 Karma: 1121709 Join Date: Feb 2009 Device: Amazon Kindle 1	I'm waiting for the Que and other large format readers as my next reader purchase will be a large screen device with full stylus annotation/highlighting features as I need one for my academic research work. May also wait longer and see what happens with the long-rumored apple tablet and other tablet devices as I don't necessarily need e-ink, super long battery life etc. for these purposes.

11-25-2009, 08:19 PM	#10
Dulin's Books Wizard Posts: 2,806 Karma: 13500000 Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Portland, OR Device: Boox PB360 etc etc etc	unless there is corroboration of what I saw before then.

11-28-2009, 01:25 PM	#11
abookreader Wizard Posts: 1,516 Karma: 2567610 Join Date: Oct 2009 Device: Kindles - Keyboard, Fire, 2-US, iPhone, iPAD	We're in the same situation here. If just one of these companies could have managed to bring a product to market this December we would have bought. Now, I think we'll wait until late Spring or early Summer and see how they compare once they all ...... you know actually exist in a form that is more tangible than a press release.

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