DR800 Cover

[badbob001]

Originally Posted by Dulin's Books

I wonder if the deluxe cover can be put on rotated 180 so the fold is opposite of the flipbar and the pen is at the bottom? Ill probalby try to find a nice leather folio, similar to that "Luxury" Irex one, locally that it will fit in and velcro it in

Since it attaches to indents that only exists on the left side of the device, I would say it's not possible unless you do some surgery on the cover to flip the attachment mechanism 360 degrees...

Or drill holes into the right side of the device.

[Shaggy]

Originally Posted by badbob001

I guess in other words, it does its job (hasn't exploded ), but it could be better.

What I take from those is "it isn't elegant",and "looks cheaper than expected" for the price range.

Others may have their own requirements, but aesthetics isn't high on my list of things I'm worried about. If that's the worst that can be said about it, I'm not too concerned. Like I mentioned before, if it offers better protection than the standard slipcases then it's a good investment.

If I remember right, replacing a screen on an iLiad cost something like $275. That's the part that really has my attention, not necessarily how pretty it is.

[Shaggy]

Originally Posted by badbob001

Since it attaches to indents that only exists on the left side of the device, I would say it's not possible unless you do some surgery on the cover to flip the attachment mechanism 360 degrees...

That was my thought as well.

[Dulin's Books]

Originally Posted by badbob001

Or drill ...[/IMG]

Velcro it is then

[Shaggy]

Originally Posted by drl

They don't list any Irex covers on their website--nothing.

No, but I know they had them. Not sure if they're not selling them directly anymore and you get them through other retailers (ereaderoutfitters, etc).

For example, here are the iLiad ones...
http://www.ereaderoutfitters.com/iRe...+and+Cases.50/

[mgmueller]

Originally Posted by badbob001

Seems a bit pricey. And there are reports here that it's not that great.

Unfortunately, it's ugly, looks cheap and the build quality is mediocre at best.

[Shaggy]

Originally Posted by mgmueller

Unfortunately, it's ugly, looks cheap and the build quality is mediocre at best.

I guess it's in the eye of the beholder.

I just got mine this evening. I would say it has a simplistic design, but so does the DR800. I wouldn't say it's ugly/cheap looking. Not fancy, certainly, but simple can be elegant too. It depends on what your tastes are. If you paid this amount of money and are expecting something that looks like an Oberon cover, then you're going to be disappointed. IMO, those are a bit gaudy anyway.

As for build quality, mine seems pretty solid. What in particular concerned you? The stitching/lining look solid and the device locks in pretty tight with their pin system.

For me, the most important thing is the protection that it provides. Of the 3 options we have right now, the European slipcase, the US slipcase and the luxury cover, I would say hands down the luxury cover is the only one that really provides good screen protection. Similar to the equivalent iLiad cover, it has a hard shell inside the front padding that will protect the screen from impact. That, IMO, is a must. A lot of the instances I've seen of broken eInk screens come down to the screen getting hit by an object and a poor case/cover that didn't absorb the impact.

The only complaint I would have is that the stylus loop is definitely designed for either the advanced or executive stylus. The standard one is too small. I guess that iRex assumes someone buying the premium cover would also be using a premium stylus, but it would have been nice for there to be a second loop on the bottom/side that fit the smaller sized stylus. You can probably put an extra row of stitching in the loop to tighten it up though.

Yes, it's expensive. Yes, the aesthetics are a minimalistic design (whether that's good or bad is up to you). But by far it's the best protection we have available for the device. When you compare the value of the 3 covers against the cost of a replacement screen, there's no question which one wins.

[mgmueller]

Originally Posted by Shaggy

I guess it's in the eye of the beholder.

I just got mine this evening. I would say it has a simplistic design, but so does the DR800. I wouldn't say it's ugly/cheap looking. Not fancy, certainly, but simple can be elegant too. It depends on what your tastes are. If you paid this amount of money and are expecting something that looks like an Oberon cover, then you're going to be disappointed. IMO, those are a bit gaudy anyway.

As for build quality, mine seems pretty solid. What in particular concerned you? The stitching/lining look solid and the device locks in pretty tight with their pin system.

For me, the most important thing is the protection that it provides. Of the 3 options we have right now, the European slipcase, the US slipcase and the luxury cover, I would say hands down the luxury cover is the only one that really provides good screen protection. Similar to the equivalent iLiad cover, it has a hard shell inside the front padding that will protect the screen from impact. That, IMO, is a must. A lot of the instances I've seen of broken eInk screens come down to the screen getting hit by an object and a poor case/cover that didn't absorb the impact.

The only complaint I would have is that the stylus loop is definitely designed for either the advanced or executive stylus. The standard one is too small. I guess that iRex assumes someone buying the premium cover would also be using a premium stylus, but it would have been nice for there to be a second loop on the bottom/side that fit the smaller sized stylus. You can probably put an extra row of stitching in the loop to tighten it up though.

Yes, it's expensive. Yes, the aesthetics are a minimalistic design (whether that's good or bad is up to you). But by far it's the best protection we have available for the device. When you compare the value of the 3 covers against the cost of a replacement screen, there's no question which one wins.

My complaints are about stitching and material.
I've got the executive cover for iLiad (from M-Edge if I remember correctly). Way better quality.
But you're right of course, most important is protection. But on the other hand, Sony can do that with very nice covers.
I guess, over all my expectations towards iRex simply have been too high. In my opinion, iRex 800 (by far) is the "weakest" of the 3 iRex readers, although being the most recent. And with this kind of disappointment, the cover and other details of course become even more obvious.

[Shaggy]

Originally Posted by mgmueller

My complaints are about stitching and material.

Maybe it's down to the individual one you got. There's no problem with the stitching or material on mine.

In my opinion, iRex 800 (by far) is the "weakest" of the 3 iRex readers, although being the most recent. And with this kind of disappointment, the cover and other details of course become even more obvious.

Really? I like the DR800 much better than my iLiad. Way better screen, much faster, battery life isn't even comparable, and UI is a lot nicer. Is it missing some features like annotation and zoom, sure, but those are supposedly on the way. Is your opinion primarily based on the software?

[Shaggy]

Originally Posted by Shaggy

Maybe it's down to the individual one you got. There's no problem with the stitching or material on mine.

BTW, I'm not trying to argue with you. I'm just trying to understand whether this is a difference in opinion when we're looking at the same thing (which is fine), or if you're having a problem in yours that I don't have in mine.

[mgmueller]

Originally Posted by Shaggy

Is your opinion primarily based on the software?

It's both.
I compare to Sony 900 and BeBook Neo primarily. But of course nook and some of my other (high ranking) readers are in the equation as well.

Material: It's plastic. Lots of them are, unfortunately the trend in many areas is "cheap" instead of "advanced". It's not worse than most others, but it's 30% more expensive than most and certainly only average in that area.
Build quality: Mine isn't very good. The flipbar for example isn't even with the light and the menu button (I understand, for pushing it down, it's not quite horizontal. May make sense from an ergonomic perspective, but looks like a flaw).
Features:With the actual firmware, it's more than disappointing. Significantly less than both former iRex units (no zoom at all, neither the "intelligent" one, nor any at all. No file management [adding comments or changing book title/author's name, copying/deleting files, ...]). Even less than most recent competitors. BeBook Neo (far from being my favorite) beats it hands down (zoom, WiFi, file management, shortcuts, more than 30% cheaper, ...).
Looks: It's minimalistic and I don't have any problems with that. But there's no "wow" factor at all. It's not more "boring" than BeBook Neo. But in comparison to nook, all Sony readers and even iRex 1000S it's functional, but that's it.
Usabilty: The flipbar is great, already did like it on iLiad. But personally, I don't want to use the stylus for every single detail. Changing font size or things like that without stylus, only with flipbar, aren't very convenient in my opinion. I prefer for example the combination of stylus/5-way-buttons on BeBook Neo (adds to the units size of course, but that's not really a problem for me).
So far, the only really convincing thing I found is PDB (DRM) support. It's very cleverly solved, being able to add more than 1 account data.

I guess, it's all about "gut feeling".
You either "love" your reader from the very first moment (often without being able to explain why) or you never will. I've written, iRex 800 "is growing on me". But that's not a very good thing. It means, I didn't like it at first and over time I get more fond of it. "Love at first sight" certainly is more than that.
Admittedly, this didn't happen for many readers. I "love" my Sony 900. Yes, the display is close to inacceptable. But it's okay (for my demands) and the rest simply is fantastic (with permanent zoom, functionality would be perfect for my needs).
For all my favorites, there's something special:
nook: Surely, it's "only" a typical end user product, not an "enthusiast's" dream. But it has some cool aspects: Exchanging SIM card, having WiFi access to my main source, very nice design. And for $ 259 (I don't care about costs for my gadget, but I'd like to see some value for my money) it's a catch.
Sony 900: I simply love the form factor. I found, I don't "need" units > 6". I never take iRex 1000S or Kindle DX with me, I even rarely use them at home. The 7.1" of Sony 900 wouldn't be necessary - but they don't "disturb" me at all. It still rests perfectly in my hand. And I still (after nearly 3 months of having it) enjoy, taking it off the shelf.
BeBook Neo: A mixed package for me. It's really no beauty. But one has to admire the featureset they put into that unit. Benchmark in many features. And again, for € 299 it's a catch.
iRex 1000S: I even find arguments for iRex 800's predecessor: I love the capacitive buttons. On other readers, like Kindle for example, I'm a bit worried about durability: Will the readers "survive" permanent button presses over years or will they crack? On iRex 1000S I don't worry, I barely have to touch them. And I love, having buttons on both sides. And I perfectly can use it without stylus. I find tons of argument for iRex iLiad as well: "Intelligent" zoom, clever combo of stylus and buttons, changing book title or author's name for all file formats on the fly, adding comments to every single book, ...

For iRex 800, it's way more difficult for me, to find arguments: I don't really care about the small bezel. Would it be 1 cm wider and higher, I wouldn't really care. BeBook Neo takes more space, but I gladly pay that price for having the additional 5-way-buttons.
The cream colored frame may enhance the contrast. But I can't find any difference to, let's say, BeBook Neo. And I think, nook even has higher contrast. And I prefer iRex 1000S.

Basically, it comes down to a single point: I've always been an iRex fan, but here I don't see any significant progress. In another thread, someone stated, progress to him is lower prices and the products becoming affordable for a wider audience. Using that argument, maybe some might consider iRex 800 a progress from iRex 1000S. But that's not my point of view: I'm an early adopter and I usually don't care about costs (as long as they somewhat match the competition). Progress to me simply means more (or more advanced) features, even if the price increases. But iRex 800 (for now) has way less than iRex 1000S. For a "no name", iRex 800 would be a nice enough unit. (On the other hand, Onyx was a "no name" for me and with BeBook Neo/Onyx Boox has been able to deliver a state-of-the-art initial unit). But for the "veteran" iRex I'd hoped for way more. Firmware updates will certainy solve some issues. But again: Wouldn't the "veteran" iRex have been able to implement (just as an example) "zoom" from the very beginning (BeBook Neo does have it)? Maybe I'm a bit harsh here. But I don't have the patience, to check the units again and again. If it doesn't have what I want I move on to the next. If then they implement it in 3 months, I long have moved on and usually just don't care anymore.
Let's say, they incorporate "zoom" in 2 months: Why should I bother? In 2 months, I'll already have Que and iPad. Will a standard feature (half of my readers have it) like zoom then make me re-activate any former reader? Others of course may stick to their reader and hope for permanent improvements. I myself always will have 2 or 3 momentary favorites, based on the featureset "now and here". iRex 800 right now doesn't make it into those top 2 or 3 readers. And I'm sceptical, whether it ever will make it. They always may remain behind BeBook Neo with the very same distance: For every feature, iRex 800 adds, BeBook Neo will have another one as well and might remain ahead.

And of course it doesn't help, that my iRex iLiad just dies on me. After 18 months, I suddenly have 2 line errors. My very first defective reader. And of course it's one of the more expensive ones...

[Mr. Goodbar]

Originally Posted by mgmueller

My complaints are about stitching and material.
I've got the executive cover for iLiad (from M-Edge if I remember correctly). Way better quality.
But you're right of course, most important is protection. But on the other hand, Sony can do that with very nice covers.
I guess, over all my expectations towards iRex simply have been too high. In my opinion, iRex 800 (by far) is the "weakest" of the 3 iRex readers, although being the most recent. And with this kind of disappointment, the cover and other details of course become even more obvious.

It's interesting how different people can have different perspectives on the same products. I personally feel the 800 is the best device iRex has produced and I've used both the iLiad and the 1000. I'm not arguing with your viewpoint at all. If we all liked the same thing and had the exact same requirements it would get rather boring

For me, the optimal device is one that just "gets out of the way" of the reading experience. Minimal design coupled with a good size screen is my ideal. The 800 fits that perfectly. I do want some additional features like zoom, annotations, etc. but iRex indicates those are coming. The biggest gap for me is the dictionary and I certainly hope that is coming in a future software release since it was part of the original manual and specs.

[mgmueller]

Originally Posted by Mr. Goodbar

It's interesting how different people can have different perspectives on the same products. I personally feel the 800 is the best device iRex has produced and I've used both the iLiad and the 1000. I'm not arguing with your viewpoint at all. If we all liked the same thing and had the exact same requirements it would get rather boring

For me, the optimal device is one that just "gets out of the way" of the reading experience. Minimal design coupled with a good size screen is my ideal. The 800 fits that perfectly. I do want some additional features like zoom, annotations, etc. but iRex indicates those are coming. The biggest gap for me is the dictionary and I certainly hope that is coming in a future software release since it was part of the original manual and specs.

I'm glad you like yours.
And I admire your mindset.
Personally, I just don't have that kind of patience.
I would have to count. But I can say for sure, at least half of my readers have dictionary support. I consider this standard. And so I do for zoom. One can argue, whether iRex 800 is a high end product or not. But it's certainly not a "low level entry unit". Not having such basic features, which their predecessor products did have already 2 years ago, I find extremely disappointing. They may add it in 2 months. But then, at least for me, it won't be enough, to come closer or maybe even with their competition. Then they would have to be ahead, to regain their (former) pole position.
And, as unfair it may be, I don't objectively check out the features and reference them to my needs. I compare to my other readers of course. And against BeBook Neo for example, it doesn't stand a chance.
But I admit, it would be less obvious for a "no name" instead of iRex. iRex (only 15 months ago) had been benchmark in many areas (although unfortunately didn't have wide recognition for that). Now their most recent product, in comparison to their competition, only has a mediocre featureset at best...

[Shaggy]

Originally Posted by mgmueller

Build quality: Mine isn't very good. The flipbar for example isn't even with the light and the menu button (I understand, for pushing it down, it's not quite horizontal. May make sense from an ergonomic perspective, but looks like a flaw).

That does sound like a flaw. Mine is even on both sides.

[MobileTechReview]

Mine is even as well.