The best features of an Irex reader

jbcohen · 01-25-2011, 09:18 AM

What feature(s) prompted you to buy an Irex? What sort of person do you think an irex reader is best suited for?

Mackx · 01-25-2011, 10:39 AM

I bought mine to be able to read A4/B4-size pdf-magazines when going to work by train.

fekhner · 01-25-2011, 03:34 PM

Initially, I bought mine to read A4 pdf's, pdf books and djvu books related to work, on the train or at home.

TGS · 01-25-2011, 03:44 PM

Large PDF handling, screen quality, form-factor and open source software were the primary motivations. Three out of those four would still lead mead to make the same decision today.

jbcohen · 01-25-2011, 04:08 PM

Aren't A4s the really big pages? Isn't that one of things that an ipad was designed for? Excuse me if I am a bit clueless here.

dima_tr · 01-25-2011, 04:29 PM

For me it was e-paper solution (reading in the garden) + wacom (or touch screen) + more than 7" display + opensource (= extendible system). Particularly I needed an e-paper device supporting fb2/rtf with Cyrillic texts. An additional plus was a presence of powerful developers in the community.

Ipad fails big time in outside reading.

Loo · 01-25-2011, 06:13 PM

For me ergonomics was on a first place. DR800 is designed for reading, not just for selling. Two handed (with FBReader). 8" is a great size (almost a half of A4, very good for pdf scans), but device is really portable, not much bigger than Kindle.
Open software with SDK let me hope for many new software features. And they came - custom fonts, dictionary with lookup, games... No crap with jailbreaks, book 'collections' etc.

TGS · 01-25-2011, 06:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jbcohen

Aren't A4s the really big pages? Isn't that one of things that an ipad was designed for? Excuse me if I am a bit clueless here.

A4 is pretty big, but most of the documents I read are not so big - academic journals and textbooks and the like - too big for a 6 inch screen though - and an iPad weighs too much and doesn't have eink and I can't plug it in to transfer documents and they weren't out when I bought my DR800 - but they're very pretty.

Gwaihir · 01-26-2011, 11:32 AM

Primary use: reading of tech pdf, large size work related books, as well as having a whole collection of them with me for reference, rather than just the one book I'm reading at the time.

Attracted to the large screen, PDF and note taking capabilities and open nature of the device.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jbcohen

Aren't A4s the really big pages? Isn't that one of things that an ipad was designed for? Excuse me if I am a bit clueless here.

As was the DR1000 well before that. Its screen is even a fraction bigger than an iPad's and it's e-ink..

tjdean256 · 01-26-2011, 11:34 AM

I bought the DR1000s to convert my scientific journal articles to digital format. The DR allowed me to carry my literature database with me. The secondary feature was e-paper metaphor that the device followed. For instance, I print meeting agendas to the device, lecture notes, or program output to the device. I have saved a ton of ink exploiting this concept. The WACOM ability was a bonus - it did not originally factor into my decision; however, being able to markup a document and save it to a pdf will be the primary factor in replacing the DR when it bites the dust. I have found only one device that could replace the important features of my DR - the Entourage Edge. None of the tablets can match my needs professionally. The battery of the DR has begun to lose charge rapidly, so it seems time to start looking for a replacement.

td

dlovely · 01-28-2011, 12:59 PM

i bought it for the battery life and the light text

i too bought it for the pdf functionality but hardly use it due to the poor battery life and light pdf text. i was hoping the firmware development would get better but it looks like we're stuck on beta!

rhari79 · 02-07-2011, 06:15 PM

Someone tell me otherwise:
IRex had(still has) the best PDF zoom idea implemented among all large screen ereaders.

That and the SDK allowing 3rd party development.

Seneca · 02-11-2011, 08:00 PM

I bought it for PDF reading and note taking.
I went for the iLiad (and not any other e-ink reader) because of its open-source software and the active developer community.

However, I recently switched to pocket-book 903, after my iLiad died with "frozen" vertical lines in its display. I got the 903 for the same reasons I bought the iLiad: Wacom touchscreen, good PDF support note taking. Unfortunately the PB 903, while generally bigger and more feature rich, isn't (yet) as good as the iLiad

Paquillo · 02-12-2011, 07:40 AM

I wanted to use it to read technical magazines that are formatted in A4, and preferably in an e-ink device.

When I started to use it, I was a bit disappointed with the time needed to flip pages, make zoom, etc. However, the newspaper reading application (Press Reader) was much better on this than the PDF reader, so I thought that the hardware had enough capabilities to perform better with a good firmware. The 2.0 beta releases of the firmware improved a lot, although a better agility would be required to approach the way in which a paper magazine is read. But now the new firmware development is only in our hands...

If I would be able to compare the performance of the DR1000S versus an iPad before purchasing it, perhaps my decision would have been different.

walter822 · 02-23-2011, 03:46 AM

As my Cybook Gen3 - in a wonderfull black leather cover - is excelent for reading when I am on the move or even late at night in bed, for long-time reading at home or in the garden the best choice is a little bigger e-ink reader like DR800 in a suitable cover (mine is from M-Edge). In DR800, beside epub books I have installed fbreader to read mobi-books I 'lend' from Gen3 (or vice versa).

01-25-2011, 09:18 AM	#1
jbcohen Wizard Posts: 3,033 Karma: 11196738 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Where am I? Device: Kindle Paperwhite Signature edition and a Samsung S24 Ultra	The best features of an Irex reader What feature(s) prompted you to buy an Irex? What sort of person do you think an irex reader is best suited for?

01-25-2011, 04:08 PM	#5
jbcohen Wizard Posts: 3,033 Karma: 11196738 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Where am I? Device: Kindle Paperwhite Signature edition and a Samsung S24 Ultra	Aren't A4s the really big pages? Isn't that one of things that an ipad was designed for? Excuse me if I am a bit clueless here. Last edited by jbcohen; 01-25-2011 at 04:12 PM.

01-25-2011, 06:13 PM	#7
Loo Member Posts: 23 Karma: 16 Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Moscow Device: IREX DR 800	For me ergonomics was on a first place. DR800 is designed for reading, not just for selling. Two handed (with FBReader). 8" is a great size (almost a half of A4, very good for pdf scans), but device is really portable, not much bigger than Kindle. Open software with SDK let me hope for many new software features. And they came - custom fonts, dictionary with lookup, games... No crap with jailbreaks, book 'collections' etc. Last edited by Loo; 01-25-2011 at 06:19 PM.

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01-25-2011, 10:39 AM	#2
Mackx Guru Posts: 999 Karma: 19985 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Netherlands Device: iRex DR1000S	I bought mine to be able to read A4/B4-size pdf-magazines when going to work by train.

01-25-2011, 03:34 PM	#3
fekhner Addict Posts: 326 Karma: 6908 Join Date: Sep 2010 Device: DRs, EE, ipad/iphone, Helix	Initially, I bought mine to read A4 pdf's, pdf books and djvu books related to work, on the train or at home.

01-25-2011, 03:44 PM	#4
TGS Country Member Posts: 9,058 Karma: 7676767 Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Denmark Device: Liseuse: Irex DR800. PRS 505 in the house, and the missus has an iPad.	Large PDF handling, screen quality, form-factor and open source software were the primary motivations. Three out of those four would still lead mead to make the same decision today.

01-25-2011, 04:29 PM	#6
dima_tr Groupie Posts: 175 Karma: 863 Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Germany, Karlsruhe Device: Iliad v2, DR800S (inlove)	For me it was e-paper solution (reading in the garden) + wacom (or touch screen) + more than 7" display + opensource (= extendible system). Particularly I needed an e-paper device supporting fb2/rtf with Cyrillic texts. An additional plus was a presence of powerful developers in the community. Ipad fails big time in outside reading.

01-26-2011, 11:34 AM	#10
tjdean256 Zealot Posts: 138 Karma: 70 Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Louisiana Device: irex dr1000s; Pocket edge	I bought the DR1000s to convert my scientific journal articles to digital format. The DR allowed me to carry my literature database with me. The secondary feature was e-paper metaphor that the device followed. For instance, I print meeting agendas to the device, lecture notes, or program output to the device. I have saved a ton of ink exploiting this concept. The WACOM ability was a bonus - it did not originally factor into my decision; however, being able to markup a document and save it to a pdf will be the primary factor in replacing the DR when it bites the dust. I have found only one device that could replace the important features of my DR - the Entourage Edge. None of the tablets can match my needs professionally. The battery of the DR has begun to lose charge rapidly, so it seems time to start looking for a replacement. td

01-28-2011, 12:59 PM	#11
dlovely Enthusiast Posts: 33 Karma: 36 Join Date: Jan 2009 Device: DR1000S	i bought it for the battery life and the light text i too bought it for the pdf functionality but hardly use it due to the poor battery life and light pdf text. i was hoping the firmware development would get better but it looks like we're stuck on beta!

02-07-2011, 06:15 PM	#12
rhari79 Addict Posts: 377 Karma: 2200000 Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Chennai Device: .*	Someone tell me otherwise: IRex had(still has) the best PDF zoom idea implemented among all large screen ereaders. That and the SDK allowing 3rd party development.

02-11-2011, 08:00 PM	#13
Seneca Enthusiast Posts: 40 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Germany Device: Zaurus-5500G, PB-903, PB-603, Tolino Vision 2	I bought it for PDF reading and note taking. I went for the iLiad (and not any other e-ink reader) because of its open-source software and the active developer community. However, I recently switched to pocket-book 903, after my iLiad died with "frozen" vertical lines in its display. I got the 903 for the same reasons I bought the iLiad: Wacom touchscreen, good PDF support note taking. Unfortunately the PB 903, while generally bigger and more feature rich, isn't (yet) as good as the iLiad

02-12-2011, 07:40 AM	#14
Paquillo Enthusiast Posts: 33 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Madrid, Spain Device: iRex DR1000S, Motorola Xoom, Sony PRS-T1	I wanted to use it to read technical magazines that are formatted in A4, and preferably in an e-ink device. When I started to use it, I was a bit disappointed with the time needed to flip pages, make zoom, etc. However, the newspaper reading application (Press Reader) was much better on this than the PDF reader, so I thought that the hardware had enough capabilities to perform better with a good firmware. The 2.0 beta releases of the firmware improved a lot, although a better agility would be required to approach the way in which a paper magazine is read. But now the new firmware development is only in our hands... If I would be able to compare the performance of the DR1000S versus an iPad before purchasing it, perhaps my decision would have been different.

02-23-2011, 03:46 AM	#15
walter822 happy reader Posts: 25 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Zagreb Device: Cybook Gen3, IrexDR800S, Pocketbook IQ/701	As my Cybook Gen3 - in a wonderfull black leather cover - is excelent for reading when I am on the move or even late at night in bed, for long-time reading at home or in the garden the best choice is a little bigger e-ink reader like DR800 in a suitable cover (mine is from M-Edge). In DR800, beside epub books I have installed fbreader to read mobi-books I 'lend' from Gen3 (or vice versa).