Unboxing iRex 800 and first impressions

[Shaggy]

Originally Posted by mgmueller

..but at least BeBook DID offer DRMed Mobipocket before the firmware upgrade to DMRed ePUB...

I didn't know that. That is interesting. Do you know what application they're using to support non-DRM Mobipocket now? Something they wrote, or did they include something 3rd party along the lines of FBReader?

[mgmueller]

Originally Posted by Shaggy

I didn't know that. That is interesting. Do you know what application they're using to support non-DRM Mobipocket now? Something they wrote, or did they include something 3rd party along the lines of FBReader?

Sorry, I can't check. I've installed TIRWAL's firmware https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...4&postcount=88 on my BeBook instead of BeBook's. But as far as I know, BeBook basically is using the Hanlin firmware.

[Dulin's Books]

Originally Posted by DeReader

First pictures with a size and thickness comparison between my Readers (from left to right): Iliad, DR800S, Sony PRS-300.

The DR800S is actually quite thin, as thin as the PRS-300!

Interesting in that pic with the 800 int he middle- you can see the 800 did not do a full page refresh only a partial. Can you choose one or the other? Partial makes page turning quicker but it gets a little "dirty" after a bit.

Strange they don't have folder support. This is essential for me. They will need to fix the card not showing in windows. When they hide it under the battery it needs to be accessible in windows.

I really like the size of this device. for me it is almost ideal but to be missing so many things - folders, zoom, sd card viewing, note taking- its clear they haven't "finished" the device. maybe by summer they will have and Ill pick one up. but by then ill have something else probably.

thank you for the review!

edit- i forgot to mention some one mentioned conditioning for stuck pixels. PocketBook has a "clean slate" function in their maintenance folder for this. I haven't seen it in others but of course I haven't looked at them all. Does the Sony have this?

[Shaggy]

Originally Posted by mgmueller

I can't access the Micro SD card in Windows (doesn't even show). Neither the original one, nor mine. No idea, whether that's standard or a failure of my unit.
I have to check again, whether it's a feature or has been coincidence or an "accident": I've copied some books to the root of internal memory, just to check them out and make some pictures. Next time, when accessing them, they have been on the Micro SD card. Maybe content is copied automatically to the SD card? Anyway, I've copied the first part of my library manually via adapter to the card and then reinserted it into the reader - loaded with the first 400 eBooks of various formats.

I wonder if it works similar to the iLiad? Maybe there's a setting somewhere that tells it which filesystem (internal or card) that it will make available when you connect it to a PC.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Shaggy

I didn't know that. That is interesting. Do you know what application they're using to support non-DRM Mobipocket now? Something they wrote, or did they include something 3rd party along the lines of FBReader?

I believe it's FBReader.

[Sweetpea]

Originally Posted by Shaggy

Unfortunately, Mobipocket insists on an exclusive agreement with device manufacturers. I don't think it's possible for iRex to include another DRM format and then install a Mobipocket reader as well. Doing so would violate the Mobipocket license. Of course, since the device is open, it's possible that 3rd party developers would be able to port their own non-DRM Mobipocket viewer and then distribute it "unofficially".

You can install a non-DRM reader of mobipocket, no problem. You're just not allowed to install "the official" mobipocket reader, which will read DRM'ed books.

Originally Posted by mgmueller

Interesting. Didn't know, this is valid for DRM-free as well. How's BeBook/Hanlin/Astak solving this? They support DRMed ePUB and DRm-free Mobipocket, if I'm not mixing things up.

Nope, you're not. My BeBook Mini supports Mobipocket, as long as it doesn't contain DRM. And I presume you can read DRM'ed epubs, but I've never tried

Originally Posted by Shaggy

I remember that came up before in a discussion. I was originally under the impression that you could support non-DRM Mobipocket without the exclusivity issue, but somebody had an explanation for it. I'll dig around older posts and see if I can find where we talked about it before.

Maybe the difference is that BeBook/Hanlin/Astak never had to sign a license agreement with Mobipocket agreeing to exclusivity since they never offered DRM Mobipocket. iRex had to sign it when they put it in place on the iLiad.

I did ask iRex at one point if it would be possible for them to keep non-DRM Mobipocket, and they said that they couldn't because of the license agreements.

They didn't know what they're talking about, apparently... Or they think there's only a DRM'ed version of Mobipocket... Or how else would would all those companies with a Hanlin rebrand do it?

[Kolenka]

Does the iRex 800 actually not have a way to get at the SD card, or is it more like the SD card /is/ the built-in storage? It was hard to tell from the manual.

[DeReader]

Originally Posted by badbob001

Given that both devices have the same resolution, what do you think accounts for the better readability on the dr800? Is the document rendered larger on the dr800 due to less interface elements / smaller margins?

I do not really know what causes this, eventually the screen on my Iliad has already degraded after 1,5 years or it is simply the better rendering engine of the Adobe SDK?

[DeReader]

Originally Posted by Dulin's Books

Interesting in that pic with the 800 int he middle- you can see the 800 did not do a full page refresh only a partial. Can you choose one or the other? Partial makes page turning quicker but it gets a little "dirty" after a bit.

No, that was only the start page of the device after first switch on. I think the picture in the background is intentional. In normal reading mode, pages are completely clean, no leftovers from the previous page.

[professzore]

Originally Posted by mgmueller

First impression: iRex 800 seems a perfect compromise of readability and mobility. Very nice!

Thanks for this thread. At the moment RS800 is close to my requerements. Please, let me ask you about the display quality compared to Kindle 2 and Kindle DX. Same, better, worse?

Do you know any on-line source for a user manual (PDF)?

Thanks in advance,

Professzore

[mgmueller]

Originally Posted by Kolenka

Does the iRex 800 actually not have a way to get at the SD card, or is it more like the SD card /is/ the built-in storage? It was hard to tell from the manual.

You can get to the SD card. They deliver a 2GB one, I've switched to one of my 8GB ones. It's a bit flimsy and you have to unscrew the battery compartment.

[mgmueller]

Originally Posted by professzore

Thanks for this thread. At the moment RS800 is close to my requerements. Please, let me ask you about the display quality compared to Kindle 2 and Kindle DX. Same, better, worse?

Do you know any on-line source for a user manual (PDF)?

Thanks in advance,

Professzore

It's really hard to compare. For example, I've never seen the need to install the Kindle-Font-Hack. I always did consider Kindle close or even equal to Sony 505. Others obviously didn't, that's why the hack did appear. Maybe I'm not very demanding.
So I'd say, it's about even to both Kindles. Certainly a bit ahead of Sony 900 (although I already consider Sony 900 absolutely okay).

[mgmueller]

Originally Posted by professzore

Thanks for this thread. At the moment RS800 is close to my requerements. Please, let me ask you about the display quality compared to Kindle 2 and Kindle DX. Same, better, worse?

Do you know any on-line source for a user manual (PDF)?

Thanks in advance,

Professzore

I've got the user guide, included on the original SD card. To any of the moderators: Am I allowed to upload that PDF?

[professzore]

Originally Posted by mgmueller

I've got the user guide, included on the original SD card. To any of the moderators: Am I allowed to upload that PDF?

What about a public domain (for example, google docs)?

As I saw on your pictures, KDX seems a bit flurry/soft compared to the
iRex. Since Kindle have much better display than the "average", I tought
that iRex have something far over the competitors.

If you're interested to some "special" testing PDF-s (and hopefully ePub), just let me know. I'll finish a series of 5/6/8/10 inch optimized series of documents in a few days (possibly at the end of this week).

[Mr. Goodbar]

Originally Posted by professzore

Thanks for this thread. At the moment RS800 is close to my requerements. Please, let me ask you about the display quality compared to Kindle 2 and Kindle DX. Same, better, worse?

Do you know any on-line source for a user manual (PDF)?

Thanks in advance,

Professzore

For the manual, just go to the irex support site, click on the knowledge base section and under downloads you'll find the software link. Download and unzip it and under the help folder you'll find the manual.