iRex Technologies files for Chapter 11 - Page 4

orenr · 06-11-2010, 07:46 PM

You can use Google translate if you don't read Italian. The article is interesting.

I don't buy the whole thing with the FCC. They may have dragged their feet, or maybe there were some issues with the DR800 that delayed the certification, I don't know. But the assertion is that they made a lot of readers, they missed the Christmas season, and they were left with the readers in stock. If that's the case, why was it so hard to actually buy one?

They were available only from Best Buy, they were never available in the actual brick and mortar stores, and they were delayed when you bought them online (I bought mine a month ago and it was on backorder for about a week, before they shipped it to me). If they had lots and lots of them, I'd have expected them to be on the shelves, everywhere...

Shaggy · 06-14-2010, 10:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by orenr

You can use Google translate if you don't read Italian. The article is interesting.

I don't buy the whole thing with the FCC. They may have dragged their feet, or maybe there were some issues with the DR800 that delayed the certification, I don't know. But the assertion is that they made a lot of readers, they missed the Christmas season, and they were left with the readers in stock. If that's the case, why was it so hard to actually buy one?

They were available only from Best Buy, they were never available in the actual brick and mortar stores, and they were delayed when you bought them online (I bought mine a month ago and it was on backorder for about a week, before they shipped it to me). If they had lots and lots of them, I'd have expected them to be on the shelves, everywhere...

It might have just been the translation not coming across right, but there were several things in the article that I didn't think were right either. The only people who know the "real" story, probably work at iRex.

kleykenb · 06-17-2010, 08:47 AM

Can somebody give this thread a "Sticky" because it's kinda important to iRex device holders and people considering buying a device from them.

TGS · 06-17-2010, 09:02 AM

@kleykenb

First paragraph - a useful suggestion.

Second paragraph - a very well considered contribution - not

yacoob · 06-17-2010, 05:50 PM

FWIW, their online shop at https://www.irexshop.com/ is closed. Still no official word from them in either News or Press sections of the webpage.

kleykenb · 06-18-2010, 02:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TGS

@kleykenb

First paragraph - a useful suggestion.

Second paragraph - a very well considered contribution - not

Idem dito.

kleykenb · 06-18-2010, 02:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shaggy

IMO, the bigger question is, assuming the worst happens, what this means for warranty support, etc.

Hopefully they can pull through this and come out the other side as a better company. But right now I'm treating my DR800 VERY gently.

Odds are that iRex will be bought by one of its competitors (Sony, Amazon, Bookeen, ...) if only for it's eInk IP. Whomever buys it , in theory, has to provide the service too.
What is also likely : the DR800 and DR1000 devices that are still in stock will probably find their way to the market cheaply. Consider the option to buy a second one for a very very sweet price. Or sell your current device as soon as possible BEFORE that price drop occurs.

In the US companies often survive a Chapter 11, but in Europe companies that get themselves into a Chapter 11 ussually don't survive. And definately not in the current economic climate and with LCD "Pads" competing vs eInk and forcing them back into a niche market, where they will remain as long as eInk devices refresh at the current speed and with the current rather abysmal range of colorization.

Gwaihir · 06-18-2010, 08:37 AM

Devices still in stock? There hardly ever seem to be any.. Around here iRex products generally seem to be in back order rather than overstocked. But, I'll keep my eyes open. A "bargain bin" DR800 would be nice

.

Not so sure the padmania hurts the ereaders. It could also be that all the extra attention for portable devices actually helps the ereaders.

martienne · 06-20-2010, 08:18 AM

Lots online retailers in Europe still sell them.

That said, I ordered some accessories from TotalReader in Holland and they simply cancelled my order with no explanation.

On the whole I am happy with my DR800 though but the European price is too high, well at least it is not very compteitive.

If I could buy a second one for half the price of what I paid for the first one, I probably would. Or why not a DR1000?

timezone · 06-20-2010, 12:35 PM

If I can add my two cents. This was a great little company that really worked hard to be ahead of the crowd. Sure their customer service was terrible and even when they tried to communicate on their blog or forum they often fell short. Still, they had products that technologically beat all the others time after time.

I think there problem was zero distribution until only recently which was unable to stem the red ink. This is an example of not sucking it up a bit and compromising with Amazon when Amazon was considering outsourcing the reader. Just like PictureTel back when refused to work with Intel and never recovered.

I suppose there will always be interested buyers but with the strong Apple entry and flood of Android and Microsoft slates about to appear, eInk has issues. Sure the screen is better and people will always argue it is better than the backlit screens. Unless eInk can overcome the refresh rates and at the moment only offering black and white screens I think these readers are in serious trouble. It will be interesting to see what Amazon does to counter Apples entry into this market offering a multipurpose device.

So to put it in one word. It is distribultion. They failed for the lack of it.

Gwaihir · 06-23-2010, 09:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by martienne

Lots online retailers in Europe still sell them.

And just as before, usually not from their own (or nearby) stock, but with lead times of two weeks plus / unknown, I presume..

As timezone says: distribution.

Quote:

Or why not a DR1000?

Are you asking me? Sure, go for it.

I've got one of those, which is why I'd pick up a DR800 in that case. The DR1000 is great for my tech books and such, but (protective cover included) as heavy as one too. For reading novels I wouldn't mind something lighter, that holds more like an average paperback novel.

jboardman · 06-23-2010, 02:33 PM

I am DAMN glad I decided against the DR800 and for the Sony PRS900. I love the Sony. Irex is great in certain respects, but not in the "keeping it updated" department. I don't like the fingerprints on the Sony touchscreen, but other than that, it works fine!

kleykenb · 06-24-2010, 04:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gwaihir

Devices still in stock? There hardly ever seem to be any.. Around here iRex products generally seem to be in back order rather than overstocked. But, I'll keep my eyes open. A "bargain bin" DR800 would be nice

.

Not so sure the padmania hurts the ereaders. It could also be that all the extra attention for portable devices actually helps the ereaders.

Apparantly Amazon took a nose dive this week and dropped the price of its Kindle to $189 and the Nook dived to $149.
So if the FCC didn't kill iRex than it sure looks like they had/have other problems coming their way.

orenr · 06-25-2010, 05:18 PM

Well, it's not the same segment. The DR800 screen is larger, despite the fact that the readers are about the same size. BTW, this is one of the reasons I bought the IREX, I didn't like the idea of a small screen in a big box. I wanted it to be more like a paper book, where the readable surface is just a little smaller than the outside contour.

That said, it is indeed be harder to justify a 2x price, which is the ratio after Amazon and B&N reduced their prices. They would probably have to sell the DR800 at $279 to have a chance

Zetmolm · 06-30-2010, 04:59 AM

Sad news: iRex is bankrupt.

See http://www.fd.nl/artikel/16806747/ne...aders-failliet

Summary in English:

On Tuesday the 29th iRex was declared bankrupt by a Dutch judge. Debts amount to EUR 10 mln. To survive, iRex would have needed an amount of EUR 1.5 to 2 mln in the short term. However, shareholders and Deutsche Bank were unwilling to fund the company further. Final talks last Monday night did not bring a solution.
The funding request to the regional investment firm was denied at the end of last week.

Still, the official receiver is quite optimistic about the future. He expects some sort of re-start. Several parties are interested in the intellectual property and the expertise of the 30 employees. "I am fully confident that the enterprise will continue. Nothing is lost yet," he said.

06-17-2010, 08:47 AM	#48
kleykenb Groupie Posts: 156 Karma: 99 Join Date: Jul 2007 Device: DR1kS/Cy3	Can somebody give this thread a "Sticky" because it's kinda important to iRex device holders and people considering buying a device from them. Last edited by kleykenb; 06-18-2010 at 02:39 AM.

06-23-2010, 02:33 PM	#57
jboardman Zealot Posts: 118 Karma: 62 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: SW Michigan Device: kindle, sony PRS900, Irex Iliad	Glad of my decision I am DAMN glad I decided against the DR800 and for the Sony PRS900. I love the Sony. Irex is great in certain respects, but not in the "keeping it updated" department. I don't like the fingerprints on the Sony touchscreen, but other than that, it works fine!

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
iRex Technologies website has been closed	marcins	iRex	12	06-24-2011 05:42 AM
iRex Technologies files for Chapter 11	wdejager	News	163	02-07-2011 03:16 PM
iRex Technologies insolvent?`	netseeker	Deutsches Forum	8	06-11-2010 06:23 PM
Technology Partnership iRex Technologies and Vision Objects	Riocaz	iRex	7	08-25-2006 12:37 PM
Branko Collin visits the iRex Technologies Offices	Bob Russell	iRex	2	04-10-2006 02:18 PM

06-11-2010, 07:46 PM	#46
orenr Member Posts: 11 Karma: 10 Join Date: Feb 2010 Device: IREX DR800SG	You can use Google translate if you don't read Italian. The article is interesting. I don't buy the whole thing with the FCC. They may have dragged their feet, or maybe there were some issues with the DR800 that delayed the certification, I don't know. But the assertion is that they made a lot of readers, they missed the Christmas season, and they were left with the readers in stock. If that's the case, why was it so hard to actually buy one? They were available only from Best Buy, they were never available in the actual brick and mortar stores, and they were delayed when you bought them online (I bought mine a month ago and it was on backorder for about a week, before they shipped it to me). If they had lots and lots of them, I'd have expected them to be on the shelves, everywhere...

06-17-2010, 09:02 AM	#49
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.	@kleykenb First paragraph - a useful suggestion. Second paragraph - a very well considered contribution - not

06-17-2010, 05:50 PM	#50
yacoob Zealot Posts: 120 Karma: 1326 Join Date: Feb 2009 Device: none	FWIW, their online shop at https://www.irexshop.com/ is closed. Still no official word from them in either News or Press sections of the webpage.

06-18-2010, 08:37 AM	#53
Gwaihir The Windlord Posts: 119 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Netherlands Device: iRex DR1000S, BeBook Club S	Devices still in stock? There hardly ever seem to be any.. Around here iRex products generally seem to be in back order rather than overstocked. But, I'll keep my eyes open. A "bargain bin" DR800 would be nice . Not so sure the padmania hurts the ereaders. It could also be that all the extra attention for portable devices actually helps the ereaders.

06-20-2010, 08:18 AM	#54
martienne .~^пиратка^~. Posts: 238 Karma: 14000 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Ask NSA... Device: Onyx Boox M92	Lots online retailers in Europe still sell them. That said, I ordered some accessories from TotalReader in Holland and they simply cancelled my order with no explanation. On the whole I am happy with my DR800 though but the European price is too high, well at least it is not very compteitive. If I could buy a second one for half the price of what I paid for the first one, I probably would. Or why not a DR1000?

06-20-2010, 12:35 PM	#55
timezone Addict Posts: 244 Karma: 1232 Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Boston, MA Device: Windows Phone7, Kindle Fire	If I can add my two cents. This was a great little company that really worked hard to be ahead of the crowd. Sure their customer service was terrible and even when they tried to communicate on their blog or forum they often fell short. Still, they had products that technologically beat all the others time after time. I think there problem was zero distribution until only recently which was unable to stem the red ink. This is an example of not sucking it up a bit and compromising with Amazon when Amazon was considering outsourcing the reader. Just like PictureTel back when refused to work with Intel and never recovered. I suppose there will always be interested buyers but with the strong Apple entry and flood of Android and Microsoft slates about to appear, eInk has issues. Sure the screen is better and people will always argue it is better than the backlit screens. Unless eInk can overcome the refresh rates and at the moment only offering black and white screens I think these readers are in serious trouble. It will be interesting to see what Amazon does to counter Apples entry into this market offering a multipurpose device. So to put it in one word. It is distribultion. They failed for the lack of it.

06-25-2010, 05:18 PM	#59
orenr Member Posts: 11 Karma: 10 Join Date: Feb 2010 Device: IREX DR800SG	Well, it's not the same segment. The DR800 screen is larger, despite the fact that the readers are about the same size. BTW, this is one of the reasons I bought the IREX, I didn't like the idea of a small screen in a big box. I wanted it to be more like a paper book, where the readable surface is just a little smaller than the outside contour. That said, it is indeed be harder to justify a 2x price, which is the ratio after Amazon and B&N reduced their prices. They would probably have to sell the DR800 at $279 to have a chance

06-30-2010, 04:59 AM	#60
Zetmolm Guru Posts: 615 Karma: 2362786 Join Date: Jan 2010 Device: PocketBook Verse Pro Colour	Sad news: iRex is bankrupt. See http://www.fd.nl/artikel/16806747/ne...aders-failliet Summary in English: On Tuesday the 29th iRex was declared bankrupt by a Dutch judge. Debts amount to EUR 10 mln. To survive, iRex would have needed an amount of EUR 1.5 to 2 mln in the short term. However, shareholders and Deutsche Bank were unwilling to fund the company further. Final talks last Monday night did not bring a solution. The funding request to the regional investment firm was denied at the end of last week. Still, the official receiver is quite optimistic about the future. He expects some sort of re-start. Several parties are interested in the intellectual property and the expertise of the 30 employees. "I am fully confident that the enterprise will continue. Nothing is lost yet," he said.

Advert

Advert