Any Lawyers using iRex DR??

ostler99 · 12-16-2009, 08:01 PM

Are there any lawyers out there who use the iRex in their work?

I run a one-man paperless law office (or try to).
All my files are PDF.
I am awaiting delivery of a iRex DR1000s.

It would be great to share experiences.
(I am from Australia but I think lawyers everywhere have the same office management issues).

curbarthedog · 12-17-2009, 03:58 AM

I am not actually a lawyer but I do spend alot of my time trawling over compicated legal contracts and so hopefully my experience may help.

For text only pdfs (most legal contracts), the DR1000s is pretty fast and reliable. The ability to have 4 docs open at once and tabbed browsing allows you to switch pretty quickly between docs although not necessarily as fast as a well thumbed A5 bound "bible" of contracts.

The lack of colour on e-ink can make conventional "deltaviews" difficult to read unless the deletions are "struck through" and bold.

The ability to annotate is good but the DR1000s standard merge software is dreadful. Thankfully, the Xournal software ported by Mackx does a superb job of merging the annotations and so this is no longer really a problem.

Another big plus is the "find" function that allows you to find the finer points of contracts (normally quicker) than your compatriots unless they are very familiar with the docs.

On the downside, occasionally, the reader seems to get stuck when turning a page or switching between docs and you are not sure if it has locked up, just thinking, gone for a tea break and will be back later etc. Normally, it is "just thinking" although this does not help in a fast paced commercial discussion.

The other downside is the battery life. If I am not annotating docs but turning pages regularly, switching between docs, I can only really rely on about 6 - 7 hours of battery life max. To get around this I have a mobile charge (battery pack type thing) to give it boost. If you are regularly in all day "lock-ins" then you will need to think about this.

The battery als loses charge even when turned off and tehrefore you do need to keep the device "tethered" to power to ensure you always have maximum charge prior to disconnecting and running on battery.

The only other downside is getting docs onto the reader. Only having a single SD card slot is a limiting factor on using the device "on the fly". Ideally it would be good to be able to remove one SD card for someone to drop a document on to it whilst the rest of the docs remain "on screen". This is not possible. When you eject the SD card, the open documents are closed down which then means you need to re-open the docs.

With a bit of luck, Mackx "recent files" work he is undertaking will improve this situation. Alternatively, if iRex implement the full power management functionality this should also resolve.

In conclusion, I could not live without my DR1000s, however it is desparately frustrating the fact that it is almost brilliant (power management and a faster pdf engine would do it) but currently, only adequate for buisiness use.

ostler99 · 12-18-2009, 07:11 PM

@curbarthedog
Thanks a lot for comments - they help me a lot.
My DR arrives in 2 days time so I will give it a hard workout and see for myself.
I will report to Mobileread.
You and I are (as business people) early adopters of this new technology which will always have faults that need to be worked around or lived with.
I have used computers in my business since 1984 and obviously things have changed since then.
The important thing is that iRex and other manufacturers listen to our complaints and needs and that better machines can be quickly produced.
Despite all the problems, I think that the combination of e-ink readers and pdf is the way to go in our small steps to a paperless office.

12-16-2009, 08:01 PM	#1
ostler99 Member Posts: 14 Karma: 442 Join Date: Dec 2009 Device: Sony 700, iRex 1000s	Any Lawyers using iRex DR?? Are there any lawyers out there who use the iRex in their work? I run a one-man paperless law office (or try to). All my files are PDF. I am awaiting delivery of a iRex DR1000s. It would be great to share experiences. (I am from Australia but I think lawyers everywhere have the same office management issues).

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12-17-2009, 03:58 AM	#2
curbarthedog Enthusiast Posts: 45 Karma: 10 Join Date: Aug 2008 Device: Iliad	I am not actually a lawyer but I do spend alot of my time trawling over compicated legal contracts and so hopefully my experience may help. For text only pdfs (most legal contracts), the DR1000s is pretty fast and reliable. The ability to have 4 docs open at once and tabbed browsing allows you to switch pretty quickly between docs although not necessarily as fast as a well thumbed A5 bound "bible" of contracts. The lack of colour on e-ink can make conventional "deltaviews" difficult to read unless the deletions are "struck through" and bold. The ability to annotate is good but the DR1000s standard merge software is dreadful. Thankfully, the Xournal software ported by Mackx does a superb job of merging the annotations and so this is no longer really a problem. Another big plus is the "find" function that allows you to find the finer points of contracts (normally quicker) than your compatriots unless they are very familiar with the docs. On the downside, occasionally, the reader seems to get stuck when turning a page or switching between docs and you are not sure if it has locked up, just thinking, gone for a tea break and will be back later etc. Normally, it is "just thinking" although this does not help in a fast paced commercial discussion. The other downside is the battery life. If I am not annotating docs but turning pages regularly, switching between docs, I can only really rely on about 6 - 7 hours of battery life max. To get around this I have a mobile charge (battery pack type thing) to give it boost. If you are regularly in all day "lock-ins" then you will need to think about this. The battery als loses charge even when turned off and tehrefore you do need to keep the device "tethered" to power to ensure you always have maximum charge prior to disconnecting and running on battery. The only other downside is getting docs onto the reader. Only having a single SD card slot is a limiting factor on using the device "on the fly". Ideally it would be good to be able to remove one SD card for someone to drop a document on to it whilst the rest of the docs remain "on screen". This is not possible. When you eject the SD card, the open documents are closed down which then means you need to re-open the docs. With a bit of luck, Mackx "recent files" work he is undertaking will improve this situation. Alternatively, if iRex implement the full power management functionality this should also resolve. In conclusion, I could not live without my DR1000s, however it is desparately frustrating the fact that it is almost brilliant (power management and a faster pdf engine would do it) but currently, only adequate for buisiness use.

12-18-2009, 07:11 PM	#3
ostler99 Member Posts: 14 Karma: 442 Join Date: Dec 2009 Device: Sony 700, iRex 1000s	@curbarthedog Thanks a lot for comments - they help me a lot. My DR arrives in 2 days time so I will give it a hard workout and see for myself. I will report to Mobileread. You and I are (as business people) early adopters of this new technology which will always have faults that need to be worked around or lived with. I have used computers in my business since 1984 and obviously things have changed since then. The important thing is that iRex and other manufacturers listen to our complaints and needs and that better machines can be quickly produced. Despite all the problems, I think that the combination of e-ink readers and pdf is the way to go in our small steps to a paperless office.

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