As expected, IREX have just announced their latest ebook reader, the IREX DR800SG, an 8.1-inch e-ink device within integrated Qualcomm Gobi wireless. The DR800SG will use Verizon’s network in the US (and switch to GSM 3G when roaming) to allow access to Barnes & Noble’s eBookstore, Newspaper Direct and LibreDigital. Priced at $399.99, the IREX DR800SG will arrive at “select” Best Buy stores come October, followed by a European launch in the first half of 2010.
From one ebook reader to another, only this time we’re looking at something with much more grunt to take on Amazon’s Kindle. According to the New York Times, iRex will announce later on today that they’re launching an 8.1-inch touchscreen ebook reader in the US, the iRex DR800SG, priced at $399 and packing a 3G Gobi radio from Qualcomm. The sticker price of the iRex DR800SG will include unlimited wireless access through Verizon’s network, with users able to wirelessly download ebooks from Barnes & Noble.
Well, if rumors are to be believed, iRex is preparing to release a brand new e-reader that is much smaller in size than the Digital Reader 1000, which has a 8.1-inch display and would feature 3G.
The new reader would also have a touchscreen and would be used in conjunction with likely just one store for obtaining e-book purchases. The rumored name for this gadget is the Digital Reader 800 and it would be the first time an iRex device landed stateside.
Shipping is anticipated near the holiday season though pricing is not yet known. The participating carrier is not yet known, either, thought AT&T is definitely out as they’ve just signed up with Plastic Logic for their 2010 3G-based e-book reader.
E-reader manufacturer iRex have announced [pdf link] that they intend to have a color, writable ebook reader on the market by 2011. The device, which is currently unnamed, will use a system of subtractive color mixing which, according to iRex, results in three times the brightness of existing additive color electrophoretic displays.
The higher-spec version of iRex’s Digital Reader eBook range is still conspicuous by its absence, but we’re gradually hearing more about the mid-range DR1000S. After a brief hands-on back in October, the 1000S is back – this time with Engadget China – and again its a mixed report card. The 10.2-inch, 160dpi display is certainly larger than many of its rivals, and it can show more, but speed – whether turning on, turning pages or rendering color images into greyscale – is still an issue.
The DR1000S takes 50 seconds to boot, from initially pressing the power button to being able to navigate menus. It’s something owners will be doing a lot, too, as iRex don’t seem to have added a standby mode. E-paper uses less power than a traditional LCD display, of course, but it still drains the battery; iRex may have a hard time persuading people content with their paper books that 50s to “open the cover” is worth it.
The iRex Digital Reader 1000-series may not have been the revolution in ebooks that the company’s teaser campaign initially suggested, but that doesn’t mean the devices themselves aren’t impressive. MobileRead have just received the mid-range DR1000S, which has touchscreen input for document annotation but no WiFi or Bluetooth capabilities, and have put up some unboxing comparisons with the smaller iRex Iliad together with their first-impressions.
iRex’s promised eBook announcement is here, and they haven’t let being scooped by Forbes spoil their fun. The Digital Reader 1000-series is, with a 10.2-inch display, the largest e-ink based digital document viewer on the market, and as was leaked there will be three versions culminating in the 1000SW with WiFi and Bluetooth (though no mention of the 3G connectivity Forbes suggested).
A teaser campaign just isn’t sacred any more. iRex had no sooner started light ripples of rumor with their “Seeing is Believing” tease, when Forbes steps in to scoop the new device. According to Andy Greenberg, it will be the iRex Reader 1000 complete with a 10.2-inch e-ink display, complete with optional stylus for handwritten notes, and a WiFi, Bluetooth and 3G option.
iRex, the company behind the iLiad e-book, have started a teaser campaign on their site promising a new product announcement on Monday September 22nd. Accompanied with the slogan “Seeing is Believing”, according to the iRex company blog the announcement will include both hardware and software.
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