First impressions: The iRex e-book reader

Though not without its flaws, the upcoming iRex e-book reader promises to be a viable alternative to Amazon's Kindle 2, based on my preliminary use of the device at a press event today.

As expected from previous announcements, the iRex DR800SG will cost $399, be able to download books wirelessly from the Barnes and Noble eBookstore, and have an 8.1-inch touchscreen. Today's news included confirmation that the 3G data network to which the iRex will connect to buy content is that of Verizon.

The iRex will fall midway in screen size and price between the two Amazon e-book readers that dominate the market. The Kindle 2, $299, has a 6-inch screen and the whopping (even oversized) Kindle DX costs $489 and has a 10.2-inch screen. The iRex's screen, like that of all other e-book readers now on the market is black-and-white only.

When I tried the iRex out at today's press event in New York, the clarity and contrast of text on its screen appeared comparable in quality to Sony's newest generation of e-book readers--specifically, to that of the Sony Pocket, which I placed next to it, displaying text of comparable size.

Text clarity seemed to me to fall a little short of the standard of the Kindles. However, the iRex appeared to match the Kindles for reproducing photos and graphics; like the Amazon devices, it boasts 16 levels of gray scale. And page turns were significantly faster than on the Sony, and appeared to be in the same league as the Kindles--and possibly even faster, as iRex claims.

The screen responds to touch only from a stylus; a pen-like one is provided. You can, however, also navigate using a "flip bar" that runs along the left-hand side of the iRex. I found page turns using the bar--the only practical way to initiate them--to be crisp and effortless.

Navigation to content and other functions was clunkier, I found. Whether using the stylus or bar, you seemingly need to proceed through several small, cascading menu screens to change text size, for example. And to access the main menu with the stylus requires excellent aim; you have to hit a fairly small circular target on the lower left of the screen.

As with the Kindle, and presumably with the upcoming Sony Daily Edition, an e-reader due out in December that will connect to the AT&T network, there are no monthly data charges for the iRex's connection to the Verizon network. You can use that connection to wirelessly buy content from Barnes and Noble and other vendors, including Newspaper Direct and, it's expected, the New York Times.

iRex also emphasized the openness of its format, which runs on the Linux operating system, and said it eventually anticipate development of a diverse array of apps, iPhone-style. Some of those, if they hog bandwidth more continuously than buying a book or newspaper, may come with additional data charges.

Also to come are some software enhancements to the iRex, to allow note-taking, annotation and highlighting, which the device will not be able to do out of the box. Those will be delivered wirelessly soon after the device goes on sale, iRex said. The company also promises a touch model sometime in 2010 and a color e-book reader in 2011.

Best Buy, for now the exclusive retailer for the iRex, is expected to begin selling the device in late October or early November, iRex said; no pre-ordering is expected. It will be sold both on Best Buy.com and in e-reader departments at Best Buy stores that will also sell Sony models.

We plan to buy the iRex no later than early November, and report more definitively on its performance soon after we acquire it. —Paul Reynolds