New iRex reader to add 10.2in screen, 3G
updated 11:40 am EDT, Fri September 19, 2008
iRex Reader 1000 Leak
iRex's hinted-at Monday launch of a next-generation reader will primarily compete in terms of sheer size and connection choices, Forbes says in a pre-release leak. Potentially scrapping the iLiad name, the new e-book device would just be called the Reader 1000 and would outsize nearly any existing viewer of the type with a 10.2-inch e-ink display. The screen would be large enough to comfortably view Word files and other documents in business, which is reportedly one of the new focuses of the 1000.
The company will also expand on its trademark Wi-Fi access with the option of a 3G cellular connection, similar to the Amazon Kindle. Its exact role is unknown but should give the Reader 1000 access to e-book downloads from anywhere it gets a valid signal rather than hotspots. Bluetooth will also be available for short-range peripherals, although what peripherals will work with the iRex hardware is unknown.
Device prices will be stratified depending on features: a base reader will carry no wireless for $650, while adding a touchscreen layer for adding comments and notes will up the price to $750. An $850 version will add all three wireless standards in addition to the touch sensitivity. Specific launch information is unknown.
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Jul 2007
$650 for a reader
You all remember what happened to $800 portable DVD players that sat two shelves away from $850 laptops?