iRex DR1000S 10.2-Inch eBook Unboxed, Compared, First Impressions

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.

The big difference is of course in screen size.  While the Iliad has an 8.1-inch e-ink display, the DR1000S has 10.2-inches; contrast is also improved and overall whiteness is better.  Screen refreshes (see the video below) are faster, but the OS seems more menu-driven than before.

Best feature, though, sounds to be the auto-crop, which intelligently strips out the margins to fit as much text to the page and at as large a font as possible.  Whether that's worth $749 remains to be seen, of course.