E-book readers used to be a rarity, with only one or two products to choose between. Now there are plenty to evaluate, and we are at the stage in the product development cycle where extras augment the basics of e-text presentation in order to lure you.

For the US version of the iRex DR800S a key extra is 3G connectivity to over-the-air book stores. In the UK that feature isn't present. Instead this is simply a large format reader which seems overpriced in comparison to others that are available.

If you want a big screen it has to be said that the iRex DR800S could fit the bill. At 8.1-inches across diagonal corners it is large, and its 760 x 1024 pixels at 160 dots per inch ensure the E-INK display is sharp and clear. But the price you pay for that big reading area is sizeable hardware. The DR800S measures 193mm tall, 149mm wide and 10.7mm thick. It weighs 360g. This is not a pocket sized ereader.

There's little panache to the physical design. Made from a dull grey plastic it doesn't look too attractive. There is a tall bar along the left side of the screen which you push and pull to move back and forth through pages and to scroll up and down in menus. You press it to confirm selections. A smaller button beneath this bar opens the menus you use to pick a font size, search for a word, make and find bookmarks, rotate the screen and so on.

The screen rotation feature only does half of what it could. It is manual which is a disappointment. Some e-readers now include sensors that can perform screen rotation automatically. And it only switches between two orientations. If you would rather have the manual page and menu controls on the other side of the screen you are out of luck. Full rotation through four orientations would have allowed that.

One feature that does make the iRex DR800S stand out from the crowd is the use of pen control. You get a rather large and clunky digital stylus which doesn't have a housing on the device. So if you want to use it you need to either carry it separately or carry the iRex DR800S in its flip case, which has a small pen loop to hold the stylus.

We reckon the stylus is almost redundant, though, as there is nothing you can achieve with it that can't also be achieved using the two side buttons. The stylus does come into its own when searching for text, but only because it is faster to tap at the on-screen keyboard than it is to move through it using the two side buttons.

There is 2GB of built-in storage space and you can add more via a microSD card whose slot lies under the battery cover. Yes, you could, potentially, replace the battery if the provided one dies. There is no music playback. We don't mind that, actually. If we want music while we read, a separate portable music player is our preferred choice.

Verdict
There is nothing really wrong with the iRex DR800S in terms of how it functions and its basic e-reading capability. It is, though, a rather clunkily designed beast, we really can't see the reason for the stylus, and it seems expensive.

Company: iRex

Tags: e ink comparison of e-book readers ipad virtual keyboard wi-fi microsd android page orientation