Kindle VS iRex iLiad – Comparison (Updated)

The following is a detailed comparison between kindle and the iRex iLiad.

iRex iLiad Kindle

FEATURES	iRex iLiad	KINDLE
Display	8.1-inch (diagonal) Electronic paper display 768 x 1024 pixels resolution, 160 DPI. 16 levels of grey-scale Touch sensor input Integrated Wacom® Penabled® sensor board Stylus (Wacom® Slim Pen) .	6 inch diagonal electrophoretic –electronic-paper display 600 x 800 pixel resolution. 4-level gray scale Provides a sharp, high-resolution screen that looks and reads like real paper
Size	8.5 inches x 6.1 inches x 0.63 inches 217 mm x 155 mm x 16 mm	4.9 inches x 7.5 inches x 0.7 inches 134.5 mm x 190 mm x 18 mm
Computer Requirement	The iLiad has a wireless connection to automatically download content and updates over the Internet. You can also connect the iLiad directly to any PC with a USB cable. The iLiad Companion software enables you to easily transfer and manage the documents between your PC and the iLiad.	Simple to use: no computer, no cables, no syncing while in wireless areas. In non-wireless areas, PC/Kindle/USB cable combination necessary for content download.
Format	HTML TXT JPG BMP PNG PRC (Mobipocket) Adobe® PDF	Microsoft Word (.DOC) Structured HTML (.HTML, .HTM) JPEG (.JPEG, .JPG) GIF (.GIF) PNG (.PNG) BMP (.BMP) PDF (experimental ) Text (.txt) Amazon Kindle (.azw), Unprotected Mobipocket books (.prc, .mobi) Audible Audio books (.aa) MP3 Music files (.mp3).
Expansion	Expandable via USB, MMC or CF cards Memory Stick storage media – up to 4 GB of additional data.	SD slot for additional storage varying capacity: 1GB, 2GB, 4GB… you choose.SD slot for additional storage.
Connectivity	Built-in Wi-Fi® 802.11B/G wireless networking Optional external 10/100MB Ethernet networking via Travel hub. Syncs seamlessly with your computer thanks to the iLiad. If you are reading a book on your iLiad in the living room, while your computer is in your office. The iLiad Companion software brings them together using the built-in 802.11B/G wireless capability of the iLiad and your existing network. Your newspapers, books, RSS feeds and documents are synchronized automatically with your iLiad..	EVDO/CDMA Wireless modem connectivity enables you to shop the Kindle Store directly from your Kindle—whether you’re in the back of a taxi, at the airport, or in bed. Unlike WiFi, Kindle utilizes the same high-speed data network (EVDO) as advanced cell phones—so you never have to locate a hotspot. Computer connectivity necessary in non-wireless areas.
Content Delivery Time	Dowload quickly when in Wi-Fi hotspot. Synching between computer and device requires more time.	Buy a book and it is auto-delivered wirelessly in less than one minute anywhere, anytime.
Content	Over 60,000 titles availabe from Project Gutenberg, and Mobipocket plus other free eBook sites. Subscribe to any of the international newspapers and receive your copy daily on your iLiad at the press of a button. Use as notepad or sketchbook and store hundred of pages with notes and drawings. Use the stylus to make notes, annotations, drawings or sketches. Ideal for reading comic strips, Manga, or graphic novels With the Mobipocket Reader Software you will be able to search, browse and discover thousands of RRS feeds from your favorite websites and blogs, subscribe and sync them to your iLiad and read them whenever you want. Your own reports, articles, reviews, and emails can all be transferred to your iLiad for reading, writing notes, making annotations, and sharing.	More than 90,000 books available, including more than 95 of 112 current New York Times® Best Sellers and all New Releases $9.99, unless marked otherwise. Top U.S. newspapers including The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Washington Post; top magazines including TIME, Atlantic Monthly, and Forbes—all auto-delivered wirelessly Top international newspapers from France, Germany, and Ireland; Le Monde, Frankfurter Allgemeine, and The Irish Times—all auto-delivered wirelessly More than 250 top blogs from the worlds of business, technology, sports, entertainment, and politics, including BoingBoing, Slashdot, TechCrunch, ESPN’s Bill Simmons, The Onion, Michelle Malkin, and The Huffington Post—all updated wirelessly throughout the day. Email your Word documents and pictures (.JPG, .GIF, .BMP, .PNG) to Kindle for easy on-the-go viewing. Free book samples. Download and read first chapters for free before you decide to buy.
Weight	Weight: 435 grams (15.3 ounce)	Lighter and thinner than a typical paperback; weighs only 10.3 ounces (289 g)
Capacity	Internal memory hold up to 12 books, newspapers or comic strips.	Internal memory holds over 200 books, magazines, newspaper, and blogs at a time
Power Supply	Built-in rechargeable Lithium Ion battery Charging via Power Adapter – Charging time: about 3 hours	AC Power adapter Long Life Rechargeable Lithium Polymer Battery. Leave wireless on and recharge approximately every other day. Turn wireless off and read for a week or more before recharging. Fully recharges in 2 hours.
Fees	None just hit a Wifi hotspot.	No monthly wireless bills, service plans, or commitments—Free wireless delivery so you can simply click, buy, and read.
Wikipedia access	None	Includes free wireless access to the planet’s most exhaustive and up-to-date encyclopedia—Wikipedia.org.
Supplied Accessories	Stylus Travel hub USB cable Power adapter Quick start cardPC	Book cover Power adapter USB 2.0 cable No software necessary

Summary

Screen: Kindle’s is smaller.

Size: Kindle is smaller.

Computer Requirement: Needed for iLiad when syncing. Needed for Kindle only when in non-wireless area.

Format: More available formats with Kindle, PDF is experimental with Kindle

Expansion: Both offers the capacity to expand and hold more content.

Connectivity: Kindle offers free wireless coverage areas. iRex iLiad connects wirelessly as long as you are in a WiFi “hot spots.”

Content: Kindle offers more books, Newspapers, blogs, and Magazines, many free eBooks. iRex iLiad offers books, International Newspapers, access to many free eBooks – but much less than Kindle

Weight: Kindle reader a little lighter.

Capacity: Kindle holds a lot more titles in internal memory even though its smaller.

Battery Power: Kindle gives more out of fully charged battery.

Fees: Not applicable for iRex, just hit a “hot spot.” Free Wireless in coverage areas.

Wikipedia Access: None for Sony, yes for Kindle

Accessories: Just about the same.

Conclusion:
Kindle‘s EVDO technology allows you to download books, and magazines, blogs, and articles without the use of the WiFi- Technology. You don’t have to be near a WiFi hot spot to download. And if you are not in a wireless area, you can download stuff to your computer then transfer it to your kindle with a USB port.

iRex iLiad requires you to be in a WiFi hot spot to access and download content…And if you are not in a WiFi “hot spot,” you can connect directly to the computer for content transfer.

Both are interactive. With Kindle you can add you own notes, highlight text, clip text, search for a particular text or reading, and you can look up words in a built-in dictionary. With the iLiad, you can write, add notes, annotate, and share.

The kindle store is already huge: over 90,000 books and still expanding, plus you can access numerous other ebooks online sites – you may need to convert them to a compatible format. The iLiad does not have its own store, but you can access numerous ebooks from online stores as long as they conform to the compatible format

Once you find your book on Amazon, you can download it in under a minute as long as you are in a wireless coverage area. Not so with the iLiad – you sync-up in a WiFi “hot spot” and download your content from the internet.

With Kindle you a have the convenience of getting your Newspaper and magazines delivered in the morning when you wake up. iRex iLiad does not offer this service, even though you can subscribe to some international Newspapers.

Both the iLiad and Kindle uses the same E-paper technology.Both support PDF to some extent, however, Amazon’s is presently experimenting with its PDF file accessibility.

Both uses the computer to download files when not in a wireless area.

Update

Language Support
iLiad: Dutch, English, German, French and Simplified Chinese.
Kindle: English

Note-taking and Annotations
iLiad: Interactive note-taking and annotations with stylus pen. Annotated documents and notes can easily be transferred to a PC or another iLiad. Your friends and colleagues can also add remarks or edit your notes and return them to you.
Kindle: Make notes and annotations with the click of the select button. Not transferable to and from another kindle

Dedicated Book Edition
iLiad: Book edition launched early this month focuses solely on book reading. Have the capacity to hold a lot more titles when compared to the original iLiad…up to an additional 8GB from external memory. It also comes with 50 pre-loaded classics – including thrillers, romances, horror stories and comedy.  Designed in a new sleek silver color.

Kindle: No such dedicated book version.

Convert Handwritten Notes to Digital
iLiad: With MyScript Notes, a stand-alone PC application, you can convert the handwritten notes you make on the iLiad into digital text that can be used with text editors, spreadsheets and e-mail clients.

Kindle: No ability to make handwritten notes.