The Bookseller.com

8th October 2008

Anna Richardson

Anna Richardson is The Bookseller's media editor. Anna's media blog will provide a weekly insight into the big books featuring in the media.

The iLiad moment?

21.05.08

Curse the iPod – ever since that instant icon hit the highstreet, the bar was set ridiculously high for all future e-media devices . You didn’t have to be a gadget geek to appreciate its sleekness and simplicity, or a music fiend to want to carry your music around on it. It combined functionality and style beautifully from the word go.

With the newest versions and the iPhone but building on the initial buzz, it is no wonder that the release of the iPod has been deemed one of the most significant cultural events of recent past.

Enter the iLiad.

News that Borders would become the first high street retailer in the UK to stock an e-reader, iRex’s iLiad, proved the perfect opportunity to get my hands on one of the gadgets of the future.

The idea of carting a load of e-books around on an A5 device was entirely appealing. I don't need a stack-full of vinyl, VHSs or CDs, so why hanker for a shelf-full of spines? A library of books in my tote? Perfect! The only question was, would the reading experience be the same?

The minimalist box that arrived from iRex containing the iLiad ready-loaded with 50 classics was very promising.

Unfortunately, the device itself was disappointing. Granted, discovering all your favourite classics in one portable paperback-sized package, with the option to download 50,000 or so more, was thrilling (even though I spent half my bus journey home deciding what to read).

The reading experience itself was surprisingly normal - once the novelty wears off you are perfectly able to concentrate on the book in front of you, and the quality of the screen means you forget whether your book is e/hardcopy/whatever. The Great Gatsby was just as thrilling as it always is.

I'm not sure whether I'd risk dropping the iLiad in the bath (the specifications don't clarify whether it's waterproof), but come rain or shine (it withstands temperatures from 0C to 50C), it certainly does its job well.

You even get used to the strange, second-long page-turning delay (which is apparently a feature of all e-readers due to their power-saving e-ink technology).

But that is the rub: why does there have to be a second-long page-turning delay? Why does everything take its time to load? Why can't it all just be click-click, sleek perfection? Why does it feel a bit cheap to the touch, with its metallic frame?

Apparently, says the helpful Borders shop assistant, it is particularly popular with academics, as they can carry around all their work and mark their students' on the device (you can transfer Word files as well as PDFs and e-books, and make notes on any file with the iLiad's stylus pen)--not exactly the credentials of cool you would hope for.

I have unfortunately not seen the Kindle or the Sony Reader to compare - some say they are better, some are just as ambivalent about them - but the iLiad in its current incarnation is not something I would shell out £399 for, even if I had the money.

Even the Borders display of this ultra-high-end product was cobbled together and looked distinctly unconvincing, with its hand-written "this device costs £399, please ask at the information desk for a demonstration".

So please, iRex, Amazon, Apple - sort it out. I want all the books in the world on one device, but it looks like I might have to wait a while longer for that instant e-book icon.

 

 

Retail waterstone's Borders e-books Sony Home digitisation iLiad