Mossburg and Irex

I read Walt Mossburg’s review of the Irex ereader in the Wall Street Journal today (Link). As usual he does a spectacular job of quickly and poignantly pointing out the pros and cons of the technology and software involved with the new ereader. Specifically he states:

“The new Irex has some advantages over the Kindle. Its larger screen makes for a better reading experience, allowing more words to show on the page at similar font sizes. The screen also seems slightly sharper.”

He has hit on the one aspect of the Kindle I wish they had addressed. Amazon should have done away with the keyboard and made the screen larger so more text could fit. What about taking notes? Include a virtual keypad that popsup when needed. Then again that might affect battery life to have touchscreen. Wishful thinking.

“It also does a better job of organizing your reading material, grouping items into separate folders for books, newspapers, and personal documents.”

Haven’t run into this problem yet. Don’t expect to for a bit, if at all.

One aspect that Mossberg didn’t care for was the buying experience. Irex allows the user to download material for multiple sources not just one like the Kindle (and presumably the iPad). This aspect seems to me to be the crux of the coming revolution.

When I first got an MP3 player it was not an iPod. I think I had two or three MP3 players before I finally settled on an iPod. Now, it’s all iTunes and iPod; a one to one relationship. Would I like to have the freedom to download from multiple sources? You betcha. Do I see that coming anytime soon? Nope. Should it? I think Kindle should quickly find a way to make it happen if they want to stay competitive with iPad.

Most likely Apple will follow the same format for their iPad as they have for their iPod, a dedicated download sight….similar to the way Kindle downloads from Amazon. Kindle can quickly differentiate itself by allowing users the ability to download easily from multiple sources. Irex tried it and according to Mossberg has failed to do it seamlessly. Time is running out for Kindle to find a way to separate themselves. I for one, as a Kindle owner, hope they find a way to do it. Based on my past experience with iPods, I don’t hold out much hope.