iRex Digital Reader 1000s is yet another attempt by an Amazon competitor to wrestle away Kindle’s momentum (if there is any since the device is sold out for 6 months each year). iRex 1000s is certainly an impressive ebook reader. With a 10.2 inch, it certainly tempted me to give it a try. The trouble with iRex and other ebook readers for that matter is they focus more on cool features and less on valuable, useful features. The device is big, but it does not come with a marketplace behind it. It has a big screen, but it does come with a buggy interface. And I don’t know anyone who would go for this device instead of buying a tablet pc for about $750.

At the end of the day, iRex 1000S falls way short of actually mounting a challenge to Kindle and Sony Reader. The size is impressive, and I hope Amazon will adopt the same size of screen for Kindle 2.5. But iRex will learn sooner rather than later that size is not everything.