eFlyBook loads iRex's iLiad with aviation docs

If you've had your eye on the iLiad eBook reader from Philips spin-off iRex -- and also have a need for a lot of boring aviation-related documents -- then you may be interested in a new product called the eFlyBook from ARINC that combines both of your passions. Little more than an iLiad pre-loaded with such exciting fare as the US Terminal Procedures Publication, US IFR High & Low Enroute Charts, and an Airport Facility Directory, among others, the eFlyBook is one of the only ways Americans can curently get their hands on iRex's debut product, pilot or no pilot. You'll recall that the iLiad is a 400MHz device with an 8-inch, 1,024 x 768 screen that sports both a CF and SD slot for user-supplied content, so besides all the flight documentation, flyboys can also load up the eBook with their own novels and magazines to read while letting auto-pilot do all the hard work. Available to order immediately, this rebadged version of the iLiad will set you back a cool $900, plus whatever it costs to update the aviation docs once the included six-month Charts & Data subscription expires. Not the cheapest way to get your eBook on, but until Sony rolls out its own proprietary reader, your options here are still few and far between.

[Octavus @ Jul 23rd 2006 9:17PM]

400Mhz seems overkill for a device that is an ebook reader. A slower processor would get better battery life and be cheaper.

[Rob @ Jul 23rd 2006 9:33PM]

Boring though they may be, these e-chart type systems are pretty awesome for in the cockpit, being that they replace what can sometimes be a whole flightbag full of charts and stuff. Too bad I can't afford one anytime soon. I'd say this item is targeted as an aviation product, though I imagine there exists non-pilots out there who might want one for some reason.

[Veritas II @ Jul 23rd 2006 9:41PM]

Granted, the iLiad is pretty pricy, but it is e-ink that doesn't come with any of that Sony DRM that people are always complaining about.

[RisingSunofNihon @ Jul 23rd 2006 9:53PM]

That actually looks like a cool little device. I personally would never be able to get past the price tag (wouldn't a pocket PC be cheaper and more versatile?) but I guess they feel there's some type of market out there for these readers.

[Kyle @ Jul 24th 2006 12:45AM]

Will it play Doom?

:)

[Jeff @ Jul 24th 2006 12:57AM]

This is a pretty good idea for those who have a plane that has the old steam gauges. I use CMax charts, basically a built in and much more expensive version of this, and they are just awesome. No more bag-o-charts and you can find the one you want quickly. While they are boring for the non-pilots out there these new electroinc flight bag devices are pretty cool for us pilots.

[Jason @ Jul 24th 2006 2:04AM]

This device is great for a whole variety of people. Myself in particular, a college student, would like nothing more then to stick it to the school bookstore for the outlandish prices for textbooks. You save an average of $50 per textbook by buying the digital equivelant (if available, most of my professors write their own so I am SOL), and a typical college student will take either 4-5 classes. At this rate, the investment is recouped in one year, not to mention the value in the ability to have your textbooks with you at all times. I just hope that they are able to encorporate a search feature.

As far as battery life, under "normal" use, you can expect about a month! Don't believe me? I don't expect you too, so check out their website.

The only downside to this beyond the fact that it is monochrome, is that a page turn takes 2 seconds. Not a large concern but who knows, could be somewhat of a repetitive nusance.

[Jason @ Jul 24th 2006 2:11AM]

I stand corrected

From the iRex site:

Very low power: You can read three hours a day for more than one week, from the iLiad without recharging the battery.

[paintist @ Jul 24th 2006 3:56AM]

Yes but to a college student paying $850 for something that only reads PDF/HTML and a few mundane image file formats, it's absolute over-kill. This has got to be the biggest abuse of product markup. People have been complaining that the PS3 was too expensive, but the PS3 is cheaper than this and about a billion times as powerful.

Sony could soak up the entire portable ebook device market if they sold their new reader at half the price alone - regardless of any DRM or any feature for that matter. The ebook device market is a small niche market in and of itself.. and then to sell it almost a grand makes an even small market microscopic.

[Veritas II @ Jul 24th 2006 4:32AM]

Well, that's what Sony is certainly hoping for. I believe Sony's price point is around the 350 mark, so you may get your wish, paintist. Not only that, but they're marketing these devices at Border's, so there is a good possibility that they will catch on.

[jdiz @ Jul 24th 2006 7:38AM]

Sony has the right price point, but major benefit of the Iliad is larger screen size and Wi-Fi for downloading books/newspapers and (albeit slow) web browsing (already been hacked for this -- see www.mobileread.org). Anyway, if you can handle the drawbacks (namely price and currently undercooked firmware), then it is indeed obtainable in the US right now via shipping from Irex.

[Chris @ Jul 24th 2006 10:03AM]

I remember using an electronic flight calculator when the thing stopped working, while inflight. That was the last time I relied on something with batteries while in the air. This is great for planning and use, but you better have a paper backup.

Now, build this into the glass cockpit and I'll buy into it.

[Rob @ Jul 24th 2006 1:33PM]

Paper backup is a pretty good idea. I think the price is fairly high on this because it has all the charts and stuff on it already, plus a subscription for six months. If you're looking for an ebook reader for other uses, I think you'd be better off with another model. Also, there are other systems like this already out there, and there is PDA software available for similar purposes.

[John @ Jul 24th 2006 1:38PM]

As an instrument rated private pilot, I would love to have one of these. Although, the expensive updates along with a $900 price just does not make it too practical. I think other pilots would agree to put this in the G1000 or other glass cockpits for smaller aircraft. The way I see it, those large 10.4" glass cockpits are ideal for this product.

[David @ Jul 24th 2006 2:25PM]

Interesting. This is very similar to the e-book suggested marketing scenario outlined in Geoffrey Moore's "Crossing the Chasm."

"Ernie pulls out his e-book which contains all documentation for the Boeing 737 E Series..."

[Peter @ Jul 24th 2006 3:28PM]

This product is competing against standalone LCD displays and dedicated tablet PCs which, in addition to instrument charts, can display weather and terrain data in color. E-ink or not, this is going to be a tough sell.

[Jeff @ Jul 24th 2006 7:32PM]

To the pilots out there. They already do put this into glass displays, called CMax. I use it all the time in my Cirrus and it's a heck of a lot cooler than this one because it can do a lot more than just display the chart, such as actually tracking your progress as you fly the approach on the chart. CMax is definitely the way to go, but it's also a $3,600 option on top of the glass avionics package.

[Nathan @ Sep 9th 2006 12:06AM]

About this e-ink stuff... I saw thee Sony Libre in Japan and while the resolution is what it clames (though a smaller screen than an iLiad), the refresh is what is going to be a huge limiting factor on any of these e-ink readers. It's really hard to see a 2 second screen refresh spec and translate it into how usable you think the product is untill you see it in action.

In my opinion it's not very usable. I'm used to speeding through pdf's on a computer or even in a paper book, you can flip pages very fast to find something.

Now if this had a decent update speed and all the normal PDA functions...