iRex poised to take B2B orders for iLiad e-book reader
![](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/MzcmAHnfkurP6TKxS3_mTQ--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTQyMDtoPTQ1NQ--/https://s.yimg.com/uu/api/res/1.2/rdMhlPEfZQ333cJ0Ge7lfA--~B/aD0yNzE7dz0yNTA7YXBwaWQ9eXRhY2h5b24-/http://www.engadget.com/media/2006/05/iliadsmall.jpg)
We've had our eye on Philips (that's Royal Philips Electronics to you) spinoff iRex Technologies ever since we heard that the company was developing a Sony Reader-like e-book device with some pretty compelling features, but there's been no word on the so-called iLiad since it failed to ship last month as we were expecting. Well now iRex has finally updated its website with some new information about the 400MHz, multi-format reader, and the news is not so good if you're hoping to get your hands on one of these any time soon -- consumers will have to wait until at least September to order a model with "extended functionality" being designed for the general public. Businesses, on the other hand, can start placing their orders for the regular, "less-functional" models within the next month, with Europeans getting a shot at the e-ink-based 'books a month ahead of the rest of the world. We're hoping that along with the new features promised in the consumer version, iRex also manages to shave a few bucks off of the cost, as that $800+ pricetag we previously reported is pretty steep no matter how much you like to read.
[Thanks, Alex]