iRex Files Bankruptcy

On Wednesday, SlashGear reported that iRex Technologies filed for bankruptcy on Tuesday in the Netherlands.

I first mentioned iRex on this blog here on 1/5/06, reporting that the company was scheduled to launch an e-book device called the iLiad in April, 2006.

About six months later, on 7/24/06, I said here:

... the iRex [device] was scheduled to be released on July 11th. I was shocked to see the advertised price of the iLiad was $811 ... I [don't] picture them selling many of those babies.

Three days later, while wondering why the iLiad could be so expensive, I described the specifications of the device here.

On May 8, 2008, I reported here that the price of the iLiad had come down to *only* $699. I also cited an article in The Bookseller:

Borders is to become the first seller of e-book readers in the United Kingdom with seven stores stocking the iLiad reader from Saturday.

On 9/3/08, iRex distributed a press release that said:

Gill & Macmillan, the leading Irish book publisher, today launched a pilot scheme that will take some weight off the shoulders of the first-year pupils of Caritas College, Ballyfermot . . . St. Brendan’s class, a group of 18 first year students at the all-girl school . . . will become the first class of students worldwide to replace their academic load with the iLiad, an electronic book device.

On 9/11/08, BusinessWeek reported on an experiment that took place in France with a prototype digital device from iRex called the Read & Go:

The trial of the prototype will wrap up this month, and by 2009, France Telecom (FTE) aims to start distributing the Read & Go in conjunction with a subscription-based news service of the same name. For a monthly charge similar to a mobile service plan, customers will receive an over-the-air stream of aggregated content from a wide assortment of information sources. Alongside the articles will be ads that help defray the cost of the service.

I described iRex's devices for the business market:

iRex has unveiled its Digital Reader 1000 with a 10.2 inch screen and a price of $649; a reader/writer is $749. And "the big daddy 1000SW -- with WiFi, Bluetooth and 3G data connectivity" is priced at $849.

Last fall, on 9/22/09, The New York Times reported here:

... iRex Technologies, a spinoff of Royal Philips Electronics that already makes one of Europe’s best-known e-readers, plans to announce that it is entering the United States market with a $399 touch-screen e-reader.

Owners of the new iRex DR800SG will be able to buy digital books and newspapers wirelessly over the 3G network of Verizon, which is joining AT&T and Sprint in supporting such devices. And by next month, the iRex will be sold at a few hundred Best Buy stores, along with the Sony Reader and similar products.

And now we learn that iRex has filed for bankruptcy. A reminder that every new technology does not necessarily succeed.

Read the SlashGear article about the bankruptcy here.