ILiad

Key takeaways

ILiad belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect ILiad to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of ILiad from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The iLiad was an electronic handheld device, or e-Reader, which could be used for document reading and editing. Like the Barnes and Noble Nook, Sony Reader or Amazon Kindle, the iLiad made use of an electronic paper display. In 2010, sales of the iLiad ended when its parent company, iRex Technologies, filed for bankruptcy.

Description Main specifications:

8.1-inch (21 cm) electronic paper display, area for displaying content is 124 mm × 165 mm resolution of 768×1024 pixels, 160 dpi 16 levels of grayscale USB connector for external storage CompactFlash Type II slot for memory extension or other applications MultiMediaCard slot for MMC memory cards 3.5 mm stereo audio jack for a headset WiFi 802.11g wireless LAN 10/100 Mbit/s wired LAN 390 grams (14 oz) weight 400 MHz Intel XScale processor 64 MB RAM 256 MB internal flash memory, 128 for user, 128 for system Linux-based operating system, 2.4 kernel SDK provided, so functionality is easily extended It measures 155 mm × 216 mm × 16 mm (width × height × depth), the size of an A5 document, or roughly a 6"×9" steno notebook. The display used is an active matrix electrophoretic display, which uses E Ink Vizplex Imaging Film manufactured by E Ink Corporation. Underneath the E Ink screen is a digitizing tablet by WACOM which requires a stylus for input. When it was introduced, the Iliad had largest screen size of existing e-paper products, but the newer iRex Digital Reader 1000's 10.2-inch (26 cm) display is the largest sold as of early 2011. The iLiad can display document files in several formats, including PDF, Mobipocket, XHTML and plain text. It can also display JPEG, BMP and PNG images, but not in color. As of May 3, 2007 Mobipocket is supported, making the mobipocket digital rights management (DRM) content available on this platform. iRex's product page for the iLiad states that "Support for additional E-book formats will become available over the coming months." Through its wireless service, iDS, the iLiad can also directly download content. Les Echos, a French financial newspaper, is distributed this way, as is Dutch newspaper NRC Handelsblad. Users can connect to their computer over a wireless network to sync new data onto the iLiad's internal memory or an inserted MMC, SD, or CF card. The distributor of the iLiad is iRex Technologies, a Philips spin-off company. It was initially advertised in December 2005, to be launched in April 2006, but was delayed until July, when it started to be sold as a beta product. It was released to the general public near the end of July, and since then has undergone considerable software revisions. Its list price in Europe is €649, and in US $699, however it is no longer available in North America due to FCC regulation non-compliance.

Advanced features One of the advanced features of the iLiad is the ability to add notes to existing documents. With the integrated Wacom tablet and stylus, it is possible to write directly on almost any document and those notes will remain on that document whenever it is viewed on the iLiad. Using the desktop software, those notes can be merged into the original document. This provides malleability, an important feature of physical books that is missing from most ebook products, allowing users to annotate, highlight, and personalize the text.

Third-party development Because of its open Linux operating system, the iLiad was able to run third party applications created for it. Developers and users wishing to create or run third party applications had the ability to request shell access from the manufacturer. Developers were able to improve on the device's functionality by porting viewers such as FBReader, and programs such as AbiWord and StarDict. Full screen PDF reading was made available by community-supported iPDF releases. Some independent users reported successful porting of mobile web browsers to iLiad's Linux platform, although with limited functionality and many bugs.

Version 2 In September 2007, iRex Technologies released an update to the iLiad. While officially called "iLiad 2nd Edition", it is generally noted as a minor update to the original. The update includes:

Redesigned backplane Increased battery capacity Software version 2.11 Updated travel charger Included case The 2.11 software, which contains stylus calibration, extended battery life, and other things, is also available to first-generation iLiads.

Book edition In May 2008, iRex Technologies added a third installment to the iLiad line of products, this time branded under the name iLiad Book Edition. This is the iLiad Version 2 without WiFi and a new silver look. The technical cutbacks reduce the price to $599 (€499), which is cheaper than the original. It also comes with 50 free classics, including works from well-known writers Jules Verne, Charles Dickens, Lewis Carroll, and Leo Tolstoy.

Bankruptcy In early June 2010, iRex Technologies of the Netherlands filed for bankruptcy protection. According to CEO Hans Brons (2010), the decline in sales were a direct result of a delayed response from the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to approve the device.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with ILiad

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what ILiad claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to ILiad before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about ILiad ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of ILiad

In research: ILiad appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses ILiad in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: ILiad is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Dedicated ebook devices, Electronic paper technology, Linux-based devices, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for ILiad outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

How to study ILiad in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what ILiad means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain ILiad out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is ILiad in simple terms?

The iLiad was an electronic handheld device, or e-Reader, which could be used for document reading and editing. Like the Barnes and Noble Nook, Sony Reader or Amazon Kindle, the iLiad made use of an electronic paper display.

Why does ILiad matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study ILiad?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on ILiad.