The IREX DR800SG e-reader with 3G connectivity for over the air book borrowing has just been announced Stateside, but there’s good news for us folks in UKadia too: it’s coming to Europe, potentially making it the first 3G e-reader to hit Britain. A strong contender to Kindle!

The IREX DR800SG is an 8.1-inch e-reader with support for a ton of formats, including PDF, EPUB, eReader and TXT, and it comes with a 3G connection to download books wherever you are. It’s headed to Europe in 2010 for around $399 (£245).

Inside the IREX DR800SG is 2GB of shelf space, and while there’s no finger friendly touchscreen, IREX promises one for next year, and a colour model for 2011.

Key product specifications:

• Big screen, compact design - some competitive devices offer a similarly‐sized device but with a much smaller display area. IREX’s 8.1‐inch screen is ideal for books, magazines and newspapers with detailed graphics.
• Purpose‐built device - the DR800SG uses the latest electronic paper display technology to deliver an experience that is closer to reading ordinary paper than possible with a netbook or tablet device. It also has longer battery life and is lightweight.
• Easy navigation - the device turns pages faster than competing products, and navigation is easy with an interactive touch screen and straightforward buttons. Users can search their library or add a bookmark with a tap of a stylus or skim an eBook with a touch of a thumb.
• Customized reading - users can enlarge or reduce text size and margin widths or select portrait or landscape mode to suit their preferences.

Via www.electricpig.co.uk