Like the Barnes and Noble nook, Sony Reader or Amazon Kindle, the iLiad made use of an electronic paper display.

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.

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.

Developers and users wishing to create or run third party applications had the ability to request shell access from the manufacturer.

Some independent users reported successful porting of mobile web browsers to iLiad's Linux platform, although with limited functionality and many bugs.

It also comes with 50 free classics, including works from well-known writers Jules Verne, Charles Dickens, Lewis Carroll, and Leo Tolstoy.

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.