Engadget

iRiver B100 wants you to 'touch the supreme sound', pedants grumble

Mat Smith — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 12:47:00 EST

It's been some time since we heard much from iRiver but the PMP maker is keeping busy with the snow-white B100. This capacitive touchscreen media player will offer up to 36 hours of music playback, or eight and a half hours of video watching. The 3.1-inch TFT screen has a resolution of 320 x 480, but it's backed up by a (relatively) long list of media codecs, including OGG, WAV, APE and ASF compatibility. If you're sick of limited playback options, you might want to consider downscaling those screen-size desires for improved format freedom. The PMP launches today, with prices starting at 11,800 yen (around $144) for the 4GB model, while the 8GB version will set you back 13,800 yen (around $168) at online Japanese retailer, Rakuten. The Google-translated PR awaits your quizzical looks below.

Continue reading iRiver B100 wants you to 'touch the supreme sound', pedants grumble

iRiver B100 wants you to 'touch the supreme sound', pedants grumble originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 30 Mar 2012 12:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Engadget's back to school guide 2011: e-readers

Brian Heater — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 12:00:00 EST

Welcome to Engadget's Back to School guide! We know that this time of year can be pretty annoying and stressful for everyone, so we're here to help out with the heartbreaking process of gadget buying for the school-aged crowd. Today, we've got our optical viewfinders set firmly on digital cameras -- and you can head to the Back to School hub to see the rest of the product guides as they're added throughout the month. Be sure to keep checking back -- at the end of the month we'll be giving away a ton of the gear featured in our guides -- and hit up the hub page right here!

Most of us are still walking around hunchbacked from years of carrying heavy textbooks in our overstuffed backpacks. Thankfully, an e-reader can significantly lighten the loads for students everywhere. Sure, we've still got a ways to go before electronic devices can replace textbooks altogether, but in the long run, it's a purpose that could significantly impact the postures of backpack wearers all over. Jump past the break for our recommendations, and another opportunity to enter our back to school giveaway. Simply leave a comment below to be entered to win, and head over to our giveaway page for more details.

Continue reading Engadget's back to school guide 2011: e-readers

Engadget's back to school guide 2011: e-readers originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 03 Aug 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Engadget Podcast 249 - 07.22.2011

Trent Wolbe — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 17:30:00 EST

Here at Engadget, and here on the Engadget Podcast in particular, we're all about customer service. OK, maybe not all about customer service, but on this episode we've dedicated twenty percent of our breath to answering your questions! If you happen to enjoy a bunch of Apple news too -- which we heard you do you -- then we're at about fifty percent on-track to serving you completely. If you like Apple news, having your questions answered, and a healthy dose of other up-to-the-minute information in the spacecraft, e-reader, and digital camera realms...well, let's just say we got this.

Host: Tim Stevens, Brian Heater
Guests: Dana Wollman
Producer: Trent Wolbe
Music: Paradise City

02:44 - Apple Mac OS X Lion available now in the App Store
06:00 - Apple refreshes MacBook Air with Sandy Bridge, Thunderbolt, and backlit keyboards
08:35 - Apple OS X Lion (10.7) review
17:32 - The MacBook drops from Apple's Store (update: confirmed)
22:37 - Apple updates Mac mini: Core i5 and i7, Thunderbolt, AMD Radeon HD, no SuperDrive
22:55 - Apple rolls out 27-inch Thunderbolt Display with FaceTime HD camera, built-in speakers
23:45 - Apple's Q3 earnings exceed estimates: $28.57 billion revenue, $7.31 billion profit, 20 million iPhones sold
25:13 - Apple outpaces Nokia in global smartphone shipments
28:00 - Nokia Q2 2011: 'clearly disappointing' results as challenges prove 'greater than expected'
32:35 - Motorola Droid 3 review
37:35 - Sony Alpha NEX-C3 review
42:55 - iRiver Story HD review
49:51 - Space Shuttle Atlantis touches down in Florida, won't be going back up again
50:44 - Google 'winding down' Labs, likely due to meddling older sister
51:40 - Listener questions

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Engadget Podcast 249 - 07.22.2011 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 22 Jul 2011 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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J.K. Rowling, Google to bring Pottermania to your e-reader

Joseph Volpe — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 17:13:00 EST

Having a hard time parting ways with a certain plucky, lightning-scarred orphan? J.K. Rowling feels your pain (as she counts her money) and has teamed up with Google to help you fall in love with the world of Hogwarts all over again -- e-book style. The voluminous tomes will be making their exclusive electronic debut through Google's eBooks platform as part of the Sony-backed Pottermore site launching this October. El Goog's open format plays nicely with "more than 80 ereaders" -- we're looking at you iRiver Story HD -- and can also be downloaded in app form for iOS and Android smartphones. But the integration doesn't end there -- under terms of the agreement, Google Checkout "will be the preferred third party payment platform" for all the site's Harry Potter knick knacks your credit limit will allow. It's ok, you don't have to let go of the dream just yet. There's still a little wizard inside us all.

J.K. Rowling, Google to bring Pottermania to your e-reader originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 21 Jul 2011 17:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iRiver Story HD review

Brian Heater — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 14:00:00 EST

When it was unveiled back in January, the Story HD, iRiver's first entry into the US e-reader market, boasted all manner of exciting technologies, including an "HD" display and a souped-up (in e-reader terms) processor. Things have changed in the past six months, thanks in part to new Nook and Kobo devices. The other week, however, iRiver pulled out a pre-release surprise that turned plenty of heads: a partnership with Google Books. Are these features enough to make the company competitive in an already crowded market dominated by the Kindle? Find out the answer to all that and more in the review below.

Gallery: iRiver Story HD review

Continue reading iRiver Story HD review

iRiver Story HD review originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 19 Jul 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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There's a web browser hiding inside the iriver Story HD, but it's pretty shy

Amar Toor — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 12:46:00 EST

Looking for a way to surf the web on your new iriver Story HD? The Digital Reader's got you covered, with a nifty, albeit not totally satisfying hack. As it turns out, the Story HD's much-ballyhooed Google eBookstore operates as a mobile version, rather than an app, meaning you can use it to access other pages -- if you know the trick. All you have to do is navigate to the first Help page within the eBookstore, where you'll see a list of links running across the top. The Books link leads to books.google.com, from which you can jump to google.com, effectively putting the internet at your fingertips. The major downside, however, is that iriver's hidden browser won't give you an address bar, though it does offer basic refresh and page-flipping capabilities, located within the options menu. It's certainly not as fluid as the WebKit-based browser you'll find on Amazon's third-generation Kindle, nor is it as straightforward as that experimental feature buried within the Nook WiFi -- but at least it's there. If you're interested in digging it up, hit the source link for more details.

[Thanks, Nate]

There's a web browser hiding inside the iriver Story HD, but it's pretty shy originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 18 Jul 2011 12:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iRiver's Vanilla Android phone and tablet leak out, a few cubes short of 80s infamy

Joseph Volpe — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 12:42:00 EST

Remember that iRiver MX100 we spotted a few weeks ago? Yeah, well it's about to hit Korean retail shelves soon with a new name, more specs and a smaller Android-based smartphone stablemate. The marketing snapshots taken by Cetizen show off both the wildly titled Tab (really?) and little brother Vanilla (really?) rocking Android 2.2 like it's still 2010. Clearly iRiver's not employing the best in branding here, opting instead for a middle-of-the-tech-road, "Clear Glass Look" me-too approach. Just look at these specs: the 3G, Flash-ready, 7-inch LCD tablet's running a rumored 1GHz Hummingbird processor with a 5 megapixel camera, up to 32GB of expandable storage and Bluetooth. While its handset bretheren putters in with a 3.5-inch WVGA LCD display, WiFi, GPS, Bluetooth, 4GB of storage and unknown processor. These new additions to the Google mobile army won't be topping nerds' must-have wish lists, but they should do for Moms and other less tech-obsessed denizens of our free world. Hit the source for additional shots of these white-washed beauties.

iRiver's Vanilla Android phone and tablet leak out, a few cubes short of 80s infamy originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 14 Jul 2011 12:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iRiver Story HD becomes first Google eBooks-integrated e-reader, won't be the last

Darren Murph — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 12:45:00 EST

We aren't exactly lacking for digital bookstores, but Google's eBooks offering is indeed one of the slickest around. And evidently, it's not in nearly as many places as the marketers in Mountain View would like. The Goog just announced that iRiver's Story HD would soon become the first Google eBooks-integrated e-reader, with the new model going on sale July 17th at Target. It'll still sell for $139.99, and none of the actual hardware specifications will change from the existing model. Of course, the eBooks platform has been open to all publishers, retailers and manufacturers from the start; it's just that iRiver has become the first manufacturer to heed the call. Naturally, Google's teasing us by openly stating that more of these are on the way, and if you just so happen to be an e-reader maker... well, it'd certainly love to have a chat.

iRiver Story HD becomes first Google eBooks-integrated e-reader, won't be the last originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 11 Jul 2011 12:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iriver P8 player pops up on Russian site, packs prodigious battery life

Terrence O'Brien — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 15:47:00 EST

It's been a while since iriver last updated its P series of large-screen portable media players, -- so long in fact, that we thought the series had simply been retired. Imagine our surprise, when this five-incher popped up on the company's Russian site, sporting a long list of supported file formats, and an even longer battery life (up to nine hours of video and 40 hours of audio). The P8 comes in 8GB and 16GB flavors, but also packs a microSD slot for tacking on additional storage. You're not limited to watching clips on the 800 x 480 touchscreen either, the player boasts an HDMI port for pushing HD content straight to a TV. Of course, whether or not this half-inch thick, half-pound device ever makes it to American shores or how much it will cost when it does remains to be seen. Check out the gallery of press shots below.

Gallery: iriver P8

iriver P8 player pops up on Russian site, packs prodigious battery life originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Jul 2011 15:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iRiver's MX100 Android tablet spotted in China? (video)

Amar Toor — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 11:13:00 EST

iRiver has spent the past couple of years testing the e-reader waters, but the company may now be ready to plunge into the deeper end of the pool, with its first Android tablet. A blogger in Korea recently spotted the slate, believed to be the seven-inch MX100, during an iRiver event in China. According to the source, it's powered by a 1GHz Samsung Hummingbird core, runs on Android 2.2 Froyo and is equipped with 802.11b/g/n WiFi -- not exactly cutting-edge stuff, but at least it's not Bubble Yum-flavored. There's been no official confirmation from iRiver yet, nor do we have any details on pricing or availability, but you can head past the break to see a semi-recent commercial from LG U+, in which the MX100 makes a brief cameo around the 0:15 mark.

Continue reading iRiver's MX100 Android tablet spotted in China? (video)

iRiver's MX100 Android tablet spotted in China? (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Jun 2011 11:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iRiver's T9 is the affectionate, all-purpose MP3 player your inner schoolgirl always wanted (video)

Dana Wollman — Fri, 20 May 2011 14:23:00 EST

Been searching for an MP3 player that can do it all, including whisper sweet nothings in your ear? Behold the iRiver T9, a slim, Barbie pink number with screen savers that say, "I love you" and "enjoy your life." For such a gimmicky device, it actually offers a healthy feature set, including an FM radio, voice recorder, step and calorie counters, a built-in USB connector, and the ability to shake to skip. Too bad the storage taps out at a puny 4GB. No word on pricing, but for now you can peep a less patronizing color palette in the gallery below and head past the break to play a game sweeping the Engadget staff: "spot the MP3 player in the video of dancing schoolgirls."

Gallery: iRiver T9

Continue reading iRiver's T9 is the affectionate, all-purpose MP3 player your inner schoolgirl always wanted (video)

iRiver's T9 is the affectionate, all-purpose MP3 player your inner schoolgirl always wanted (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 20 May 2011 14:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung SENS-240 Navigation Tablet is strange and familiar

Thomas Ricker — Thu, 05 May 2011 03:40:00 EST

It's been a few years but iriver just released an updated version of its NV GPS navigator with SPINN UI. Wa... wait a second, that's a Samsung logo. Sorry, this is the Samsung SENS-240, a hybrid car navigation system / tablet that plays nice with your Android-powered Samsung smartphone or, uh, tablet. According to Akihabara News, the SENS-240 uses Bluetooth to take over your voice, data, voice search, and even "video features" from your smartphone when driving. You can then control the SENS-240 using your smarpthone or tablet as an "advanced" remote when idle. The details behind how this works, or why you'd want to do it, is a mystery. We do know that the SENS-240 comes packing 256MB of RAM, USB-host mode, and an SD slot in addition to a 1.43GHz processor (of unknown origins) said to be powerful enough to handle 3D maps, video, or DMB TV on that 7-inch, 800 x 480 pixel display. Oh, and it's Korea-only for now.

Samsung SENS-240 Navigation Tablet is strange and familiar originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 05 May 2011 03:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iriver Story HD e-reader hits the FCC, US retailers next?

Donald Melanson — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 16:24:00 EST

We haven't heard much about iriver's Story HD e-reader since it quite literally landed in our laps at CES back in January, but it looks like it might now finally be nearing a US launch. The e-reader has just turned up at the FCC, where's it's been thoroughly tested and dissected (see the link below for some additional evidence). That's not always a sure sign that a US launch is imminent, but it does seem likely in this case -- especially considering that iriver has already lined up a number of US content partnerships for the device. As for the e-reader itself, it's similar in size to the Kindle and packs a 6-inch 1024 x 768 display, along with an 800MHz Coretx A8 processor, 2GB of internal memory, an SD card slot for expansion, and WiFi connectivity. In other words, it remains unchanged from CES, which means our preview is just as relevant as ever.

iriver Story HD e-reader hits the FCC, US retailers next? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 21 Apr 2011 16:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iriver U100 PMP gets official reveal, P100 and D2000 leave something to the imagination

Christopher Trout — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 05:14:00 EST

The teases over at iriver are ready to show you what they've got: the neon-colored U100. We reported on the PMP, along with the P100 and the D2000 last month, but it looks like iriver is going to leave us guessing on the last two. The U100 sports a 3.1-inch (320 x 480) touchscreen, up to 16GB of internal memory, WiFi, microSDHC, and an FM tuner for those who still listens to the radio. It plays 720p video and touts 50 hours of battery life for audio playback and 11 hours for video. iriver isn't ready to give us all the details quite yet -- an official release date and pricing are still under wraps -- but they have provided another video to keep us interested. Hit up the source link to see for yourself.

iriver U100 PMP gets official reveal, P100 and D2000 leave something to the imagination originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 14 Jan 2011 05:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iriver Story HD e-reader preview (video)

Vlad Savov — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 19:42:00 EST

Our trailer was just visited by an iriver rep bearing his company's Kindle killer in waiting, the Story HD. This 6-inch e-reader touts a bodacious 1024 x 768 resolution, which contributes to an even better contrast ratio than on Amazon's E Ink slate, while software optimizations between now and release are expected to make the Story HD the fastest-refreshing device of its kind. The display itself is built by LG Display and is accompanied by a Freescale Cortex A8 CPU, 2GB of onboard storage, and an SDHC card-reading slot. Sun rays are, as expected, absolutely no problem and we have to admit that on first sight we thought the device had a sticker affixed to its front -- its that good at reproducing printed materials. Physically, it seems to have been constructed with the third-gen Kindle as its dimensional blueprint, albeit with quite a different control scheme. The hand-built proto unit we played with wasn't really ready to have its ergonomics judged properly, but iriver has plenty of time until the expected May launch to iron out any kinks. Content distribution partnerships have already been sewn up for the US, so now it's just a matter of patience until we get our e-reading on in gorgeous XGA resolution. Video hands-on after the break.

Gallery: iriver Story HD hands-on

Gallery: iriver Story HD versus Amazon Kindle ... fight!

Continue reading iriver Story HD e-reader preview (video)

iriver Story HD e-reader preview (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Jan 2011 19:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iriver teams with LG Display on Story HD e-reader, bumps resolution to 1024 x 768

Darren Murph — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 00:00:00 EST

What a difference a year makes, right? At CES 2010, we were staring at iriver's Story e-reader, wondering if the future would ever be the same. Today, we're doing something similar, albeit with way more pixel density. Sure to please our own, in-house Pixel Density Enthusiast Paul Miller, iriver has just let loose the world's highest resolution 6-inch e-reader. The Story HD -- which was designed in cooperation with LG Display -- still relies on e-paper, but it packs an XGA (1024 x 768) screen resolution. According to iriver, that represents a 63.8 percent pixel increase over the competition, offering increased legibility, faster response performance and finer fonts. You'll also find a Freescale processor, built-in WiFi and a content access portal that's being kept under wraps for now. It's also equipped with Easy Wi-Fi Network support, a battery good for up to three weeks of use and compatibility with DRM-laced ePUB and PDF files. If you're curious to know just how badly this thing will undercut those LCD-based alternatives, you'll have to wait; we're simply told that it'll be "competitively priced" and available for purchase in Q2 2011.

Continue reading iriver teams with LG Display on Story HD e-reader, bumps resolution to 1024 x 768

iriver teams with LG Display on Story HD e-reader, bumps resolution to 1024 x 768 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 06 Jan 2011 00:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Iriver teases out U100, P100, and D2000 portable media players

Joseph L. Flatley — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 04:24:00 EST

Looks like there are more colorful PMPs on the way from Iriver. All we have right now from the company is a teaser video (in Korean, no less) and a few model names: U100, P100, and D2000, to be exact. Hopefully this will tide you over until next year when the things are ready to hit the street. Hit the source link to feel the love (as well as some very moving piano music).

Iriver teases out U100, P100, and D2000 portable media players originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 17 Dec 2010 04:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iriver Story Touch Edition preview

Paul Miller — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 09:43:00 EST

Remember that iriver Story Touch Edition e-reader we spied last month? Well, iriver is showing it off at IFA this week, with plans to release the little 6-inch touchscreen device in Europe and Korea in the next week or so. We played around with it a bit, and while the 800 x 600 E Ink screen resolution is a little disappointing, and the resistive touchscreen layer impacts readability in a small but noticeable way, the software is certainly pleasant, and iriver is up to its usual standard in hardware design. There's a small included stylus that slots in at the top of the screen (or the bottom, the screen auto-flips vertically based on how you hold the device) but while the stylus is fun for drawing notes, all you really need is a light tap or swipe with your fingers to operate the device. With 2GB of storage, a €229-ish pricetag for the WiFi-free version (there's another WiFi version coming with an email app and a lightweight browser), and that low resolution screen, iriver probably wouldn't have much luck going up against the Kindle and its ilk in the US, but they're hoping to carve out a niche in Europe and Asia, and we can't begrudge them that.

Gallery: iriver Story Touch Edition preview

iriver Story Touch Edition preview originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 04 Sep 2010 09:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iriver Story Touch edition reader shows up on fan site

Laura June — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 10:21:00 EST

It's been a while since we've heard anything from iriver on the e-reader front, so this one isn't a huge surprise. It looks like the Story is getting a nice, compact Touch edition, and while we don't have full specs yet, we do have plenty of photos, and we also know it's going to boast a 6-inch, touchscreen display (which appears to be some type of e-ink), 2GB of internal storage, with SDHC expansion up to 32GB. This one's going to be for the Korean market only, so we don't expect to get our hands on one anytime soon, but we can always dream. Another photo is below, hit the source link for more.

Continue reading iriver Story Touch edition reader shows up on fan site

iriver Story Touch edition reader shows up on fan site originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 Aug 2010 10:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LG Display and iriver enter joint venture to make e-book readers pretty, affordable

Thomas Ricker — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 08:27:00 EST

Well what do you know, turns out the LB4400 was a harbinger of things to come. LG Display and iriver just announced a $5M joint venture to manufacture e-book readers. The new China-based company, L&I Electronic Technology (Dongguan) Ltd, sees iriver doing the platform development and product design (thank gawd) while LG provides the EPD displays. It's interesting to note that the company will act as an OEM/ODM to anyone looking to slap their brand on an e-book reader... after iriver -- the company's first customer -- takes the pick of the litter.

Continue reading LG Display and iriver enter joint venture to make e-book readers pretty, affordable

LG Display and iriver enter joint venture to make e-book readers pretty, affordable originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 Jun 2010 08:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iRiver busts out low end T8 Candy Bar and S100 PMPs in Korea

Laura June — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 04:17:00 EST

iRiver's just announced two new lines of cheap PMPs for your fanciful, color-loving ears. First up, the T8 Candy Bar boasts a classic USB stick design, and is available in eight outrageous colors. They pack 4GB of storage and a battery life of up to 17 hours -- but not much else. Up next the slightly more interesting S100, which comes in both 4GB and 8GB varieties, with a 2.83-inch, 240 x 320 resolution color display, FM Radio, microSD slot, and 720p video playback. Both the T8 Candy Bar and the S100 are available in Korea only so far, and the T8 runs 69,000 Won (around $58) while the S100 starts at 129,000 Won (around $106) with several different configurations. Shot of the S100 is after the break.

Continue reading iRiver busts out low end T8 Candy Bar and S100 PMPs in Korea

iRiver busts out low end T8 Candy Bar and S100 PMPs in Korea originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 03 Jun 2010 04:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LG and iriver unveil the LB4400: the Korean Zunephone without the Zune (video)

Thomas Ricker — Wed, 26 May 2010 06:04:00 EST

Little iriver has long been one of our favorite companies when it comes to innovative product design. Unfortunately, the Korean outfit responsible for about half of all digital audio players sold in its home country has all but disappeared from the international stage. Today it returns with the jointly developed LG-LB4400 musicphone. As the name indicates, LG is the muscle behind the cellphone internals (and apparently the industrial design) whereas iriver contributed the media player and UI elements. Specwise, we're looking at a 2.8-inch WQVGA LCD display, 3 megapixel camera, DMB TV, Dolby Surround Mobile, and support for a wide range of audio codecs including FLAC and APE. No word on price or availability but we've got a slow-loading video for you after the break.

Continue reading LG and iriver unveil the LB4400: the Korean Zunephone without the Zune (video)

LG and iriver unveil the LB4400: the Korean Zunephone without the Zune (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 26 May 2010 06:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iriver K1 Smart HD shows off unique UI for the cameras, flashes a hint of CE underneath

Paul Miller — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 15:05:00 EST

We wouldn't say iriver is pulling out all the stops on its new K1 Smart HD player, but it's certainly putting a bit more love and polish into the device than we've seen from the company in recent months. Now a video of the UI has been unearthed, which shows a new touchscreen UI based on a sort of "circles" concept. There are smacks of a traditional grid and multi-homescreen interface as well, akin to iPhone or Android, with a bit of widget engine and exciting translucent overlays for good measure. A Cover Flow-styled music browser can actually be navigated through use of the accelerometer, and if you're brave enough you can even dive into regular old Windows CE for exciting hijinks. Check the quick demo after the break.

Continue reading iriver K1 Smart HD shows off unique UI for the cameras, flashes a hint of CE underneath

iriver K1 Smart HD shows off unique UI for the cameras, flashes a hint of CE underneath originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Jan 2010 15:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iriver's K1 Smart HD packs MKV video support into 3.5-inch player

Thomas Ricker — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 04:32:00 EST

The list of devices with native Matroska support is growing rapidly fueled by the preponderance of ripped HD videos living large on the torrents. iriver's hoping to capitalize on this phenomenon by adding .MKV to the list of supported formats (including AVI, WMV, MP4, TP, MPG, ASF) inside its new 3.5-inch (480x320 pixel) K1 Smart HD personal media player offering 18 hours audio / 6 hours video playback. In addition to detailed specs we've also got the official pricing: ₩229,000 (about $204) for the basic 8GB model, ₩279,000 ($248) to add a DMB mobile television tuner, ₩299,000 ($266) to bump things up to 16GB, and ₩349,000 ($310) if you want the full package with WiFi, DMB, and 16GB of storage. Korea-only for now.

Gallery: iriver's K1 Smart HD packs MKV video support into 3.5-inch player

iriver's K1 Smart HD packs MKV video support into 3.5-inch player originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 18 Jan 2010 04:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iriver Story e-reader hands-on

Paul Miller — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 22:02:00 EST

At one point in time it seemed like iriver had a monopoly on insane, imaginative designs. Sure, it was mostly centered around PMPs, but iriver's stuff in its heyday was fun enough to make even a screenless MP3 player seem interesting. Lately, however, things seem a little more conservative. Take this iriver Story, for instance: it's a sexy device that seems very on par with other e-readers on the market... and that's about it. We played around with it a bit on the show floor, and found the keyboard to be pretty great, the design solid and slim, and the software pretty slow. With all the extra function-specific buttons on the keyboard, there's less of the arbitrary UI navigation limitations posed by some of the more simplistic e-book readers, but there's nothing so amazing or useful on the device that it would tempt the Kindle faithful. We're particularly worried about book load times, but it'll take some more time with the unit to really see how it stacks up across the board. For now you can check out a video walkthrough of the device after the break.

Gallery: iriver Story e-reader hands-on

Continue reading iriver Story e-reader hands-on

iriver Story e-reader hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 08 Jan 2010 22:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iriver's 3.5-inch K1 PMP gets outed at CES

Darren Murph — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 16:51:00 EST

Amazingly enough, the PMP news here at CES has been essentially nil. We've got e-readers, whiffs of tablets and more 3D than two eyes can comprehend, but we're in desperate need of some fresh portable media players. Thanks to iriver, we won't be going home completely empty handed, with the K1 "Smart HD" being ushered out onto the public scene in Las Vegas. Specs include a 3.5-inch display, a 480 x 320 resolution, support for a slew of file formats, WiFi, some sort of web browser and a DMB TV tuner. It's slated to be released in South Korea for an undisclosed amount later this month, but alas, there's no immediate word on when this will hit the States.

iriver's 3.5-inch K1 PMP gets outed at CES originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 08 Jan 2010 16:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iriver Story e-reader shipping to US soil this month, WiFi version coming in Q2

Darren Murph — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 05:33:00 EST

iriver's first legitimate shot at making an e-reader has been floating around in various corners of the globe for months now, but finally we've confirmation from the company that the device is coming Stateside. Announced here in Las Vegas, the iriver Story will ship to US retailers later this month, with an "updated WiFi version" slated to ship in early Q2. For those who've forgotten, the 0.36-inch thick reader packs a 6-inch e-ink display, an integrated MP3 player, 2GB of internal memory, an SD expansion slot, USB 2.0 connectivity and a battery good for 9,000 page turns. As for the MSRP? iriver tells us it'll be "competitively priced," with more details to be released as "content and retail partners are finalized."

Gallery: iriver Story e-reader shipping to US soil this month, WiFi version coming in Q2

Continue reading iriver Story e-reader shipping to US soil this month, WiFi version coming in Q2

iriver Story e-reader shipping to US soil this month, WiFi version coming in Q2 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 05 Jan 2010 05:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iriver's minimalist styled and flamboyant batteried E30 player now available

Tim Stevens — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 07:58:00 EST

Just a few days after iriver's E30 was spotted doing a domino impression in China we're happy to say the thing is now making an appearance in American stores -- or at Amazon, at least. The smallest of the three couldn't be bothered to make the trip, leaving only 4GB and 8GB models selling for $59 and $79, respectively. The little 1.8-inch player is just .3-inch thick, supports a plethora of media formats and, with 52 hours of battery life, should let you sample each and every one of them between recharges. It's a lovely, understated thing and would make a wonderful stocking stuffer -- though to be honest it would only really stuff the socks of those with very tiny feet.

iriver's minimalist styled and flamboyant batteried E30 player now available originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 15 Dec 2009 07:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iriver E30 ships in China, gets handled in the wild

Darren Murph — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 05:01:00 EST

iriver's E30 hasn't shaken any trees since quietly launching in mid-August, but evidently the minuscule, no-frills player is shipping over in China. Available in 2GB, 4GB and 8GB flavors, the pocket-friendly DAP is currently selling for around $66 at the low-end, and if you're eager to see precisely what it looks like in the wild, that source link down there has the goods you crave. Sadly, there's still no definite word on a US release, but if you find yourself a few time zones over this holiday season, we're certain it'd make for a great in-flight partner on the way back.

[Thanks, Gavin]

iriver E30 ships in China, gets handled in the wild originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 13 Dec 2009 05:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iriver Story reviewed, incites rebellion over price

Vlad Savov — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 08:37:00 EST

If you didn't feel you got the whole Story yesterday, here's a pleasing helping of seconds, this time in the form of a full-on review. The PC Pro team rates iriver's Kindle emulator as a "serious contender," and places its readability on par with Sony's touch-less Readers. While congratulations are also meted out for a decent integrated MP3 player, 3.5mm headphone jack, and the wide variety of supported formats, two issues stood out for the reviewers. One was that the support for Word, Excel and Powerpoint files was somewhat hit-and-miss, with zooming sometimes not working and rendering some files unreadable. But the major gripe related to the asking price of £230 including taxes (around $380), which the Story was not considered capable of justifying. Hit the link below for more -- even if your interest is purely academic.

iriver Story reviewed, incites rebellion over price originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 02 Dec 2009 08:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iriver Story unsheathed, still looks remarkably like a Kindle

Vlad Savov — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 09:33:00 EST

If you're pro-ebook readers but anti-Amazon censorship, here's a decent alternative for your cashola. The Story reader from iriver has been undressed for our entertainment and rightfully praised for its trendy eco-friendly packaging. It's not an altogether unique device, but with an 800 x 600 E Ink display, support for ePUB, PDF, Word, PowerPoint, Excel and even Ogg / WMA file formats, it's at least versatile enough. Hit the read link to try and spot the other differences between this and Amazon's record-breaking piece of authoritarian hardware. Go on -- it's a real rush, we promise.

iriver Story unsheathed, still looks remarkably like a Kindle originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 01 Dec 2009 09:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iriver Story up for sale in the UK, can be imported to the US for contrarian amount

Paul Miller — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 11:08:00 EST

Other than a delightful-looking keyboard, it's a little tough to tell what sets the iriver Story apart from its E Ink brethren (other than its complete lack of wireless), but the little issue of a $400 US pricetag for import versions doesn't give us much reason to find out. Meanwhile, in the UK the somewhat more reasonable £230 tag has been affixed to the now-shipping e-reader, and while that's still a tad bit more than just shipping a Kindle to the UK, if you're still interested you can feel free to check out a few videos after the break that do a mild job of explaining the device to a rollicking soundtrack of Taylor Swift.

Continue reading iriver Story up for sale in the UK, can be imported to the US for contrarian amount

iriver Story up for sale in the UK, can be imported to the US for contrarian amount originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 29 Nov 2009 11:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iriver N20 Mariah Carey edition reveals an unfortunate case of man-hands

Thomas Ricker — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 06:34:00 EST

While iriver might not be the mega brand in Europe and North America, it does dominate on its home turf in South Korea. Enough so to attract music celebs like Mariah Carey who's pitching a butterfly approved, Special Edition N20 preloaded with her latest contractual obligation. The $120ish player with integrated clip is limited to 5,000 units so act now... or not. See the songstress in an awkward mid-shill moment after the break.

[Via Anythingbutipod]

Continue reading iriver N20 Mariah Carey edition reveals an unfortunate case of man-hands

Filed under: Portable Audio

iriver N20 Mariah Carey edition reveals an unfortunate case of man-hands originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 19 Oct 2009 06:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iriver's N20 DAP shuffles onto the scene, complete with PMOLED screen

Donald Melanson — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 08:43:00 EST

We first caught sight of an N20 MP3 player from iriver way back in 2006, but it looks like the company is now back with another player that shares the same moniker, and thankfully boasts a few improvements over its predecessor. The biggest of those is a new greyscale PMOLED display, which is just big enough to display four lines of information, but small enough to keep the player for expanding beyond its 26 x 55.5 x 13mm dimensions. Otherwise, it looks like you can expect your choice of 2GB or 4GB capacities, a full range of supported audio formats (including FLAC and OGG), and even a built-in FM tuner despite its diminutive size. Still no official word over here, but it looks like folks in China will be able to pick this one up for 649 yuan or 749 yuan depending on the capacity, or roughly $95 or $110.

[Via PlayBites]

Filed under: Portable Audio

iriver's N20 DAP shuffles onto the scene, complete with PMOLED screen originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 09 Oct 2009 08:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iriver B30 pmp finally on sale in the UK

Laura June — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 11:10:00 EST

Remember this little guy? That's right, it's the nearly forgotten iriver B30 which we caught our first glimpses of way back in May. This pmp packs DAB radio with RPG recording for listening later on, a 2.8-inch QVGA display, a microSD expansion slot, and comes in 8 and 16GB varieties with a battery that's supposed to get you 40 hours of audio and about 6 hours of video time. The B30 is listed now on DAD's site for £139 -- though we assume that's for the 8GB model, and that the 16GB will run you more.

[Via Pocket Lint]

Filed under: Handhelds, Portable Audio

iriver B30 pmp finally on sale in the UK originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 02 Oct 2009 11:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iriver Story e-reader hits pre-order status in Korea, gets priced

Laura June — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 14:28:00 EST

We've been keeping our eyes peeled for any news of iriver's Story e-reader -- and it looks like it's on the verge of appearing in reality -- at least in Korea. The company is now taking pre-orders for the 6-inch, QWERTY keyboarded device, which runs 358,000 KRW ( around $290). The reader will come packaged with a 2GB SD card, the book-impersonating folding case we've spied it wearing in the past, and two free book downloads. While we've heard that the reader will eventually get global, we've still yet to heard pricing or release dates for the US of A. Until then, we'll just have to keep curled up on the sofa with our sad, dog-eared, public library copy of The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao.

Filed under: Handhelds

iriver Story e-reader hits pre-order status in Korea, gets priced originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 24 Sep 2009 14:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iriver NV mini bike edition routes two-wheeled warriors

Darren Murph — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 12:43:00 EST

iriver's NV mini has been out and about for nearly a full year now, so it makes sense to think that some sort of successor was just about ready to pop. Sure enough, a next-gen version (of sorts) has been revealed, with the NV mini bike edition (₩188,000; $156) looking to help those out there who suck it up and bike to work / school / etcetera rather than hailing a cab. The 3.5-inch touchscreen (320 x 240) is unchanged in terms of size, but the UI has been tweaked to provide larger glimpses at what's most important. It's also designed to respond to gloved fingers, and the "exercise" mode keeps track of distance traveled, speed, time traveled and calories burned. Other specs include an SDHC card slot, 3.5 millimeter headphone socket and Windows CE 5.0 underneath, with an on sale date of "right now" in South Korea.

[Via Slashgear]

Filed under: GPS

iriver NV mini bike edition routes two-wheeled warriors originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 21 Sep 2009 12:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iriver Story e-book reader turns up in Berlin, deems itself too cool for IFA

Donald Melanson — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 00:46:00 EST

Well, it may not have been officially on-hand at IFA, but it looks like at least one iriver Story e-book reader did make its way to Berlin, and Heise Online was lucky enough to spend a bit of time with it -- and take a few pics, of course. While it still bears an undeniable similarity to the Kindle 2, the differences become a bit more apparent up close, with the keyboard in particular sporting more traditional, squarer keys, and a complete lack of face buttons otherwise -- apart from what appears to be two built-in page turn buttons on each bottom corner. In addition to the previously revealed specs, Heise Online also confirmed the existence of a built-in Comic Viewer, an integrated microphone for dictation and, unfortunately, a lack of built-in WiFi (let alone 3G), meaning that the only way to get content on the device is via USB or SD cards. Hit up the link below for the rest of the pics and a few more details.

Filed under: Handhelds

iriver Story e-book reader turns up in Berlin, deems itself too cool for IFA originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 08 Sep 2009 00:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Alleged iRiver Story e-reader pics exemplify imitation as the sincerest form of flattery

Ross Miller — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 15:43:00 EST

We can't fault iRiver for striving to beat Kindle at its game, but to be Kindle is a different story altogether. A Korea-based MobileRead forum member posted a trio of pics that apparently show off the company's up e-book reader, aptly titled the Story. Here's the scoop as "dasony" tells it: the talented Mr. Ripley here sports a 6-inch screen, physical QWERTY keys, up to 32GB expandable memory, 9,000 page turns (per charge, we presume), a comic viewer, and support for PDF, EPUB, and a number of word / document files. Its local affiliation includes book store chain Kyobo and pre-orders will launch September 16th for around 350,000 to 400,000 KRW, or $282 to $322 in US currencies. Apparently iRiver's looking to expand it to other countries and is in talk with US and Russian retailers, although with that price, it's gonna have to pull out some surprise features and dark magick to compete with what Sony and Amazon are dealing. More pics of the book and its not-quite-svelte case in the gallery below.

Gallery: Alleged iRiver Story e-reader pics exemplify imitation as the sincerest form of flattery

[Via Engadget German]

Filed under: Handhelds

Alleged iRiver Story e-reader pics exemplify imitation as the sincerest form of flattery originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 02 Sep 2009 15:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iriver E30 shows love for the lossless, long-winded

Darren Murph — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 09:02:00 EST

It ain't too much different than the E50 and E150, but considering that iriver felt it necessary to label it a score less than the former, it's new to us. Introduced today over in the Far East, this pocket-friendly PMP touts a 1.8-inch color display (220 x 176), a user-customizable equalizer and support for MP3, WMA, WAV, APE, FLAC and MJPEG files. Oh, and it can purportedly keep the tunes flowing for 52 frickin' hours without needing a recharge, so those with trouble locating AC outlets should certainly take notice. There's no mention of a price or release date, but both of those tidbits should become crystal clear soon. Very soon.

[Via The MP3 Players]

iriver E30 shows love for the lossless, long-winded originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 12 Aug 2009 09:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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