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

by Thomas Ricker posted Oct 19th 2009 at 6:34AM

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

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

by Donald Melanson posted Oct 9th 2009 at 8:43AM

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]

iriver B30 pmp finally on sale in the UK

by Laura June posted Oct 2nd 2009 at 11:10AM

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]

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

by Laura June posted Sep 24th 2009 at 2:28PM

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.

iriver NV mini bike edition routes two-wheeled warriors

by Darren Murph posted Sep 21st 2009 at 12:43PM

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]

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

by Donald Melanson posted Sep 8th 2009 at 12:46AM

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.

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

by Ross Miller posted Sep 2nd 2009 at 3:43PM

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]

iriver E30 shows love for the lossless, long-winded

by Darren Murph posted Aug 12th 2009 at 9:02AM

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 officially recognizes E200 PMP, does it proud in glorious press shots

by Darren Murph posted Aug 6th 2009 at 9:04AM

It wasn't like iriver's E200 was really hiding from anyone, but it's still swell to see the parent company take some initiative and create a dedicated place on the web for its newest OLED-infused portable media player. Said device looks better than ever in the company's press shots, but we're still not convinced that it stands a chance in the oversaturated market without a delightfully low MSRP. Feel free to hit the read link if you're into eye candy, but don't mind those user interface shots if you're a fan of revolutionary coding.

[Via PMP Today]

iriver reportedly working up Android-based K2 media player

by Darren Murph posted Jul 31st 2009 at 5:34AM

Take it for nothing more than it is (a lovely, delicious and completely unsubstantiated rumor), but word on the Australian streets is that iriver may have an Android-based portable media player on the horizon. According to local distributor C.R. Kennedy's iriver product manager, Danny Bejanoff, the outfit is looking to take on Apple's iPod touch directly, with a 3.5-inch touchscreen, WiFi, built-in web browser, accelerometer, Bluetooth, a digital TV tuner and Google's Android OS running the show. Sadly, it seems as if this pipe dream has yet to receive the proper final approvals, but we're here to beg the brilliant designers at iriver to invest whatever it takes to make this so-called K2 a reality. Oh, and just in case that wasn't enough for you, Mr. Bejanoff also noted that the firm was working up a new e-reader and internet tablet, both of which should be out for testing in short order.

iriver E200 lands in the wild, might not have been worth the wait

by Paul Miller posted Jul 5th 2009 at 4:55AM

Sure, we know that whenever we hear the word "aluminum" we're supposed to go all weak in the knees, but iriver hasn't really astounded us with this materials-tweaked rehash of the E100. Still, the OLED screen on the upcoming E200 has been bumped to 2.8-inches, so that's kind of nice, and while the capacitive touch buttons aren't a big win over the original rocker, at least the chassis seems thinner now. Check out the read link for some purported press shots that manage to be quite a bit more flattering.

[Via PMP Today]

iriver P35 WiFi PMP gets bumped up to 32GB

by Donald Melanson posted Jun 11th 2009 at 1:59PM

We may still be waiting for iriver's WiFi-packing P35 PMP to make its first official appearance 'round these parts, but it looks like folks in Korea are now already getting upgrades to the player, with iriver recently rolling out a new 32GB model. That'll run you 488,000 South Korean won (or about $389) which, as you might expect, will get you a player that's otherwise identical to the previous model, including the same 4.3-inch WQVGA display, a built-in DMB TV tuner, a microSD card slot for additional storage, and iriver's trademark Spinn controls, to name a few features. No word if this particular model will be making an appearance when the line makes its US debut this fall but, if it does, you can be sure iriver will have already moved on to bigger and better things in Korea.

[Via SlashGear]

iriver's M7 NV Classic navigates the road and your media

by Thomas Ricker posted Jun 9th 2009 at 8:23AM

Mmm mm m, iriver, you sure know a thing or two about industrial design. Meet the M7 or NV Classic if you prefer, an update to the original iRiver NV only without the massive jogwheel wart. As a navigator, this 181 x 120 x 21.5 device features SiRF GRF3i+ GPS, an SDHC slot for maps, a pair of 1.5-watt speakers for turn-by-turn audio, and a biggie 7-inch 800x480 touchscreen TFT LCD to show you the way. As a media device we're looking at DMB digital television, support for MPEG1, MPEG4, WMV9, and XVID video, MP3, WMA, OGG, and WAV audio, JPEG and BMP images, and a bundled 4GB SDHC card for storage. Priced for Korea at KRW329,000 which would be right around $248 if it ever came to the US, which it won't, at least not in this configuration.

[Via Slashgear and Generation MP3]

Gallery: iriver's M7 NV Classic navigates the road and your media

Video: iriver B30 taken for a spin around the box

by Thomas Ricker posted Jun 5th 2009 at 6:21AM

Time for a break from all the MID, smartbook, and netbook action from the Computex show for a glimpse at the latest from Korea's iriver. The B30, like most iriver devices, starts with elegant hardware. iriver then slips in a UI and physical controls that may or may not be new to its user base. While we appreciate iriver's dedication to innovation, a bit of consistency would be appreciated, especially since none of the UIs have quite reached perfection. So take a look at the B30 after the break -- you feeling those white boxy outlines and rotation delays as the display moves between portrait and landscape? Korea-only huh? Fine by us.

Continue reading Video: iriver B30 taken for a spin around the box

iRiver P35 headed to the US this fall

by Donald Melanson posted May 26th 2009 at 6:26PM

It certainly doesn't seem to have been in a rush to bring it to these shores, but iriver has now finally announced (in teaser form) that its P35 PMP will indeed be getting an official US release... this fall. That will version will obviously ditch the DMB TV found in its Korean counterpart, but it should be otherwise identical, including up to 16GB of storage (plus an SDHC card slot), a 4.3-inch WQVGA touchscreen, a full-fledged web browser (on the WiFi version, at least), a promised 16 hours of battery life (or seven for video) and, of course, iriver's trademark SPINN controls. No word on pricing just yet, as you might have guessed, but the Korean version started at the local equivalent of $286.