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iriver's $40 T5 USB stick-style audio player unboxed and reviewed
iriver's T5 was launched and forgotten in one fell swoop, but with a starting price of under $40 for the 2GB edition, it's at least worth a look, right? Critics over at Pocketables were able to secure one of the USB stick-styled devices for review, and they even bothered to host up a plethora of unboxing / hands-on shots for those keenly interested. Size wise, the unit is just marginally smaller than your average USB WWAN modem, and while the minuscule OLED display wasn't much to look at, it sure trumped those screen-less rivals. Under pressure, the stick delivered "surprisingly good sound quality," and while the device overall didn't bring anything fantastically fresh to the table, the inbuilt USB jack, integrated display and excellent audio capabilities made it a pretty good option for the gym. 'Course, there are formidable alternatives out there (Sansa Clip, anyone?), so we'd recommend giving the linked review a closer look before breaking out the plastic.
iriver T6 reviewed: Pretty, and pretty basic
The audiophiles at Pocketables have gotten their hands on the iriver T6 and crown the DAP a good secondary device for the car or office, especially with its $50 for 2GB asking price. They give high marks for the quality e50-esque form factor, although it seems to have a vested interest in keeping your fingerprints on file. The presentation is otherwise very simple, from the low-res display and minimalist interface to the just-passable touch-based controls. As for the audio, they say it sounds good with everything except the most premium of headphones -- but hey, if you're doling out $500 for ear buds, chances are you couldn't even be bothered to look in the T6's direction anyway.
iriver's 8GB E100 PMP cleared out for $59
The E100 was a little weak for the iriver name, but at $59 for 8GB of PMP deliciousness, it's hard to resist. Walmart is clearing out the black iteration for $40 off the original price, and while we'd hate to presume and be wrong, we're hoping this is just a sign that iriver's gonna go all out at CES '09. Bring the heat, baby.[Via DAPReview]
iriver's 7-inch Framee-L digiframe handles multimedia just fine
It's darn tough to pump out a digiframe that's not immediately forgettable these days, but if anybody can do it, iriver can. The subtly beautiful 7-inch Framee-L features a 720 x 480 resolution display, 1GB of inbuilt memory, an SD / MMC card slot, USB port and an alarm feature for waking you in the mornings (or nights, if you roll like that). Furthermore, you'll find a capable multimedia player that can handle photo slideshows, all sorts of audio files and even MPEG-4 AVC / H.264, AVI and Motion JPEG video formats. It'll hit Japan just before Santa takes flight for ¥17,800 ($196).[Via SlashGear]
iriver e50 appears, charms us with its good looks
It seems like it was ages ago that we heard rumors of an aluminum iriver E100... then at the end of November, the E100 Season 2 appeared and the plastic was still in abundance. The E50 (supposedly pictured above) is, however, another tale entirely. The slim, brushed aluminum encased PMP -- which will come in 2GB, 4GB and 8GB models -- boasts a 1.8-inch color LCD, an FM tuner, and gets a rumored 52-hours of audio life. We don't have full specs yet, but the players will apparently appear in January with the 4GB costing about €69 (or about $90). [Thanks, Greg]
Lackluster line-up of new iriver DAPs leaked
It looks like we might have two new iriver DAPs to get semi-not-really excited about in the very near future, if the leaked photos and specs are to be believed. We know very little about the uber-basic T5 (picture above) beyond the fact that it supports MP3, WMA, and OGG formats and has a built-in USB jack. It's quite small, weighing just 25.9 grams, and will come in 2GB and 4GB sizes. The T6 is a little bigger, but also an apparently quite basic 4GB player with an added FM tuner. The rumor mill also reports that the T5 will run €50 (about $65) while the T6 will be €60 (about $77), but nothing's official and we don't know when they'll hit us with these bad boys.[Via Engadget Spanish]
Keepin' it real fake, part CLXXII: QQ spins iriver SPINN into lookalike K819
Man, these guys and gals are quick. Just weeks after we were finally able to hold an iriver SPINN in our own palms, along comes this marvel from China-based QQ. The K819 unashamedly apes the most telling design characteristics of iriver's latest, though the phony does come in multiple hues while boasting "high-grade texture" and oodles of "elegance and style." To be honest, we're not so sure any of these images are more than mere renders, though QQ does promise a 3.0-inch WQVGA display, MP4 support and guaranteed humiliation from your pals.[Via PMPToday]
iriver WavePhone hits Korea ahead of schedule
Well it looks like folks in Korea may not have to wait until March to get their hands on iriver's first cellphone after all, as the WavePhone (previously known simply as the "wave") is apparently now available (or will soon be available) at ten iriver shops in the country. That limited roll-out is apparently being done ahead of the full-fledged launch including a number of larger stores, which will presumably still happen in March, although there's unfortunately still no word of a release outside of Korea (or word of a price). As you can see above, the folks at AVING also managed to get their hands on the phone and, naturally, they've provided plenty pics of it, which you can check out by hitting up the link below.Read - ReigncomRead - AVING[Via Electronista]
iriver's E100 reaches Season 2 on the Who Cares channel
Really? Was it just the choice of color holding you back from purchasing iriver's respectable, monument to plastic? If so, you're in luck, the E100 just reached "Season 2" which includes a re-run of all the same specs (up to 8GB storage, 2.4-inch display, audio/video playback) dipped in a few new color combinations. Better, yes, but it's still just the E100. We'll wait and see if they blow-out CES again like they did in January 2008 -- that's something worth caring about.[Via Akihabara News]
iriver's wave touchphone hits Korea on March 9th
After teasing us with a touchscreen phone way back at CES this January, iriver has been decidedly mum on the subject ever since, calling what we saw more of a "proof of concept" than a ready-for-market product. Well, that veil has been lifted and we're finally staring at the iriver wave, a touchphone that iriver plans to start shipping in Korea on March 9th of next year with KT, and with other major carriers to follow. Other than a touchscreen, the phone packs WiFi and the traditional kitchen sink approach of Korean PMPs, with multimedia playback, FM radio, e-books and an electronic dictionary. There's miniSD expansion, access to the Bugs Music Service for online music and we're sure a few other perks hidden under layers of Korean spec sheets. Overall the physical design hasn't really changed much from what we saw at the start of the year (looks like that 3-inch, 480 x 272 touchscreen is quite intact), but the software has certainly been refined, and is devoid of many of its original, erm, iPhone-inspired touches. [Via Hallyu Tech]
Mintpass' tiny Mintpad brings handwriting back from the 20th century
We can't remember the last time we stealthily scribbled a note to a coworker instead of shooting an IM, but Mintpass (a Korean firm founded by former iriver minds) believes some folks want to do both at once with Mintpad, a wireless handheld that's one part Nintendo DS, one part iPod, and another part Post-it note. Yes, it surfs the web on 802.11b/g WiFi and plays 4GB (or more with a microSD card) of music and videos on its sub-3-inch 320 x 240 display, but the draw is handwriting with a stylus. Don't pick it up if you're looking for handwriting recognition, though -- you just jot down notes the old fashioned way, though you can pass them over the internet to others who have their own Mintpads. We've seen a note or two saying you can pick one up in South Korea for ???198,000, or about $156.[Via Pocketables]
iriver cuts prices on three PMPs for the holidays
Fans of iriver's PMPs should be happy to hear that it's cutting prices on three of them for the holiday shopping season. The E100 and tiny Lplayer's prices will be $69.99 for 4GB models and $99.99 for the 8GB ones -- a drop of $40. The priciest of the three, the SPINN, will see its tag drop to $189.99 for the 4GB and $229.99 for the 8GB (they normally fetch $249.99 and $279.99 respectively), though that still seems fairly expensive given its storage capacity. The price drops are in effect starting November 1st (AKA today).
Reigncom reveals iriver NV mini: part PMP, part navigator, totally adorable
Look, we're pretty calloused when it comes to gadgets around here, but there's just no denying that Reigncom's (parent company to iriver) latest gizmo warmed our hearts at first sight. The freshly-revealed iriver NV mini is essentially a pared down version of the NV Life that hit in March and includes a 3.5-inch touchscreen (320 x 240 resolution), 4GB of internal capacity, a built-in battery good for 2.5-hours, Gini mapping software, a flash card slot for adding up to 8GB of storage and fairly robust multimedia player to boot. Expect it to bring smiles to many South Koreans very soon for ???188,000 ($133).[Via Hallyu Tech]
iriver SPINN review
We've had iriver's SPINN laying around the Engadget HQ for a little while, and figure we've finally fiddled with the player enough to write down some impressions. If you're looking for the one liner, here it is: we're blown away by the beauty of the hardware, but the barebones player software, lack of an "ecosystem," and hefty price really hurt its chances with the mainstream. Full thoughts after the break. %Gallery-34707%
iriver SPINN hits the streets at last
It's been a long wait since we first saw iriver hint at the SPINN way back at CES in January, but the flash player is finally shipping -- just a few days late. Our full hands-on impressions are on the way, but there's no denying that iriver has caught our eye with this distinctive player. 3.3-inch OLED touchscreen, unique spin controls and that traditional iriver eye for design make this thing potentially worth the hefty $250 (4GB) and $290 (8GB) asking prices -- though we have a few issues with long-term usability we'll need to hash out. It'll be available at iriverinc.com, Amazon.com, J&R and B&H online stores, though iriver's seems to be the only one with it live just yet.
iriver's Mplayer: now in soul-invading "eyes" version
If you've been tickled or otherwise delighted by the sheer cuteness of iriver's little Mplayer in its multi-colored, gold, or pink-bow variations, this one might send you through the roof. The company has introduced a new riff on its Disney-branded music machine, and it's dubbed the "Mplayer eyes." The device comes sporting ten LED "eyes" (naturally), 2GB of storage, and can be picked up for around $50 in light pink and baby blue. Of course, the player -- which was shown off at this year's IFA -- is only available in Korea right now, but with looks like these, we have a feeling you'll be importing. [Warning: read link is in Korean][Via Akihabara News]
iriver's SPINN up for pre-sale, shipping October 3rd
If you've been seriously jonesing for a viable and attractive alternative to Apple's iPod offerings, you may just be in luck. According to iriver, the geek-lust SPINN PMP will be available -- and shipping -- on October 3rd in both 4GB ($249.99) and 8GB ($289.99) varieties. In case you're unclear on the specs, the unique widescreen device sports a 3.3-inch, 480 x 272 AMOLED display, support for MP3, WMA, OGG, APE, FLAC, AVI, and WMV (amongst other) files, FM tuner, and Bluetooth 2.0. Of course, the devices are destined for XP / Vista setups, and don't feature any of that fancy wireless connectivity users are likely getting used to -- but then again, they certainly don't look like other players on the market.[Via Pocketables]
Rockbox 3.0 firmware breathes the life back into your MP3 player
Well it took three years, but Rockbox 3.0 has finally made it on the scene, with a major overhaul in the sound decoding department and support for several new players. This open source firmware replacement is chock full of tasty new features, including codec support for over 15 formats like FLAC and Ogg, 5-band parametric EQ, MPEG video, multilingual interface, Doom and a pile of other games, not to mention freedom from iTunes. Oh yeah, and it can talk to you via a spoken interface -- which comes in handy for not driving off bridges and what not. iPod, iriver, Sansa, iAudio, Gigabeat and Archos models are all supported, though Archos didn't get many of the major 3.0 improvements like expanded codecs. [Via Ostatic; thanks Eric L]
iriver's gramophone speaker, UNIT2-S, and R1 concepts do impress
iriver came to IFA with the usual collection of concept gear we crave. Unlike other manufacturers, iriver usually brings its prototypes to market, eventually, so you'll want to pay attention. First up is a concept horn speaker (pictured top) attached to an iriver SPINN. The device plugs into the existing headphone jack bringing a sense of gramophone nostalgia to this most-modern device. Next up is iriver's latest take on the Unit2, the UNIT2-S, a simpler multimedia communications device for the home. Remember, it's just a concept, but as envisioned, the working prototype functions as a video phone, digital photo frame, web browser, FM radio, flash gaming rig, SMS/MMS receiver, and audio / video player with DMB television tuner. The specs list a 4.3-inch AMOLED touchscreen display, 30GB hard drive and 2GB of flash (presumably in the base unit and handset, respectively), mic, stereo speaker, and Li-Polymer battery all packed into a 185.4 x 117 x 19.8-mm tower.Last up is the R1 DAB radio concept (pictured bottom). Again, the prototype is fully functional and capable of playing back internet, DAB, and FM radio or audio streaming from PC or local storage through a pair of 2W stereo speakers. They also included an alarm clock to remind you that these concepts are just part of an iriver dream -- for now.%Gallery-30735%
Hands-on iriver's confusing P20 PMP
As good as the SPINN is, we can't rave about iriver's newest PMP, the P20 launching today at IFA. Looks like our early excitement about the product back at CES was misplaced. First off, it's big -- a true brick by today's PMP standards. Also, we're not sold on the implementation of the SPINN interface here. The P20 uses a combination of vertical and horizontally placed thumb wheels, an "ok" button (why not just press in the thumbwheel like on the SPINN?), and touchscreen AMOLED -- a heap of overly-complex overkill based on our admittedly, limited time with the device. The touchscreen was also rendered unusable by menus only accessible by the thumbwheels as well as an incredibly high bezel framing the display thus inhibiting screen touches along the edges. As to the specs, it's everything we heard: 4.1-inch 480 x 272 pixel display, FM tuner, TV-out, voice recording, and integrated DMB TV option, 80GB or 120GB hard disk, and Li-Polymer battery for 12-hours of audio, 9-hours of video, or 8-hours of DMB in a 130 x 97 x 20.5-mm slab. Expected to launch in Korea next month at an undetermined price -- rest of world to be determined. %Gallery-30731%
