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The iriver NV Life: as stirring and confusing as life itself
Reincomm just announced the new iriver NV Life, the official name of its M20 prototype. New in that they've done away with the big, navigation pad of the original NV in favor of a more sleek, easily portable SatNav device with PMP functionality. Still, it's a near spec-for-spec clone of the bigger, bulkier NV. Available in either 2GB ???328,000 (about $367) or 4GB ???358,000 (about $400) capacities, the SiRF Star III GPS device dedicates an SD slot to maps and second to augment the onboard flash. Inside, the WinCE 5.0-based device packs an FM-transmitter, DMB TV (with GPS PiP support), and a wide selection of codecs synonymous with the iriver name. The only downside is the display: 800 x 480 pixels spread across 7-inches of glass. On par with the industry but pretty poor when compared to cellphones which offer the same resolution on 2.8-inch displays.%Gallery-19199% [Via Akihabara News]
iriver's E100 reviewed before it hits American soil
As any true iriver aficionado would realize, just because one of its device isn't yet available in the US doesn't mean that it's not being thoroughly enjoyed elsewhere. Case in point: the E100, which was recently loosed in Europe, has already been acquired, photographed and reviewed by the cats over at Pocketables, and unfortunately for those certain of this thing's awesomeness, it's not exactly the surefire winner you had hoped for. Put simply, the fantastic styling and native FLAC support weren't enough to overcome the lackluster speaker output, subpar audio quality (for iriver standards, anyway) and non-integration of material on the internal memory and microSD card. Still, it seems that those without ultra-high expectations would be more than pleased with what the E100 is packin', but we'd still recommend giving the full review a look before pulling the trigger and never looking back.[Thanks, Jenn]
iriver gets in touch with its inner pink
We're not exactly sure what the special event is -- Breast Cancer Awareness Month isn't until October -- but we suppose you can celebrate the joy of pink whenever the mood strikes. Iriver is busting out pink versions for a bunch of its players, including the clix, MPlayer, D5 and recently-launched E100. Apparently a set of pink colored pencils is also included as a free "gift" with the purchase of any of these units, which should come in handy for that Precious Moments diptych we were thinking of doing.
iriver E100 hits Europe
iriver unveiled a whole bunch of hotness at this year's CES, so you'll have to pick your next player from them wisely... lest you end up buying the whole lot. That said, we're not sure the E100 would be our first choice, but it's certainly no slouch in the looks or specs departments, and it's hitting the market well before most of those fancier players. There's a 2.4-inch QVGA display, built-in stereo speakers and a microSD slot to supplement the included memory. Audio codec support includes FLAC, MP3, WMA, ASF and OGG, while you can manage MPEG-4, WMV9 and XVID for video. There's also a mic, FM radio and line-in for acquiring audio. The E100 is available now, with prices starting at €79.00 ($119 US) for a 2GB player, and ramping on up to €129.00 ($194 US) for the 8GB.[Via Generation MP3]
Hands-on with iriver's 3-inch touchscreen phone
Nice going iriver, now this is something we can sink our teeth into, though like the last time we saw this, the UI has a look and feel we recognize, but can't quite place. The rear of the unit is labeled W7, though we're not sure if they share the same guts or just the case. Nothing much new to report, specs are the same as we saw last time, though we did get a chance to drop the rivermobile -- we totally made that name up on the spot, sorry -- into its GPS housing, see some shots in the gallery. Iriver is still confident it'll ship by end of year, we certainly look forward to checking it out when it does.%Gallery-15864%
iriver's limited edition Mplayer for Mickey assassins
From iriver and the house The Mouse built comes this limited edition Mplayer. Gold plating and a Philips PNX0103ET audio processor create what iriver calls an "assassin's mace" of a device. Sure, Cute. Simple. Friendly. Now add Opulent to the tagline too -- at ???888 Chinese Yuan (about $123) you'll be looking at a 100% or so markup over their standard 1GB Mplayer.
iriver hits a(nother) low note with Siren DP150
After witnessing iriver's gorgeous lineup in person at CES, we can't help but shed a tear each time one of these Siren DAPs taints the image a touch more. Nevertheless, the totally bland DP150 (the DP100's successor, by the way) weighs in at 24-grams, is available in pink, blue and gold motifs and will arrive in 1GB and 2GB forms. Users will also find a built-in equalizer, MP3 / WMA support and a 128 x 32 OLED display to boot. Sure, this critter will last for around 17 hours sans a recharge, and it is priced at just ¥6,980 ($65) / ¥8,980 ($84), but we still think know iriver could've done better than this. Yeah, so we've got high expectations -- like that's a bad thing?[Via Tech Digest]
iriver prepping handwriting-friendly e-book / tablet?
To wrap up its CES week, iriver has some pictures and scattered Korean text about its booth experience and product reception in Vegas over the past days. Tucked below all the self-congratulation, however, is what looks to be an as yet unannounced prototype from the ever-active iriver designers. The product appears to be an e-book of sorts, but with handwriting recognition and potentially a color display. Obviously, there's no more info at the moment to go on, iriver has been feeling a little protype-ish of late, and we never got much of a product out of iriver's last e-book, but hopefully we'll be hearing more about this one soon.
Video: iriver's wee CES 2008 booth tour
Besides having one of, if not, the best product showings at CES 2008, iriver also had one of the most high-tech booths. Gone were the booth babes and ignorant product hacks -- replaced instead by virgin-white cases and interactive displays which allowed their products to speak for themselves. Fortunately, we also had the chance to confirm one of the most peculiar icon choices in CE history: the raised-dog icon on their S7... yes, he's really treating the booth like his own personal fire hydrant. See a video tour of the booth after the break.%Gallery-13462%
iriver says iPhone-like interface just proof of concept
We hit the show floor excitedly looking for iriver's GSM phone which they showed off earlier in the week, but when we got to their booth, the little guy was nowhere to be found. We managed to wrangle a chat out of some of the company's product designers and marketing people, and they explained their hesitation at continuing to show the W7-cum-GSM-phone due to the similarities of the phones UI to an all-too-familiar device. According to the iriver people, the iPhone-like interface which was showcased originally was only meant to demonstrate what the phone was capable of, not a finalized version of the OS. Of course, it's little consolation to us, having seen a brief snippet of the phone, though we're assured that some new hotness -- or hot newness -- is on the way from the cats in Korea.
Video: iriver's Unit 2 hands-on
If you've been wondering how a portable media center, speaker dock, VoIP phone, and folding keyboard work together then you're in luck. We've got the elevator speech from iriver on what the Unit 2 is and how it works. Hitting the US in early 2009 for about $700. We ask you, can you wait? Video after the break.
iriver unveils ten Swarovski-encrusted Mickey Mouse MP3 players
iriver's been playing a lot of peek-a-boo with some pretty hot gear at its CES booth, but it's probably for the best that they left these ridiculous Swarovski-coated Mickey Mouse MP3 players locked safely away, since they basically ruin any credibility devices like the Spinn and Wing bring the company. Yep, there they are, just a-glittering away: 1GB of storage and a whole lot of trashy.
Hands-on with iriver's Lplayer PMP
We can't say too much about iriver's tiny, tiny, tiny Lplayer except that... well, it's tiny. We can't stress how small this is. Despite its size, they still manage to cram up to 8GB in this guy, and top it off with a 2-inch screen. Check the gallery below and witness the micro-sized wonder. P.S. -- It's tiny.%Gallery-13316%
iriver's CES tease-fest continues
iriver's favorite pastime is toying with our heartstrings, and while the latest barrage of fragmented, high-resolution images does just that, at least we've been able to wrap our paws around some of what we're seeing. Hit up the gallery below for today's pictorial treasures. %Gallery-13335%
iriver's M20 GPS media player revealed
We already had the dry details on the M20: a 7-inch PMP with built-in GPS navigation and DMB television. Now the sweet visual jam spread out on your LCD display. Look, don't lick.%Gallery-13282%
iriver's E100 flash player revealed
Announced a few days ago, iriver is now showing off the 2.4-inch E100 flash player with stereo speakers to the world. Its D-click navigation sits atop 4GB, 8GB, or 16GB of storage which is augmented by a microSD slot. We'll try to hunt these down for a hands-on later in the day.%Gallery-13219%
iriver 3-inch touchscreen "GSM phone" headed for the States
Iriver's been pushing out all sorts of product at this year's CES, but this is the biggest surprise from the company yet. The "iriver GSM phone" is an iPhone-esque handset featuring a 3-inch 480 x 272 touchscreen, and a Linux-based UI that is practically mimics the iPhone feature for feature. The actual hardware is quite similar to iriver's own W7. According to PC Mag, the phone has 4GB of flash storage, Rhapsody and other media support, a two megapixel camera (with video, take that Apple), Adobe Flash support, GPS and mobile TV (it's unclear what type). While we're not sure what sort of wireless options this has, like WiFi or 3G, and what carriers will support it, iriver has committed to bring this to the States. Iriver's Owen Kwon promises the phone will be "more affordable" than the iPhone, but otherwise there's no other info on release. There's video of the phone after the break.
iriver's CES teaser site fleshes out Lplayer, Spinn
Last time we were talking about these two, iriver was a bit short on images, which is pretty much criminal given the kind of design going into these PMPs. Iriver's ongoing teaser site has now been updated with a bevy of Spinn images, plus the first Lplayer shots we've seen anywhere. All we really picked up from the Spinn shots is that it'll be available in pure white or brush metal, but the Lplayer shots solved a couple mysteries. It looks like iriver is positioning the Lplayer as a sort of Clix mini, with a 2-inch display surrounded by almost zero bezel, and that same D*Click interface. Iriver looks to be further stressing the simplicity of the device with an ultra-minimal interface, but is spicing things up a little with a color selection of white, purple, brown and cyan. Check out the gallery below of all the sexiness.[Thanks, alsyl]%Gallery-13006%
Hands-on with iRiver's new toys
iRiver was being awful coy with its stable of hot new gear -- we couldn't even get their reps to say anything would be out in North America, much less finagle pricing or ship dates -- but the new Spinn, iAmoled, and Wing still managed to charm us from behind the glass. We did get to poke around with the W7, P10, and the Unit 2 -- which was still impressive, even though it crashed -- and the Dicple D30, all of which had amazing build quality. Hopefully we'll see this stuff hit our fair shores soon, but for now, check 'em all out in our gallery! %Gallery-13159%
iriver's crystal ball predicts upcoming PMP sexiness
While iriver is bringing plenty of love to CES 2008, it looks like there's more in store for the patient DAP-lovers out there. Some of these we've already seen, like the P10, Unit 2 and W7, but the new Spinn and IAmoled P20 (pictured) and Wing are easily worth the price of admission. The Spinn uses iriver's new SPINN analog toggle wheel that we spotted on that APlayer DAP, but also tosses in a 3.2-inch 480 x 272 screen, Bluetooth 2.0, Flash 2.0 gaming and DMB in regions where available. Capacities hit 4GB, 8GB and 16GB of flash memory. Iriver is also prepping the IAmoled Photo Tank media storage unit, which packs a 80GB or 160GB HDD and 4.1-inch AMOLED screen. The unit uses the same SPINN interface and matches the Spinn on specs, but adds TV out and SD / CF slots. Finally, iriver's Wing ultraportable handheld features the Windows CE Pro OS, WiFi, a QWERTY keyboard and 4GB of flash memory. There's also a SD card slot and plenty of VoIP and web-friendly features, including IM and a browser. Obviously we have no idea when these will be hitting the market or for how much, but hopefully iriver will have them ready before the middle of the year. Peep Spinn and Wing after the break.Update: The iAMOLED is actually the P20 in two prototype flavors: a prototype 1 model for consumers (pictured) and a 120GB / 160GB photo storage solution for photogs. iAMOLED appears to refer to a partnership between iriver and Samsung to bring the world's first AMOLED display on a handheld device.
