iRiver Story Enters E-Book Arena Without Wireless

Michael Kwan — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 20:30:55 +0000

I don’t think e-book readers like the Amazon Kindle have quite reached the same level of prevalence as MP3 players and smartphones just yet, but many people are saying that they are going to be the next big thing. Not to be left out in the cold, iRiver has an entry of its own that is very Kindle-like. Behold the iRiver Story.

I guess the idea here is that the iRiver Story has a tale to tell and it’s one that takes on an appearance very similar to that of the Amazon Kindle. It has the same matte white finish. It has a similar QWERTY keyboard sitting beneath the large e-ink display. If you didn’t know any better, you’d assume that the Koreans really have a Kindle of their own.

That’s partly true, but not completely true. The biggest difference is that the iRiver Story seems to be lacking in the wireless department. While you can browse and buy new content for your Amazon Kindle through WhisperNet, you need a physical connection to get new stuff for your iRiver Story.

You can load new content using the provided SDHC card slot, so I guess that’s a little more convenient than a full USB connection. Format support includes PDFs, E-Pub, TXT, e-comics, and Microsoft Office files. The Story will do all of these without conversion.

Look for the iRiver Story this month for about $300. It’ll be a Korea-only product until iRiver works out a deal with European and North American distributors.

Source: Gizmodo

The post iRiver Story Enters E-Book Arena Without Wireless appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

Mobile Magazine » iriver

iRiver Story Enters E-Book Arena Without Wireless