iRiver Reveals Story HD E-Reader With XGA Display And Wi-FI

A lot has changed in a year. At this point in 2010, some of the most anticipated products were e-readers coming from a variety of companies. But then the iPad happened. And consumers began to see that tablets could also be used as readers, albeit with worse battery life and with screens that aren't as viewable in the daylight. This year, there are far fewer e-readers on the docket for release, but iRiver is moving on anyway. The company's 6" Story HD e-reader is a new version of the Story, and the company is hanging their hat on a number of new advancements.

The Story HD is called the world's first 6" XGA e-reader, with a full 1024x768 resolution display, representing 63.8% more pixels and faster page turns than rivals. There's also a Freescale processor inside, built-in Wi-Fi, a QWERTY keypad, a 3-week battery life and support for ePUB/PDF file formats (with DRM). iRiver isn't ready to talk about pricing, but the Story HD will ship in Q2 2011 and be "competitively priced." Hard to say what that means with the rapidly changing tablet market, but it'll probably be somewhat cheaper than the Kindle and NOOK.

iriver Unveils The World's Highest Resolution 6" eBook Reader At CES 2011

iriver Teams Up With LG Display To Introduce The iriver Story HD eBook Reader With The Best Legibility Ever, Wi-Fi and Rapid Response

Irvine, CA -- iriver, the award-winning producer of stylish digital devices, unveils the new iriver Story HD eBook at CES 2011, the world's first 6" XGA (768x1024) eBook reader with 63.8% more pixels and faster page turns than the competition.

The iriver Story HD provides better legibility with finer fonts, faster response and performance with an advanced cortex chipset that is soon to be commercialized from Freescale, and automatic, built-in Wi-Fi. The eBook will be able to access content through their major content partner, which will be announced at launch.

The Story HD will also be equipped with the Easy Wi-Fi Network(www.easywifi.com) feature so that users can access any open or subscribed Wi-Fi hot spots automatically without log-in process. Easy WiFi is the the world's largest WiFi network, and with the network supporting thousands of providers, users can also personalize access by extending Easy WiFi to any personal WiFi accounts as well. The service features a map to locate hot spots, classified by capability. Users can find hot spots, get connected, and personalize access, for free.

Chulmin Lee (COO of iriver Ltd. and President of iriver Inc.), said, "iriver is excited to unveil the iriver Story HD at CES as a world's first. No other eBook features a higher resolution, and users will appreciate fast page-turn performance and the chic design that is the hallmark of iriver. "

The slim and lightweight e-reader features the signature; sleek, iriver style, QWERTY keypad, a curve with two-tone colors at the front and back for easy grip and slim design. The Story HD has buttons located from the side to the center of the keypad, featuring the up/down layout instead of the right/left design to make the unit more user friendly than other eBooks – other models feature the right/left buttons for flipping pages.

The iriver Story HD has a 3-week battery life, making it ideal for travel, and supports Adobe EPUB and PDF formats with DRM.

In June 2010, iriver joined forces with LG Display to create the high definition display eBook. Iriver is responsible for product design, accumulated knowledge on e-book technology, including designs and platform development, as well as technical assistance within the joint-venture. LG Display, with its global sales network and world class production skills, provides a stable supply of e-book displays, such as electronic paper displays (EPD).

The iriver Story HD will be competitively priced and available in the second quarter of 2011.

About iriver, Inc.
iriver Inc. is the award-winning producer of iriver digital A/V devices, owned by iriver, Ltd., the global digital A/V product powerhouse. Since its founding in 1999, iriver has become renowned for its product innovation, style-driven technology, and track record of market dominance. The company's ever expanding digital product lines include: Multimedia Devices (MP3. MP4, PMP, DMB), Network Devices (Home Media Center, Wi-Fi Network, Navigation products) and Content Devices (E-Dictionary, E-Book). For more information on iriver and its product lines, please visit: www.iriver.com.