iriver wades into competitive e-reader waters

Entering stormy waters

iriver has unveiled a slim line Wi-Fi e-reader with a QWERTY keyboard positioned to sit between simple viewer-only readers and multitasking tablets in the already crowded e-reader market.

At under 10mm thick and weighing 291.5g, the Linux-based iriver Story has a 2GB memory and can download titles on the go via the device's embedded connection to the WHSmith online book store.

It launches at a difficult time in the e-reader market, where tablets are competing with ‘pure' e-readers and Amazon is looking to improve its Kindle, which could have serious implications for similar rivals such as the popular Barnes and Noble Nook. 

The lightweight device boasts a 6 inch electronic paper display screen and makes use of a Linux platform called iriver Flow to render documents quickly.  It also shares a horizontal-viewing option with the ubiquitous iPad tablet.

Impressively, the e-reader also borrows a little of its pricier tablet peers' functionality, letting users work on Microsoft Excel, Word and Powerpoint documents.  The Story has a QWERTY keyboard under its screen to make taking notes and managing an in-built diary possible.  With a built-in microphone, speaker and headphone socket, it also allows for music playback as well as acting as a dictaphone.

A SDHC card slot also allows users to boost the e-reader's memory, while one charge supports 9,000 page turns.  The iriver Wi-Fi Story will be available from WHSmith for £250 ‘soon'.

Specs