Guest User

DigiHunter

Korea in the digital vanguard

by Kevin (Kilmo) Kang, Korea

Subscribe to this blog

iriver announces e-book reader called Story

Sep 13, 2009 22:42

iriver was a major brand in flash-based MP3 players a few years back. Now, it is having a difficult time in Korea and worldwide of late. iriver is trying to expand its product lineups to include a new segment that merges with Internet connectivity.

At this moment, iriver has come up with a new product which is E-book reader called "Story". Samsung and Nuut have already introduced and are selling their e-book readers in Korea and the e-book market is emerging worldwide, led by major market of the US with the Amazon Kindle.

This isn't the first time we've seen iriver's e-book reader. iriver has already introduced two types of e-book readers at the CES show a few years back, but none were released into the market.

The iriver e-book reader has very competitive specifications against other existing e-book readers. Let's check out the specifications of the iriver Story.

LCD size: 6-inch e-ink display
Capacity: Built-in 2GB memory (expandable up to 32GB via memory slot)
Color: White only
E-book file formats: EPUB, PDF, TXT, DOC, PPT, XLS (without any convert)
MP3 file formats: MP3, WMA, OGG
Image file formats: JPEG, BMP, GIF
Battery: 1,800mAh lithium-polymer, up to 7,000 pages/20 hours of MP3 playback
Others: Voice recording
Size: 127 x 203.5 x 9.4mm
Weight: 284g
Price: Around 300,000 won (not fixed yet)

Well, iriver Story doesn't have any Internet connectivity such as Wi-Fi or 3G. This means all the content and files need to be transferred by USB cable from your PC, which is a bit annoying. But you know it will work as an external memory and does not have to sync through iTunes like the Apple iPod. A Wi-Fi or 3G module can be added later this year with a separate model once the local carrier accepts this as one of its running models in the network. (Wi-Fi may be added at the first launch.)

Since the Korean e-book market is still small, iriver is focusing on entering the US market, followed by Russia, the European Union and Australia. Looks like it is really targeting a head-on with the Amazon Kindle. This reminds me that its old AD, which was aiming at Apple's iPod with the new HDD model H10, was released in the US and global market a few years back.

I remember that time iriver didn't succeed with its AD, but this time it can do better than the last battle against Apple. Let's see how thsi Korean company is facing the challenges.

iriver Story will be taking preorders from September 16 in Korea. Price and detailed specifications are still unknown.

« Prev

Report offensive

Talkback

ccu34

View profile

Send mail

ccu34 says...
2010 is definitely the year of the e-Book Reader (more commonly referred to as a e-Reader). Asus, iRiver, and numerous other companies have announced they are about to produce e-Readers in both monochrome and color.

Unforgettably the iRiver looks like a typical monochrome. I believe these devices will be hot for a year or two because they are cheap. Once the color e-Readers come down in price monochrome e-readers will become like your old apple or a IBM XT PC, dated.

Side note: There are two categories of devices coming out.
e-Reader - Devices designed to primary read e-books. E-book Reader is outdated terminology.
Tablet Computers - Thin PC's with a screen and a digital keyboard with color screens and the ability to read ebooks, play music, watch movies, surf the internet.

Emerging markets. Watch these areas explode in the area of e-Reader and Tablet sales. New devices bring a whole new area of accessory sales.

Sleeves for Tablet PCs
Sleeves for e-Readers
Stands to hold e-Readers and Tablet Computer's
Docking stations for e-Readers and Tablet Computer's
Tablet and e-Reader external add-on keyboards
Skins for e-Readers and Tablet Computer's

Sep 13, 2009 23:23

Comment

Report offensive

About Kevin (Kilmo) Kang

Kevin (Kilmo) Kang is a self-professed IT-savvy guy who's been having the time of his life making tech deals with new business partners in the Asia-Pacific areas. Like every Korean, he's gadget-crazy and is glad he lives in a country with one of the fastest-growing tech markets in the world. His taste for international work, however, arose from a nine-year stay in New Zealand where he fortunately made more friends than there are sheep.