Credit: Iriver) Back at CES in
January, we got an early look at
Iriver's Story HD, a new e-ink-
based product that the company
was touting as the world's
"highest-resolution 6-inch e-
reader." Well now, that e-reader
is set to launch July 17 with the
Google eBookstore on board,
making it the first Google eBooks
e-reader.
The 7.3-ounce Story HD, which
retails for $139.99 and sports an
electronic paper display made
by LG, offers XGA (768x1,024
pixels) resolution and has 63.8
percent more pixels and faster
page turns, thanks to an
advanced processor from
Freescale Semiconductor based
on ARM Cortex technology. It
also has built-in Wi-Fi and
allegedly gives you up to six
weeks of battery life from a
single charge. As far as other
specs go, the Story HD has a
QWERTY keypad, and supports
EPUB and PDF formats with DRM.
Aside from the Google eBooks
integration, obviously the most
interesting selling point will be
the crisper text that the higher-
resolution display delivers. But
with more e-ink readers moving
to a touch-screen interface and a
more compact design without a
keyboard, the Story HD's design
faces the problem of seeming
marginally dated at launch. It's
also unclear how much people
care about Google eBooks at this
point after it hasn't exactly set
the world on fire since it
launched late last year.
The new e-reader will first
appear in Target stores and on
Target.com next week. As soon
as we get our hands on a unit,
we'll let you know what we think
in an in-depth review.