iRiver Story eReader to ship in the US later this month

iRiver announced its Story eBook reader will start shipping in the US later this month. This device is 0.36" thick and features a a 6" e-Ink display, a QWERTY keyboard, 2GB storage memory, MP3 player functionality, SD memory card slot, USB 2.0 connectivity, and a battery life of 9,000 page turns. The device is compatible with PDF, PPT, DOC and XLS office files, as well as MP3, wma or audio book files.

The company also unveiled an updated WiFi version will be released in early Q2 2010.

iriver, the award-winning producer of stylish digital devices, is showcasing the new iriver Story eBook at CES 2010 in the CES eBooks TechZone, space #12248 in Central Hall. Iriver is currently lining up content providers in preparation for the launch, and the current version of the Story will be available in January 2010 at select retailers, with an updated wifi version of the device available by the beginning of 2Q 2010. The Story recently had a successful launch in overseas markets that include UK, Germany and Korea.

The Story is the first eReader from iriver, but it aligns with the innovative style, design and features that are a hallmark of the brand's popular mp3 and portable media players. The Story sports a 6" e-Ink Display and is a super-slender .36 inches thick with a QWERTY keyboard.

Yong Keh, Director of Business Units for iriver, said, "We're excited to showcase the Story for the first time in the U.S. at CES 2010. iriver is working to outfit the Story with the most robust selection of content available, and we're currently meeting with major newspapers and publishers in preparation for the U.S. launch."

Key features include an eBook reader, office file viewer, mp3 Player, voice recorder and personal organizer with memo pad and scheduler. The Story eReader has a 2GB internal memory, with an SD card capacity of 16GB. It can store more than 13,000 book titles, is compatible with PDF, PPT, DOC and XLS office files, and plays mp3, wma or audio book files.

The Story also offers USB 2.0, headphones and comics viewer. With a long battery life of 9,000 page turns, the Story is ideal for work, the classroom and traveling.

Users can enjoy their purchased eBook and magazine content from any website that provides it through Adobe Digital Edition including CyberRead.com, FictionWise.com, ebooks.com, RandomHouse.com and many more. The Story will be compatible with other major content providers in Q1 of 2010.