iriver Story HD Pro Reviews

A great screen, but suspect ergonomics and a lack of display options and features put paid to its chances

Were it launched rather than just announced back in January, the Story HD may well have been a contender. As it stands, however, the reader is a victim of its own timing, having been eclipsed by both the Nook and Kobo -- and we still haven't seen what Amazon has up its sleeve for the next generation. The device's "HD" display is a nice feature, but it's hardly enough reason to recommend it over the competition. The Google partnership is neat as well, but again, it's just not as compelling is it might sound at first, since the software giant's content can already be loaded onto most readers, and from the sound of it, this is the first of many such partnerships to come. The basic nature of the software, meanwhile, might not be a deterrent from users looking for a simple e-reader, but it really just underscores one of the Story HD's biggest shortcomings -- there's just nothing all that compelling about it.

Still, given the very simple interface of the Story HD and the sometimes disappointing Google ebookstore (no Gilead?!), the Story HD presents a fairly satisfactory overall experience, and while its not able to compete point-for-point with the Nook or Kindle, it’s also doesn’t completely lose against those competitors, either. In fact, as a utilitarian product, it doesn’t fare too badly, and the performance of the device is solid, with no sluggishness or delays. The real sticking point, I think, is in its price point. At $139, the Story HD is the exact same price as the Wi-Fi-only Nook and Kindle, both products which outshine iriver’s offering in several key points. If this were a $99 product, it would be much easier to overlook some of the very minor drawbacks to this device. As it is, it’s not a bad product by any means, but better ones can be had at this price.

At first glance, the $139 iRiver Story HD seems like a solid eReader contender. The HD display differentiates this device from the Kindle and Nook, as does the wide document support. However, these features don't balance out the uncomfortable design or the inability to make notes and highlights. The Google eBook integration works both in the Story HD's favor and against it. After all, if you can load these books on any number of eReaders, why choose one that's not quite there--especially when the Nook Touch is the same price and the Kindle Wi-Fi is $10 less? However, if you're dedicated to building a library under Google's aegis, then the Story HD will at least make it easier to keep all your eBooks in one place.

The iriver Story HD sports a fantastic screen and it's the first ebook reader with Google eBooks integration, but an outdated feature set can't compete with leaders like the Kindle or the Nook.

The iRiver Story HD design feels rough compared with Barnes & Noble and Kobo, and the interface needs some work, too. But the emergence of the first Google Books-driven e-reader will surely drive competition among the players in this space, and that can only benefit book lovers.

The iRiver Story HD is such a purist device that it does feel a little outdated. Outwardly it looks to be competing against the Amazon Kindle as it has the same overall form factor, a 6-inch E Ink screen, and full physical keypad below. But, it does away with a lot of the features of recently launched e-readers such as the ability to surf the web, check email, and listen to music or audio books. The iRiver Story HD completely forgoes all this although this is not necessarily bad. Priced in line with the Amazon Kindle at $139, the iRiver Story HD is lacking in certain features, but to some it’s made up for it with a higher resolution display, longer battery life, lighter weight, expandable storage with SD card, and Google eBookstore integration.