Hasta La Gadget!

Our trailer was just visited by an iriver rep bearing his company’s Kindle killer in waiting, the Story HD. This 6-inch e-reader touts a bodacious 1024 x 768 resolution, which contributes to an even better contrast ratio than on Amazon’s E Ink slate, while software optimizations between now and release are expected to make the Story HD the fastest-refreshing device of its kind. The display itself is built by LG Display and is accompanied by a Freescale Cortex A8 CPU, 2GB of onboard storage, and an SDHC card-reading slot. Sun rays are, as expected, absolutely no problem and we have to admit that on first sight we thought the device had a sticker affixed to its front — its that good at reproducing printed materials. Physically, it seems to have been constructed with the third-gen Kindle as its dimensional blueprint, albeit with quite a different control scheme. The hand-built proto unit we played with wasn’t really ready to have its ergonomics judged properly, but iriver has plenty of time until the expected May launch to iron out any kinks. Content distribution partnerships have already been sewn up for the US, so now it’s just a matter of patience until we get our e-reading on in gorgeous XGA resolution. Video hands-on after the break.

Continue reading iriver Story HD e-reader preview (video)

iriver Story HD e-reader preview (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Jan 2011 19:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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What a difference a year makes, right? At CES 2010, we were staring at iriver’s Story e-reader, wondering if the future would ever be the same. Today, we’re doing something similar, albeit with way more pixel density. Sure to please our own, in-house Pixel Density Enthusiast Paul Miller, iriver has just let loose the world’s highest resolution 6-inch e-reader. The Story HD — which was designed in cooperation with LG Display — still relies on e-paper, but it packs an XGA (1024 x 768) screen resolution. According to iriver, that represents a 63.8 percent pixel increase over the competition, offering increased legibility, faster response performance and finer fonts. You’ll also find a Freescale processor, built-in WiFi and a content access portal that’s being kept under wraps for now. It’s also equipped with Easy Wi-Fi Network support, a battery good for up to three weeks of use and compatibility with DRM-laced ePUB and PDF files. If you’re curious to know just how badly this thing will undercut those LCD-based alternatives, you’ll have to wait; we’re simply told that it’ll be “competitively priced” and available for purchase in Q2 2011.

Continue reading iriver teams with LG Display on Story HD e-reader, bumps resolution to 1024 x 768

iriver teams with LG Display on Story HD e-reader, bumps resolution to 1024 x 768 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 06 Jan 2011 00:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We knew it was coming… and you know what happens to things you know are coming? They eventually come. Case in point: Amazon’s Kindle app for Windows Phone 7, first teased in October and now available to anyone with a WP7 device and a desire to read stuff. Grab it now, if you’re into that sort of thing.

[Thanks, Tiziano]

Kindle for Windows Phone 7 goes live originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 04 Jan 2011 21:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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You Nook owners just aren’t ever satisfied, are you? First, reading wasn’t enough so you went ahead and rooted to get your Angry Birds on. That was all fine and well, until that Froyo hack came along and (maybe?) nuked your device. If your confidence hasn’t yet been shattered, strap on your seatbelt for the latest chapter in the life of the Nook Color after e-reading. Apparently user occip over at the always-hacking xda-developers found a way to enable the currently dormant Bluetooth radio tucked away in some undisclosed cranny of B&N’s colorful Nook. This one’s not for the faint of heart just yet — you have to be on Froyo already, and that’s a feat in and of itself. Still, it paves the way for things like Bluetooth GPS dongles as well as headsets for apps like Skype. We’ll see what happens when B&N releases 2.2 officially, which should be pretty much any day now…

Nook Color Bluetooth chip shows signs of life — if you’ve already hacked it, of course originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 04 Jan 2011 14:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’ve already heard that Sharp was planning to bring its Galapagos tablets / e-readers to the US, and it looks like they’ve now crossed one key hurdle on that path — or one of the tablets has, at least. The 10.8-inch EB-WX1GJ “media tablet” recently passed through the FCC, where it posed for the camera, went through the usual battery of tests, and picked out a nice spot for an FCC label. Not much in the way of surprises at this point, but the device’s user manual does also mention the 5.5-inch EB-W51GJ model, so it may well be following it’s larger counterpart through the FCC, if it hasn’t already. There also happens to be a rather large technology trade show happening this week, which seems like an ideal opportunity for Sharp to divulge some additional details. We’ll keep you posted if that happens.

Sharp’s 10.8-inch Galapagos EB-WX1GJ ‘media tablet’ hits the FCC originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 03 Jan 2011 22:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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