Review of iRiver HD out

sonyreaderfan · 07-13-2011, 10:04 AM

3 out 5 stars PCWorld

http://www.pcworld.com/article/23562...rustrates.html

Pros
Clean interface
High-resolution XGA E Ink display

Cons
Buttons are stiff, and poorly placed
Sometimes sluggish navigation

Bottom Line
This e-reader offers a crisp, high-resolution display, but its chintzy design leaves much to be desired.

Barty · 07-13-2011, 02:33 PM

Yeah that keyboard doesn't look good at all.

Anyway, isn't it a bit lame to come out with a new product that looks so much like your competitor's last year model. Even with a better screen, seems like a losing proposition.

RainingLemur · 07-13-2011, 02:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Barty

Yeah that keyboard doesn't look good at all.

Yeah, the keyboard was the first thing that I saw that immediately turned me off about this.

tubemonkey · 07-13-2011, 03:07 PM

White and bronze?

tubemonkey · 07-13-2011, 03:12 PM

No audio player means no audio books.

SCION · 07-13-2011, 03:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sonyreaderfan

...
Bottom Line
This e-reader offers a crisp, high-resolution display, but its chintzy design leaves much to be desired.

Bottom line...pass.

Quote:

I found myself frustrated by the Story HD's cheap design, poky performance, and Google Books interface.

Enough said. This gadget is definitely aimed at first time buyers who are clueless about existing quality eReaders. "Ooh look!, the new Kindle." *runs over to demo unit*

elemenoP · 07-13-2011, 05:50 PM

Well specs-wise it has one thing going for it: a higher resolution screen than any other e-ink reader. Too bad about all the rest! Does Vizplex make that screen? I wonder if the rumored new Kindles will have it, or will have any improvement on the screen they have now?

eP

carpetmojo · 07-13-2011, 05:57 PM

Yuk....

j.p.s · 07-13-2011, 07:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by elemenoP

Well specs-wise it has one thing going for it: a higher resolution screen than any other e-ink reader.
eP

If you are talking pixel density, the Pocketbook 360 and I think a Sony 5" are just as high, and if you are talking total number of pixels, just about all the 9.7" e-ink readers blow it away.

cgk · 07-15-2011, 09:57 AM

Another review is here.

afa · 07-15-2011, 10:48 AM

Is it just me or does the screen actually not look that great?

From the images I've seen, particularly the comparison shots in the review linked just above, the Kindle screen is definitely superior. Yes, the iRiver has an "HD" screen with higher pixel count, but we're not watching hi-def movies on the thing; we're reading text.

Contrast is far more important for text, and the iRiver doesn't seem to do a good job there.

Add in the fact that it looks ugly as sin, and doesn't seem to have any nifty feature set compared to its rivals... color me unimpressed.

charleski · 07-15-2011, 12:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by afa

ularly the comparison shots in the review linked just above, the Kindle screen is definitely superior.

If you're referring to this picture then you can't use that to compare the screens. You'd need to have the same text in the same font and the same size on both readers. Caecilia may be as ugly as the iriver HD, but its slab serifs and lack of any stroke contrast make it one of the blackest fonts around.

Ditchleyportrait · 07-18-2011, 08:18 PM

i think this is a terrific reader across-the-board. all it needs is 3g.

afa · 07-27-2011, 03:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by charleski

If you're referring to this picture then you can't use that to compare the screens. You'd need to have the same text in the same font and the same size on both readers. Caecilia may be as ugly as the iriver HD, but its slab serifs and lack of any stroke contrast make it one of the blackest fonts around.

How dare you contradict me? Haven't you seen my avatar? Don't you know what I'm capable of?

charleski · 07-27-2011, 01:29 PM

07-13-2011, 10:04 AM	#1
sonyreaderfan Groupie Posts: 182 Karma: 203167 Join Date: Apr 2011 Device: Sony Reader Prs 950, iPad	Review of iRiver HD out 3 out 5 stars PCWorld http://www.pcworld.com/article/23562...rustrates.html Pros Clean interface High-resolution XGA E Ink display Cons Buttons are stiff, and poorly placed Sometimes sluggish navigation Bottom Line This e-reader offers a crisp, high-resolution display, but its chintzy design leaves much to be desired.

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07-13-2011, 02:33 PM	#2
Barty doofus Posts: 2,549 Karma: 13089041 Join Date: Sep 2010 Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kindle Voyage	Yeah that keyboard doesn't look good at all. Anyway, isn't it a bit lame to come out with a new product that looks so much like your competitor's last year model. Even with a better screen, seems like a losing proposition.

07-13-2011, 03:07 PM	#4
tubemonkey monkey on the fringe Posts: 45,762 Karma: 158733736 Join Date: May 2010 Location: Seattle Metro Device: Moto E6, Echo Show	White and bronze?

07-13-2011, 03:12 PM	#5
tubemonkey monkey on the fringe Posts: 45,762 Karma: 158733736 Join Date: May 2010 Location: Seattle Metro Device: Moto E6, Echo Show	No audio player means no audio books.

07-13-2011, 05:50 PM	#7
elemenoP Wizard Posts: 1,717 Karma: 3790058 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: NYC Device: Kindle Paperwhite, Sony 650	Well specs-wise it has one thing going for it: a higher resolution screen than any other e-ink reader. Too bad about all the rest! Does Vizplex make that screen? I wonder if the rumored new Kindles will have it, or will have any improvement on the screen they have now? eP

07-13-2011, 05:57 PM	#8
carpetmojo Wizard Posts: 3,117 Karma: 9269999 Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: UK Device: Sony- T3, PRS650, 350, T1/2/3, Paperwhite, Fire 8.9,Samsung Tab S 10.5	Yuk....

07-15-2011, 09:57 AM	#10
cgk Enthusiast Posts: 48 Karma: 480356 Join Date: Feb 2010 Device: Paperwhite Signature	Another review is here.

07-15-2011, 10:48 AM	#11
afa The Forgotten Posts: 1,136 Karma: 4689999 Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Dubai Device: Kindle Paperwhite; Nook HD; Sony Xperia Z3 Compact	Is it just me or does the screen actually not look that great? From the images I've seen, particularly the comparison shots in the review linked just above, the Kindle screen is definitely superior. Yes, the iRiver has an "HD" screen with higher pixel count, but we're not watching hi-def movies on the thing; we're reading text. Contrast is far more important for text, and the iRiver doesn't seem to do a good job there. Add in the fact that it looks ugly as sin, and doesn't seem to have any nifty feature set compared to its rivals... color me unimpressed.

07-18-2011, 08:18 PM	#13
Ditchleyportrait Fanatic Posts: 504 Karma: 780086 Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: ny Device: Kindle DX Graphite	i think this is a terrific reader across-the-board. all it needs is 3g.

07-27-2011, 01:29 PM	#15
charleski Wizard Posts: 1,196 Karma: 1281258 Join Date: Sep 2009 Device: PRS-505