The list of devices with native Matroska support is growing rapidly fueled by the preponderance of ripped HD videos living large on the torrents. iriver’s hoping to capitalize on this phenomenon by adding .MKV to the list of supported formats (including AVI, WMV, MP4, TP, MPG, ASF) inside its new 3.5-inch (480×320 pixel) K1 Smart HD personal media player offering 18 hours audio / 6 hours video playback. In addition to detailed specs we’ve also got the official pricing: ₩229,000 (about $204) for the basic 8GB model, ₩279,000 ($248) to add a DMB mobile television tuner, ₩299,000 ($266) to bump things up to 16GB, and ₩349,000 ($310) if you want the full package with WiFi, DMB, and 16GB of storage. Korea-only for now. Gallery: iriver’s K1 Smart HD packs MKV video support into 3.5-inch player iriver’s K1 Smart HD packs MKV video support into 3.5-inch player originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 18 Jan 2010 04:32:00 EST

At one point in time it seemed like iriver had a monopoly on insane, imaginative designs. Sure, it was mostly centered around PMPs, but iriver’s stuff in its heyday was fun enough to make even a screenless MP3 player seem interesting. Lately, however, things seem a little more conservative. Take this iriver Story , for instance: it’s a sexy device that seems very on par with other e-readers on the market… and that’s about it. We played around with it a bit on the show floor, and found the keyboard to be pretty great, the design solid and slim, and the software pretty slow.

Amazingly enough, the PMP news here at CES has been essentially nil. We’ve got e-readers , whiffs of tablets and more 3D than two eyes can comprehend, but we’re in desperate need of some fresh portable media players. Thanks to iriver, we won’t be going home completely empty handed, with the K1 “Smart HD” being ushered out onto the public scene in Las Vegas. Specs include a 3.5-inch display, a 480 x 320 resolution, support for a slew of file formats, WiFi, some sort of web browser and a DMB TV tuner. It’s slated to be released in South Korea for an undisclosed amount later this month, but alas, there’s no immediate word on when this will hit the States.

iRiver’s Story eReader has taken its sweet time making a stateside appearance, and as of today, it’s still not here. But it’s coming! Sometime in January, to be “specific.” But will it be as comically expensive as its European counterpart? Hopefully, no. But probably? Yes.

iriver ’s first legitimate shot at making an e-reader has been floating around in various corners of the globe for months now, but finally we’ve confirmation from the company that the device is coming Stateside. Announced here in Las Vegas, the iriver Story will ship to US retailers later this month, with an “updated WiFi version” slated to ship in early Q2. For those who’ve forgotten, the 0.36-inch thick reader packs a 6-inch e-ink display, an integrated MP3 player, 2GB of internal memory, an SD expansion slot, USB 2.0 connectivity and a battery good for 9,000 page turns. As for the MSRP?

Just a few days after iriver’s E30 was spotted doing a domino impression in China we’re happy to say the thing is now making an appearance in American stores — or at Amazon, at least. The smallest of the three couldn’t be bothered to make the trip, leaving only 4GB and 8GB models selling for $59 and $79, respectively. The little 1.8-inch player is just .3-inch thick, supports a plethora of media formats and, with 52 hours of battery life, should let you sample each and every one of them between recharges. It’s a lovely, understated thing and would make a wonderful stocking stuffer — though to be honest it would only really stuff the socks of those with very tiny feet.

iriver’s E30 hasn’t shaken any trees since quietly launching in mid-August, but evidently the minuscule, no-frills player is shipping over in China. Available in 2GB, 4GB and 8GB flavors, the pocket-friendly DAP is currently selling for around $66 at the low-end, and if you’re eager to see precisely what it looks like in the wild, that source link down there has the goods you crave. Sadly, there’s still no definite word on a US release, but if you find yourself a few time zones over this holiday season, we’re certain it’d make for a great in-flight partner on the way back. [Thanks, Gavin] iriver E30 ships in China, gets handled in the wild originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 13 Dec 2009 05:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds

PC Pro reviewed the iRiver Story . And to no one’s surprise, it’s not a bad eBook/PDF reader, but it’s too expensive compared to more established competitors. While PC Pro praises the use of ePub format (it’s not tied so closely to one store like the Kindle), they put its build and display quality below the Kindle. They say it’s a lot like the Sony Reader PRS-505…but far more expensive for no justifiable reason. (The Story costs the equivalent of $380.) [ PC Pro via Engadget ]

If you didn’t feel you got the whole Story yesterday , here’s a pleasing helping of seconds, this time in the form of a full-on review. The PC Pro team rates iriver’s Kindle emulator as a “serious contender,” and places its readability on par with Sony’s touch-less Readers . While congratulations are also meted out for a decent integrated MP3 player, 3.5mm headphone jack, and the wide variety of supported formats, two issues stood out for the reviewers. One was that the support for Word, Excel and Powerpoint files was somewhat hit-and-miss, with zooming sometimes not working and rendering some files unreadable. But the major gripe related to the asking price of

Other than delightful-looking keyboard, it’s a little tough to tell what sets the iriver Story apart from its E Ink brethren (other than its complete lack of wireless), but the little issue of a $400 US pricetag for import versions doesn’t give us much reason to find out. Meanwhile, in the UK the somewhat more reasonable