iriver Story HD

The iriver Story HD is one of the latest eReaders to enter the market. This eReader boasts an HD display and a very powerful eReader processor. iriver also has a partnership with Google Books, similar to the partnerships between the Kindle and Amazon and Barnes and Noble and the Nook. This way there is a clear medium through which books can be purchased onto the Story HD, which is not the case with a few other eReaders on the market.

Aesthetically, the Story HD actually seems as if it was created about ten years in the past. The device is similar in looks to the first generation Kindle, and the appearance is not helped by a mini USB port on the side. In terms of the High Definition aspect, the iriver Story HD does not play HD video or anything the sort, it just has a superbly crisp and bright six inch screen for reading books. The resolution is 768 x 1024, which is far higher than the Kindle or the Nook that both support 600 x 800 resolutions. This resolution results in much sharper images and text, which may be a plus to some users. Since this eReader is used mostly to read books, however, some users may feel the HD capability is not as important.

There are many positive aspects to the Story HD. Google has a wide selection of books and most are available at relatively low prices, meaning that once you buy the Story HD, you will not have to spend very much on individual books. This eReader is priced at about the same level as the Kindle and the Nook, which is unfortunate as they have features that the Story HD is lacking, such as a web browser.

Need to Know Facts: iriver Story HD

1. Bright, sharp display. (The Good)

2. Google Books integration. (The Good)

3. Poor industrial design. (The Bad)

4. Slightly heavy. (The Bad)