You’d think a reader with no wireless connectivity or store integration would have a tough time taking on Sony and Amazon, but iriver’s latest makes a fair stab at it. It does so by offering the world’s first 768 x 1,024 resolution electronic ink screen.
Manufactured by LG, this 6in display compares well to the E Ink Pearl screens seen in most of the other readers this month. Contrast is comparable, as is refresh speed, with pages flicking by at a rate of one per second.
The advantage of the extra pixels isn’t immediately obvious, but is clear with smaller text, such as in PDF files not formatted with ebook screens in mind. Consequently, there’s less need to zoom in than with other models.
The interface feels responsive, and looks elegant too. The keyboard makes taking short notes and searching by keyword simple. There’s a generous 2GB of internal storage, which can be supplemented by adding a standard, full-sized SD card. Read the rest of this entry »



















