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, while that Reader is but $300.) Sounds like a price drop will straighten out most of these qualms. [PC Pro via Engadget]

It's called the iRiver Story, and obviously the design is quite a bit similar to the Kindle—it's not only white, but it features a full QWERTY keyboard under the screen. That ziplock-style case, however, is 100% iRiver design.

You won't find wireless downloading like Amazon and Sony offer in their devices, but the Story does support SDHC cards and a slew of useful formats without conversion: PDF, E-Pub, txt, e-comics and Microsoft Office (PowerPoint, Word and Excel docs).

The Story will be available in Korea only starting this month for about $300 while iRiver negotiates a deal with US and European publishers. I can't imagine anyone being too interested at the current pricing, but if iRiver could undercut the competition by a decent margin, the Story would be a promising alternative to some random generic. [MobileRead via SlashGear via Fast Company]

Featuring a 2.8-inch screen, the iRiver E200 will come in 4GB, 8GB and 16GB capacities (plus whatever you add through MicroSD) while supporting FM radio, FLAC, RMVB and Xvid. Otherwise, there's not much else to know that we didn't already know. [iRiver via PMP Today]

According to iRiver Fans (where we also found these apparent press images), the E200 has been slimmed down to 9.9mm, versus the E100's 11.3mm.

The current model's 2.4-inch (262-color) display has also been bumped up to 2.8-inches on the E200. According to Engadget, it may also be a brighter OLED screen. You can also add to the limited storage (4GB or 8GB) thanks to a MicroSD card slot.

There's not too much else to report—the touch-sensitive controls and interface are said to be the same—so I'm left feeling kinda myeh, unfortunately. [iRiver Fans via DAP Review via PMP Today via Engadget]

The folks over at DAPReview spotted a notice on iriver America's front page advertising the P35's release this fall in the States. The P35 is a 4.3" screened flash-based PMP with an 8/16GB capacity (expandable with MicroSDHC), impressive codec support, Wi-Fi, and a touch/tactile control combination like the company's Spinn player. Looks pretty sweet overall, we just hope iriver can keep the prices out of the stratosphere when it's released Stateside. [DAPReview]

Oh what's this awesome thing strapped to my head? I dunno, it's just some thing Speedo sent over to me. Underwater music? Yeah. Yeah it's kind of sweet, isn't it? iRiver makes it, 2GB, costs around $130, and not coming out anywhere but Japan any time soon. Man I love Japan. Hahahahaha. Hahahahahahahaha. I'm just a regular guy, at heart. Just a regular guy.

Hey do you want to see me breathe underwater? I can do it. [iRiver Japan]

The iRiver Libre doesn't feature EVDO or a QWERTY, but it is a white-framed eBook that reads PDFs, plays music and features SD-expandable storage. It's also controlled by a single joystick.

And as long as that joystick works well enough, we're interested to see how much the Libre costs whenever iRiver decides to release it. I mean, Amazon isn't the only company in the world, people. [engadget via DVICE]

UPDATE: As our sharp-eyed readership pointed out, this product appears to be a mere reskin of another, the eSlick.

The camera, a no-name little 5MP bugger from China, is more forgivable, since its spinning mechanism does serve a different purpose: turn the lens around and you can take self-portraits.

But the PMP, a much less-crappy design by Myracer called the lisse t10, takes the awkward pointed chin of the T-Mobile G1 and pairs it with the sleek contours and, of course, the spinner, of the Spinn. For shame, nameless Chinese manufacturing drones. For shame. [Engadget and DAPReview]

The key points: it'll be available in 4/8/16/32 GB flavors, pack 35 hours audio and 7 hours video battery life, and a 4.3" 480x272 resolution screen. That screen's a bit disappointing, we'd have liked to see a sharper one. It also looks a little pudgier than we'd want from a flash-based PMP, though the screen size makes it un-pocketable anyway. The P7 will support an impressive array of codecs, including the less common OGG, FLAC, and even XviD. Oddly enough, the packaging gets special mention: apparently it can double as "a business card holder, a pen holder, or a picture frame." Still no word on price or Stateside release date, though it should be out in South Korea shortly.

[DAPReview]

For one, album art now looks like it finally shows up in sizes larger than a postage stamp (half a stamp, actually). Also added is a memo/drawing app for stylus doodling, enhanced video controls, auto-rotating images and the ability to schedule recordings of FM Radio here in the states and DMB radio/TV in Korea.

The update is only on the Korean site at the moment; you can download it here. [iRiver.co.kr via DAP Review]

It stands arched in white plastic, with a 7" LCD touch screen looking out at you; a wireless handset tucked into the back is for when you don't want to use the video speakerphone.

Video quality looks good for the camera, and the UI is almost as beautifully done as the iRiver says it will run under $400, and availability is pending negotiations with VoiP carriers—they want to bundle it with service, because right now, it doesn't run Skype or any similar services. Bringing such a unique device into a big VoIP partnership might pose some problems, but we hope not, because this thing is beautiful.

iRiver also brought out a similarly Braun-inspired D50N, a wi-fi "communicator" with a full Qwerty keyboard for IM, browser, and translation dictionaries:

And the P7, a Spinn-inspired PMP with a 4.3-inch WQVGA (480 x 272) touchscreen that comes in 8/16GB sizes with a microSD expansion slot:

Both of these models were in a mix of Korean and English, so it was hard to get the full flavor, but the screen on the P7 looks great for video and its nice, magazine-layout-like UI, which is navigable via touch and a Spinn-like analog scroll wheel.

All are taking major cues from Dieter Rams, the German design legend who was doing smooth white plastic and hard-edged minimalism before Jonathan Ive was a twinkle in Steve Job's eye. In short, this stuff is beautiful, so we hope pricing and availability solidifies soon.

iriver Brings a Hot New Look and Feel to Networking With the All-Inclusive WAVE-HOME Multimedia Communication Device

Next Generation Networking Base Station and Handset Keep You Connected
and In Control Of Your Home and Office Life

Las Vegas, NV – iriver, a global leader in innovative digital devices, is bringing its award-winning ingenuity to the networking space with the game-changing WAVE-HOME. More than a home networking device, the WAVE-HOME is the ultimate all-in-one solution that provides advanced multimedia, web and phone capabilities – a comprehensive communications hub that keeps you totally connected and in control at home, at the office and in your life. Featuring a sleek and minimal base station and portable handset, the WAVE-HOME manages and integrates all your phone, Internet, home entertainment and lifestyle needs.

iriver’s WAVE-HOME and all of its new networking devices will be on display at the iriver booth (#7935, Central Hall) during the 2009 Consumer Electronics Show at the Las Vegas Convention Center, January 8-11, 2009.

Kuno Kim, President, iriver, said, "The WAVE-HOME is a milestone introduction for iriver as we expand our product innovation and design into exciting new areas such as life and home networking. Our mission has always been to help consumers easily connect with the things they value most in life. Our new networking devices take this concept to the next level by providing a stylish and powerful way to stay completely connected to every aspect of your home and business life and relationships."

The WAVE-HOME comes with a stylish base station with a 7" color LCD touch screen and is designed to integrate all of your personal digital content such as music, photos, movies, digital photo frame, hand drawing, Internet and phone services. Music, video, and FM radio can all be enjoyed in pristine sound thanks to the WAVE-HOME’s built-in, high-quality stereo speakers.

WAVE-HOME is not just a simple VolP telephone, it’s an internet multimedia communication device that combines a wide variety of activities at home or in the office. It can be used privately or in a broader context, such as creating new business opportunities via broadband internet such as VoIP. When connected to broadband Internet, the WAVE-HOME offers Web surfing, and also supports Internet phone service at home and in the office with VoIP Phone, VoIP Video Phone, SMS/MMS, MMCID/MMRB, live Phonebook sync, and more. Phone calls can be made by using either the internal speaker phone or the wireless handset that also supports a remote controller. WAVE-HOME also features a 1.3M pixel CMOS camera for taking sharp photos that can be instantly presented via the photo viewer.

Another exciting feature is the intelligent Widget that provides instant weather, stock and traffic updates, as well as web and multimedia services that users can enjoy without a computer since the device is connected to broadband internet. The Widget utilizes a graphical user interface (GUI) and displays an individual information window or a text box. The defining characteristic of a Widget is to provide a single interaction point for the direct manipulation of a given kind of data. Therefore, the user can arrange his or her data with several Widget functions such as Widget Connector, Widget Icon, Widget Manager and Widget Gallery. It provides endless options on the 7” color touch screen. Due to its simplified navigation, it creates an intuitive and easy-to-use interface.

WAVE-HOME catches the eye with its sleek, minimalist design that enhances any interior and creates style at home while changing the way we communicate.

iriver Shows Off Sleek and Style-Savvy Multimedia Players For ‘09

Trend-Setting PMP, MP3 and MP4 Players on Display at CES 2009

Las Vegas, NV – iriver, a leading innovator of stylish digital devices, shows off its signature style at CES 2009 with a hot new selection of Multimedia Players, including the compact yet powerful P7 NAND flash player with a new intuitive user interface and large 4.3" touch screen. Also on display are the slick new E50 MP4 Player with 52 hours of continuous playback, the E100 Season II, a revamped version of the original E100 Multimedia MP3 Player, and the truly eye-catching Mplayer Eyes MP3 player.

All of iriver’s Multimedia Players will be on display at the company’s booth (#7935, Central Hall) during the 2009 Consumer Electronics Show at the Las Vegas Convention Center, January 8-11, 2009.

P7 PMP Offers Sleek Design & Smart Performance
Iriver’s sleek new P7 is the perfect on-the-go media companion for any trend-setter. The P7 will be available in 4, 8 and 16GB Nand flash models, making the player slimmer and lighter than HDD-type PMPs, and also more durable. Functions include Video, Music, Photo viewer, FM and Voice Recording. The compact P7 delivers up to 50 hours of audio playback time and full movie CODEC support for enjoying the latest films or videos. The intuitive new user interface and brilliant 4.3” LCD touch screen make the player a snap to use and control, Enhanced features include SRS WOW HD and 7 Preset EQ settings, plus micro SD slot.

While it's not multitouch and its operating system may not be as advanced and powerful as the iPhone or Android OS, it looks like one to keep an eye on in the case it arrives to the US from Korea, where it will appear on March 9, next year. [Aving (Korea) via HallyuTech]

HIGHLY ANTICIPATED AND HIGH END
SPINN MP4 PLAYER RELEASED BY IRIVER

Leading Brand of Stylish Digital Devices Debuts
Metallic Touch-Screen MP4 Player with Groundbreaking Spindle Interface

Irvine, CA. – iriver, the international digital device leader known around the world for its innovative designs, launches the SPINN MP4 Player, the distinctive metallic MP4 player with a brilliant 3.3” AMOLED touch screen and unique spindle interface. Having generated buzz since its preview at CES 2008 with its striking design and impressive roster of capabilities, including video, music, FM radio, picture viewer, voice recording, wireless headset support over Bluetooth 2.0 and more, the SPINN MP4 Player is now available in the U.S. at $249.99 (4GB) and $289.99 (8GB) MSRP.

Sean Oh, Head of U.S. Operations for iriver, said, “We wanted to create a one-of-a-kind, high-end digital device that is truly unique. The SPINN maintains iriver’s signature simplistic design with a metallic silver, expensive look, but incorporates the new SPINN System Technology. The user has multiple options in navigating the device and can control the player using either the unique spindle interface, or the large 3.3” touch screen.”

The SPINN System Technology gives the user the ability to control the device through a spindle on the side of the player. With a simple movement of the thumb, the user can navigate through icons by rotating the spindle and pushing down on it to select options. The player can also be controlled with the touch of a fingertip using the large 3.3” AMOLED touch screen that exudes brilliant color and provides a clear, crisp picture.

The extensive features of the SPINN MP4 Player include:

· 3.3” QVGA AMOLED Touch Screen with Haptic Interface (reactive vibration)
· Spindle Wheel for Unique Operating Interface (use either spindle wheel or touch screen)
· Silver Magnesium Front Case for a lighter and stronger body as well as a gorgeous aesthetic
· Bluetooth 2.0 Wireless Headset Support
· Music (MP3, WMA, ASF, OGG, FLAC (lossless), APE)
· Video (MPEG4, WMV9, XVID)
· FM Radio and FM Recording
· Voice Recording
· Photo Viewer, Text Viewer, Flash Games

The iriver SPINN is available at iriverinc.com, Amazon.com, J&R and B&H Photo.

Hanging out at sites like Giz may have instilled in you an insatiable, pocket-emptying gadget habit. But now we're entering a new era—the old guys on the TV are saying that soon we may not even have pockets, let alone money for them. Don't panic though: You've probably got a wealth of gadgetry sitting underutilized in your living rooms, closets and basements, just waiting to be given powerful new (not exactly authorized) features. For free.

I've collected the best firmware replacements, software mods and homebrew hacks from the DMCA-flouting, EULA-hating frontiers of gadgetland that'll breathe new life into your stable of hardware and maybe—just maybe—let you feel that lusty new-gadget rush again.

Turn Your Xbox, Old PC or Apple TV into a Genuine Media Center

Xbox Media Center is about as refined as an unauthorized hack can get, playing back virtually any audio and video format, running a bevy of console emulators and still playing your Xbox games. To be honest, this should almost be viewed as a natural update for every Xbox, which at its core is a slow but functional PC with an easy TV connection. (Any actual PCs you have lying around can run a PC-ported version of XBMC.)

Boxee is a very slick fork of the XBMC project for Mac, and it's available for Apple TV. As shipped, the Apple TV works fine within the closed iTunes ecosystem, but Boxee's support for virtually every video codec and free online video like YouTube, CNN, BBC, and Revision3 will suit your new, more destitute lifestyle a bit better.

Difficulty: Easy to Moderate. Installation is pretty straightforward in most cases, with simple Boxee and XBMC setup programs available for Windows, Mac and Linux. Before you load XBMC, though, you have to mod your Xbox with one of these methods, many of which require a specific game. After that it's all install wizards and lollipops.

Installing anything on the locked-down Apple TV used to take some serious finagling, but there are now tools that will create an automated Boxee installer on a flash drive. Just plug the drive in, restart and you're good to go.

XBMC Online Manual

Boxee

Make Over Your iPod, Archos, iRiver or Sandisk with Rockbox

It's hard to look at the current generation of media players and not admire their diverse capabilities and extensible software platforms. That's not to say that your 5th-gen iPod doesn't play back music perfectly well, or that your iRiver H10 still isn't a kickass media player, but they do feel a bit dated. Rockbox replaces your MP3 player's operating system with something more substantial, effectively making it a completely new device. You get endless codec support, advanced audio options, dozens of games, useful apps like a calculator and a text editor, plus you can choose from tons of different interface skins for a unique look and feel. Rockbox's tweaking possibilities mean you will earn admiring "what is that?" questions from friends, and it won't cost you a thing. If your player isn't supported yet just hold on—everything from the Zen Vision:M to the Toshiba Gigabeat S has a fairly active dev team.

Difficulty: Easy. Rockbox has an automated tool called the Rockbox Utility available for Windows, Mac and Linux. It does the work for you. Even better, it often automatically configures your player to dual boot with its original OS.

Rockbox Official Site

Convert Your PC or Notebook Into A Much More Expensive Mac

It's undeniable that Macs are too expensive. For many, they are considered a luxury item whose added cost doesn't justify the benefit. Luckily Apple's switch to an Intel platform opened up a world of unauthorized OS X installations which can turn your existing PC into a powerhouse Mac Pro workstation, or morph your MSI Wind or Asus EeePC into the Mac netbook that should be in their goddamn product line anyway. Check the hardware compatibility list to see if your PC is eligible for the upgrade.

Difficulty: Moderate to Hard. If you're not morally opposed to downloading iATKOS and Kalyway, which are pre-patched Leopard install DVDs (this is bit torrent territory), then the process is much like installing any other OS. If you insist on building your own patched install from a DVD you own, then, well, good luck. Always check hardware lists first, though, because driver support is everything.

OSX86 Project Page

Flash Your Crappy Router Into a Top-Line Piece of Hardware

The DD-WRT project exists for a simple reason: Most routers are physically very similar, but are priced differently because of functionality derived from software. The DD-WRT firmware unlocks the potential of the most basic routers out there—too many to name but damn if yours isn't on the list. As it turns out, your budget model is kind of impressive: Program-specific traffic throttling, professional level wireless security and radical signal boosting are just a few of the dozens of new features that can be enabled.

Difficulty: Easy. If you can't manage this one, then you don't deserve a router—installation just takes a few clicks on the device's default configuration pages. A word of caution, though: Make sure your router configuration page is totally compatible with your browser before the operation, as some choke on Firefox and can botch firmware upgrades. Stick to IE if you have the choice.

DD-WRT Project Page

Download Updated Maps For Your Old GPS

I'm referring of course to capital 'D' downloading here, mainly because at the moment GPS map updates are a racket. You could spend hundreds of dollars on map data that is freely available on Google Maps, Microsoft Live and MapQuest, among others, or you can just, you know, not. Map packs for Garmin, TomTom and Magellan units are floating around torrent sites and usually don't require much more than a simple CD image mount and run routine to set up. (Guilty conscience sold separately.)

Difficulty: Easy to Moderate. If you're just running a copy of a CD, then you'll be able to use the installation wizards. Some more involved methods for Windows CE-based devices require some SSH file transfers, but these are relatively rare.

Jailbreak Your iPhone for Wi-Fi Internet Tethering

Two internet plans are enough, but to sign on to a mobile internet contract when you've already got unlimited iPhone data feels kind of stupid. Jailbreaking your iPhone is now about as easy as performing a firmware upgrade, and there are actually multiple tethering apps. PDANet and iPhoneModem both work a treat, but keep in mind that excessive usage could draw AT&T's attention and ire: Tethering is not allowed on the data plan, even though it works fine. Both apps are available in Cydia, where you can also find a limited assortment of other apps that don't have a place in the app store.

Difficulty: Moderate. Jailbreaking can be managed through the Dev Team's fantastic Quickpwn tool, but it does take a few minutes and can go wrong if instructions aren't followed closely. After jailbreak, Cydia and Installer fill the role of the gray-market app store, functioning as simple package managers that are arguably as polished as their more legitimate younger brother.

PDANet and iPhoneModem take different approaches to tethering, but neither requires more networking expertise than it would take to, say, set up a router.

iPhone Jailbreak

PDANet

iPhoneModem

Turn Your Wii Into a Free Emulation Machine

It's more than a little infuriating to have to repurchase your childhood library of console games from the Virtual Console, especially when free PC emulators and accompanying ROMs abound on the old intertubes. All you need is a copy of Legend of Zelda: The Twilight Princess, an SD card and an SD reader and you're ready to install A Boy and His Blob: Trouble on Blobolonia, which is pretty much all anyone has ever really needed since this whole "Video Gaming Television Machine" thing got under way in the first place. Throw in extended media playback and some helpful widgets for an extra value-add.

Difficulty: Moderate. This is one of the only hacks here that needs additional hardware to work, even if it's basic. The good news is that once you find a copy of Zelda and load up your SD card, the process pretty much takes care of itself. Further app installs are taken care of through a intuitive dedicated channel.

WiiBrew WIki

A great resource for similar projects is our industrious sister site Lifehacker, where you can find a veritable treasure trove of tutorials and tricks. Have you postponed any gadget purchases until you're sure your bank is solvent? Have any other budget hardware resurrection techniques that we missed? Let us know in the comments.

[iRiver via Akihabara]