We mentioned the new iRiver H300 series launch a little bit earlier today (just a link), but we thought we’d give them a big US welcome with this healthy, near life-sized image. With the launch of these new 20GB and 40GB players with color screens, 16 hour battery life, and the ability to played both free and restricted WMA music (and OGG Vorbis, nerds!), plus all the usual iRiver tricks, like a built-in FM receiver and real-time MP3 encoding, well… things are finally starting to look up in the hard disk player market, and we’re glad to see it.
The H300 players should be available for purchase both on iRiver’s site and retail in early October for $329 (20GB) or $429 (40GB).
Press release after the jump.
iRiver America Announces H300 series – Color Display
Hard-Drive Music Players
iRiver H300 series features Microsoft’s Windows Media Player 10 compatibility, vivid color display, photo viewing capability, longer battery life, real-time MP3 encoding and FM tuner
MILPITAS, Calif. – September 22, 2004 – iRiver, the leading innovator in digital entertainment, today announced the iRiver H300 series as part of its award-winning line of portable media players. In addition to playing music, the H300 series has a large, color screen that is ideal for viewing and sharing photos.
The H300 series players are one of the first players to be fully compliant with Microsoft’s Windows Media Player 10 secure music format that enables music services, such as Napster, to offer customers an array of new services that best meet their preferences.
“We truly believe that Napster To Go, the world’s first portable digital music subscription service, will enable music fans to derive the most possible value from the digital music experience — unlimited access to a massive catalog for a fixed monthly fee,” said Brad Duea, Napster’s president. “It’s great to know that iRiver, one of the world’s leading device manufacturers, shares our belief and is creating innovative devices to help bring this increased value to a wider audience.”
The sleek and compact iRiver H300 series plays MP3, WMA, WAV and OGG formats, stores up to 1,200 hours* of digital music and allows digital image viewing on a color display. Compared to leading competitors, the iRiver H300 has longer battery life (16 hours), a sharp color display, an FM tuner, built-in MP3 encoding and voice recording. The iRiver H300 also features a new intuitive navigation system and color interface that makes it effortless to find any song. The iRiver H300 allows recording, encoding and storing MP3s or uncompressed WAV files from a variety of sources.
“Evolving customers’ expectations has always been iRiver’s strong suit,” said Jonathan Sasse, president of iRiver America. “The H300 series is designed to allow customers to take full advantage of Windows Media Player 10 and new services provided by music stores, while elevating the jukebox experience with a color display and more intuitive navigation.”
The H300 series is also compatible with the latest version of the MoodLogic Software which offers an easy-to-use solution for users to create mixes based on genre, mood and tempo rather than simply by artist and track names.
The iRiver H300 series comes bundled with iRiver earphones, quality carrying case, installation software CD, AC adapter, USB 2.0 cable, line in/out cable and printed user manual.
iRiver H300 series features:
Holds up to 1,200 hours of digital music
Up to 40GB** of internal storage
Large vivid color display
Ultra-fast USB 2.0 transfers (up to 40 times faster than USB 1.0)
Supports secure transfers from Windows Media Players
Built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery
Up to 16 hours of battery life
Supports MP3, WMA, ASF, OGG and WAV music files
Supports JPEG and BMP image files
Integrated FM tuner
Built-in voice recorder
Intuitive music navigation
Real-time MP3 encoding (no PC required)
Store or transfer files of any type
Enhanced 3D audio
Line-in and Line-out jacks
Upgradeable to future formats and features
Dimensions: 2.4″ x 0.9″ x 4.0″
Weight: 6.9 ounces
Pricing and Availability
The H300 series will be available at the iRiver eStore www.iriveramerica.com/estore, Best Buy retail stores and other select retail outlets in October 2004. Suggested retail price for the H320 (20GB) is USD $329.99 and the H340 (40GB) is USD $429.99. For information on retail availability, please visit www.iriveramerica.com.
About iRiver
iRiver is the leading innovator in delivering portable digital media devices. iRiver provides consumers with the viewing, listening and recording flexibility to accommodate their active lifestyles by manufacturing award-winning hybrid products supporting existing and emerging formats, including MP3, OGG, ASF, WMA and WMA-DRM. Milpitas-based iRiver America, Inc. can be found on the Web at www.iRiverAmerica.com.
iRiver America is a registered trademark of iRiver America, Inc. All other registered or unregistered trademarks are the sole property of their respective owners.
* Over 1,200 hours of music based on H340 (40GB) using Windows Media format at 64kbps.
** 1.0GB equals 1,000,000,000 bytes.
