iriver Confusion: Kindle Killer or Kindle copycat?

Credit Engadget

I have seen many supposed Kindle killers in the past, but none mimics Kindle’s look and feel like iriver’s latest e-book reader. The device which was recently seen at a Berlin show does have some major difference with Kindle once you go past the on the surface similarities, but it’s really hard to point those differences out if you are looking at this device from a distance. The keyboard is a bit more traditional and comes with square keys that some find to be easy to work with. There is no major controller at the front either, so from close up it’s not that hard to figure out your are not looking at a Kindle.

iriver Story e-book reader does come with a comic reader and supports a lot of open document formats. It also comes with a microphone that can be used for dictation (something that Amazon needs to pay attention to). Best of all, it comes with a Comic Viewer for those interested in reading comics on their e-book reader.

iriver e-book reader may be an interesting reader, but it has one major flaw. It does not come with an Internet connection (no WiFi or Wireless). That’s certainly a deal breaker for a lot of people. It just amazes me that in this day and age companies still make gadgets without listening to what their market has to say. Unless this reader is sold at a bargain price, I can’t see how it can beat compete with other top readers on the market.