A new horse entered the e-reader race this past month, creating intrigue, though not a lot of fear, among its competitors. The iRiver Story represents the first e-reader that is integrated with Google eBooks, which gives it a bit of clout. But while the iRiver Story’s HD display with eInk technology helps ranks its screen among the best, many of its other features fall short or are too clunky, leading many to wonder if this foray into the e-reader market is too little too late.
Nook continues to get the thumbs up and Kobo insists that the Borders liquidation shouldn’t affect function or availability, but most attention is turned to e-readers that aren’t even on the market yet: the purported Amazon Kindle tablet and a new Sony e-reader that was rumored to be released this fall (Sony representatives have since contacted many publications saying that they have not set a price or release date for a new model yet). One major development that also changed the playing field amongst e-readers was Apple’s enforcement of its new in-app subscription rules, forcing B&N, Kobo, Amazon, Google eBooks, and more to remove shopping features from their apps. B&N will pay Apple the 30% cut to continue to sell their children’s titles and magazines, while Kobo already has its sights set on an HTML5 web app that will bypass the Apple system.
Still keeping score? Check out some quotes to decide what the standings are:
“Amazon is better-positioned than other companies to go up against Apple… Amazon is also in a position to offer a cheaper alternative to the iPad… It could sell the tablet for a loss while hoping to make money on sales of movies, music and books.
— Stu Woo and Yukari Iwatani Kane, The Wall Street Journal (7/14/2011)
“After taking on Facebook with the introduction of Google+ last week, Google is giving Amazon a run for its money this week by launching its own e-reader, the iriver Story HD. The device will retail in Target stores and online starting July 17 for $139.99, which puts it in direct competition with the Amazon Kindle Wi-Fi.”
— Gloria Sin, ZDNet (7/11/2011)
“Hideous, isn’t it? It’s called the iriver Story HD e-reader, and it’s the first e-reeder that integrates with Google books. Clearly, if Google had any input on the design, it came from the pre Google+ era.”
– Charlie Sorrel, Wired (7/12/2011)
“iRiver’s design for the Story HD feels rough compared with the approach that Barnes & Noble and Kobo have taken, and the interface has some work ahead of it, too. But the emergence of the first Google Books-based e-reader will surely drive competition among the players in this market, and that can only benefit book lovers.”
— Melissa J. Perenson, Consumer Reports (7/12/2011)
“Both [The third-generation Kindle and Nook Touch] are great devices, but it was the Nook Touch’s design, touch screen and interface, and performance that earned it the title of king of the ring.”
—Brian Tong, CNET’s Prizefight (7/21/2011)
“…Kobo will be bypassing the traditional iOS app in favor of HTML5 for shopping within the mobile browser… It’s quite smart for Kobo to try to get ahead of its competitors on this one.”
— Rachel King, ZDNet (7/26/2011)
