Iriver Story eBook - eBook reader - Linux - ARM11 533 MHz - ROM: 2 GB - 6" monochrome E Ink ( 800 x 600 )

After narrowing it down to a choice between the Sony Touch and the Iriver Story, I have just bought the Iriver, and so far, so good.

I like the fact that you can buy e-books from a variety of publishers and read them on this machine, rather than being tied to a specific (supported) publisher.

The delay when changing a page is not too drastic, and the all-black intermediate screen is not particularly distracting. The text is readable (you can not change the depth of tone), but even using the zoom key, the letters still seem very small if the file does not allow for reflow.

I do agree with some of the points that the other reviewer's have made, including:

I would have liked a printed instruction manual included as you can not read a page in the manual at the same time as carring out the instructions! Also you have to move through the 50 page manual to find the part you are interested in each time (not particularly a quick operation even when you hold down the </> keys as this can be a little hit and miss).
The page in the instruction manual that details how to download from your computer is not clear, as it shows what appears to be part of a screen dump (tiny picture) and states you need to copy, click and drag your required file, but not where too. I am not computer illiterate, but it did take me a while to figure it out. If the manufacturer felt it necessary to give clear instructions on how to change a page (and they do, despite the fact if you could not navigate between the pages you would not be reading the instructions on how to!), they should give detailed instructions on performing the more complex actions such as downloading onto the machine.

The manual tells you to download Iriver plus4 software (for music files) from the Iriver web site, but this web site is awfull. To download from the site you need to log in, but so far I can not find any way of creating a log-in account.

I have found that when I connect to the computer through the USB cable that the Icon for the ereader does not always appear in 'My Compter' and I have to disconnect and try again.

Having said all that, this reader does what I bought it for - it allows me to read e-books away from the computer. So overall, a positive review.

This eReader is easy to use and feels nice to hold. It isn't backlit so is more like a book to read and doesn't give eye strain. I've been able to upload ebooks, my word docs, music and photos onto it.

As someone who writes I was hoping it would annotate actually on the document but it doesn't. However the memo section means you can at least write notes about a section of your own work that you might want to review on the computer later. The memo doesn't upload onto the computer though.

I've also discovered you're better saving a word doc in 22pt font if you want to have any chance of reading it (the 12 pt font I usually use is tiny lol).

Overall it does what I expected and I'm able to review my work whilst out and about. The case comes seperately unfortuately.

iRiver eBook Reader - Electronic Book Reader
I bought the iRiver Story e reader for myself and have been using it for a few days only. I like the style and feel of the reader. It has the features I expected. It did not come with an SD card. The manual recommends a Sandisk or Transcend card. There is no mains charger but the reader charges automatically if you connect it to a computer with the usb lead. Contrary to another review I read, my iRiver Story displays Adobe / pdf files perfectly and I have read a couple of ebooks on it already. The screen is approx 9 x 12 cm so text on A4 documents is going to appear smaller and good reading eyesight is necessary. A portrait / landscape button enables you to rotate the document 90 degrees enlarging the image so you can read half a page at a time. There is a zoom button but it only has 4 steps. A slider would be better to fit the image to the screen. E readers are great for reading books when the computer is not switched on. I use it at meal times and while in bed. The iRiver also makes a great mp3 music player which I tested with a pair of Pioneer headphones. There are volume buttons on the keyboard.