IRiver Wi-Fi Story e-reader review

Beating Amazon's new range of wireless Kindle e-book readers to market by a whisker, the iRiver Wi-Fi Story is a collaboration between the South Korean manufacturer and WHSmith, allowing direct purchase of e-books via a dedicated Wi-Fi internet link built into the reader. This is very similar to Amazon's model, but the iRiver device has no 3G capability.

The new device is physically identical to its predecessor, the Story, which appeared towards the end of 2009. An 802.11b/g Wi-Fi radio supporting WPA security has been added, and the eight-level greyscale 600 x 800 e-ink screen has been upgraded to support 16 levels of grey.

Available only in a matt-white finish, the reader's 6in display sits above a small Qwerty keyboard that also has a collection of dedicated function keys. The keyboard action is positive, but the pale grey letters and purple shift/symbol characters aren't particularly clear.

At the left and right edges of the frame are dedicated page-turn buttons; a rather awkward location that almost guarantees they get pressed when the unit is picked up. A more central location might have been better.

Overall build quality is excellent, and the unit feels reassuringly sturdy without being too heavy or bulky. A basic carrying sleeve is included.

At the bottom edge is a sliding power button, headphone socket, microphone, covered SD Card slot and mini-USB connector for USB charging and PC connectivity (a cable is included). SDHC cards up to 32GB are supported to expand the 2GB onboard Flash memory.

The device uses Adobe's digital rights management (DRM) software, and supports most e-book formats, including Epub and PDF. The unit needs to be activated using an Adobe ID and a Wi-Fi internet connection before DRM-protected books can be viewed. The Wi-Fi Story must also be activated within the free Adobe Digital Editions viewer software to download commercial e-books from a PC (or Mac).

Hooking up to a wireless network is fairly simple, and the device scans available networks and prompts for a WPA key. Entering complex keys is a nuisance, however, owing to the tiny input box and fiddly keyboard.

Once connected, the Wi-Fi radio is not terminated unless the unit goes into standby or is powered off, which could catch users unaware and cause unnecessary drain on the 1,800mAh battery.