I have some strong words for the iriver E100 and to sum up my review in two blunt words: epic fail. By any other means it would have been just a mediocre MP3 player, but I use these harsh words because I expect much more from iriver.

It seems they realized their mistake to cheap out on the E100 and are revamping the player with an aluminum case and a better LCD screen. Additionally, they are getting rid of the external speakers- this being good news since they may make for a slimmer design and really the speakers were pretty weak by standards to begin with. So all in all it should be a very nice upgrade to be released sometime at the end of summer.

[Crave]

iriver has been known to experiment on new markets with devices such as the D20/D25 dictionaries. Today they announced a new navigation device which of course doubles as a PMP.

The NV Life has a 800x480 screen, DMB TV tuner, FM transmitter, password protection and player identification - so stolen players can be identified. Unfortunately, iriver's standard lack of understanding for people that want more than half a movie on their player shines through on the NV Life too, as the device only comes in 2 or 4GB. A SD slot is present, but the seeming lack of SDHC support means that the player will have a maximum storage capability of 8GB. No word yet on pricing or availability, but it's most likely going to be another Asia-only device.

[Iriver Korea via Engadget]

Iriver showed off many new devices at CES 2008 and from what I was told they actually plan on playing a bit more in the US market. An interesting device they showed off was the W7, with a 3” 260k color, 480 x 272 pixel touch screen. The player is flash based in 4GB and 8GB capacities with the option to add miniSD memory.

The W7 is a solid piece of hardware and an interesting interface that is basically a miniaturized media player typically found on a desktop. But, I think this player may only appeal to the hardcore gadget geek and one that is a big fan of a stylus interface.

The E100 will be iriver’s first player to be released in the US since the clix2, which I was very fond of. This player comes in 2GB, 4GB, and 8GB capacities in several different modern colors. Audio codec is supreme supporting all the major licensed and open source file types. Video codec support is also very good, but most of the time conversion is necessary to conform to the 320x240 262k color screen.

There is a lot of familiarity with this player and keeps well to the iriver style and functionality. Do however keep in mind that iriver is trying to reach the lower flash player market and in doing so they had to sacrifice slightly on quality. Read on for an in-depth look at the iriver E100.

iriver was the king of CES this year, introducing a whole range of new MP3 players. One of these - the E100 - will hit stores in Europe next week.

The feature set is quite good, with a 2.4" 262k color 320x240 screen , 2, 4 and 8GB memory, a microSD slot, radio with recording, video, line-in and last but not least two 1W speakers. It has very good codec support which includes MP3 , WMA, OGG, ASF and FLAC audio formats, and MPEG4 SP, WMV9 and XviD SP video formats. A TXT text reader and an image viewer are also included.

The best part of this player might be the price. At 79€ (2GB), 99€ (4GB) and 129€ (8GB), it has a great bang for the buck factor.

Update: I just got word from iriver that they are shotting for a March launch in the US. -Grahm

[ Product page via GenerationMP3 ]

iriver had one of the coolest looking booth at CES and really was the only manufacturer that showed anything new and compelling. Walking behind the tent like structure you entered an ultra white and extremely well lit display area. It was a ultra modern and I would have expected to see the iriver reps wearing white lab coats. Still they knew their stuff and were quick to answer any questions.

Over the last few years iriver has been more of an enigma in the US by only releasing a handful of their products to the store shelves, keeping many of the really cool and compelling products back in Asian countries. However, iriver PR and two of the reps told me that the US will likely see a lot of what was on display and they will be making more of an effort to sell in the United States.

Below I have a rundown of the various players, a quick and dirty booth tour, and a video demo of the Unit 2.

We’ve seen the occasional MP3 player don some crystal decorations and have a limited model introduced in Japan for the fashion conscious previously, but what better design than iriver’s Disney Mplayer to parade with style. The ears of the cute device have been studded with Swarovski crystals, each body color (black, silver, white, blue, and pink) having different combinations of colored crystals.

The special edition Mplayer can be ordered online now, but only 500 units (100 for each color) will be shipped within Japan, and cost 16,800 Yen ($150) each.

[Press Release]

The most recent development on the long awaited W10 (which drew a reasonable amount of interest at iriver's display at CES in January) is a scheduled release for this November. Although iriver's products haven't always been the quickest to make the journey to every country, there shouldn't be a prolonged wait before the W10 appears in the US as its Wi-Fi based navigation system includes maps and information for ten major US cities.

A handful of images accompanied by some very limited information on forthcoming players from iriver have also spread to iriverFans. These include an unnamed 0.27-inch thick PMP with a 4.1-inch AMOLED, an extremely thin audio player, the previously flaunted 4.3-inch P10, and a range of new colors for the Mplayer.

Furthermore, a claim is made that iriver will announce four additional devices before the year's end, which will be a hard drive based Clix3 with a 3-inch LCD, two GPS navigation devices (4.3-inch M20 and 7-inch M30), and a necklace player called the N20.

[iriverFans]

Pictures follow the jump.

The first generation clix was a great player with a smooth and easy-to-use interface. The clix2 is different only in that it’s even better than its predecessor. The player is very customizable and offers many settings and features - enough to keep even the setting-tweakers happy. Among the plethora of features, the clix2 is very flexible and will lend itself well to any set up, whether Mac, Linux, or Windows.

Without a doubt, should check out the clix2 if you’re in the market for a flash player. Because iRiver doesn’t do much advertising, the clix2 is very underrated and under exposed, but read on for a closer look at the clix2.

Anybody who has been holding out in hope of the promise of an iriver clix2 with 8GB, your wait, although not yet over, hasn’t been in vain. The release date for Korea has recently been marked as July 11 by iriver, but news of a capacity increase for the remainder of the world is still nowhere in sight.

Before jealousy and impatience gets the better of us all, let me remind you that a product launch in Korea is a reasonable indication that your wait for the second generation iriver clix will before long come to a close. Besides, Rhapsody support may just make it all the more enjoyable for you.

[iriver (Korea)]

Some pleasant news for many Rhapsody subscribers has been released today, as iriver and Real have announced the launch of the clix Rhapsody. The partnership will integrate features which are exclusively compatible with Rhapsody services into the popular second generation clix, in much the same way as Sandisk’s Sansa 200R series of digital audio players.

The new model will automatically be updated with music from personalized Rhapsody channels each time it is connected to the service. Rhapsody components are then included in the device’s interface to allow the presentation of album art, editorial reviews, and the ability to rate songs, albums, and artists.

A 4GB version of the clix Rhapsody can already be purchased online for $190. Alternatively Rhapsody compatibility can be implemented on the clix2 by applying firmware from iriver’s website.

[Press Release via Engadget]

Pictures of iriver players yet to be released have been splashed all over the company's Korean site in the past week, most without more information than what we were already presented with at CES earlier the year. At the moment, the attention is focused on a fresh portable media player we've not seen before, the P10.

So far we can tell that the P10 will be of a smaller than average size for a PMP with a screen that makes up the majority of it. Lack of tactile controls suggests that a D-Click system will be used. For now it’s probably safe to assume that the chic device will also be available in white and black, but more information is bound to arise before the launch later this year.

[iriver (Korea)]

Music and video content from Japanese satellite content provider Mobile USEN will make its way onto iriver’s U: MO PMP by the end of the month, but it will not be available for purchase. Instead, the player can only be rented for ¥2200 ($18) with Mobile USEN content for an extra ¥980 ($8).

The body of the device appears to be identical to the DMB-enabled B20, and it shares the same 2.4-inch display (with 320 x 240 pixels and 260k colors), D-Click navigation system, arrangement of tactile buttons, file formats (MP3, WMA, OGG Vorbis, WMV, and MPEG-4), and black and white colors. As more emphasis is placed on the availability of 8 video and 40 music channels (both types are recordable), the U: MO will only have a 1GB capacity. Expansion is offered through a MicroSD slot and the comparatively large antenna can be removed to reduce the size.

[Press Release via Impress]

The eye-catching design of the iriver NV is not one easily overlooked. After taking in the 7-inch WVGA screen and unique raised, yet depressible, circular control overlapping the frame, allow me to explain why style is far from all that should impress you.

Nothing short of a comprehensive feature set is offered by iriver’s latest product. Primarily a GPS navigation device, the NV features DMB (over-the-air digital television), playback of an abundant list of video and audio formats (MP3, WMA, OGG Vorbis, AC3, AVI, ASF, MPEG-4, Divx, Xvid, WMV, and H.264), FM transmitter, GPS camera, and 2W stereo speakers.

Perhaps it’s just me, but with dual SD card slots, a display resolution of 800 x 480 pixels, and impressive format support, at least on paper (and with no word on pricing) the NV appears to trump the competition.

[iriver (Korea) via Akihabara News]

iriver has created some amazing players over the last 8 years they've been in the market, and the S10 is no exception. The S10 is iriver’s first foray into the strange and wonderful world that is the mini music player. Clearly designed to compete with Apple's newest iPod Shuffle, the S10 takes things up a notch by keeping the dimensions nearly the same as the Shuffle, but with the addition of a vibrant 1.15” OLED display. And iriver didn't stop there; they crammed an FM radio, voice recorder, and photo viewer in there as well.

But is the S10 worth the hefty price tag? Read on...