iriver Story gets reviewed: intuitive & usable Kindle-alternative

iriver's Story has been simmering away in Korea for a few months now, but so far just how good an ebook reader it is has been a mystery.  The Register have been playing with the Story and reckon its actually a white slab of alright, actually: they rate its battery life and decent audio player, though they needed a firmware update to get the best out of it.

That firmware update – taking the Story from v1.02 to v1.04 – added PDF text reflowing to the ebook reader's 6-inch 800 x 600 E Ink display.  That panel still suffers from the usual epaper delay in refreshing, but iriver's library optimization, thoughtful menu system and dedicated shortcut keys seems to have paid off with a generally brisker navigation experience.

It's enough to put it ahead of Sony's Reader range, though the absence of integrated wireless means Kindle customers will still have it easier when it comes to accessing new content.  All in all, they're impressed; unfortunately there's still no word on when – or if – iriver will bring the Story to the US.