iRiver has reportedly unveiled a seven-inch MX100 Android tablet in China, sporting a 1GHz Samsung Hummingbird processor, and is expected to soon ship its six-inch, Cortex-A8-based, 1024 x 768 resolution “Story HD” e-reader. Meanwhile, the Android-based Entourage PocketEdge e-reader has been heavily discounted to $120 as the unique, dual-screen device glimpses the white light of oblivion.

Seoul Korea-based iRiver, a subsidiary of Korean PMP (portable music player) manufacturer Reignco Ltd., was a pioneer in Linux-based MP3 players. In 2007, it released a Unit2 media recorder/player comprised of a detachable mobile unit and tethered docking station.

iRiver MX100
Source: Netbooknews.com

Now the company is testing the Android tablet waters, according to a Netbooknews.com report. The tablet, which was shown at an iRiver event recently in China, appears to be a seven-inch model and is rumored to be called the iRiver MX100, says the story.

Unconfirmed specs are said to include a 1GHz Samsung Hummingbird processor (S5PC110) running Android 2.2. The tablet is also said to offer 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR. No information on the MX100 is currently posted on the iRiver site. 

iRiver Story HD nearing market

Earlier this year, iRiver announced a six-inch E-Ink-based monochrome e-reader called the Story HD eBook, upgrading the company's current Story e-reader (available on Amazon.com for $249). The Story HD was scheduled to ship in the second quarter, and an April 21 story on Engadget noted it had been approved by the FCC and will be announced with U.S. content partners.

The Story HD is billed as the world's first six-inch XGA (1024 x 768) resolution e-reader. Although iRiver makes no note of it, the device is most likely based on Linux.

The e-reader incorporates a Freescale ARM Cortex-A8 based i.MX508 processor. This 800MHz version of the i.MX51 family of system on chips is equipped with an embedded E Ink controller and is designed especially for e-readers.

iRiver Story HD
Source: Engadget

The Story HD was developed in conjunction with LG Display, says iRiver. The device ships with 2GB of memory, an SD slot, and Wi-Fi, and is supported by the Easy WiFi network. The Story HD has a three-week battery life, and supports Adobe EPUB and PDF formats with DRM, says iRiver.

Entourage Edge dies, but PocketEdge available for a steal

It was over a month ago that Entourage Systems shut down its Entourage store and discontinued its Entourage Edge and Pocket Edge e-readers, as noted by Engadget at the time. The original, dual-screen Entourage Edge tablet, which combined a 9.7-inch E Ink screen with a facing, 10.1-inch color Android touchscreen, was one of the first e-readers with a color Android display.

The Edge was doomed in part due to its high $500 price, Engadget opined last month. It was especially tough considering the accelerating e-reader price wars between Amazon's Kindle and Barnes & Noble's Nook and  Nook Color, all of which are heavily discounted in order to push e-book sales.

Original Entourage Edge

A $400, seven-inch Pocket Edge device followed the Entourage Edge  last December, "but neither device truly found its feet, in part because of a lack of applications and no updates beyond Android 1.6," wrote Engadget.

Entourage Pocket Edge

The good news for bargain hunters is that the Pocket Edge is still available at a heavily discounted price of $120 at Woot.com. The soon-to-be-defunct device runs Linux and a modified version of Android 1.6 on a 1.2GHz Marvel Armada PXA168. It combines a seven-inch Android touchscreen with a six-inch E-Ink display, says Amazon.com. Other features are said to include microSD, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth.

 

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