Iriver Story

[greenapple]

Just bought a Kindle 3. The screen is just amazing. It is an eye-opener, and it's e-ink done right.

If I were to rate them for the screen's readability and the ease of use, I'll give Kindle 3 a good 8, and Story a poor 5 (out of 10).

iRiver has a lot of catching up to do.

[MacEachaidh]

Doesn't surprise me at all to hear this, greenapple.

Tell me: how well does it handle other formats? Txt, PDF? Pretty much the same as iRiver?

[greenapple]

Kindle has absolutely no broken word problem with txt (of course), and I believe Story (as well as Cover Story I should add) is the only ebook reader on this planet having problem handling English text files.

In the PDF department, Kindle's great. It allows zooming, fitting to screen-size, and auto-cropping of white spaces. In addition the contrast is also adjustable, useful for those light prints. It won't do text reflow though.

Using Story for so long, reading with the Kindle is like a putting on a right pair of spectacles for the first time.

And the battery life! For Story, it lasts at most 4 to 5 days if I don't turn the power off, even if I don't read much. But for Kindle, it's able to conserve battery power in sleep (screen-saver) mode. After 4 days, the power is still at around 90%, with a lot of reading. A world of difference.

[MacEachaidh]

Originally Posted by greenapple

I believe Story (as well as Cover Story I should add) is the only ebook reader on this planet having problem handling English text files.

No, I'm pretty sure there are other brands that have similar problems. I don't recall which ones, but I know I've heard similar complaints in other forums on this site about brands other than iRiver. That's why I asked -- I was wondering if it was TXT files across the board that had a problem.

In the PDF department, Kindle's great. It allows zooming, fitting to screen-size, and auto-cropping of white spaces. In addition the contrast is also adjustable, useful for those light prints. It won't do text reflow though.

Was it a DX you bought? The 6" screen?

And the battery life! For Story, it lasts at most 4 to 5 days if I don't turn the power off, even if I don't read much. But for Kindle, it's able to conserve battery power in sleep (screen-saver) mode. After 4 days, the power is still at around 90%, with a lot of reading. A world of difference.

My iRiver was like that, too, when I first got it. I wonder if it's that entrainment thing with rechargeable batteries, where the lifespan from a "full" recharge gradually declines, and over time it sinks faster and faster?


Out of curiosity, how was the delivery of the hardware? The last order I made from Amazon, my credit card was charged within an hour but the items (all of which were marked as being in-stock) took just under two months (!!!) to arrive. And when the package arrived, the books were just thrown into a box too big to contain them, with nothing to keep them secure, and were all damaged. Part of my resistance to Kindle is not wanting to deal with Amazon, which I feel has become very shoddy lately.

[greenapple]

Was it a DX you bought? The 6" screen?

I bought a Kindle 3.

My iRiver was like that, too, when I first got it. I wonder if it's that entrainment thing with rechargeable batteries, where the lifespan from a "full" recharge gradually declines, and over time it sinks faster and faster?

Yeah, I was beginning to think that all ebook makers are full of bull when they claim that the battery would last for 7000-9000 of page turns. My Story wouldn't even last a tenth of that number.

Out of curiosity, how was the delivery of the hardware?

Amazon wouldn't want to ship Kindle to where I live. Bought mine from a local store, at a somewhat inflated price.

[James_Wilde]

Originally Posted by greenapple

Just bought a Kindle 3. The screen is just amazing. It is an eye-opener, and it's e-ink done right.

If I were to rate them for the screen's readability and the ease of use, I'll give Kindle 3 a good 8, and Story a poor 5 (out of 10).

But does it handle epub?

Originally Posted by greenapple

iRiver has a lot of catching up to do.

Hahahahahahahaha! I'm afraid we Iriver owners might just be in a cul-de-sac here.

[MacEachaidh]

Hi greenapple,
If you don't mind, I'll ask a couple of questions about other features on the Kindle.

1) What's the OS like to work within? Are menus etc responsive and well laid out?

2) What are the inbuilt fonts and display font size choices like? Can you install custom fonts for use in eBooks?

3) Am I correct in my understanding that it doesn't allow memory expansion?

4) Does it support features like hyperlinks (esp. ToC and Index) and footnotes? (The eBook format specs do, but it seems most hardware/firmware currently don't, from what I've read, except those that use a stylus.)

I know much of this info can be got from other threads or the Amazon website, but I was hoping for some more balanced comment than true-believer "I was so smart to buy this" posters usually give, if you understand me.

Originally Posted by greenapple

Amazon wouldn't want to ship Kindle to where I live.

Hmm, well, now my curiosity is definitely pricked. Where do you live?

[greenapple]

Originally Posted by MacEachaidh

Hi greenapple,
If you don't mind, I'll ask a couple of questions about other features on the Kindle.

1) What's the OS like to work within? Are menus etc responsive and well laid out?

The user interface is well thought out, but a little minimalist compared to iRiver. In a way, it makes it easier for complete new comers to use it right away.

The book list itself can be sorted in 3 ways, based on last read, title, or author. I do miss iRiver's ability to access the ebooks via folders. With Kindle, you'd need to group the books within kindle itself via something called Collections. I think iRiver (and my jetbook) has an edge here. It's a lot easier to locate books based on file folders. Another feature that iRiver has but Kindle doesn't is the 'Favorites' feature.

I think Amazon is trying to integrate Kindle with its online database. I can't sort the books using the 'Collections' feature (it's grayed out) until I register the product with Amazon, via the built-in wireless. Since Amazon doesn't sell this product to my location, I wonder if I could register it.

Kindle has another strength over iRiver: it is able to show you the FULL ebook name, if the book name is longish. Just hover the cursor over the file name and the full name appears.

Note-taking and clipping texts from an ebook are functional and highly usable. The notes are saved and linked to the specific book pages. This is unlike the iRiver, where the Notes feature feels a lot like an afterthought. Everything about Kindle is integrated, including the dictionary and text-to-speech thing.

Another thing: iRiver's page-turn buttons on the sides are kinda loud when you click on it. Kindle's buttons are almost soundless and easier to click.

My take is that Kindle is a product that has benefited from feedback from a very large, and very vocal customer base. On top of that, I think Amazon do listen to what the customers have to say.

2) What are the inbuilt fonts and display font size choices like? Can you install custom fonts for use in eBooks?

There are about 8 font sizes, but really, some sizes are not usable (too small, too large). And there is quite a big jump of size from No 4 to No 5. The change in font sizes isn't as gradual as I'd like it to be.

It has only 2 types of font, the regular and sans-serif; right now, no custom font can be added. The display can be customized in several ways - you can change the line-spacing and so on.

3) Am I correct in my understanding that it doesn't allow memory expansion?

Yep. But 4 GB is plenty. I think Amazon intend the Kindle to be used in conjunction with their online system. SD cards can complicate matters.

4) Does it support features like hyperlinks (esp. ToC and Index) and footnotes? (The eBook format specs do, but it seems most hardware/firmware currently don't, from what I've read, except those that use a stylus.)

Yes, Kindle works very well with hyperlinks. Just use the directional pad to access the links, and click!

Hmm, well, now my curiosity is definitely pricked.  Where do you live?  :)

I live in Singapore.. It's a place where you find chilly crabs and other spicy tropical foods, but it's a desert where ebook readers are concerned. We can't order readers from Borders, B&N, Amazon, Sony.

[MacEachaidh]

Wow, thanks for such a detailed response, greenapple. I for one appreciate that you took so much time.

Interesting information. It's reassured me that both brands have their strengths as well as their weaknesses, and it's confirmed what I suspected: that the Kindle is really a loss-leader sales device for Amazon and not just an add-on useful product line for Amazon customers. (I'm not meaning to be cynical, just pragmatic.)

Again, thanks for the detail.

[Tudorano]

@ MacEachaidh

http://blog.johannesh.dk/2011/02/my-...kindle-dx.html

[timushka]

My problem is next: Ive tried to connect my Iriver Story to my Netbook (to upload some books), but it didnt connect, and my screen on the Story is frozen since. It says "Connect to USB" and react to nothing. Ive tried to turn it off, reset it, connect it to another pc, everything i could think of. Still nothing. Im desperate here, since Ive got it for a few days only and i was pretty happy about it, now it seems to be dead. Even the Iriver web says: "1. The device has frozen while their reading a book by electrical circuit reasons.
→ This case can hardly be happened and this device should be inquired to the authorized A/S center for further cooperation."

What do you think?

[Rencee]

My problem was the same, when I got my story. Unfortunately, I am sorry to tell you this, you have no other option then to return it. There is no hard reset option for Iriver, like Kindle or Sony has. I know it is frustrating, because I had waited 4 weeks for my first story, then in the same day I had to return it and wait another 3 weeks for an other reader.

[MarjaE]

I'm now getting the same "cannot open document" error on my epubs. no drm. I ran disk utility and sideloaded new copies over the old. I then reinstalled the firmware. I still have the same problem. Any idea what has gone wrong and what could solve it?

[MarjaE]

Okay, probably posted to the wrong thread. I switched file converters, and while the resulting epubs work well on my computer, 7 out of 23 fail on the Story Hd.