Iriver Story HD

Opinions about the Iriver Story HD on the web are varied. I like it a lot, though. I just received mine in the mail today, here's my two cents:


Likes

Price (and availability). I've payed a 160 euros for it, which is a bit more expensive than other 6'' ereaders (Icarus Go sells at 130 here), but the higher resolution is worth the extra bucks. The Kindle may be be cheaper, but it's complicated and/or takes a lot of time to get it in the Netherlands.

Screen. It doesn't look like an etch-a-sketch, it's sharp and detailed.

Mini USB connection. Though a lot of users complain about it (they prefer micro USB), I think it's great: now I can use my navigation systems car charger to charge my ebook reader, without adjustments.

Lack of funky features. The Story is simple, and perfect for reading. Some users complain about not being able to search for words within the text of a book. I don't really care: you can't do that with paper books either (you may call me old fashioned). Although they might as well have left the whole search function out, as far as I'm concerned.

Supported formats. Among other formats, it also works with both epub and pdf files. Gutenberg txt files look horrible on it, though.

No extra software needed. You can just plug it in and drag and drop files. I like that it gives you the option to just charge as well, this allows you to use the device while it's plugged into your computer.

Case. I bought the official Iriver case with it which looks nice and simple (see below). Also, it was cheaper than all the other cases (20 euros).








Dislikes

Iriver support and website. It seems like the people updating the website do not know proper English. Downloading the firmware takes 30 minutes, but the connection is lost after 10-15 minutes, so it never finishes. Some users suggest using a download manager, but when you're using Firefox, you can pause the download every 10 minutes, and resume it afterwards. Worked for me.

Zoom. You can't rotate a page and zoom in at the same time, that's a pity.

Automatic folder creation. I do not like the fact that the Iriver puts a 'books' and 'comics' folder by default in the root folder, every time you connect the device to a computer. Even if you delete them, they keep being created every time you plug it in. To solve the issue, I've added a number to the name of the folders I've created myself, so these pop up on top of the list.