CES 2009

Iriver's latest iPod Nano competitor comes in the form of the E50, a smaller and much sleeker relative of the E100. It may not be the most exciting thing to come out of CES this year, but it is a feature-packed MP3 player that will fit comfortably in your pocket--and that has to count for something. Plus, the design is a huge improvement over its bigger sibling, and that was one of our chief complaints about the E100. Rather than have a plastic body, the E50 is wrapped in a slick, brushed-metal exterior. The controls are integrated into the … Read more

With all the iPod imitators and wannabes out there, it's always a breath of fresh air when a company makes something that is actually different enough to garner a double take. In this case, the company is Iriver, and the product is the new P7 PVP. The interface on this device is so unique that I actually couldn't figure out how to use it at first--a rare occurrence for someone who's been in the game for more than five years. That's not to say the P7 is overly complex; in fact, it's quite intuitive once … Read more

There's been a little bit of buzz at CES here about the Iriver Wave Home, which marries a networked mulitmedia device with a communications hub to form a kitchen/home office-friendly gadget.

A 7-inch 800x480 touch screen is built into the unit along with a detachable wireless handset and speakerphone for VoIP calls (you can make calls from the phone or an onscreen virtual keypad and the device supports video calls as well). You can access the Web, photos, music, and videos, and there's an FM radio that Iriver says can be "enjoyed through Wave Home's … Read more

America's annual Consumer Electronics Show typically isn't a launching pad for new MP3 players. With the iPod's continued domination over the world of portable audio, most MP3 player manufacturers save their big announcements until later in the year--after Macworld shakes out and before a new crop of iPods arrive in September. That said, CES is a great place to spot new iPod accessories, such as speaker docks, video goggles, headphones, and boom boxes. One thing I can say for certain: CES 2009 will be littered with products proclaiming their iPhone 3G compatibility.

Companies such as Iriver are … Read more