Alghanim Electronics dropped off an iRiver Story eBook reader for me to check out. I’ve been wanting an eBook reader since the Kindle first came out but never got one because of the hassle involved with buying eBooks from Amazon (its US only). When the Barnes & Noble Nook got released I quickly pre-ordered one but when I tried to buy an eBook I ran into the same problems as Amazon so I canceled my order. I am not sure yet where I can get books for the iRiver Story, I just did a quick search and found out the Story is compatible with UK’s Waterstones so will try it out and see if I have any luck with them.
I haven’t had much contact with eBook readers, I think I’ve only interacted with one once at Heathrow’s Terminal 5 duty free. So far the iRiver Story looks pretty, it’s very similar to the Kindle just slightly more stylish. Once I spend some more time with the Story I will post more details. I just need to find a book I actually want to read…
Update: Just realized it’s only compatible with Windows which means connecting it directly to my Mac will only charge the device. To get books onto the iRiver with my Mac I need to upload books onto an SD card and then place the SD card into the iRiver.
47 replies on “First Impression: iRiver Story”
Project Gutenberg for the win.
https://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page
My recommendation…Moby Dick.
https://www.gutenberg.org/etext/2701
“Call me Ishmael. Some years ago–never mind how long precisely–having
little or no money in my purse, and nothing particular to interest me on
shore, I thought I would sail about a little and see the watery part of
the world.”
Good stuff.
Hi Mark! You can buy the new Kindle 6″ Global Wireless from Amazon for $259 which was released not long ago & you will not have any hassle downloading e-books from Amazon like the old model! I got one & it is AMAZING!!!!
can u give us more details? How do you buy and download ebooks? Do you use a Kuwaiti Credit Card?
international kindle doesn’t work in Kuwait, “Unfortunately, we are currently unable to ship Kindles or offer Kindle content in Kuwait. ” its due to licensing and copyrights restrictions, not payments.
click on Live Outside the U.S.? and select the country
https://www.amazon.com/Kindle-Wireless-Reading-Display-Generation/dp/B0015T963C/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1262094698&sr=8-1
It works on the 3G network. You can browse the internet on the Kindle & buy books from Amazon & download them directly on your kindle. I bought it on Amazon & shipped it to my US box. I do use my NBK Master Card to buy the books on Amazon but I have on my profile the US address & credit card details of my cousin (I don’t use them) who lives in the USA because I had a problem buying the books for my 1st generation Kindle! With the new Global Kindle You can buy the books & get them downloaded on your kindle directly using the 3G network. You can also buy the books & download them on your PC & then transfer them to your kindle with the USB connection! The kindle rocks!!! If you are too lazy to read the book it can read it for you even if it’s not an audio book! If you need more details I’ll be happy to provide them!
P.S.: I used to buy gift vouchers from Amazon with my NBK CC & then use the vouchers to buy Kindle books & download them.
you’re connecting to the 3G network here in Kuwait??
I don’t see how it’s technically possible to connect 3G on the kindle in Kuwait.
cajie do u know which magazines i can subscribe to in ebook format? google isn’t helping
i prefer kindel
the important question is … can you read pdf files with it? with the old kindle you couldnt and had to get amazon to change the file form to pdf for a small fee. However with the new kindle, its alread pdf ready.
as to where to find pdf books, the internet is full of them. I had “the lost symbol’ for Dan Brown a week after release in pdf format.
Is The Book Dead? This was the subject this morning on BBC Business daily https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p005hj0c
yup reads pdfs and more:
– eBook Reader – PDF & EPUB
– Office Viewer – TXT, PDF, DOC, PPT, XLS & HWP
– Comic Viewer – Zip (JPEG, BMP & PNG)
– Audio – MP3, WMA, OGG
quick question, anyone here with the Eye-Fi Share SD card?
I haven’t used one but can you connect to the SD card via your wifi network, as in browse the card as if you were browsing a computer on the network? If yes that means if I get an Eye-Fi Share card and plug it into the iRiver I should be able to in theory copy books over to it via wifi…
I’ve been reading that Apple are coming up with an E-Reader called iSlate. Another tech revolution by Apple? Can’t wait!
No one knows what Apple is coming up with. The tablet rumor has been floating around for years.
it reads PPT files and images?!
this might sound like a silly question.. but does it show color?
and what about the battery life?
Nope no color. Its an e-ink display.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E_Ink
I have no idea about battery life either.
been using the kindle in kuwait too and buying books with my nbk mastercard as well, at first it didn’t connect to the 3g network now, for some reason it is, all you need is to set it up to the US or UK on the kindle page in your amazon profile and you should be set. although amazon charges for downloaded books internationally, so to save up the 1.99 just hook your kindle to your mac. about pdfs, you send an email to the kindle email you set up and it should convert the file for you, but you will be charged for international delivery (99 cent per email)
Yes it connects to 3G network! I tried it! And it does read PDF files now. I have the New 6″ Global Kindle now & it does that & much more! It’s the best $259 I ever spent! 🙂
how much are Al Ghanim selling it for?
You can connect your mac to your ebook reader by using the program calibre https://calibre-ebook.com/
Goodluck
and i just downloaded a book over the 3g network to make sure i wasn’t imagining things
get a netbook
The kindle application for the iPhone is cool as well.
pbarista and Sacha72 can you download magazines?
Also just to be clear
I don’t need a US credit card?
what mag do u have in mind i’ll check it out for you
Ali: Calibre is awesome. Although the GUI is crap I can now see the iRiver as a hard drive AND I love how it converts news sites to ebooks on the fly. Great stuff!
Yes you can download some magazines like Forbes, The Economist, Reader’s Digest, Times, Newsweek, Fortunes…
As for the US Credit Card I do have one registered on my account (That of my cousin living in USA) but I DO NOT use it. It is a reference I entered in my account to prove I live in USA so that I can purchase (with my NBK CC) & download Kindle books for my 1st generation Kindle which I got two years ago. This US reference is still on my account now that I have my New 6″ Global Kindle.
So Mark I am not sure if the Kindle will work here without that US address & CC I have registered on my account as a reference. Maybe pbarista can tell us more & explain how he’s using his/her kindle & buying & downloading his kindle books.
I have a Kindle registered in my account (i ordered once and canceled), and I was just able to buy 3 free books and an issue of Readers Digest. And then in my account I sent it to my Kindle (which I don’t have). Seems to work?
I’m also a kindle user (global version). I need to set my location as USA, but I use Kuwiati credit card (NBK) to purchase books and there is no problem. There are many free books available as well and Kindle rocks!
been using a nbk mastercard cc with a kuwaiti billing address and an aramex shipping address, not that shipping matters. i bought several books wirelessly and just subscribed to the economist but opted to download it and transfer it with the usb cable cause it costs $5 per week to deliver subscriptions using international wireless. i also download book samples all the time for free wirelessly
Mark check the below link. Apparently a blogger named Nemo found a solution to purchase Kindle books without having a US address or CC:
https://cute-nemo.blogspot.com/2009/03/how-to-buy-books-for-your-kindle.html
i know that method, too much of a hassle
For the guys with Kindle Global, can you access wikipedia and browse the web wirelessly?
Mark a friend of mine has the Kindle. He’s American and I think he has it set on his address in the states. It uses a technolgy called whispernet (not sure of the spelling) which allows you to connect to the Internet via any telcom signal it recieves with no charge, he can download books and it charges him an extra US$ 1.99 per book as he is not in the USA.
it’s very neat, I personally like it and he can not stop talking about it. he gets so excited when anyone asks him about it.
As far as I know it does not have a web browser but you can subscribe to different blogs listed on amazon as he described.
Hi,
I thought I would answer some of the product based inquires that have been raised. The battery life lasts up to 9000 pages
It is possible to read up to 30 books (3-4 hours day for a week) as
special E-ink display consumes power only when pages are turned.
and to listen to music for 24 hours and/or record voice for 5 hours.
The price on the product is KD 99/- and is available at the X-cite at Safat and Avenues
And finally yes, in addition to other Office formats you can open the ppt or xls files on it
I was looking at getting an e book reader as a Christmas present for my wife, the latest Sony e book was launched on 18 dec at the US & Canada, it looks good. when i asked the Sony dealers here, they told me that till now thay have not been informed officially about it , but they are well aware it has been launched lately, so they just told me to check back with them in around 3 to 4 month.
but jsut for those interested, here is the link to sony, you can check it out.I will be checking the middle east website, awaiting the release.
https://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?catalogId=10551&storeId=10151&langId=-1&categoryId=8198552921644523779
How much are these babies going for?
Thats cool, I didn’t know that e-ink only uses battery power when it turns pages. I am going to just leave it on and see how long the battery lasts.
Hello Mark,
I’m very interesting to buy ebook reader, because i’m tired from ebook on PCs, i have dozen of IT technical books to read.
So, i want to know how much it’ll cost in Kuwait?
Best Regards,
Emad
If you have a kindle (even the US version) you can still buy books with a gift card. Works like a charm with me! No hassle. I also buy via my kindle iphone app and have the books delivered wirelessly to me! Actually i learned about this from your geek forum!
I say get the kindle!
I have a kindle 1 (first version) that I have used in Kuwait for nearly 2 years! I do have a US cc address, but I just download the books to my computer, connect my kindle by USB, and then just move like any other file.
There are tons of websites with free books, in formats readable for many different ereaders. I don’t travel anywhere without my Kindle (and it is great to shove in my purse and take with me when I need to go to a government office to get something done….always have a long wait!)
For those of you with the Kindle Global and NO US credit card on account, can you download magazines?
for the nth time, yes it works WITHOUT an american cc!
Well magazines don’t seem to work. Just purchased a magazine and tried to send it to my Kindle Global and get a “cannot send to selected device”. Then when I choose to transfer via computer I get “We’re sorry, this title is not currently available for download.”
How come you say Kindle’s ebooks can’t be purchased with kuwaiti/interntional credit cards? it does. maybe they changed the payment restrictions when they made Kindle Global but you can buy the ebooks from kindle the same way you buy anything else on amazon.