iRiver W7 MP3 player hankers for directions
(Credit: iRiver)Now here's something you don't see everyday: an MP3 player with GPS capabilities. The new iRiver W7, one of a slew of devices the company has on display at CES 2008, doesn't come with a built-in GPS antenna. Rather, you have the option to buy a car mount cradle that adds the functionality. The fact that the antenna is part of the cradle and not the player is actually quite compelling: it means the player can stay relatively compact and impressively thin for pocketability during "on-the-go" use, while still offering a handy navigational feature for the car. Sure, more than a handful of cell phones offer built-in GPS features, but the W7's 3-inch touch screen puts most phones' screens to shame.
iRiver doesn't skimp out on the multimedia features, either. The W7 supports music, video, photos, text, and Flash games. There's also an FM tuner (not that you'd need that in the car), an E-Dictionary, and a microSD card slot for adding more memory. The player will come in two flash memory options: 4GB and 8GB.
The W7 is due out in the U.S. at the end of Q1 or the beginning of Q2, and pricing has yet to be determined for the States. Let's just hope the European price tag of 175 Euros for the 4GB and 215 Euros for the 8GB isn't something to go by, because that's going to make it one pricey player--current conversions put that at $257 and $315, respectively.
Topics:
MP3 and portable video players
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Oh no... *rotate 90 degress clockwise, make black/shiny*
OMG IRIVER!
The Best of CES awards are meant to recognize new products announced at CES. The Clix, 605, Zen, etc., are great products, but they weren't announced at CES 2008. Wondering why the 705, A3, Q5W, and W7 haven't included on the CNET Top PVP list? We haven't reviewed them yet.
Also, the easiest job in the world: being a hater.
I'd like to apologize, once again, for the tirade I've caused in my nearly-fanatical email a few days ago. It certainly is disappointing, this year's DAP/PMP turnout at CES (I mean, iriver was, like, that event's Apple!), and I hope you'll point that out during your next podcast. I'm sure there's a whole load of peeps like me who are confused, or even frustrated, on the iriver W7 being selected as the Best of CES, and they want to know why. And I'm sorry for listing other better players as I didn't know they weren't presented on that event. So thanks for explaining how the Best of CES awards were selected, and thanks to Don for giving an efforted explanation on his Editor's Top Players list. I do hope you'd change it, including those obselette players, once the reviews on the newer players are done.
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by StonedLogic
January 13, 2008 8:19 PM
- @ laaack:
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1 | 2 | Next 10 Comments >>Q = quarter
as in yearly quarter.
duh...
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