Google Books holds over 3 million free eBook titles in addition to a few hundred thousand paid titles, and on July 17th the search giant will release an e-reader, called the iriver Story HD, optimized for the Google eBook platform.
Like the iriver Story before it, released in 2009, the new iteration supports a large number of e-book formats. In fact, Google’s push for inclusiveness–Google Books is accessible by computers, Nook, Sony e-readers, and Android and iOS devices, and its API is open to all publishers, retailers, and manufacturers–mean Mountain View’s own reader must face stiff device competition for Google’s own eBook content.
Very little about the iriver Story HD seems to set it apart from its competitors. At $139.99, it’s priced almost identically to both the Nook and the Kindle, though it lacks the latest-gen Nook’s touch-screen page-turning functionality. One trick it does have up its sleeve: the iriver allows readers to access books directly via WiFi connection, meaning users don’t have to download the book directly to the device.
The iriver Story HD goes on sale at Target stores nationwide on July 17.
Read more at Ars Technica.
