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iriver H140 wins EISA's coveted "European New Media Audio 2004-2005" award (31/8/2004)

Jury especially impressed by the pocket jukebox's sound quality and rich features

The European Imaging and Sound Association (EISA) has given its coveted "European New Media Audio 2004-2005" award to the hard drive-based H140 audio player from iriver. iriver, the leading provider of innovative portable audio and video solutions in the digital entertainment segment, has thus walked away with the most important distinction in Europe's entertainment electronics industry only months after establishing its European headquarters. In explaining the reasons for its decision, the jury Ð made up of experts from 50 leading European broadsheets and trade publications Ð was full of praise in particular for the "excellent sound quality" and the extensive array of features fitted in the iriver H140.

After the company recently published upbeat figures for the quarter just ended, the EISA award comes as yet more powerful evidence that iriver has correctly interpreted the signs of the times. Its premium brand has a clear technological edge and is setting new standards in the portable audio and video player segment.

The EISA jury justified its decision in the following terms: "This very well made portable player has a built-in hard drive whose 40 gigabytes of memory make up to 10,000 MP3 titles available to mobile users. The USB 2.0 port facilitates very fast data transfer for all kinds of files. Besides MP3s, the device can also play WMA, WAV, ASF and OGG music files. Its feature set includes a rechargeable battery, a built-in VHF tuner and a microphone for the user's own live recordings. Users can operate the player either with the built-in controls or with a remote control unit supplied with the product. A large backlit display shows all the information they need. The sound quality, which is excellent by portable standards, and the long list of features make the H140 the clear winner."

"We couldn't have hoped for better confirmation that iriver Europe is on the right track," says an elated Carsten Bickhoff, Marketing Manager Europe at iriver. "We are very proud to have won this award, which ranks as one of the most important in the entertainment electronics industry. The fact that the iriver H140 now proudly bears EISA's 'European New Media Audio 2004-2005' award proves that we are setting new standards with innovative products in the converging market for digital entertainment. We demand a lot of ourselves in terms of the quality of our audio and, in future, our video products too. And the market seems to agree that we are delivering the goods."

EISA is the largest editorial multimedia organization in Europe, with a membership of 50 audio, video and photo maganzines drawn from 20 European countries. Each year, the EISA awards are granted to products that combine innovative technologies with exceptional design, ergonomic features and functional versatility to offer outstanding value for money. The chief editors and technology editors of Europe's most widely read trade journals in these areas Ð experts from 18 countries Ð formed the jury for the Audio/Home Theatre award segment. It is precisely this high-calibre jury that makes the EISA award one of the most important and prestigious in the entertainment electronics industry.

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