iRiver Wave Home: All-in-one comms and multimedia hub

By David Carnoy on 09 January 2009, 12:15pm

At international consumer tradeshow CES, there's been some buzz about the iRiver Wave Home, which marries a networked multimedia device with a communications hub, to form a kitchen- and home office-friendly gadget.

A 7-inch, 800x480 touchscreen 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 on-screen 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 said can be "enjoyed through Wave Home's built-in, high-quality stereo speakers".

The Wave Home is basically a digital photo frame on steroids, complete with a 1.3-megapixel CMOS camera. Additional features include an Ethernet jack, SD card slot, USB connectivity and support for DigiPen input.

iRiver also touted the device's intelligent 'Widget', which "provides instant weather, stock and traffic updates, as well as Web and multimedia services that users can enjoy without a computer, since the device is connected to broadband internet".

Wave Home also supports Flash-based games, and you can send and receive SMS and MMS texts.

There is, however, no iPod dock.

There has been no definitive word on UK or US pricing or availability, but iRiver is allegedly trying to keep the cost below $400 (£260).