iRiver preparing to intro media phone

Following Apple’s successful jump from the portable media player market to the mobile phone space, gadget manufacturer, iRiver, is set to attempt a similar feat with the launch of a device later this year.

At the CES show in Las Vegas earlier this week, photos emerged of a prototype GSM handset/media player, which is expected to hit shelves towards the latter end of the year. The gadget would be unlocked, so it could be used on any compatible network.

The device uses the now popular 3 inch touch screen and minimal hard keys, with some reports claiming that the unit will include 4GB of storage a 2 megapixel camera, GPS and potentially wifi.