At CES 2008 iRiver has reported its plans to release “unlocked” handsets (not tied to a particular operator) on the American market. They will be offered through existing distribution channels. The first model from the series codenamed iRiver GSM phone looks like the iPhone, but is based on Linux. It is equipped with a 3” 272×480 pixels touchscreen display. Besides there is no keyboard. Other specs list 4GB of onboard memory, a 2-megapixel camera, a media player, a GPS-receiver, TV support, Wi-Fi and 3G cell networks.

According to the manufacturer, the iRiver GSM phone will be cheaper than the iPhone. As for the release date and the price, the source hasn’t provided any details.