How much of an impact does a gadget’s name usually have on a potential buyer? Not much, although sometimes smart or original branding can go a long way to securing attention. The other side of the coin is, of course, when OEMs become so uncreative and hectic that you get headaches when trying to keep track of their line-ups (I’m talking to you, Samsung, HTC and Sony).

But how about this for outside the box thinking and creative branding – WOWtab? That’s the real market name of IRiver’s newest 7-inch slate, expected to land in South Korea two days from now, on the 21^st.

Say that a couple of times in your head. I own a WOWtab, that WOWtab looks interesting, where can I find the WOWtab? You could get used to it, right?

Unfortunately, the name is one of only a few things that’s truly remarkable about the 7-incher. That and probably the design. Which is further evidence that not everything has to be the same. There are only so many things you can do with a rectangular slab of silicon, but that doesn’t mean you should stop trying to be imaginative altogether.

But enough with the compliments and out with the criticism. Firstly, pricing. Apparently, Iriver is planning to sell this snazzy-looking WOWtab for 248,000 KRW in Korea. That’s around $228. Which would have sounded fair if it were 2010, but with Google’s Nexus 7 going for $210 on the continent (albeit in Japan), it’s inexplicably high.

The spec sheet is not awfully attractive either, being more or less on-par with what the N7 has to offer. The same 1.2 GHz quad-core Tegra 3 CPU is humming beneath the hood, there’s only 1 gig of RAM, 16 GB of on-board storage, Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, Wi-Fi b/g/n and Bluetooth.

Not even the IPS panel is superior in any way, boasting a 1,280 x 800 pixels resolution. The microSD support is definitely a plus, as is the slightly better 2 MP camera, but on the flipside the battery is measlier, at only 4,000 mAh. We’re sorry, Iriver, but we just don’t see the “wow” factor.