Fun Player
Written: Feb 03 '03
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Small, light, good sound
Cons: Supporting software
The Bottom Line: I am quite satisfied with the iRock in spite of the software.
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| cudahy's Full Review: FID Irock 520 (64 MB) MP3 Player |
I purchased an iRock 520 with 64Meg in August 02. I use it for running and it makes quite a difference. Techno music and running are a great combination imho. I use a 128Meg SmartMedia card with it; unfortunately the format is not compatable with my Zio SM reader. The iRock draws about 100ma (milliamps) and uses a single alkaline aaa cell (about 600 ma-hrs) and so is good for about four hours. I just bought an iConcepts charger ($15) with 4 aaa ni-mh cells (also 600 ma-hrs) which works well but note that their voltage is about 1.25v. In cold weather they're good for about three hours. These cells are small enough so that it is easy to carry a spare. Replacement is easy. There is a low battery indicator but I simply run it till it dies. The controls on the iRock are limited but adequate. You need to skip forward or backward to locate a song which is only denoted by number. On the other hand, the controls are easily operated one-handed so you can change song or volume while running. Volume and tone are good. Twice (in approx. 100 hrs of use) the player's audio stopped even though the controls were functioning. This problem was solved by removing and reinserting the cell which is easily done. I suspect the internal computer needed a reset. The iRock comes with earbuds and a wriststrap, both of which I found useless. It is small, light, and fits easily in a pocket or a pouch (in which case the wriststrap may be useful for extracting it). The iRock connects to the USB port and so it's easy to alter the playlist with appropriate software.
The software is the weak spot. IRock Audio Manager (v3.4.111, by Rio) is good for formatting and arranging play order but poor at creating play lists while Windows Media Player (v7.01) is better for arranging play lists and will usually load it but not always in the correct sequence. Neither program recognizes the other's playlist nor can they download the playlist from the iRock. Thus, if you want to put a copy on your computer or another device, it appears that you must copy the listing manually (i.e. with a pencil!!!) from the iRock and rebuild it. Audio Manager also occasionally shuts down unexpectedly on my Win98 OS. Nevertheless, it does work. If you're into distance running, an mp3 player can greatly improve the experience. I don't run without it anymore.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
cudahy
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Reviews written: 6
Trusted by: 0 members
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