Ok for a kid
Written: Dec 27 '04 (Updated Dec 27 '04)
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Pros: Cheap, cool design and good sound.
Cons: Small volume of songs and cheaply made.
The Bottom Line: I would say if you want an entry level MP3 this is a good choice. I would not recommend this for a serious audiophile.
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| gonewithwind's Full Review: iRiver iFP-190T (256 MB) MP3 Player |
We are a 3 iPod family ... my husband has a 3rd generation Pod, I have a Mini and my 16 year old has a 4th Gen 20 GB ... so my 11 year old wanted an MP3 player, too. I didn't want to spend over $200 for a child that has a very small music library. We had had an iRiver for the 16 year old (a 390, which she outgrew) so I was familiar with the brand. Doing a Google search, I found a 190 for $119 and so the search for a 'tween MP3 was over.
I'm going to compare this to my iPod because many of you are wondering how this device compares. First of all, I like the style of it. The triangular shape feels very "cool" and looks different and distinctive. It weighs about the same size as my Mini iPod. I would say it does indeed feel cheaper but I did pay less for this than my Pod so I can't complain.
With my iPod, I purchase music (from iTunes) and the music goes into a library ... or I download music from CD's to the library. I click and drag which is very, very easy. Loading the iRiver is much more complicated. There is no way my child could do this for herself (while I bet she could easily learn how to load a Pod). Even I as a self-professed closet geek found it less than intuitive to export songs to this devise.
And, yes, the volume of music than can be loaded is very limiting. You have to be prepared to load only about 90 songs on this versus about a thousand songs that can be put on a Mini iPod. Thus, you have to constantly edit the music you have on this devise. Again, for a 'tween or young teen this may be enough but it would not work for a college kid or an adult with a serious music library.
The sound of the devise compare favorably with the iPods I have used. I think the ear buds are of a lesser quality but one could certainly easily replace them. It is relatively easy to use the devise once the music is loaded. And I think that rechargeable batteries make this a good choice for a kid versus having to remember to watch the battery life of an iPod.
All in all, I would buy one again for another child.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 119.00
Recommended for: Athletes - Lightweight and Portable, Perfect for the Gym
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Epinions.com ID:
gonewithwind
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Reviews written: 8
Trusted by: 0 members
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