I'm so glad I lost my Rio
Written: Dec 13 '04
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Pros: More features than a cinema multiplex, battery enough for a flight to New Zealand
Cons: It'd be nice if the controls were more intuitive
The Bottom Line: Far better than any other mp3 player on the market. Far more features than you'd think could fit in a box that size. Get one.
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| sine_nomine's Full Review: iRiver H320 (20 GB) MP3 Player |
I had a little Rio Karma, and I loved it dearly (even though I went through three replacements before I got one that worked).Unfortunately, it got lost recently. Since my husband may have been instrumental in my losing it, he offered to buy me a new MP3 player.
He's got an iRiver I've been secretly coveting for a while now, and when we started researching my new player I stumbled across the iRiver H320. Wow. It had things I didn't even know I wanted. I was smitten.
We went and got one the same day, and I brought it home and plugged it in. It charges pretty quickly from the AC adapter; you can charge it through USB but it's slow. Like geological time slow. Once it was charged, it was time to play.
The controls on the player are a little obscure, and the ones around the Navi button are tiny. I'm pretty good at figuring things out without a manual, but the procedure for getting into the menus is pretty complicated. The manual's not a lot of help, either.
You don't have to install any software to load files onto the device, which is nice -- I hated the Rio Music Manager. You do have to install software (hidden inside the MoodLogic directory on the CD) if you want your songs indexed. It's worth doing the indexing, because the search capability you get from doing that is excellent. Better yet, the indexing doesn't change the drag and drop file transfer.
The screen is beautiful. It's the size of a digital camera, only much clearer. After months of squinting at the Rio's somewhat dim display, the iRiver screen seems heavenly. The sound quality is much better than on the Rio, too. Even the FM radio sounds good. It's better than my car stereo.
I like that the stiff case included has snaps at both the top and bottom because it makes for easy access to all the ports. it would be nicer if you could plug in the USB cable without unsnapping the case, but that's a minor complaint.
The earbuds are nice, although the earbud covers don't stay on. Fortunately I mostly use this in my car. It's definitely worth the investment of adding a car tape player.
There are a few minor quirks, but this device outperforms any other hard-drive-based mp3 player I've encountered. As a bonus, I'm the envy of all my geek friends at work. Ignore the iPod hype and get an iRiver. You won't regret it.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 313
Recommended for: Music Lovers - High Capacity Storage for an Entire Album Collection
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Epinions.com ID:
sine_nomine
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Reviews written: 6
Trusted by: 0 members
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