It finally came yesterday! I've joined the ranks of those who have MP3 Players. But I'm not a pod person; I'm a river person as I use an iRiver. While i like the iPod and was going to purchase one, my choice of unit was dictated by several factors.
- It had to have 40 GB of storage
- It had to have a color screen
- It had to show pictures
- It had to be recognized as a HD in Windows XP
- It had to support a lossless compression format
- It had to have an FM Tuner
- It had to be under $400.00 USD
The iRiver met and beat these expectations as it has all my requirements above plus:
- It uses Winamp Play lists
- It also has a built-in voice recorder
- It can display text files
- It creates MP3's without a PC
- It can record from its built in FM tuner
- It can record from any input source via its Line-in jack
- It support OGG, WMA, ASF, JPG, BMP files types
- The devices Firmware is upgradeable
- It cost $365 delivered
- BONUS~ with a firmware upgrade to the Asian version it can play video. (Using any other firmware voids the warranty and therefore I posted the link for reference only. More firmware images here. Use it at your own risk! Thin~Space does not recommend nor advocate this modification and is not responsible for any damage you may cause to your unit by doing so.)
I'm currently downloading my entire 25Gig music and photo library to the device. While it is not as sleek as the iPod, its style is growing on me. I'm starting to like the carbon fiber look. The sound quality is simply amazing and the built in SRS and EQ are not that bad at all for a portable device.
I'm not a big fan of ear buds, so I'm going to get a pair of Sennheiser PX 100 Headphones to use with it. I'd get these even if I became a "pod" person. I'm not sure if I'll do the firmware upgrade to get the video capabilities. I'm still researching it. For more information and tips, go to the iRiver message board at misticriver.
Comments