Great MP3 player

Author's Rating:

Pros: Easy install, great on screen display, easy navigation

Cons: upgrading firmware

The Bottom Line: 
I love my MP3 player. All in one!! I can listen to music, comedy, audio books and even read (text files) on the go.

Author's Review
I purchased the iRiver 20GB MP3 player on the recommendation of a co-worker who had just received on for Christmas. It has been 2 weeks since I got it and it has been great so far. I am nowhere near the song capacity and have had only 2 minor issues with it so far.

I went from a 128mb mp3 player from Creative to the iRiver 20GB. I did not want an Ipod but wanted to get the most memory for my money. I got the iRiver on sale at Bestbuy.com (online only the store did not offer the same price) for $219. So to me it was a great deal! The fact that I was able to download pictures, have an FM tuner and Recorder and read text was an added bonus for me.

MUSIC - The process of adding music was seamless. I used my desktop initially and used the CD that came with the product. I already had Windows Media 10 and encountered no problems. Next, just to test the iRiver, I plugged the USB into my laptop (I had already upgraded to WMP10) to see if it would work like a plug and play. It did!. Windows instantly recognized the device and I was able to sync with no problems. I know the system requirements state Windows XP SP1 or higher but of course I tried it on my work computer (which is Windows 2000, I think) and doesn't work. The sound is great. I really like the EQ presets. IT comes with a lot and I haven't had any problem with sound distortion in my high bass songs and the soundtrack EQ is perfect when I listen to songs from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and The Sound of Music.

PICTURES - Again this was done with ease. The only problem that I incurred was having to find out exactly where to place my pictures so that they would be available to me in WMP10. This was just inexperience with the WMP10 gallery on my part. Once I figured that out, I uploaded my photos with no problem. The pictures are viewable and look very good. Much better than what I am normally used to viewing on my Sanyo cell phone.

TEXT - I also uploaded the KJV of the BIBLE in text format just as another reviewer did. I found a site that had what I wanted. Downloaded it to my computer. Opened it in Wordpad/Notepad to view and clean up some extra spacing and what not. Saved the file and followed the instructions in the manual to add to my iRiver. It is basically just drag and drop for the text files. The type is very easy to read on the screen, in my opinion. I don't wear glasses so it might not be as great for someone who needs glasses for reading. Scrolling up and down was no problem. I can listen to music and read the text and the same time.

FM RADIO - I get great reception at my home and in the car. However not so well at work, but I never got good reception with a regular radio so that is nothing new. I like the ability to preset the channels. This was an added bonus for me.

RECORDING - I have only used the recording a couple of times. I recorded a brief training session at work, my own voice, and a song from the radio. All went pretty well. The FM recording was stored in the music area of the MP3. The artist is recorded. It list all recordings of the iRiver. I am not sure if this would replace a typical voice recorder due to background noise but hopefully one wouldn't buy an MP3 player for voice recordings. This was just one of those added bonuses for me. I personally have a separate voice recorder that I use for classes and meetings.

BROWSER - The browser function a cool way to view everything that you have stored on the iRiver. It makes it easier to see it all without having go into each menu option separatly.

BATTERY LIFE - The claim of up to 16 hours would be pretty accurate in my opinion. In my excitement of getting this mp3 player I didn't let it completely charge before using so I only received about 12 hours of play. This was still good in my opinion. I have will have to test it again to see if I can achieve the 16 hours of battery life. I believe this is pretty good for all that the mp3 offers but another co-worker of mines has the Sony 20GB mp3 player which has 40 hours of battery life. I considered the Sony but went with the iRiver for the added bonuses and the fact that up to 16 hours of battery was just fine for me.

EVERYTHING ELSE - This mp3 player is SOOOO easy to use. I wish I had gotten this for my mom for Christmas instead of the creative 512mb (not as easy in her opinion). It is basically plug it into the USB on you computer and start syncing. I am able to rate songs with a couple of touchs of the O button. I can add songs to my quicklist instantly. The touch pad is not supersensitive and you can adjust the scroll features in the setting menu.

I don't personally like ear buds because they hurt my ears. So if you are okay with ear buds then the included headphones would be great for you. The sound quality is very good for "included" headphones. I, however, am searching for another pair of mp3 quality headphones.

The included carrying case with belt clip is okay. It does the job of protecting the device. But I would have preferred it to be a little more easier to put on and take off. I have only had problems when I was attempting to show my mp3 player to other people and I wanted them to get the full view of what my mp3 player had to offer. I am considering getting the carrying case offered on the iRiver website. The buttons and controls are still usable and it has a flip-down cover that protects the screen. It is black with white stitching instead of the clear/white cover that comes with the iRiver H10 20GB.

I had problems updating the device. According to the iRiver website there is a 2.5 version. When I used the iRiver updater it says I have the updated version. But based on the new features of the updated version like picture slide show and the order of music I don't have the latest version. I had problems updating and basically just gave up.

I like that it comes with extra usb covers, which is very good since due to my carelessness I have lost one somewhere in my home office already!!

The device compatible with the Belkin FM transmitter. I have used it with my car radio and with the radio I keep at my job.

It is a bit heavier than other MP3 players like the Sony 20gb and the Ipod but it also does much more so I don't complain.

It has locked up on me 3 times but all were due to a transfer problem of incompatible music files. I press the reset button and I was back in business.