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Sounds impressive (although I'd prefer an iRiver one because it's driverless so it works on anything that supports USB 2.0 and will have no DRM), but no matter how impressive other companies make their jukeboxes and media players the masses will continue to suck up iPods like there's no tomorrow.

"I know it's expensive with less functionality, shorter batter life, lower sound quality, and forces me to use bloated software, but it's so pretty!"

BTW: IRiver also makes an Ogg-capable portable, several of them, but their 20gig model is about $399. :(

Coincidentally enough, my iHP-120 arrived the other day, and only cost me 250 :-)

I see visible screws on the bottom.

How elegant.

The 40 GB iHP-140 is described in English on their Northern Europe website. You have to click on the English flag in the upper right corner.

Crippled functionality is not something to worry about with iRiver. Their design philosophy seems to be "end user experience = GOD, screw what the RIAA wants". Every flash/hard drive based player they have works as a USB drive. This one also has built-in mp3 recording off analog/optical audio in (with bit rates up to 320kbps). iRiver also has a great menu system rivaling the iPod (preference is up to the user, though). Their North American site seems to be ./'ed, but European site is working fine. Has all the same info about the same products. It's about time these guys start to get the recognition the deserve - I've been in love with them for over a year. I just wish I could afford one of these, but alas, I am but a lowly student.

Let's see:

A maximum drive half the size of an iPod

A substantially larger form factor (the remote you harped on with the other person is almost half the size of an iPod!)

An annoying interface (I loathe designs where pressing DOWN on the joystick is select)

A feature set that, while impressive in it's amazing array of complexity, can't help but drive the cost up. (I suspect that's why there's no 40GB model)

And last but not least - the inability of buying it in the U.S.

Enough for you Sparky?

Several things make the iPod the one to get:

"Supports Windows 98/ME/2000/XP & Mac iHP-120, works under the biggest OS environments."

The UI looks clunky and I'd want a *NIX driver but it's good to see ogg/vorbis finally get into HW products.

Crippled functionality is not something to worry about with iRiver. Their design philosophy seems to be "end user experience = GOD, screw what the RIAA wants". Every flash/hard drive based player they have works as a USB drive. This one also has built-in mp3 recording off analog/optical audio in (with bit rates up to 320kbps). iRiver also has a great menu system rivaling the iPod (preference is up to the user, though). Their North American site seems to be ./'ed, but European site is working fine. Has all the same info about the same products. It's about time these guys start to get the recognition the deserve - I've been in love with them for over a year. I just wish I could afford one of these, but alas, I am but a lowly student.

The iRiver Nordic site carries the specs.