Review of iRiver iFP-899

ThJ writes "The iRiver iFP-899 at $179.99 is a portable (8.9 x 3.6 x 2.7 cm), lightweight (75 grams w/battery) solid state music player. With a capacity of 1 GB, it can store ~170 songs at 6 MB each. The iFP-899 features MP3, WMA and OGG support, an FM tuner and a 3-way (line/mic-in, internal mic, FM tuner) MP3 recorder. After purchasing one for myself and using it for a few days, I thought it would be a good idea to give it a brief review. There are plenty of screenshots. Go ahead and enjoy!" Note: this review has some words of caution for those who'd like it to play Ogg Vorbis files, but forewarned is forearmed.

Comments

Humongous!

[LFS.Morpheus]

These days, 8.9 x 3.6 x 2.7cm is really quite big (particuarily 2.7cm thick - that >1") and at $180 for 1 GB, its primary focus (playing MP3s) seems to be rather uncompetitive.

The review fails to mention any sort of side-by-side comparison. Compared to the iPod Shuffle at $150, you get something twice as big, but with a screen and a bunch of extra functionality. Two big factors that, I believe, makes the iPod shuffle sell well:

Size
iRiver: 3.5" x 1.4" x 1.1" (5.39 cu in)
Shuffle: 3.3" x 0.98" x 0.33" (1.07 cu in)

Weight
iRiver: 2.64 ounces
Shuffle: 0.78 ounces

So for the added weight and size, as well as $30, you get a tuner, a screen, a voice recorder, and OGG support.

Disclaimer: I don't own an iPod Shuffle, but it seems fair to compare the product to the hottest new thing out there in the market.

Wedding Videography Revolution!

[Anonymous Coward]

Us wedding (and other) videographers have experienced a somewhat major revolution using the line/mic in recording function for gathering ceremony and reception audio. You can slip one of these onto the groom and officiet an hour before the ceremony, and with 7 hours of mono recording (on the 512mb) never have to sweat running out of record time....the super battery life kills worrying about your wireless mics dying, and also the concern over loss of wireless frequency or interference. Couple them with a Giant Squid Audio lav and youve got yourself one bad ass little system. I now have three (one for podium speakers).

Re:We'll be right back...

[Wordsmith]

Ummm ...

While the review is generally positive, it's not all-out glowing. It notes weak points. Are you saying reviews of tech products aren't legitimately of interest to nerds/geeks?

if you like iriver, check out iaudio

[eh2o]

iaudio (aka cowon) makes a couple of small players that have all the same features as iriver (ogg included).

the iaudio players also function as usb mass storage drives right out of the box, for those who abhor stupid "media player" software and all their crappy DRM restrictions -- copying music (or any other file you want to carry) is literally plug-and-play, drag-n-drop.

iaudio has also just released 2gb flash players (I have one). within a couple of months there should be more and more 2gb players on the market.

Re:won't beat ipod for now

[Anonymous Coward]

2) Songs can be purchased easily from places other than iTunes. Think Google (type in a song or artist name and it says "buy this song") or Microsoft (with their "Plays For Sure" thing). Microsoft is now entering this space so it'll be interesting to see what happens.

Think Yahoo, unless you Think Different(tm), in which case you probably lean iPod anyway.

<owns and loves a Rio Karma/>

Re:Additionally:

[Anonymous Coward]

You might try the Creative Zen Nano. It's only, I think, $130 for One GB and has an FM tuner, voice recorder and can rip straight from CD or any audio device. And it measures 1.32" x 2.58" x 0.51" and weighs .8 oz without the AAA battery. Works great for workouts.

You're music sucks! Repeated listening...

[screwthemoderators]

Seriously, I love digital players because I can listen to my favorite songs repeatedly, or listen to two or more performances of same song over and over. Repetition on the radio annoys me, but if its songs of my own choosing, I can't bear to only listen to it only once.