Rating: 
Summary: Believe the hype
Review: I've done a month of research before I bought this and I'm glad I made the purchase. I've had this for 2 weeks and love it. I really like the idea that the remote does the same thing the box does.
Rating:
Summary: Best mp3 player ever..... a sure ipod killer!!!
Review: I am going to try and keep this short and to the point. I recently bought a iRiver, and right away i was impressed by the looks, durablility, and how easy it was to use. This is true plug and play.
Its my mp3 player, external hdd, FM Tuner, and voice recorder.
To copy music to the iRiver you dont need **ANY** 3rd party software at all, just drag and drop. Its just as easy to copy and move from MP3 player to MP3 player.
The iPod can only copy files to itself and or delete. So if you are looking for a good place to backup your MP3s dont buy the iPod, cause you can not get them back off of it, but apple does not tell you that upfront, you have to find out the hard way like i did. The iPod also has a battery issue. You have to break the case to open it, there is no way to open it. Thats apples way of making more money from the consumer. I did the apple switch, i switched to iRiver.
Rating:
Summary: Some technical data
Review: This is my second review, with a little more technical data for those who are interested...1. Built in recording function is very easy to use, and great for making digital recordings from analog sources. (Patch the iRiver into tape deck using included cord, make the digital recording, download to PC, and burn a CD! Worked like a charm!) 2. iRiver body is made of magnesium. I don't know if this actually has any real advantage, but at least conceptually it seems better than plastic. 3. Able to load & read text files! The display, while generous, is a bit small for using this as a dedicated electronic book machine, but it's still a nice feature; more practical in my view than having built-in games. 4. File system can recognize 9999 files. This is fine for the 20GB iRiver, as most music files are >2 MB. (At least mine are.) It raises a concern for the 40GB iRiver... I don't know if the 40 GB model has the same 9999 file limit, but you could potentially not be able to utilize the full 40 GB. 5. More on the importance of WMA over MP3: for the same memory, WMA sounds better. Even if you have TONS of hard drive space for large files, there is an advantage to not making your music files larger than they need to be: Hard drive players use a read-ahead buffer, so the hard drive is only accessed intermittently. This is an energy-saving feature. So, using better file-compression algorithms ends up giving you better battery life.
Rating:
Summary: No commercial gimmicky hype, just word-of-mouth quality.
Review: Like virtually all of you, I considered this & the 20 GB iPod. Those iPod commercials look so cool & it's so hard to see something about iRiver. But I first decided on the iRiver iHP 120 because the battery life is awesome. Li-polymer is MUCH better than Li-ion (iPod). It comes with all these cables and attachments you wouldn't expect. I was afraid I'd have to buy additional accessories, but there's nothing else I'd want, except maybe a cradle (which they don't make). BTW, the case is awesome; there's nothing I'd change about it. The sound quality is awesome, especially if you adjust the settings to your liking and upgrade your headphones. (My personal recommendation & favorites: Grado SR-80. Awesome bass. Not cheap headphones, but an outstanding value for audiophiles & I love the retro look. Read about them. You'll be amazed how much better your music sounds with good headphones/speakers.) It's tough to try out the unit since it's not carried in many stores, so let me mention the only things that I don't like about it. Read someone else's review for the positive aspects; there are SO many. 1) It's database-tagging system only recognizes .mp3 format files (I like using WMA), but since it's firmware and database software upgradeable, I'm "hoping" iRiver will come up with a newer version that will address this. Regardless, I like leaving my music on random shuffle, so it's not a huge problem for me.
2) iPod has cute little side features & games. iRiver is for music only & file transferring (but it does these two main things better than the iPod does). iRiver's "drag & drop" functionality is awesome.
3) iPod's slide-wheel interface is cooler than iRiver's joystick.
4) It doesn't play protected audio files downloaded from pay services like MusicMatch. Of course, you could use the iRiver's in-line ripping to output your protected file from your computer's music card to the iRiver to rip directly (which it does). This will (SHH!!) bypass the protection on your music by doing this, but I don't know what changes in music quality this may result in. I only listen to music from my CD collection that I ripped legally; you should too. I'm pretty sure you can even use an optical line to do ripping of protected music files, though I haven't tried yet.
5) It ain't cheap. Then again, iPod = iRiver + 10% cost - battery life - extra-detailed audio features. Anyway, I've got tons of positives, but I thought I'd give you the major negatives on it, because those are so hard to figure out until you try the unit yourself. It doesn't get the publicity the iPod does, but it keeps a really picky electro/audiophile like me happy.
Rating:
Summary: This is NOT an mp3 player. It is a MULTI-CODEC JUKEBOX
Review: As a music junkie, this is a must own. I've had the iHP-120 for about 2 months now, and I go everywhere with it. Record sounds/speech thru it's internal mic or plug in your own mic, the recorded sounds can be saved in mp3 or wav format at a quality level set by you. Playback files of ogg, mp3, wav, wma format. The internal firmware that controls the player is upgradeable from iRiver.com. If you only need the basic features and like something sleak and stylish, the iPod is probably a good bet, though i have honestly scoured the net for reviews b4 i chose my player, and i have read a lot of complaints about the iPod malfunctioning or breaking down. A huge plus of the iRiver is that you can just plug it straight into your computer and it'll read as an external hard drive, no hassle with installing dodgy music management software. This machine fully deserves to be called the iPod's leading competitor, and in my humble opinion, it should be considered the benchmark for all others.
Rating: 
Summary: Definitely the BEST player, though not as hot as the iPod
Review: I own this player for about a week now. Let me start off saying that I've always been a fan of iRiver, as they always include the features that "everyone wants". With this product, they waited for everyone else to release jukeboxes, and saw what sold, and what didn't and put together what I think is a player that has everything you could possibly want. It is the ONLY high-end player to use file and folder browsing (also means it detects as an external harddrive when you plug it into the pc, no need for drivers under windows ME/2000/XP). It is also the ONLY player that allows viewing both ways --That's right, you can view both by folder view, OR by index, using Artist, Album, Song Title, Genre, etc, (though I will mention that their indexing system is rather weak, more on that later..)
This is also the only player I know to fully support every feature on the remote. That means that you can completely control everything from the remote, as well as even go into the options menu and change settings. You never have to take the player out of your pocket! The player's options are also extremely customizable, and like the Creative Nomad jukeboxes, this player has a ton of cool sound effects settings. It has EAX support built in. The sound on this player is superior to the iPod, but not the Nomad Jukeboxes (nothing is...), but it comes real close. The Bad:
The controls are a bit hard to learn at first, as each button on the remote can be both turned left, right, pushed in, or held in for a few seconds, but this turns out to be extremely rewarding, becuase once you DO learn the controls (takes about a week), you will find every option (including Sound EQ, and play mode), just a click away!. Once you learn the controls, you will love them.
The Indexing system is also rather lousy. If your files exceed the maximum path allowed, the index will not pick them up (the maximum is quite large, but apparently, I've reached it). You also must "add" all files into the database after copying them onto the device. (of course, because the player has no way of knowing you used Windows Explorer to copy more music on) Right-clicking a folder and clicking "Add to DB" takes care of that though. I have never successfully been able to "Add files to DB" either. Every time, if I wanted the newly music to actually work in the database, I had to delete the index file completely and recreate it, for it to work (takes about 10 min on a full drive) My suggestion for this player is to just use the folder view for selecting your files, and use a program like "Tagscanner" to arrange your music into folders, based on their ID3 tags, however you like them, for example:
..\..\Sorted Music\%1\%4 - %3\%7 %2 means: ..\..\Sorted Music\Artist\Year - Album Name\Track# - Name so if you can completely sort out your music into folders using a program like this, I don't know why you'd want to use an "indexing system" anyway. ...I don't think there's a better player out there, though I hear the Rio Karma is also a really good one! ..As many of you know a great competitor of this player is the iPod. As my title says, this player isn't as hot, but totally blows the iPod away in features. It is also built better. My friends iPod broke after a couple of months of using is responsibly, and iPod is CHARGING for tech support questions on it. Heres what this player has, that the iPod doesn't: A) The ability to customize settings. B) Recording capability. C) built in FM tuner. D) EAX sound effects, equalizers, whatever. E) Detects as a "mass storage device" and doesn't need any software to load music on under Windows ME/2000/XP. iPod also detects as a mass storage device, but it needs EphPod, iTunes, iPod manager, or MusicMatch Jukebox to load music on. F) Buttons that work when you're wear gloves, or if it's cold outside. G) A better price. ...I don't think the perfect player exists, but this comes real close! With it's upgradeable firmware, and great support by iRiver, this player may reach pefection one day! In the meantime, get it, and enjoy the "almost-perfect player"
Rating:
Summary: amazing product
Review: i have read most of the reviews for this product and there is one HUGE feature that people fail to point out. this feature, IMHO, blows all MP3s out of the water. the iRiver can also mimick as an external HDD. you can store any file on it. you can backup your laptop on it. i wouldn't do that because i want music on my player. however, with the diminishing floppy, cd/dvd burning, the coming of age of the memory stick, this is the mother of all file transfers. just plug it into the USB port (either 1.1 or 2.0 (just lack of speed is the difference)) of your computer, windows recognizes the player as a mass storage device and creates a driver letter for it. after that, you can create your own directory structure on the player and drag and drop any file onto it. only the files that the player recognizes will show up in the iRiver's display. this player has been quipped the "techies mp3 player", but do not let that discourage you from thinking there is something hard about setting it up. there absolutely isn't. it just comes load with features. reads FIVE different file types and has all kinds of equalizer options including SRS, a voice recorder, tune into FM radio stations, optical line in and out, and more. in comparison of a swiss army knife, the iPod is the little thing you attach to your keychain. the iRiver is the big multifunctional tool that needs a little poach to be carried in properly. even though the player is a bit bigger than most other players, it comes with a remote that has all the functions that you could do on the player. so throw the player in your backpack and clip the remote to your shirt or belt or whatever and enjoy the great sound that comes out of this player. oh, the iRiver also comes with a leather case to keep it from getting scratched up. just look at the list of stuff this thing can do above and compare it against any MP3 Player. there is no competition. so please think twice before buying into pop culture and looking stylish. (i'm not affiliated with iRiver in anyway, i just really like this product and want to spread the word that the iPod is a piece of marketing junk)
Rating:
Summary: Amazing buy
Review: I was looking at reviews of MP3 players for almost 3 months. Suddenly I found the iRiver HP120 and I fell in love with its features. I did buy it, and havent had a single complaint. Yes Im aware it scrolls slower than an iPod, but I dont care. The battery life is very true, mine lasted exactly 16 hours. The recording feature has been useful in lectures. It does take some patience to read the manual, but its worth it. Also a bonus was the price. Im sorry, compared to the iPod, I got more for the same price as a 10GB iPod. It was very worth investing in... I have been stopped by people who were curious what kind of MP3 player I was listening to, most people seem to be drawn into its nice black color...my only con is that im impatient for the start-up, but at 12 second its still fast ;) BTW: I also bought new headphones, the headphones they give dont fit my ears... so that may also affect the sound which so many people seem to complain about, the sound with my Sony MDR-EX71's are just amazing, you can adjust the sound levels (bass, treble etc) to your likings.
Rating:
Summary: Good luck finding one...
Review: I was totally sold on this product. The feature set is amazing. So, I ordered one from Amazon a couple weeks ago. Needless to say, I still haven't received my order. Just last night Amazon emailed me to say that it wouldn't ship until April 25th. (About 2 months from now.) The fact that they STILL say its going to be shipped in 2-3 days has to be a crime. Go on www.pricegrabber.com, find a lower price, verify the merchant has it in stock and order it there. By the way, this is the second time in a row that Amazon simply lied about expected shipping date. I expect the FTC would like to know about this too...
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding!!!
Review: ...
I bought this a couple of weeks ago, and it has turned out to be one of the best pieces of machinery I've ever messed with. I could go on about how great the sound and the interface is, but there are plenty of reviews in that regard. So, I will go into a couple of problems I had.
First, the db is kind of fickle, and if you want to use it to its full capabilities you should make sure that all your tag info is correct. However, this is easily corrected(and the dba is not necessary)due to the drag and drop system in windows explorer being so convenient. It is really simple to create your own filing system and label your folders and music in whatever manner you want to organize it. I chose to do it by artist folder then album. Yet, you could file it by genre or mood, or whatever. Just do it. If someone had told me this before I bought it, It would have saved me about three hours of updating my id tags.
Second, it doesn't support drm format, but there is an easy way to get around it. Burn your online purchased music onto cd then put it onto your player in whatever format you wish. The ogg vorbis is hands down the best sounding format out there(this is one of the few players that support it), and there are a couple of freeware programs(CNET)available on the net that will allow you to put your music in a highly compressed and great sounding format.
There is a bit of a learning curve with the interface and all of the functions. Thus, I wouldn't reccomend it to people who just want something to plug and play. However, a moderately computer savvy person can make full use of this great machine in a couple of hours. It takes a little while to use, because this thing is capable of so much more than a standard mp3. The label of the "techies mp3" is really appropriate. The internal recorder and fm stereo both are amazing. I got it when the price went down to 300 and have been extremely happy with it. It lives on my hip and I am tempted to learn how to shower with earphones so that I don't have to stop listening to it. In summary, the player you buy should reflect how you want to use it. If you really want to use i-tunes or napster, I would suggest checking out the i-pod or the creative zen respectively. If you want a player that is capable of a myriad of functions and formats, that allows you to easily put all of your own cd's onto it, then this is the one for you.
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