Rating: 
Summary: nice player but the shape
Review: I bought this player for my workouts. Sound is clear, capacity is more than enough and earplugs are not good for workouts. The shape is awkward. AA battery slot is making this thing rather large ( at the back side of the player, they always use a front shot for pictures, check for other pictures on the web), and when I use the armband, I feel like I have a rocket launcher on my arm. By the way, battery life is phenomenal (30+ hours on one battery). I would prefer the same quality in size of MPIO FL300 (I wouldn't mind 20 hour bat. life for a smaller size). Controls require some practice, but that's not a problem at all, basic mp3 playing is easy. My unit came with a defect, and amazon is replacing it, so I shouldn't disclose it.
Rating: 
Summary: My First MP3 Player
Review: I got the Philips Nike MP3 player for Christmas, but was not impressed at all. The software was crap, and the volume would have been non-existent at the gym or on the bus.
This is great. Very small. The size is great! SO easy to throw in my coat pocket or purse, so it's easy to access on the bus or when I'm out and about. The Battery life is impressive. I'd say it is right between 35 and 40 hours. The display is great.
I do wish that it played OGG files, like my husband's iRiver (though his isn't a flash player). Although it does play wma files, unlike one reviewer reported.
The armband was impossible to get use. I couldn't get the player snapped in the case. It's small enough that I can stick it in a pocket, or where it on the cord when I'm at the gym. I keep meaning to order the other armband offered at amazon ($18)
Other than that, it is great. I don't know why I hauled around my cd discman and cd's for so long! THe software is easy to use. Sure it'd be nice to just be able to plug it in and it be recognized as external storage, but the software is easy to install.
Overall, great player! I would imagine the price will come down as other flash players expand to one gig.
Rating: 
Summary: Great little player
Review: I just received my player yesterday so I don't know all the in's and out's yet, but thought I would share my initial reactions. The sound is great and have no disappointments in that regard at all. The FM signal seems to be very good. Since I didn't have any music loaded as of last night when I was working out, I used the radio and the signal/sound was very clear. I had read many reviews where people talked about the armband being too small. I will admit that it does seem pretty small, but I was able to use it (and the fabric used seems to be the type that will stretch and eventually be a very nice, snug fit) and my arms are average to above average size. What I would recommend, is buying the sport arm band that is sold as an accessory and compare. This is what I did and I will potentially be returning the accessory. The only thing I will caution people on is the headphones. While they do put out incredible sound, they are earbuds and during my one work out (while jogging) they constantly felt as though they were going to fall out and did once or twice. So instead of an armband, perhaps investing in a more secure pair of headphones is the way to go (if you will be running/jogging)
For people on the bubble right now, just wanted to mention that our decision came down between this unit and the rio forge 512 (it is hard to find many reviews on this model). Though I had heard good things about the rio, I heard great things about the iriver. There does seem to be a question about whether you can download music from websites to the iriver, but I have been told by a friend that it can definitely be done...if not then rio may have been a better choice.
Also, definitely do comparison pricing!! My wife had originally bought the rio forge 512 for me for Christmas and paid $240...which I found out was way too much! I did a lot of searching, waited to see what Apple's flash looked like (Apple Shuffle...in the end not what we were looking for) and found the iriver for $223 (including shipping). It looks as though at one point the price was below $200 (4th qtr of last year). If you want a quick comparison of all the mp3 players go to www.consumerreports.org...sign up to be a member (I did the one month) and they have a great chart to compare all of the flash players, mini hard drive players and the larger hard drive units.
Good luck and I hope this helped!
Rating:
Summary: Flawed, but the 1GB of storage is awesome
Review: I like iRiver and upgraded to the 799T after owning the 190T (256MB model). This model has been a mixed-bag. Some comments and comparisons.
Negatives
- It's a pain having to use the supplied "iRiver Music Manager" to transfer files. I wish the 799T would appear as a removable drive and I could simply drag my files there. On the older 190T you have the option of using it drag and drop.
- The navigation button on the 799T is harder to use than the 190T. I've had this thing for a couple of months and am still getting used to it. The older one was more intuitive.
- This player has a glitch when used with VBR (variable bit rate) encoded MP3s. It tends to shut down, reboot, and will continue play on some random song. I reencoded my MP3s using constant 128 and it seems to work fine.
- The $200 I paid seems high now that Apple has released the 1GB iPod shuffle for $150--although the iPod Shuffle completely lacks a display.
Positives
+ 1GB is enough storage space for me--for all activities. I was frustrated with how little 256MB was on my older model.
+ Other than the navigation button, this player is better built and seems sturdier than the 190T.
+ The battery lasts forever! 40 hours is pretty close.
+ USB 2.0 is a nice upgrade
+ Sound quality is outstanding
+ You can adjust every setting on the player. Limitedless possibilities. Though I may prefer a simpler system.
+ The display is clearly laid out and easy to read
Rating:
Summary: Exceeds My Expectations
Review: I love this puppy. Gets fast downloads with USB 2.0. Sound is superb. I bought my own headphones, but that is a given to me.
I often listen to voice only teaching lessons. With the ifp 799t you can pause and resume. You can skip ahead or backward (to what your listening to) in different time intervals of your choosing. You can increase or decrease the playback speed, which is great if you have listened to something already and want to do a quick review by increasing playback speed. I do memorization, so I can set it to repeat over indefinitly a sentence paragraph or whatever it is I'm learning. It is a voice recorder, one down point is the voice recording internal mike is a wash because any touching of the case makes noise during recording. No problem for me as I use an external lapel mike.
To add to all this sweetness my final cost was only $150. Amazon sale of $200 minus $30 for opening a charge card with Amazon, free shipping, minus $20 rebate from Iriver. Rebate check arrived within 4 YES 4 weeks from time I sent it in. Also I was having trouble with the case that came with it. I called them, and they sent a new one (different and better) as well as a new and better arm band. I have never been more pleased with a tech gadget, and I'm keeping my eyes peeled for another deal. If you're agonizing over whether to get a flash memory unit or a hard drive player. Well 1 gig holds 240 songs at 128k rate. I mean come on if you get tired of 240 songs the downloads are fast. Plus this unit is small and lightweight, and no moving parts. One more thing, I'm sold on being to use AA or AAA batteries in my devices. I can always carry a spare, plus if I don't use a device for awhile I can take the battery out and let it set. I hope this helps, again a great device and a great company.
Rating:
Summary: Swimming aerobics in song
Review: I placed an order for the new iPod Shuffle for one reason -- the accessory water-resistant case. I would listen to favorite tunes while doing aerobics in the pool, maybe exercising a little longer for the bargain. My only concern was that the iPod case isn't water proof -- splash-resistant only and not meant for use while swimming, but I figured I would be careful.
While waiting (weeks) for the iPod Shuffle to arrive, I browsed around Amazon and found the iRiver 799T and a companion accessory waterPROOF case by H2O Audio (see iRiver SVi 700 Water Sports Unit for iFP 700 Series). Not for deep diving, but excellent for the pool.
Between player and accessory case, it costs quite a bit more than the iPod Shuffle and case, but for my intended purposes, I would have ruined the Shuffle in no time anyway, translating into a total waste of money. Cancelled the iPod Shuffle, invested in the iRiver 799.
The iRiver is clunkier than the Shuffle, far less fashionable, and with the waterproof case, it's rather bulky. But I can choose the tunes I want to play or shuffle, it is more appropriate to my use plan and is well made. The player and case came with everything you might need -- extra waterproof ear buds, an extra gasket, appropriate wrist straps, lanyards, leatherette and shock absorbing cases, even a Duracell AA battery!
Although you must load the iRiver software into your computer (I guess) for the driver, you can use the Windows Media Player (I use v.10) where all your songs and playlists are probably already gathered. Mine are saved as WMA and at the highest quality, meaning fewer tunes loaded onto the player, but fifty songs on the juke are more than I need for exercise time and they operate beautifully. It only takes minutes to change out a playlist, anyway.
Sorry the review is so long, but I hope it's helpful.
Rating:
Summary: Big price, but big sound and storage
Review: I wrote extensively about the 790 version of this iRiver model, so see that review for a comprehensive look at these beauties.
Because I liked the latest iRiver model so much, I returned the 790 and got the 799 1-gigabyte version instead.I paid $190, tax included, for 256 MB at Best Buy. I figured, why not double the price at Amazon ($360) for four times as much space for my music. It is a minor fortune, to be sure, but I want to be able to keep 20-30 albums on my player at any one time so I don't have to change my music very often. I find that a small inconvenience, especially since there is no simple drag-and-drop function.
I also figure that fewer music transfers will limit potential wear and tear on the USB connector and thus extend the life of the piece of plastic that covers the USB port. My suspicion is that the cover would be the first thing to go, an event that would surely shorten the practical life of the player. Can't have that happen with such an expensive piece of equipment.
A few other things. The primary difference between the 799 and 790 is build quality. The 799 is somewhat sleeker and the casing seems a bit sturdier. The buttons are smaller and stick out less, especially the joystick. The joystick is maybe not quite as easy to use, but it has better tactile feel and seems less likely to wear down from constant use. It's a very good improvement. The USB port now has a sliding plastic door - much different than the rubberish flap on the 790. The 799 is a better color, too. LA Raiders black and gray. I wasn't crazy about the red color of the 790. One seemingly small flaw. The inline jack and headphone jack are on the same end of the player - unlike with the 790 -- so it's not as easy to plug in the headphones in the dark. Otherwise, I repeat. This is a fabulous player, the best sounding portable on the market. Most of my CDs ripped as WMA files encoded at 64 kbps sound terrific. (Classical music might require VBR recording). I use the free Real Audio (best music lookup success of the dozen programs I tried) and paid MusicMatch. Yet only Microsoft's Windows Media had VBR for WMA files, but the media player kept crashing on me. Just make sure you have great headphones to match if you are going to use 64 kbps files.
Rating:
Summary: My First MP3 Player and..
Review: Not knowing a whole lot about MP3 Players, and predisposed to buying an IPOD because.. well, everyone wants one, I did some browsing on the web and realized the harddisk based units are not all that for what I needed/wanted. Also, I did not want to worry about battery life and/or disc crashes. I am glad I took a chance with iRiver, and this unit in particular. I have stored all the music selections I could possibly want at 128mpbs and it is fantastic. I did not use the earbuds as I don't care much for those, but used my old in-ear headset from Sony. Very light and suits my needs perfectly. I am very happy with this unit and hope that it will bring me years of enjoyment. If you want a good sounding, light weight mp3 player and don't need more than 1gb, this is your player
Rating:
Summary: Overrated player, there are better options.
Review: Strengths: Lots of features, the IFP line excell like no other in FM and Voice recording quality in a 100% compatible MP3 format Iriver calls REC.
Long battery life. Just buy a set of 4 AA NiMH and charger and you will never run out of power.
Weaknesses: The sound quality is fine but not the best, Incomplete support for OGG Vorbis, No Playlist or Bookmarks for Audiobooks, Complicated PlayModes and user interface. The inline jack is not protected like the USB is but the door is flaky and doesn't remains closed, the joystick will drives you nuts, since is hard to press precisely down, in the same token the Buttoms on top are too prominent so they got activativated with anything pretty easily. The Song Manager is buggy and very primitive. The USB tranfer speed is in the slow side 1.2MB/sec.
I thought this was the best player around until I found the IAudio G3. And that is why I giving it just three stars.
The G3 is everything the IFP is and much much more, with practicaly no weakness. The only aspect were the IFP wins the G3 is obviously in the encoding quality.
If you insist on IRiver then go for the IFP-8XX series instead, which has not the physical design flaws of the 700 series.
Rating: 
Summary: Horrible and Expensive
Review: This player is just plain garbage. Here's the deal, Apple has just released an MP3 player called the IPOD Shuffle for only $150, which is about $100 less than this is going to cost. This is a really poor quality MP3 player, so redeem yourself, go get an IPOD Shuffle.
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