Rating: 
Summary: Not as promised
Review: After 8 months of use, it proves itself to be not as promised. The biggest problem I have is the skipping. I cannot even carry it on my school bag, not to mention carring it while jogging. Another thing is the battery, 8 hours and it's dead. I constantly need to recharge it. I would definitely choose another brand like Sony with standard AA battery instead of this one.************************************************************ I recently bought Creative Lab's Normad IIc because it is light and small and use internal memory so it won't skip, which is ideal for jogging. But the player froze a couple of times and it feels cheap, I returned it and got this CD/MP3 player which is originally what I want. Now I don't need to transfer files.It plays all the mp3 discs I burned and even some asf format files, not to mention the conventional CDs. It can display the mp3 tag and use Winamp's play list. It's also programmable: you choose the songs in the order you want them to play. The CD console feels solid and compact. The remote control is a cool little device and have a tons of functions. Besides playing discs, there are two very useful features among many others: FM tuner and timer. The thing I don't like is the rectangle rechargable batteries because they are hard to find and expensive to buy ...Upgrading firmware is easy if you know how to burn CDs. I recently bought Sennheiser HD-497 for my SlimX iMP-350. Actually I found out that the earbuds with the player is not bad. When reading complains about the batteries and no LCD on the main player, you should know that that's part of the slim design. If you don't care about how thick the player is and want to use regular batteries, go and buy iRiver ChromeX iMP-150 which has the basic functions as SlimX iMP-350. However I do think they should keep most of the functions on the main player. The functions have been limited again in the new SlimX iMP-400 which I don't like. So far I am very happy with it and give it a 5 star.
Rating: 
Summary: Great MP3 Solution
Review: This CD Player is a great way for MP3 (and WMA) fans to carry around a decent amount of tunes without plunking down $...+ for a jukebox style player. It is stylish looking and very durable. The sound quality is incredible, especially from such a slim device. True, the owners manual is not the most comprehensive documentation I have ever read in my life, but the controls are so intuitive that a couple hours of experimentation are all it takes to learn every aspect.
The battery life I think is overstated, I expect about 5-8 hours per charge on the included batteries alone, and roughly double that with two AA batteries in the external pod. I think they were referring to using the FM tuner only when they said it would work for 23 hrs.
Which reminds me, the FM tuner, which uses the remote for an antennae, has better reception than any portable cd player I have yet seen. The remote itself is very well constructed, and accesses eache function using three very well placed jog dials and 2 buttons. The lcd screen is small, though well lit, and you can adjust the font size. For the visually impaired it has an option that uses beeps to help navigate the many functions. I suppose if you are deaf as well you will have a hard time using it, but then why would you want to anyway?
The unit itself is also very well constructed. It is made of metal and feels very durable. Though I have not tested it yet I think it could survive quite a few ordinary falls. As many reviews have stated the bag it comes with is more or less worthless as a CD player case, though it is still a nice velvet bag (like you get with a Crown Royal bottle). And contrary to what I have read the earphones included are as good as any earbuds I have ever owned.
All in all I would say this unit is a very good MP3 solution. It is much cheaper than an iPod or similar device, holds much more songs than a flash unit, and has an FM radio, which many jukebox MP3 players do not. And it plays good old CDs as well, for those who maybe want a little better sound quality for their favorites. Buy this product and you will not be sorry.
Rating: 
Summary: Nice unit - recommended - with caveats.
Review: Overall, this is a great player. I love the fact that I can burn a CD with about ~100 MP3s and not have to change the disc for days. I put the entire recorded output of my favorite group, Ozric Tentacles, on two CDs! I like the remote and the sleek, slim design, and it's never skipped while playing - I doubt it ever will! The carrying case is quite useful in keeping the pieces/parts together. The sound quality is impressive; the EQ features, and menuing system are well thought out. On the down side, and why I haven't awarded 5 stars, the batteries (for me anyway) don't last very long. It seems only a few hours, and when I use the battery stick, it drains those very quickly. This unit should have come with a car adapter. If you're thinking of getting one of these and you plan on using it in the car, get a car adapter right away. Also, this player does not like getting cold. It refuses to see a disc if it's been sitting in the car in cold weather for any length of time. Getting it to finally recognize the disc is a pain .... Summary: Excellent player, but power hungry and sensitive to cold.
Rating:
Summary: Almost flawless MP3 CD Player
Review: This is a really feature-rich MP3 player. It probably has the most features out of any MP3 CD player out there right now.
First of all, this thing is super slim. despite being a CD player, it actually fits inside most of my pants' pockets. This is because it's radius isn't much more than that of a CD-ROM, and the thickness is about 10 CD-ROMs stacked up.
Where this product really shines is the remote. This thing has innovative little switches (kind of like the wheel on wheel mice). One changes tracks, one changes volume, one skips ahead 10 tracks. You can also press on the switch to activate something else, or you can press and hold to active yet another thing.... there are many ways to use this. The LCD display is top notch. It has a really nice resolution. It displays 13 characters across. It displays the Folder that you are in on one line, and the track name and artist on the next line (and scrolls it). it can display the track number and Time remaining as well, all on the same screen. Don't forget the visualizations!! it has a left and right level meter or you can switch into Waveform mode for ultimate experimenting. The LCD has a nice indigo blue light when you press a button. Everything is configurable using the unit's BIOS setup. The only few drawbacks I have with this unit is the fact that the anti-skip isn't the best. When a track first starts playing, it takes a little bit to load that song's anti-skip stuff into memory. Therefore, if you shake it at the beginning of a track, it will likely skip. After this initial period, though, it is fine. The other drawback is that i seem to get the headphones and the remote wire tangled after sticking it in my pocket. it gets a little annoying sometimes. Overall, I think this is one of the best MP3 CD Players out there.
Rating:
Summary: It was worth the research
Review: Frankly I admit that this choice was not an easy one. The available players and options are simply overwhelming. It also happens that you start out your research with a simple set of requirements but additional preferences come up when starting to compare. When I decided exactly what I needed I ended up looking for the following characteristics:
Lightweight, Slim case
Shock Resistant
Anti skip technology
CD playback
MP3 playback on CD-R and RW
Remote controlled
Included Rechargeable batteries
Power supply
FM tuner iRiver SlimX provides all this and more. The player had more features than I expected. It also included a convenient AA 2-battery pack for additional playback time and a simple but useful carrying bag. CD playback of MP3 CDs created on a PC was fantastic. I have a collection of MP3 CDs at home that I immediately put to the test and they worked perfectly. In a few seconds, the player loads the tracks in memory and gives you the song list on the remote display. The display follows the same format as you stored it on the CD. If you stored them in folders, the folder names are also displayed. You can navigate through the list song by song or in a faster page by page mode. Random playback is also available. If the song title doesn't fit the display, the letters scroll to the left to allow complete viewing. The player also reads from CD-DA, Enhanced CD, CD-Plus, as well as WMA and ASF files burned on CD. Up to 320 bit rate is supported on MP3s. ID3 tags are also supported (song titles on CD are displayed on player) There are sound presets such as Rock, Jazz and Classical (7 presets in all). There is also an option to enable user customization of sound equalization. Menus, display settings and general options are also customizable through a very detailed menu. For me the remote control was a bit difficult to grasp at first, but the included documentation helped immensely to take full advantage of its many features. The remote display is well lit in neon kind of blue. The backlight turns off after 10 (default) or 30 seconds. You may also use the player without the remote. The manual options are limited although less cable makes the player more manageable in some situations. Remote options include play, stop, and pause, on/off, browse by track or by page, player setup, FM tuner, rewind and volume. Virtually everything is handled by the remote. The FM tuner has the capability of storing your favorite stations. I consider the battery life to be average. The power charger has the option to completely discharge and then recharge (slower but most efficient) or simply recharge the batteries. The handy external AA battery pack provides for additional time should the rechargeable batteries run out. In summary: Pros: Slim, light, many features, ease of use, power options, documentation, firmware upgradeable (new technology should be easy to adapt)
Cons: Earphones are not the best; the carrying bag and the player don't have some sort of belt clip-on. Recommended.
Rating:
Summary: iRiver iMP-350 spare NiMH batteries and charger
Review: There are well over 100 reviews (mostly positive)
for the iRiver iMP-350 (SlimX) on Amazon alone,
so I won't waste too much space writing yet another
comprehensive review ... Suffice to say, this is a great piece of gear, with
all the bells and whistles one expects from a MP3-CD
player (and more). A real gadget-freak's "wet dream".
As another review noted, you'd need at least IQ 90 to
figure out all the features (particularly learning
the remote). The only quibbles I have are: [1] bundled earbuds are
very poor (solution: buy better ones); [2] embarrasing
'carrying pouch' (solution: 3rd-party CD portable case);
[3] remote feels a bit fragile/light (better treat this
with kid gloves, since you lost most advanced functions
if you lose/break the remote); [4] remote LCD is *small*
(you need to hold it really close to your face to make
out some of the tiniest text and icons, the LCD is very
high-res/crisp but only about 1" across -- postage stamp
sized!), [5] clunky auxillary battery pack/tube (although
it's nice that iRiver includes this for no extra cost). I had a difficult time finding places to buy the special
rectangular NiMH batteries which the SlimX uses, not to
mention a source for an external charger. I figured the
following might be helpful for others in the same boat: iRiver iMP-350/SlimX uses 2x NiMH "prismatic" (gumstick)
batteries of 1400mAh capacity each. These are the batts
which you install into the flip doors under where the CD
spins. Apparently, these batteries are commonly used by
portable MiniDisc units from Sony, Panasonic, etc. The
following batteries should be equivalent: - Sanyo HF-A1U
- Sony NH-14WM
- Panasonic RP-BP140H... The Sony and Panasonic batteries appear to be more $$$ ...
I doubt the Sony battery is 10x better than the Sanyo part,
especially considering they both claim ~1400mAh capacity.
If anyone wants to conduct a comparison please post results
here :) If you are considering purchasing an extra set (or two)
of these prismatic batteries, you'll want a charger also.
The best (only?) standalone charger I've come across, that
definitely works with all three types of battery [above]
is Sony's BC-7HT... Ray
Rating:
Summary: Great Product!!!!!!!!!
Review: Great product. I doesn't skip is small and lightweight and easy to use!
Rating:
Summary: I'm in love!!!
Review: 1. Amazing sound quality, but you need a good set of headphones.
2. Plays all formats of digital music.
3. Has FM tuner
4. Looks sexy
5. UPGRADEABLE FIRMWARE! Look, just click on the purchase button, you won't regret it :)
Rating:
Summary: This thing kicks ass!
Review: Great sound, awesome features and 350wma's on one cd is unbelievable. Got it hooked to the home stereo and I am playing all of my wma's and mp3's on it--sounds perfect! Buy...Buy...Buy.... You won't miss out on this one!
Rating:
Summary: Worth to own, but cautious of battery life
Review: I've owned the imp350 for 14 days now. Excellent player and feature galore. Solid built and excellent sound quality and volume even with [bad] earbuds. I am a DJ and need a player that plays continuous audio CD's of dance music with good bass; SlimX does both fine. IMHO, imp350 does not lack bass once paired with a good set of headset or speakers.I use it with the Phillips Magnovox car kit to play mp3s in my car. It is my portable stereo system and my boom box on the street. Anti-shocks function works when walking. The firmware upgrades are great to add more fun to the almighty remote control. (The new beta firmware even includes a game!) An active user forum on iRiver.com is an added and valuable bonus to get helps and tips in using the player. The only real negative against imp350 is its battery life. Without shaking, mp3s only, no shuffling, no ext battery pack, at 74 Fahrenheit, the 2 NihM rechargeable batteries played for 8.5 hours. When used in the car under variant ambient temperature (it's now winter.. about avg 45-50 F), without DC-in adaptor, and with shuffling, and some manual fast forward, the same batteries lasted about 4 hours. Note, batteries last shorter in cold weather (ex. in the latter case) in these experiences. However, I have constant access to electrical outlets that I can use the ext adaptor and only need to play with the rechargeables only when walking/commuting so I am quite happy with it. In summary, Imp350 is definitely a good, practical, ...and fun buy. But if you are a gadgeteer, keep an eye out for imp400, or a model smp-140 from the Korean company called Sorell (a manufacturing branch that separated from Samsung) that features 14.1mm in thickness! UPDATE (12-19-2002): the newest official firmware (not a beta) v2.12 has shortened the loading time to less than 20sec.
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