iRiver now brings you the most advanced portable music player available, including built-in FM Tuner and Voice Recorder and features an incredible 256 MB of internal memory for up to EIGHT hours of your favorite music! The iFP-190T comes with the exclusive "Record from FM" feature and plays your MP3 and WMA music files for up to 20 hours on a single AA battery. Small enough to wear, yet loaded with features, the iFP-190T pumps your music through the bundled Sennheiser MX300 earphones directly to your head!
1 Mac users, have no fear about upgrading firmware!
If you are a Mac user and are apprehensive about how to upgrade the iRiver's firmware, have no fear. It's very simple (a lot simpler than Windows--sorry, PC guys.) You use the iRiver Music Manager for Mac (included on the CD or downloadable from the iRiver's Web site). File>Firmware Upload. That's all. By upgrading to the UMS, you can use the player just like a regular flash drive-- drag and drop MP3 or any other file. (The UMS version also gives you a lot more features and functions of playing music than the Music Manager. I'd recommend the UMS upgrade.)
I like everything about this iRiver! One of the iRiver's best features that I don't find in many other MP players around this price range is the RESUME function, which starts a file exactly where it stopped the last time. It's especially very convenient if you listen to audio books. (...).
2 A product worth more than its price
I bought a iriver ifp 190 last december, for 100 and 20 rebate(turned out to be 80).
Strength: iriver is expensive comparing to other brand flash mp3 of the same compacity, but the voice quality is great. The sennheiser earphone provides pleasant music experience. The brand definitely worth what it costs. Besides, it is small, it is light, it is flash storiged, it is durable and more resistant to hitting and dropping. I have used for 4 months, it still works perfectly and provide enjoyable music experience.
Weakness: I got a gold one, and I would perfer a silver one. The price has dropped 20 since I bought it, this is a pity.
Overal: A pretty nice light flash mp3 worth more than what it costs.
3 Looks Good. Not Durable.
It's a flimsy device. The power button on the one I bought a year and a half ago for 175 dollars broke this week. When I press it, the player doesn't turn on. These things weren't designed to last. While I did enjoy it when it was working, I don't think it's unreasonable of me to expect something so expensive to last longer than 18 months.
4 Great Battery Life!
I got ifp-890 model, which Amazon doesn't seem to sell and I love it. As far as I can tell, the only difference between this and the 890 is memory (mine has 128 MB) and the transfer speed (mine has USB 2.0). I'm thinking about upgrading to this model.
The LCD display is small and takes some getting used to, but overall it's easy to operate. The whole unit is very light and small, so it's great to use when excercising or to take with you in the car. I especially love the built-in voice recording...it's very convenient to use when a sudden thought strikes you and you don't have time to write it down.
Sure, the management software included is pretty limited, but at least it's straight forward about what you can and can't do. I recently found that I can manage my MP3 player through Windows Media, including building and copying over playlists--something you can't do with the Iriver software. The iriver software will convert what you record into the player into mp3 format.
The best thing, though, is the battery efficiency. It runs for a week on a single AA battery. If you have any rechargeables that size, you're set.
The only downside for me is the storage; I can only fit about 5 albums worth of material on it. But I knew that before I bought it. I suppose this model will hold 10 albums worth, give or take.
5 I did not get headphone in the package. Any one else who did
Very surprised to see that headphone was missing. Tried calling 800-399-1799 more than 10 times but got busy signal. One time got thru but gave up after holding for 4o mts. No body came on the line.
6 Garbage.
I researched amazon's reviews for a small mp3 player that I could use for running and working out with. My girlfriend owns a Ipod mini that she has had for three months and has had no problems, but I wanted a flash player, because (from what I have heard)they are more durable and will not break when dropped, unlike stories I have heard of the Ipod. Also I wanted a relatively inexpensive mp3 player. Something under $100. After reading the positive reviews, I thought I had found the answer with the iRiver.
Upon receiving the iRiver, the first thing I noticed was how flimsy it is. It looks and feels like a child's toy made of cheap plastic. But, for $80.00 and a $20.00 rebate, I figured you get what you pay for. As long as it works well and plays my music, I don't care how it looks. I received the item Thursday 02/24/05, and by Saturday evening 02/26/05, the mp3 player was broken. The control knob that allows you to skip/fast forward/ and rewind to a desired song was broken. I could maybe understand if it broke while working out or at the gym, but the player broke while in a soft, bulky jackets side pocket. No strenuous exercise or rough movements in any way caused the player to break. I can not stress enough how much the knobs and controls, shheeesh, the whole player itself, resembled a old cheap plastic toy bought at a local flee market as a kid. I have ordered a lot of products from Amazon, and this by far is the cheapest and most fragile product I have received. Do you want a mp3 player that breaks after three days? I don't. In fact, I do not want a new iRiver sent to me. I am simply sending it back and getting my money back.
7 This is nice!!!
Are you big on portability? Are you big on sound quality? Do you want a FM stereo with your MP3 player? Then the iRiver is for you.
I don't know how much this thing weighs, but it's next to nothing. If you're working out, this is a big advantage. It works even better if you order the armstrap from the iRiver website, but that runs about $15. (I understand the newer iRivers might come with the armstrap, which they should.)
The sound quality is terrific. With a good set of headphones, the sound is transcendent. And it never skips -- another good quality if you're working out.
The biggest disadvantage is the program for loading the songs onto the player. My old Intel MP3 player let me put the songs in the order I wanted to hear them. The iRiver likes to make those decisions itself. I've tried to figure out the reasoning behind it, but I can't. So if I try to copy a whole album onto the MP3 player, I have to put it into a folder; otherwise, the iRiver will disperse the songs amongst all the other songs on the player. This is kind of annoying, but not a dealbreaker. Just copy the whole folder over to the player, and you're set. Still, this costs the iRiver one star.
All in all, though, this is cheap and effective. I highly recommend it.
8 Nice starter MP3 player
I got this for my daughter's 12th Bday. The sound with WMA files is great even at the lower sampling rate of 64Kbps. Looks like she can have about 10 CDs worth of music stored at that rate.
One of the first things I did when I got this was to download the UMS firmware, which makes it work like a USB Mass Storage device (looks like another disk when connected to my Windows XP PC). It makes it very easy to move files back and forth without having to use special applications like the iRiver Music Manager.
The additional features of FM radio with recording capability and Voice recorder (very high quality in my test), are nice add-ons, especially considering the under $100 price for these things.
Highly recommended and I think I'll have to get one for myself for working out, running, etc.
9 Nicely made
This is my first MP3 player so I have nothing to compare to, but I did not buy it for music listening anyway. I bought it as a voice recorder and a small nature sounds machine. I can record nature sounds from my expensive and large nature sounds machine and take them with me when I need a nap or to sleep at night in hotels, etc. I have recorded some through the built-in mic and others with a better mic on the computer and transferred the sounds. It is also great as a memo recorder for voice. The mic is amazingly sensitive and is able to record lectures, etc. at a distance without problems at its best setting which still allows 4 hours of material. The neat thing about the nature sounds is that they can be looped so I only need one minute of each one on loop for many hours of soothing sounds. Great for shopping lists, etc. Only downside that I have found after a couple of weeks is that the buttons are confusing and the joy stick controller is quirkey, not always doing what it is supposed to. The earphones that come with it, despite some other reviews, are quite amazing. I use an external speaker more, however, it that works great since it uses a standard mini plug. Overall nicely made, and the AA battery is a nice touch. If you are over 30, keep your reading glasses handy for the miniscule readouts.
10 Adequate voice recorder
Unlike most of the other reviewers, I wanted this primarily as a recorder. It does quite well if the sound source is not too close to the mic. This is difficult to judge since there's no way to tell without playing it back. I didn't have to download any drivers to upload the music. I'm using Windows XP and RealPlayer. I installed the software, connected the player, and I was immediately able to transfer files in both directions. When uploading files, I'm asked if I want to convert from .REC to .WAV. Overall, I'm very satisfied.
11 Nearly perfect...
I upgraded the unit with UMS drivers so I could drag and drop in Windows XP. Syncing with Windows Media Player could not be easier. I have WMP downconvert all of my MP3s to 64KBps and they sound really good (not perfect, but really good). I currently have 105 songs in 64KBps WMA and have 60MB remaining free space.
Does not come with an armband... iRiver is sold out of them at the moment.
One thing to be careful about: The unit comes pre-loaded with a few songs. If you decide that you like them, BACK THEM UP BEFORE UPGRADING THE FIRMWARE. The unit will be reformatted.
12 Nice little player, but limited file space
I bought the IFP-190T for a recent trip to Europe. A few comments...
Positives
+ I like that you could remove the battery, which was key for the travels on the plane and on the Eurail. I considered getting an iPod mini, but didn't want to lug a charger around Europe.
+ The battery lasts forever! I changed it maybe two times for my entire two-week trip.
+ The tiny size
+ You can adjust pretty much every little detail on the player. The backlight come on too long? You can change it.
+ It worked flawlessly the entire trip, and still works great.
+ The sound quality is excellent.
Negatives
- The 256MB size is hard to deal with. I ended up get Easy CD_DA Converter and shrunk my MP3s so more could fit.
- Getting my Dell computer to initially recognize the iRiver player took some time and research.
- I don't like the iRiver Music Manager, but you can use the 190T drag-and-drop hard-drive style trhough some updates.
13 Great, but should have waited
This is a great little player, but I bought it from amazon.com in January 2004 for $160 and now I can get it for $100, but hey, that's just how things work. Some people complain about the software and it's ease of use (or lack thereof) I actually taught myself in about 20 minutes and I didn't know ANYTHING about MP3 players (although I am experienced with computers). The sound out of the MP3 player, with the supplied headphones or any other decent pair, is AWESOME!!!! I haven't used the voice recorder, I have no use for it. The FM tuner is as good as it gets. By that I mean that all portable FM tuners aren't that great if you're moving around just a little, but if you're in the right spot and you have good reception there, it's good, and the recorder is a nice feature as well. The battery door is a little hard to open, but not to bad. All in all this is a good unit and I would recommend it.
14 Not so perfect, as of yet anyway...
Ok, so I just received the player in the mail and right off the bat, I started noticing problems: first I had an incredibly hard time opening the battery door, it's as if iRiver wants to keep a secret in the compartments or something (I had to use a piece of rubber to press against the door to open it). Then the earphones...for the longest time I couldn't figure out why the right one was longer than the left one. My biggest gripe though, was with tech support: I called the number (1800-399-1799) about 5 or 6 times and everytime all you would hear was a busy signal. So I tried the internet, which answered my earphone question. However, I just registered the player today, and on the page where it offers various links to more info and FAQs on the iFP-190T, all of those links gave me a 404 Error-page cannot be found. What the F*ck?! I mean, to my understanding this is a "good" product, but if the support sucks ass, then what's the use of having it?
15 Love it, love it, love it!
I am thrilled with my purchase of this mp3 player. The memory size is perfect for a great selection of songs, the FM tuner is a plus, and being able to record off the FM tuner is a real bonus!
The software only took minutes to download and was completely self-explanatory. I downloaded the software and had 53 songs uploaded to my player (from my computer and various CDs) in well under an hour - and still had room to spare.
It is light weight, has a very cool design, and the features are easy to maneuver.
After purchasing several different types/brands of players - and returning them all - I am completely satisfied with this player. It is everything I wanted and needed - a definate keeper!
16 Nothing Short of Excellence
This unit will exceed expectations of any typical MP3 player. It has features galore and more can be added by updating the firmware from www.iriver.com (visit their support page for the iFP-100 series to find the updates). Also updates are available for the Music Manager to make this unit fully compatible with Windows Media Player. After all is updated, this excellent player just gets better.
The FM Record Capability is awesome and the recording quality is superior. The Headphones included with the unit are also beyond expection. For such small earphones, they compete and even perhaps surpass the sound quality of my expensive cup headphones.
This unit has features galore that you can control. Including how long the backlight stays on after a button is pressed, the bass and treble levels, whether or not the unit will resume playback where it left off after being shut off, and even the recording quality of the microphone when recording voice. (Which, by the way, my little Panasonic voice recorder doesn't even compare when voice recording quality is concerned.)
This unit is simply superior. I really can't say enough about it.
17 Excellent, with a few adjustments needing to be made.
I've had this player since April, and since the day I bought it, I've never left home without it. It had held up amazingly well under WA state weather, and right now, my only complaint is with some software issues. Just let me warn you: if you download music, such as from a peer-to-peer network, do NOT use WMP to transfer songs to your mp3 player. Not after the firmware upgrade, in particular. It doesn't happen often, but occasionally, on some songs, you can get that 'clicking' that is generally used as an anti-copying measure. When copying such songs, use the iRiver Manager software to transfer songs. No clickage then. On the positive side, I've found great success with this little player. I just received a pair of Bose Quiet Comfort N-C Headphones, and on my custom EQ, I had to turn down the bass, so it wouldn't overpower the treble! Is that beautiful, or what?
However, I've found that the little cord you run through the loop on the mp3 player will fray and wear out, and I have yet to find a sufficient thread to accomodate it. I haven't tried very hard though either. Beware: if you tend to put such devices in a chest pocket while using them... CLOSE THE FLAP OR SEAL THE POCKET SHUT SOMEHOW. I put my 190T in my chest pocket of a shirt, and didn't button the pocket closed, and when I made a dive to tackle a friend, the player fell out of my pocket, and onto a marble floor. It still works, obviously, but I have a slight joystick issue. Sometimes it will digitally 'stick,' and require three to four nudges to scroll up to a different song. This happens very rarely now though, so it may just have been a temporary condition. But it was no slight impact, so the fact that the mp3 player still worked shocked me. I like iRiver and their products, and hope to see more winners come out of their company.
P.S. to the fellow that wrote about his headphones constantly suffering connector damage: It's been over six months, and I've had the same two pairs of headphones that I started out with. A set of Sony wraparounds, and the earbuds. Granted, the earbuds occasionally undergo a peculiar anomaly where the sound fluctuates, but that's very rare. I believe that's the aging of the earbuds themselves. The only audio device that ever damaged my headphone connectors was my old Philips discman. It was a good discman too, but I once stuck in a pair of old headphones during the summer, and right away the left earphne went absolutely dead. Don't worry about this iRiver though, just make sure you get headphones with a gold connector. They don't scratch or do funny audio thngs when they rotate in the socket. O've used friend's headphones that unpon being swivelled would made scratchy noises, and proved most irritating.
P.P.S. If you are a memeber with Costco, I would suggest buying massive amounts of bulk batteries. This mp3 player gets great sound, but to experience it, you need good headphones (the earbuds are surprisingly good as a matter of fact), and those can suck the juice out of a battery like an SUV does gas. But, it's been nine months, and I still have reliable, wonderful operation, so buy! There are bigger, more power-conserving models out now, so buy iRiver! It's not a purchase you'll regret!
18 Weak products
I do not have this specific i-river product, but I have purchased two of their products in the past and the quality of both began to deteriorate within months. Both of them damaged numerous sets of headphones, wearing the connectors to the point that only one earpiece would work. On one of my players the backlight on the LCD stopped working, and on the other the connection between the player and the USB chord no longer holds properly, preventing me from changing any of the MP3's on a 64 MB player. When I contacted the company about these problems they gave me the good ole runaround, basically vouching for the poor qaulity of their products. I will not being buy any of their products again.
19 A good player
I got this a few days ago and have been using it every since. The memory holds about 70 songs. I installed the program to download the music onto the player and proceeded to fill my player with MP3s. Unfortunatly and ironically, the player would on play songs I downloaded from peer to peer sharing sites, and none of my legit CDs. I then had to download a patch from Iriver's site. After the hassel I could download my CD songs.
I'd like to say I use it to run, but I dont run. I use it on my bike and I've already used it in a rainstorm (under my layers of clothing) Needless to say it's survived.
The durablity could be a problem. The joystick make to change songs and volume can be a little annoying and it's really hard to open the battery latch. Also the necklace holder is bulky and I feel like I'm crushing my player if I sit down at my desk. Hopefully Iriver wont let me down.
20 Great but broke fast
I am 13 and I used this product in school, being talked to and often pausing the music, i overused and broke the play/pause button and couldn't turn my player on...of course for people who go to a gym, it must be perfect, light, easy software, i would like a plug in for AC so i can use rechargable batteries and not waste AA's like my current Mini disc, but it seems in the world of Portable audio, you can never get the "perfect" one...i HATE sony's software for minidisc, and i have to record in "atrac 3" or something, anyway, great product.
21 Great Quality!
I got this mp3 for my birthday and I have to say, it's great! It only holds about 40 of my songs, but that might just mean my songs are too big. The sound quality is great and it's light and compact. I highly recommend it.
22 Really great mp3 player
Well, I just got it yesterday and I immediately uploaded my music onto it and it was great! The music quality sounds just like my cds and I love how small and light it is! So far, nothing has malfunctioned and I hope that the buttons never stop working.
The problem is that the package arrived in a half opened tattered box from amazon...that wasn't very good. Another inconvenience is that it took a long time for my Windows XP to recognize the player.
Overall it's a wonderful product.
23 Great build quality
I've had this mp3 player for 2 years now and I am quite pleased with it's performance. The size is great for sports (mine is snowboard and gym tested, and approved). The sound from this tiny player is pretty clear, although I recommend buying your own headphones to fully take advantage. There's an adjustable EQ for tweaking, as well as a bunch of other customizing options. The battery life off of one AA varies according to use, but it'll usually outlast the memory capacity.
The problems: As this is a tiny device, there are only 3 buttons and a toggle 'stick' that control all the functions. Certain functions require a short or long press of a button and it's not always intuitive. Plus, the toggle stick is less a stick and more like a nub. And manipulating this nub takes the dexterity of a 13 year old Thai masseuse with bills to pay.
24 One of the BEst.. BUT it BROKEEEEE!!!
This is one of the best flash mp3 players in the market. Great design, and usability. It can be used anywhere and doesn't skip. It uses only 1 AA battery and if you put off the LCD light, it can last for days. HOWEVER mine broke.. The 'PLAY/ON-OFF' utton broke rendering the player useless since it can't be turned on. But everything else works.. and I wish I can repair it. Very sad. BUT beware of this problem. I didn't know it was persistent on a lot of customers. Maybe we should all file a complaint to IRIVER.
25 It's time to review this adorable mp3 player
I got this little piece when I was in vacation to Eastern coast in July 2004. After more than 2 months usage, I felt obligated to write review to help other buyer to make their decision.
1. Outlook: it has a shape as triangle for the corss-section, which make it really grabby while jogging. I take off the strap, coz I don't like anything hanging around my neck, even it's weightless. The shape design make it very resisstanct to shock. I fell it down to the concreate graound from 2 feet high, it works well without any trouble after that:) Can't imagine If I am using a harddisk mp3 player, what will be the result?!
2. Button: 3 buttons on one side, which handles power, programming tracks, changing EQs and play modes, and changing the player from MP3\FM\DVR; 5-way navigation stick on the second side will handle everything else; a hold button on the third side. The player has quite a bit of functions, so the user interface can take some getting used to. Also the LCD with green backlight, make you could operate even in dark. the only drawback is the navi stick make it almost impossible to operate with only one hand.
3. Menu: I updated the firmware as "UMS" from the support of IRiver's web site. then I could use it just as a small compact flash driver with USB interface under both WinXP and Linux. The greatest feature of the player is the latest firmware revision is the "Xtreme 3D" DSP mode together with a full 5-band equalizer, which presents a much wider, deeper soundstage, without messing up vocals or imaging. The player supports MP3s, WMA files, and also has a built in FM tuner. (Newer models also support OGG) The DVR/repeat function is really nice while I am practicing my french language. It always picks up where you left last time.
4. earphone: Sound is awesome! in the mode of 128K+ MP3 or 96K+ WMA, the sound from the player is excellent even without the Xtreme3D activated. The iRiver is easily one of the best sounding portable players of any type available, but it needs quality cans to really work its magic. be carefuly when shopping the earphone. The iRiver can only output 10mW @ 16ohms per channel, so high powered earphone like Sennheiser HD-650s aren't going to work.
5. misc: the battary could only last for 3-4 days, with daily usage for 2 hrs, shorter than what they claimed to be. maybe it's because I am using rechargable battery; although 256 MB space needs my requirements, the speed of transfer is painful, transferring a whole albums at 150 MB costs about 5 mins, corresponding the transfer rate is ~0.5MB/sec.
Conclusion: It's a pretty good mp3 player, considering the price is dropping from $150 to $120. Nothing is perfect, so, it's worth of the money you invested into. Remember, People always get what they paid for.
26 Read the other reviews!!!
iRiver gives you a one year warranty and it WILL break after that one year. Contacted their customer service for repair options. They said, essentially: "drop dead".
Same problem as other reviewers: these buttons break. Poor quality and poor engineering - great for a few days.
You cannot do worse with other brands. Try them first!
27 Owned 3 - All 3 failed with same problem - broken buttons
I have owned 3 of these. All 3 failed with same problem - broken buttons. I am SOL with the third. Conclusion: This product (iFP- 190 T) has a very high probability of breaking and becoming useless. iRiver helped is not being very helpful with replacements.
For more info, you can contact gmcjunk@yahoo.com
28 Good while it lasted
Much and enough has been said about this unit. Was very happy with it for the 18 months I used it. Suddenly, without warning, (as with others) the on/off button ceased to function. Iriver responds with, "oh well, out of warranty and we do no repairs." Do their newer products still have this issue? Who knows, so I am moving on to iAUDIO CW300.
29 Awesome!
I got this tiny player a while ago and it is the best mp3 player i have ever owned. I previously had two RCAs which both broke within a week and they were far more expensive than this little wonder. I can't even put into words how perfect this player is. The sound quality is amazing! my ONLY complaint are the headphones. They are very uncomfortable and they don't have that great sound. But after having this player for a while i will not buy another player that doesn't have the iRiver name on it. Get one!
30 Too delicate
I bought this model in June 2003 for about $200. Loved it. 5 days after the warranty expired [June 2004] the entire bottom [where the battery is inserted] fell off pulling the red power wire out of the circuit. The little plastic tabs that hold the 2 screws for the cover sheered right off. Very flimsy. iRiver customer service had no suggestions for repair. I guess it's safe to assume they're built to last about a year.
31 Just simply good!
Only regret - no AM redio. Otherwise completely satisfied.
32 BEST MP3 player yet!!
This device is unbelievable! Dinky little guy, this player has more audio than any other of the four players I own. Runs on one AA cell, so you don't have to worry about internal batteries failing, and the short life of AAA cells. A very good price, on a very good product. I haven't bought anything I was this impressed with in quite a long while.
33 great PLaYeR!!
i got this player because a friend recommended it for me. The main reason i got this player was for 1)the size 2)memory and 3)the fm radio. The fm radio works great! and the songs are played clearly and non-skipped. I've dropped this player once and it still works as if it were new! the only complaint is probably the head phones that are included, they dont' stay in place while i go jogging, but otherwise they're pretty good. I'd HIGHLY recommend this player to ANYONE!
34 the best player ever
The best mp3 player ever!!!!!! I love all the stuff this small thing can do. record off the radio, voice record and much more.
me and my friend both got mp3 players around the same time. he got a dell jutebox 20gb and i got this iriver 256. and he loved mine so much he sent his dell back and got this iriver.
the only problem i had with it was trying to yous it with my windows XP i had to go on iriver's website and download some stuff.
35 Good Player
I bought this player weeks ago. The sound quarlity is very good. the color is a little darker than shown on the webcite. The thing I got is a ipf-190TC, which is a model for China I guess. The neck is not as useful as a belt strip.
36 Top Performance, Rock Bottom Price!
This unit is really something!
I'm not only impressed, but this is the first electronic device I've bought in quite some time that made me excited, like a kid again. Finally, a player with no moving parts! I've been waiting for this particular unit to drop in price (into my range) and it did.
The signal/noise ratio is excellent, just as it was touted to be. The FM radio works well, but outside better than inside.
The voice recorder isn't the best in the world, but I didn't expect much concidering there is no room in this tiny lighter-sized unit for much else, let alone a high quality mic.
The only thing I wish it had is a mic/line input, but again, no biggie. The controls were intuitive, even though many reviewers said they had issues with it, I had no problems learning the controls.
The only problem I forsee with this player is ease of destruction. It's only plastic, even though it looks like chrome/metal. If someone sat on this, I'm sure it wouldn't survive. But, at nearly half of what other players cost, you can afford to be careless. Not that I can afford to be.
I bought this unit from Amazon and the reviews from this site and other sites helped me in my decition. Cnet was most helpful, too.
37 iRiver iFP-190T 256 MB Digital Audio Player
Great product! Very easy to use, great to be able to take your music along without worrying about the cd skipping or the tape getting eaten. Weird shape though, belt clip would more useful than neckstrap. Overall a neat item.
38 Power Packed Device!
I highly recommend the iRiver 190T for anyone interested in a first MP3 player. I spent a few minutes getting aquainted with the features and was up and running with downloaded MP3 songs and recorded FM radio.
Excellent price for all the features it comes with. I recommend downloading the Firmware update from iRiver.com and reviewing how to transfer files from Windows Media Player.
Sound quality is excellent via the included earphones. An AA battery comes with the device so no need to run out to WalMart and buy one.
iRiver got it right on this one!
39 Excellent flash MP3 player!!!
After I returned the US Logic to the CompUSA, I just bought the iRiver iFP-390T at Best Buy with the cash for returned the US Logic. I returned the US Logic because the transfer speed is too slow. It takes me like 60 to 120 seconds to read the full information of all songs on the US Logic MP3 player when I connect it to my computer, it also take like 60 seconds to download a CD to the US Logic. After I bought the 256MB iRiver at Best Buy, I opened the package when I get home, then I installed the installation CD that came with it, and then I connect the iRiver to my computer and downloaded a couple of songs to my MP3 player. When I listen to the music on my iRiver, the sound quality works great, and it also displays the song title and the artist name while it's playing the current song. The memory size is 256MB, that's enough to hold like 240 songs at 32kbps. The only problem about this MP3 player is my girlfriends, like Kaylene, Christina, Chantay, Victoria, Danielle, Ashley Brown, Whitney, Sarah, and April, they won't let me bring this with me when I'm going out with them or going to their house. Because I'm there to talk, socialize, and pay attention to the girls. If these girls catch me listen to my iRiver when I'm around them, guess what? They'll take it away from me. So I better not bring it with me when I'm around girls, but I can bring it with me when I'm around the boys.
40 great player, but there's a newer version!
Just got this player last week. First thing I did was download the UMS firmware update so I could use it as a USB hard drive and not bother with the propietary transfer software. What I like:
1) small and light
2) sound is good, default setting of 20 is loud enough
3) uses cheap, easy to replace aa batteries
4) 256 MB holds 5-6 cd's at 128kbit/sec
5) can be used with linux or any OS after firmware update
6) fm reception is surprisingly good
7) battery life is pretty good (20 hour rating)
8) firmware can be updated, hope for Ogg Vorbis support
9) no restrictions on file transfer after UMS update
However, apparently iRiver just released a 700 series of players, which has the following advantages over this model (similar price point):
1) 40 hour battery life rather than 20 on 1 aa
2) built-in Ogg Vorbis support (higher quality sound, no patent issues)
3) USB 2 interface rather than 1 (MUCH faster)
If you want a player for the subway or the gym, don't need to carry your entire music collection with you at all times, this is a very good choice.
41 Outstanding Product!!
I bought this a few months and it is outstanding. The sound quality is great and the FM Tuner has great range. It is so good that my wife has taken it from me and now I must buy another one for myself. I would recommend to all!!!
42 Well i tried twice
ive have 2 iriver mp3 players. Both had the same problem. after about a year, the buttons would break. i did not press them hard or anything, they just broke both times i had an iriver mp3 player. other then the button breaking, the iriver is just an insane product, with all these extra features, the radio tuner, record on the radio and recording in general its definatly a keeper, id get a warrenty plan because they are bound to break but none the less its a great mp3 player.
43 Very Impressive
I'm upgrading from a Creative Labs Nomad IIc and am very impressed with this device. The sound quality in FM and recordings is excellent. The shipping unit has no ripping software, so you have to use something else. I used Windows Media Player to get WMA files. Combining these with mp3's I already had was no problem. Unit plays both. I didn't use the CD shipped but downloaded software from the iRiver site with no issues. Still on first battery after two weeks. Replaced the headphones with a Sony unit and spent some time learning the joystick and button approach to controlling what you want to do. No complaints so far.
44 The best small-storage flash memory player on the market!
I researched MP3 players for weeks before buying one. I read professional reviews, and customer reviews like those on Target, and Circuit City websites. I found MP3 players break down into two basic types:large-storage, and small-storage. If you are one of those people who wants to store 10,000 songs on a player, your gonna spend around $500...i suggest the ipod. If you're like me, and you come home at least once a week, you probably don't need 700 cd's at your fingertips at once. A few cds, and a radio will do you well at the gym or during your commute. Then your looking for a quality MP3 player with the following:
1. Good sound quality
2. Good Radio Reception
3. Intuitive buttons
4. Ample Storage (128MB - 512MB)
5. Reasonably long Battery Life
6. Durrable
This is the ONLY MP3 player on the market that has all those at a reasonable price. It is exceptional in design, and has FM Radio, Recording of voice or radio, plays MP3s, WMA, and WAV files, and can double as a mass storage device.
Tips: If you are not technically savvy, call a friend who is to help you get set-up on your computer. If you download UMS firmware it will convert your player into a mass-storage-device...you 'll never have to use the iRiver software again. You can download it at www.iRiver.com. Go to Firmware updates.
Convert all your MP3s from 128kbps to WMA 64kbps. You will not notice a difference in the quality, and you can fit twice as many songs. I suggest JetAudio to do this. It's free, and easy to use. I have the 128MB player, and I fit 3 CDs + 25 Favorites (total of 60 songs), and I have 10MB free for radio recording.
Lastly, when reading reviews. Be scheptical of those who say "it works great, but the battery life sucks"...and like phrases. I don't know who grows these people, but we can't defy the laws of physics. The battery will run out, and a device can only use so-little-power. It's like buying a car and being dissapointed because you have to buy gas once a week. Go to Costco, buy a 100 batterys for 20 bucks, keep a spare in your pocket (like change) whenever you take out your mp3 player, and you'll never curse the player for needing energy to run. Go to ZDnet.com for professional MP3 reviews. This IS the best small-storage player on the market for the money.
45 I love this thing
(...)This is my new favorite toy! The 190T is feature rich, easy to use, and sounds great. The fact that the firmware is upgradeable and that Iriver has the UMS (universal mass storage) firmware upgrade, which allows me to drag and drop files to the 190T are a great bonus.
The Sennheiser earbuds that come with it sound great. I hate earbuds, so I just ordered Sennheiser PX100's to use instead.
Now that I have the 190T, I only wish I had ordered the 512MB version. After checking out Irivers website, I am even more interested in the 895T, which boasts USB 2.0, 512MB, and 40 hours of battery life.
190T Pros:
Sounds great, easy to use, feature rich, sharp design
190T Cons:
didn't come with armband.
USB 1.1
mediocre battery life
upcoming (according to iriver's website) 800T-series will have USB 2.0 instead of 190T's USB 1.1 and will have a battery life of up to 40 hours.
Bottom line:
If you want a great mp3 player NOW, buy this device, its great...if you can wait a few months, check out Irivers 800T series instead.
46 Great little MP3 Player - This is the keeper
I've already been through a wretched MPIO2 player that was a gift that lasted all of 3 hours before it was dead. Don't know why it stopped working and I don't care. I returned it to Best Buy, and based on all the MP3 players customer reviews I've read here on Amazon.com, I bought the IRiver player instead - I bought the 256 MB model, but now it's a 390T version - I didn't even see the 195T version. IT'S ABSOLUTELY GREAT! I've had absolutely no trouble downloading my MP3 songs from my hard drive or songs that I downloaded off the internet. It holds about 115 songs, so when I workout at the gym, I never get bored. I haven't even bothered with the free download from iriver.com to make it a portable memory stick. But from what I hear, Iriver is the only one that lets you download any current and future upgrades absolutely free. The only cons so far are the tiny tiny joystick multi-function button. Wish they could have made it bigger or better yet, added a few more buttons to so the joystick doesn't have to do so much. Also, this is a small MP3 player that's NOT designed to hold your whole music collection. I think when I vacation, I will delete about 20 songs and download and audiobook to listen to on the beach. I sure hope that idea works. We'll see, but from what I hear, it will. Thanks Amazon reviewers for helping me pick what seems like a great MP3 player!! I bought the 2-year protection plan just in case, but so far it's GREAT.
47 My Tiny, Shiny and Pretty MP3 player
I bought this from Bestbuy, and there is no problem listening to either English or Korean songs with both languages on the screen. It is reall tiny although it gets really? heavy once I put in the battery. I can listen to radio really well, and the voice recorder also works incredibly well.
You will not regret!
48 Just doesn't last
This product is not user friendly, goes through batteries way too fast, and after 3 months, is already not working. It does not hold up well at all. The ease of switching modes is none existant and downloading MP3's is complicated. I would not recommend this product and if I could I'd asked for my money back.
49 Poor service at Best Buy
I made the mistake of buying my iFP-390T at Best Buy. I tried to exchange it after 30 days, but Best Buy refused to be helpful in any way. The customer service manager at their Gilroy store told me that they would rather lose a customer than modify their policy. Unbelievable! I should have shopped at Amazon.com!!! (The iRiver product is great!)
50 What a disaster
Be careful guys and gals. This is only a MP3 player. It does not allow you to copy files (any type of audio) back to your PC!!!
These guys are worse than the RIAA when it comes to copyright of audio files. Even audio files you created!
Go look somewhere else for a storage/file transfer device.
51 I LOVE IT!
WOW! They have crammed an amazing amount of features into this little unit.
PROS: Tiny, lightweight and uses dirt cheap AA batteries. Absolutely shockproof with no moving parts, seems to be very durable altho the battery cover door is a little goofy and flimsy. At about 4mb per song at 128kb MP3's this holds about 60 songs, or about 120 songs at 64mb. I am unable to find more than 60 songs at any one time that I actually like, so this is fine by me. I immediately tossed the earbuds, used my own Sony headphones and converted it to UMS (see IRIVER website), so I cannot comment on the software or earbuds. By converting to UMS you can see it onay computer and just drag and drop, but you lose the ability to make play lists or change the order of songs once you have loaded them.
I was shocked that the FM tuner actually seems to work, and gets fairly good reception. I have never had any luck with small FM receivers with no external antenna, but this one has reasonably good sound and pulls in about 10 channels here in Los Angeles, without much static.
I travel a lot and wanted to be able to use rechargeable OR regular batteries, so that left out the IPODs. Otherwise for $240, I woulda bought the gorgeous Mini-Ipod which is about the same size and weight but with 4gb of storage. I tried them side by side in a store and sound and volume are similar, and altho the Mini in theory is not as completely shockproof, I banged both the sample units HARD on the counter and couldn't get either one to skip... This unit lasts a LONG time on one AA battery. Haven't timed it but more than 10 hours. Other similar units, e.g. Muvo, use AAA's which are a little smaller but more expensive and sometimes hard to find overseas, but you can always find AA's.
I am hard of hearing and this thing has good high volume and excellent sound.
CONS: Screen is small and they mucked it up with all kinds of status data. I don't need to know what bitrate the song is, I just wanna read the damn title! IMHO it woulda been better with just the song title and play time in BIGGER LETTERS. Feature Bloat! I doubt I will ever use the voice recorder custom EQ settings etc.
CONCLUSION: The choice for me was the Mini-Ipod or this unit. I went with this unit because it has good FM, is shockproof, uses AA cells, and I personally don't need more storage. For $100 more, the Mini is absolutely gorgeous, and I may break down and get that TOO, but this unit is great for sports, gym and travel. I am not clear on what was upgraded in the newer 390T model ( which isn't sold on Amazon, but I looked at them online and at Best Buy). IRIVER seems to plan to continue to sell both, but the 390T is slightly bigger and for $40 difference I went with this one and I would buy it again.
52 An update to my previous review...erm...complaints
For history please refer to my previous review.
So far, Amazon has performed admireably. iRiver, on the other hand, has not.
Amazon has done everything they said they would do, they have been very kind, responsive and efficient. iRiver has just, this day, responded to my concern. I e-mailed iRiver a week ago.
I told Amazon that I wanted to return the replacement MP3 player they quickly sent me because I didn't want anything to do with iRiver. The length of time that passed before iRiver customer service responded to my concern tells me they don't care about the consumer. I won't reward that attitude.
Amazon has responded to my concerns within 24 hours of submitting them. I submitted several. iRiver, apparently, couldn't find the time to help me.
53 Impressive
I was happily surprised by the features of this player. The volume is more than I expected, and adjustable bass boost is nice. A more robust player at this price you will not find. What I really like, which nobody else seems to mention, is the Napster compatability. After updating all of your software and firmware (links for how to do this can be found in windows media player or somewhere in the iRiver website, make sure to follow every step to the letter) you can take music you buy online and copy them right to the iRiver using Windows Media Player letting them play, DRM and all. If I had known this before I would have been much less hesitant to buy, since I have a fair number of tracks sitting idle inside of napster just waiting to find a player. Downsides: when you hold it in your hand it feels... unsubstantial. I fear it may be a tad fragile, but I don't think this will end in tragedy for those users who take care not to leave it on floors on on high edges, etc. From what I read there are few flash-based players without similar problems so if you want better durability you would be advised to pay more for something made to last. And yes, the battery door makes me a bit edgy. Overall this looks like the best player in this price-range, with features to match even more expensive players. For what it is and costs, this is near-flawless.
54 Size does not matter
This small mp3 player comes with great quality. 256mb is a lot. I can play aroung 3 hours of music on it. Sound quality is awesome. And the sound is really loud at max. You just need better headphones. Can't use the ones that come with it. Batter life is great. With one AA battery lasting for about 18-19 hours is really good. It has a good transfer rate for music download from your pc. Display is more then average, certainly not the best, but I dont have to look at the display all the time. Also, having voice recorder and fm player are add-ons. It is a small mp3 player, with good price, quality and features.
Certainly for the those, who do not require huge space. I would certainly recommend it.
55 Avoid this like the plague!
If you want this because it's upgradeable in the firmware, avoid it like the plague!
I tried to upgrade mine to the latest firmware from a download at the iRiver site. I followed all of the instructions which include first formatting the unit and now my player won't work no matter what I try to do.
I'm out $150! The return policy and procedure at Amazon is vague. There is no phone number to contact Amazon to find out if my unit would be received. Trying to do anything through e-mail is like a turtle trying to win the Daytona 500!
Man! What a bad experience! I don't believe I'll be buying anything else from Amazon...for one reason only: no phone number to their customer service dept.
56 Very neat and very good idea.
Just got this player in hand and like it immediately. After a while, I realize it can't delete files without a PC, which is the only down side I can find. It could be fixed by firmwares.
I am not talking about sound since I didn't expect a Hi-Fi Receiver like sound anyway. The functions: voice recording and MP3 FM player are very tightly compacted.What would I expected? a digital camera also?
I am not worried about USB speed and so on, the use of the small triangle is very easy.
Bottom line: for this price and at this time, it is very nice piece.
57 Can I buy a armband of this product
I am not sure I can buy a armband or use a armband for this product. I only saw iFP-195T has this option.
If anyone knows, please tell me. Appreciate!
58 Comment about the "REC" format.
Basically, "REC" format is the Real One Player's recording format. And as many know, the "REC" format is the "MP3" format. If you want to make a MP3 file from a REC file (Real.com), just change the extension 'REC' to 'mp3'. That's all. Easy enough. You don't have to change the recorded file to the wav and again change to the mp3 format. And one more tip. Winamp can directly play "REC" file. (If not, download the latest version of Winamp. 2.x version works well.) So you do NOT even have to change to MP3 format. :)
59 Hard decsion made even easier through peformance
Wow, I spent nearly a month researching MP3/Flash Player's that suited me the best... and finally settled on this one, despite heavy thought of purchasing iRiver iFP-180T or MPIO models. I orignally perferred MPIO over the 180T because of the memory expansion slot & MPIO package including arm band, and belt buckle.
Twenty reviews later decided against MPIO, because of repeated reports of poor service But I put them to the test. I emailed both online support companies asking them a phoney question (after spending a half an hour, trying to find MPIOs' online contact info. due to there horrible website), and 48 hours later, iRiver had contacted me with a professional response, and I figure the MPIO Koreans are still trying to decypher my question, hense still no reply a week in a half later.
I decided against 180T because I felt the memory wasn't enough for me, so here I am with a 190T, best $158 I have ever spent. After spending 15minutes trying to get it out of the package, and another 20minutes reading the manual and getting everything installed I was ready to listen to some music. I suggest you download UMS Firmware (www.iriveramerica.com/support/ums.asp?190), and install it to the player, so you can you use the 'drag and drop' feature, which makes it sooo much more user friendly. I use it as a flash drive to transport files from my PC to my schools' PC, and even listen to music in class with little noticability, due to its small size. :-P
I also reccomend a battery recharger, its nearly a must, because in the long run, if you use the player as much as I do, the recharger will easily pay for its self... but if you're rich, and have no problem buying countless batteries go for it.
Even though you're stuck with just a necklace in packaging, you can still order the armband from iRivers Estore, which I plan to do in the next hour.
Now some of the bad features... like someone said before... the USB 1.1 is a bit slow, but who really cares... and something I havn't experenced yet is the destruction of the buttons... I hope with a later model like mine, they've made the buttons much better, but I wont find out for another month, or hopefully longer. And of coarse the ugly gold look, I hate it, believe it or not, it was the original factor not to go with the 190T, and go with the 180T, but I figured no one else was going to see it in case, and it would be our hidious little secret. The FM reception is a bit choppy, but I'm out in the sticks in Wisconsin, so dont worry about having bad reception if you're in the city.
Other than that, this player is great! The extra 128MB was only 40 sum dollars, if you compare to the 180T. The green backlight is sexy :-p ... the earphones actually fit my ears :-) It was everything I'd hope it would be, and as long as it doesnt self destruct in 4 Monthes, it will continue to be awesome, and the thought if it does break, the nice people at iRiver can always fix it for me. Amazons free shipping made it the cheapest price all around on the net, excluding used, UPS even got it to me four days early :)) ... any questions I'll be happy to answer them, email me at crazy187sin@hotmail.com.
60 There is now a 500-series too
I wrote a previous review with the title, "Great player, but the 300-series is even better." Prospective buyers should know that there is now a 500-series, but it seems to be available only on the iRiver web site for now. It is a different shape (more rectangular), has a non-removable lithium-ion battery (instead of AA) that recharges either through an AC adaptor or while connected to a USB port, and it includes optical out and the ability to record with an external microphone (not included). It's at least as small and light as the earlier series. (A one gigabyte version is also avaiable, the iFP-599.) The slightly different design seems to make the "lock" needed less often as one is less likely to push a button accidentally. More information available on the INTERNATIONAL iRiver web site.
I would give the 500-series 5 stars.
61 makes you want to give up on technology all together!
Horrible, Horrible, Horrible...a crying 10-year-old and several friends with technology-related backgrounds to help and still no satisfaction. This gift was the "Grinch that stole Christmas" that comes with a bold insert disclaimer that says " STOP Before you return it...call this number..." That says it all. The Manual was written by people trying to save money on paper and printing (the only explanation for what should get the Technical Writers worse Written Award). The folks on the other end of the number were polite...but not encouraging or helpful (although they did admit to the manual's flaws) CAN'T download from LEGAL websites (this you find out after you purchase a membership online...and then Call the enclosed phone # and wait 37 minutes for a LIVE voice.) Get ready Amazon...ours is coming back!
62 Good Quality/ Best Customer Service
I got my IFP-190T almost 6 month ago from Korea. I brought it to the States, but battery cover was broken. I contacted to the iRiver service center in Korea, then they suggested me to contact to iRiver America. So I sent an email with description of the problem to them. Just an hour later, thet replied my email in a same day with the return instruction. I sent my 'broken' mp3 player body. A week later, they send me the "BRAND NEW" iriver with no charge, FREE~!! Awesome~ I did not assumed that I could get the new player, even it is still under factory warranty. They did not asked anything but the purchasing day.
The iRiver company trust the customer, at least I think, and they are doing their best on service.
I like the spirit of iRiver company.
They make the best mp3 players and also they are doing the best customer service in the world.
I think I should let you know iRiver's service to you all. This is the most important thing to all customer.
I strongly recommend to get the iRiver product. It does not matter what model you want, do not hesitate. Just get it..You won't regret to get iRiver product forver.
63 Everything you've wanted
Just got this for Christmas after ALOT of research. Best investment I've made in a long time. First of all-VERY easy to install and use, even for Windows 98 users. Second-as you've probably heard, the sound is phenomenal. I've heard alot of different portable devices but this thing is the clearest and crispest out there. Third-device is VERY small and light. The extras like the radio and voice recorder are also very easy to use and quite functional. Radio reception is very clear. Overall, absolute best purchase you can make within the $150-$200 price range. Also great for running and lifting-doesn't skip a beat and is so small you won't even notice it. This thing is about the most user friendly device out there and you will be hard-pressed to find a device with better sound. Awesome.
64 The Best Money Can Buy
This MP3 is great. You can recard all of your favorite songs off the radio.
65 Great player, but the 300-series is even better
I bought the 128 megabyte version of this player (180T) and then discovered that the 300-series (in both 128 and 256 megabyte versions; 380T and 390T) includes MP3 encoding and inline recording. I prefer to buy from Amazon.com or Circuit City, but they don't yet have the 300-series yet so I returned mine to Circuit City and bought the 256 megabyte 390T somewhere else. I want to use this device for recording lectures, and it's much easier to have files in mp3 format right away rather than have to convert from the larger WAV format (as one could do with the 100-series). If neither this nor inline recording matters to you, then the 100-series may be fine for you. Other differences: slightly different shape, blue backlight in 300, battery compartment different and presumably fixing the problem others complain about (but which I didn't find). There is not a great difference in price however, so I would recommend the 300-series.
I was/am very pleased with the iRiver MP3 player, especially because it is so small and light and easy to carry around, and it seems less "precious" and vulnerable than the iPod, which it probably is because it uses flash memory instead of a hard drive. (Of course there is no comparison in terms of storage capacity. This is not a player for storing all your music, as the iPod can be.) Everything functioned well. I was disappointed with the default software, but if you are comfortable with Windows file management, you can go to the iRiver web site and download firmware that allows you to use regular Windows file management with this player.
Aside from music, I use this player along with one of the 'Tivo-for-radio' programs available online (e.g., Replay Radio or Cybercorder). I can record radio programs I want (BBC, NPR, etc.) and easily transfer to the iRiver. (See also the web site PublicRadioFan.com for radio stations of music and information all over the world.)
If you are looking for something really easy to use, you may be put off by all the complicated features and the need to use small buttons and look at small print on the iRiver screen. But if you want lots of features and don't mind learning how to use them, this is a great player. I'm well into middle age, but I don't find the small print to be a big problem, especially since there is good backlighting. But I'm comfortable with complicated features and appreciate them. You can listen to FM radio, record from it, do voice recordings, set the speed of fast forward, adjust equalizer settings, etc. Gadget freaks will love it. Or you can just enjoy your favorite music.
Final surprise: I twice called iRiver support, and each time a PERSON answered immediately. I think that's the first time that's happened to me calling a company in this century! I'm told that isn't always the case however. But the support was good, quicker than Apple and much better than the disastrous support I found at Samsung.
In sum, I'm very happy with the iRiver flash memory mp3 player.
66 Great 1st unit for me!
I just opendd this thing today, and I'm very impressed. I did a lot of looking on this web site, reading reviews on most of the 256 units. I decided it to buy it obviosuly, and while this is my fist unit (don't know tons about them yet), this seems to be a great value.
Within 30 minutes, I had taken the unti out and figured out the menus - threw in the driver CD to install the driver - threw in some cd's to record some songs into Windows Media - and then easily connected to the usb port - clicked on the desktop software - and easily transferred 15 songs to the unit that I am listening to now. It was easy.
This unit is tiny, pretty sleek, and is well worth $150 or so.
This first time buyer is thrilled, and considering it was my first time ripping any music, this was a painless process with this unit.
67 Grossly Overpriced & Horrendously Engineered
While the iFP-190T is impressively compact, looks nice, and sounds reasonably decent, the controls and functionality were apparently designed by an incompetent madman with an evil sense of humor. The users manual is slightly more than worthless and the device itself is less intuitive than a box of cereal. Learning to navigate is a matter of painful trial & error. The Music Manager software that comes with the device is cumbersome and amazingly limited. Also, for reasons passing understanding, iRiver does not support MusicMatch downloads. In summary, the iFP-190T is an ill-conceived, poorly executed, absurdly expensive doorstop.
68 Does more than you think...
Pros - MP3, WMA, records FM radio and voice, UMS (USB Mass Storage*), user-friendly GUI with green backlight, FM tuner with 20 presets, Duracell AA battery included, "Hold" switch to prevent accidental button-pushing, small size
Cons - Lanyard that comes with the MP3 player is stupid, memory cannot be expanded, uses USB 1.0 (slow if you're used to 2.0), FM Tuner recording quality is sub-par.
I received the iRiver iFP-190T as an early Christmas gift. At first I was hesitant to open it, since I had read reviews about how you had to use iRiver's proprietary software (iRiver Manager) to transfer files and how you could not transfer MP3 files from the player to the PC.
However, after a quick Google search, I found that you can install a UMS driver for Win2000/XP (not sure about the others), and the UMS driver also allows you to easily convert the .REC files created to .WAV format. Just go to the iRiver web site and do a search for UMS for your player. The directions on the support site are easy to follow as well. Note that you must format your player as FAT in order to configure UMS, so you will end up deleting any files you already have on the player.
One thing to note is that if you install the UMS drivers, you won't be able to use the iRiver Music Manager. That's fine for me, since I can now transfer files by drag-and-drop. Again, this is on the web site.
After installing the UMS driver on my Win2000 host, I was able to drag-and-drop MP3 and WMA files easily to/from the iRiver. If you make a recording, copy the .REC file to your computer, then right click, and you should see an option to convert your .REC file to .WAV. It's so easy!
So far, the sound quality is pretty good. The voice recording was good quality too, but I was recording with the mic pretty close to my mouth. However, the FM recorder seemed to be of pretty poor sound quality. The quality is definitely not as nice as hearing the FM tuner real-time.
I use this MP3 player when running, and it works great. I don't like to hang it on the lanyard, but if your shirt has pockets, it fits into the pockets nicely. The "Hold" button also helps prevent accidental button-pushing.
*For non-techies out there, UMS allows you to see your iRiver as a removable disk in "My Computer" in Windows. It acts very similar to the floppy disks of yore. You just plug it into your computer's USB port and turn it on (after you install the drivers, of course.)
69 AWESOME
So much fun, I wish it had more memory but that was all I could afford. Maybe next year prices will go down a bit.
Very intuitive to use.
70 Simple, easy to use, small with a god sound
Hey there, I live in Brazil and bought one from a friend that was in US. I read some reviews that told about beeing difficult to install, difficult to upgrade de firmware.
I had no difficult at all. I bought, put the install CD and installed the Iriver Manager. Then I plugged on my pc and I begun to d/load to the device.
Pros
- So far I had no problems with the USB cable.
- The FM turner sync good for the stations I listen.
- It handle 59 mp3 songs.
- Very easy to download songs, to learn "how to use it".
- Good sound.
- Good earphones, even for a gym
Cons
- With the equalizer "on" the battery ends quickly, that's why it would be nice rechargeable ones.
- The feature that he doesn't play protected wma, many songs recordered on that format don't play
- the neckstripe is not good for gyms. it would be better with arm bands.
Overall
Those cons. above does not affect the player, so if you want 256M buy it
71 BROKE DOWN AFTER 5 MONTHS
GREAT SOUND, EASY TO USE, SMALL, I LOVED IT UNTIL THE ON/OFF SWITCH WOULD NOT WORK. NOT UNDER MFG WARRANTY BUT I HAVE BEST BUY WARRANTY. IT WAS NEVER MIS-USED OR DROPPED.
72 the big difference between Hard drive/Flash memory.......
Okay. Here is a write up, that I did, on the comparisons/contrasts on MP3 players. Mainly, the Harddrive versions (I.E. Rio Riot/Apple IPOD -both of which I own) and the flash memory type... (I.E. Memorex 3642 Mp3 Player, of which I own as well).
What prompted this little jaunt (of which you may send to as many people as you like) My (expensive) Apple IPOD died during a sync last month. Just me copying files over to it, and the battery ran out of juice. I would have not attempted to copy music had I known the battery was low, but the battery read FULL STRENGTH. Anyhoo, I called Apple, they said return it for maintenance.
I did. Sent it back.
They returned it, still broke.
To my suprise, there is only a TEN DAY return policy.
TEN DAYS.
I did not realize this at all... and will not ever buy another apple product.
So, after a month or so of messing around trying to find another MP3 player... I decided to go with a flash memory MP3 player, the ones that use memory sticks.
SO, here are the pro and cons of these devices.
Pro's for the Memory Stick Mp3 players
-Cheaper. WAY CHEAPER than Hard drive types.
-If you go into music match and file convert to MP3 Pro and shrink the size of your MP3 to like, say 3o percent... you can really make a good Kompression. Example. My Memorex MP3 player has 32mbs of memory on board. It is expandable to 256mb. 32 mb will basically let you put one cd's worth of music. It is easy to put music on and off of them, due to your computer reading the USB as just another hard drive, so you drag and drop to put on, delete them to take them off. But, after you shrink your files to MP3 Pro 30 percent, you can put twice as many. So, basically a 256mb chip will allow me to put 208 songs on my little less than palm size MP3 player. And it wieghs like 3 ounces.
- More on memory. These little chips are the size of the upper part of your thumb, at least my thumb anyway. They come in 128mb, 256mb, 512mb and even though there aren't any MP3 machines out there to handle them YET, you can even buy a 1.5gig thumb size chip thingy. Considering the size of the chips and the shrinking kompression I told you about earlier, I could shrink my whole KOLLEKTION down to 10 of those 1.5gig chips. At the current shrink rate I am at 5 DVD's, which are way bigger and more fragile than these little chips.
- Not as fragile as hard drive type. You can drop one of these chips and not scratch it. I wouldn't stomp on one with my foot, nor get one in water, but they are encased in plastic. Ruggedish.
- Batteries last for like two days. There isn't much going on here, no moving parts, no laser or hard drive to put power to. Most of these flash Memory types have a single AA battery. I use a rechargeable type, so we are talking very low cost here.
In comparison to the hard drive types, where you will get a solid 8 hours of playing, this really whupps up.
- Size. Small. Very small. Mine is three inches by three inches. A square. But, you can get smaller ones. And the memory chips that go in them are the same ones you use for your camera. And you can put files on them. If you want to put a word doc on your memory chip, you can. Your Mp3 won't recognize it, but it is nifty storage.
COMPARISON/CONTRAST
- Size does matter. In the case of hard drive Mp3 players... lets face it, you can, if you so chose to, put a library of congress on these monsters. They are the caddilacs of the hand held devices, and guzzle batteries like gasoline. But when it comes down to it, size is the only thing they have going for them. I don't mean to downplay the hard drive types, but don't drop them, don't shake them, and after shelling out $499 to Apple you might consider insurance. Apple doesn't care about you or your apple after 10 days of ownership.
- Price/Komparison. IPOD ran me $499 bucks. My memorex MP3 player ran me 45 dollars. The 128 memory chip runs you 50 bucks. Owch. There really isn't a comparison to the two. The memory stick Mp3 players just kick ? on this issue. And, you get MORE than a ten day return policy, since you buy these things at Target/Wal Mart etc...
So, that is my review in a nutshell
73 This is awful
This player is awful...because many of my wma tracks are tagged with licensing the iriver is a nitemare.....buy the samsung much better player for the money and wont lock you out of teh much smaller files wma provides
74 Near perfect, wth a few flaws
I found the iRiver iFP player to be a great buy. 256mb for what, $150, how could you resist. However, there are a few small letdowns with this machine. Below I have listed the pros and cons I can recall.
PROS
-ample space for a great price
-very simple, understandable software with USB port(For me about 5 sec. to download a song from my computer or vice versa)
-sleek,small design with necband and armband
-folders to organize music
-takes a few days to get the hang of using it, but once you do, easy as pie
-Great sound quality
CONS
-Doesn't come w/ great earbuds, but their just a throw in
-Does not support file types similar to those used in iTunes, which are blocked so you can't convert them
-Radio reception is not great
-Mike can't pick up sound from over 5 ft. away
Overall, it is a great buy for its price. Heck, I would have paid $100 more for it.
75 Lil' Dynamo
I got mine as an early Christmas present from a friend and I actually LOVE it. The radio is amazingly clear and the MP# transfer set up is REALLY easy. The installation took all of 15 seconds from start to finish. I would recommend this unit to anyone. It holds about 60 mp3s and weighs next to nothing. The only minor thing is the neckstrap which is easy to replace. (You might also want different headphones for noisy environments like an airplane, but the ones included are sufficient for any other purpose.)
76 unacceptable
At first I thought this was a great product it was compact and had a good amoutn of memory... however after using it for about 5 months it just stopped working... it woulden't turn on... I hadn't dropped it or done anything unusuall to it... I sent it back to Iriver and they replaced it... Then after having that one for about 3 months.. all the files mysteriously wernt there anymore.. and then they reapeared all scrambled... after several attempts to fix the problem and wasting a lot fo time.. the player turned off and woulden't start again... this is totally unacceptable from a fairly expensive electronics product.
77 Best of All !
This thing really good. I do not agree that some reviewer said this thing was made in China and that is one of reasons that cause this product worse. Actually, I found the China Made product is quite good, and I like it very much.
78 Worst Trash Ever
This has been my worst purchase ever! Highly Difficult downloading. Must has Windows98SE or better, forget about Windows98 users. The only good part is the radio. Assembled in China, should actually cost $25 dollars or less. Not worth buying, thank goodness the store I've purchased it from refunded my money.
79 Good Quality MP3 Player
-Very lightweight design, i mainly use mine while running. Since it uses flash memory it never skips, whereas there is always the possibility for the hard drive based players to skip. Holds 256 MB, which is good for a player at this price. I would say to stick with a minimum of 256, anything less than that and you won't be able to fit many good quality songs on it. Has many extra features to use, FM Tuner, FM Recorder, Voice recorder, etc.
-It does not yet support .ogg format, but iRiver has made their mp3 players so that when they decide to put this in they can do it with a simple firmware upgrade.
-My one problem with it is that iRiver does not allow any of it's products to upload mp3s from the player to a computer due to copyright violations. This does not apply to any other type of file, just mp3 and wma. All other file types you can use the iRiver to transport.
80 Very cool
I really love my iRiver.
I bought it along with noise canceling headphones from Sony and they have made my plane rides much easier to cope with.
Sound quality is great. Battery life has not been an issue.
User controls are simple and inuitive.
81 Not as functional as I thought.
I bought this device primarily for the voice recording function. The voice files are recorded into a proprietary .rec file format. You are required to use their upload manager to move the files from the device to the HD and convert to .wav files. MP3 conversion isn't an option. Because of the 128 kbs recording format, an 8 minute recording converts into a 30 MB .wav file. I am required to use 1) iRiver upload manager to convert the file to .wav, 2) sndrec32.exe to convert down to 8K/8bit/mono and 3) MusicMatch to convert to MP3.
It's a good device, but the functionality is very limited.
82 First rate
This is my first mp3,I did have trouble parting with the $. I did have to call cust service to get help getting my computer to see the player but they answered every question walking me thru quickly. Since then I have had no trouble loading music.I am 100% satisfied w/quality and performince.If it got stolen tomorrow I would buy it again!
83 Oh, so close to being perfect
There is a lot to like with this unit - the user interface is very intuitive, the audio performance is superb, and the look is sleek.
But...
It fails on a couple of very important areas for me (recognizing I am very particular)
1) The USB1 is a bit too slow for me
2) It does not interface with MS Media Player. For me, that means that all the playlists I've built for workouts etc are useless.
3)The software they bundle is a bit clunky, especially with WMA files.
If these things don't bother you, this is a sweet little unit.
84 Great MP3 Player!
This mp3 player is the best out there, it has great sound for such little ear buds, great bass and can hold about 55 mp3 files. it has great reception on the FM tuner and you can record off of it! every thing else is really good, it is extreamly lite and compact. So i would deff reconmend this for any one!
85 Would give it a five if it were not for....
a very difficult software driver install. I am not sure if the the original disk has drivers that work for XP although it is rated for it. I had to go online to iriver.com to get the latest of everything. I never did get it to install on my (XP)notebook computer because the driver did not work. I did eventually get things running on my desktop, but not without some mindless cursing and a lucky stroke of some keys. Once the driver was recognized, it came together beautifully. Drag and drop, firmware update and status worked like a charm.
Perhaps a closer look at the usb connector on the unit may prove the culprit. While moving the unit off to the side and while connected to the cable, the signal was temporarily lost. So maybe I go back and try the notebook install again, but not tonite. I was soo anxious to get the gadget going I just want to sit and listen.
So don't get completely flustered during the install. My advice is to get all the updates from iriver.com and make sure the usb plug is firmly attached then cross your fingers.
I hate the included earphones. Who has earholes that big!!!!!
86 great audio player
I am pretty satisfied with this little mp3, but a lot of functions. the voice recording quality is very good, mp3 quality is good, and it's FM radio quality is even better than my portable radio.
You can also use it as a storage, but a little problem is they don't allow mp3 files upload, but other types of file is ok.you have to use their music manager to do upload/download, hope they can do some change in their future firmware upgrade to allow disk drive simulation.
A great deal for the money!
87 This thing is awesome
I recently purchased this item as my CD MP3 Player seemed to be getting old. This MP3 player is truly great, it could do with a bit more memory but still, its good for a regular playlist of songs.
It's so small and light it hardly noticable to carry unlike my previous CD MP3 player which was bulky and heavy in comparison. Also, battery wise it great, one good battery will get you about 17 hours playback, and if you use rechargables its totally economical if you use it everyday.
This thing is suited to everyone, its simple to upload music and if you get bored of your songs its got the radio on it. It's simple to use anyone can figure it out.
I recommened buying this if your in the market for a good priced MP3 Player.
88 Great, worth almost every dollar
The Iriver iFP-190T is a greater player with very, very few drawbacks.
The weight of the player is less than 1.5 oz with battery. It can literally hang from the earphone chord. Few players can do that without you worrying about the safety of the player. Hanging the player around your neck with the neck strap is a convenient way of carrying it around and being able to change the songs or radio stations. You hardly notice the player when it is around your neck, it's that light.
Battery power is sufficient. I am currently using rechargeable NiMH batteries a year and a half old. They last about 5-7 hours. Not bad considering I keep recharging them every other day. Battery life for an alkaline ranges around 10-15, new that is, but you have to buy new batteries. Get rechargables, the player even recognizes that you are using rechargables.
Sound quality depends mainly on the quality of your mp3s and wmas. Radio quality depends on the signal of the station. Enough on that.
Several initial flaws have been fixed that previous consumers found obnoxious. The battery flap has been tightened, so the change of your battery sliding out is almost nil. The bad software bundled with the great product confused and annoyed many of their consumers. The addition of the UMS, or USB Mass Storage, allows your player to act like a massive floppy. Simply drop and drag. This is how it should have been in the first place. However, the new software iRiver Manager v2.2 allows you to check the battery power, change the radio stations, download voice recordings directly (the UMS requires a separate program to convert the special format) makes it something not to be so easily tossed out the window or defenestrated for you intellectuals.
The software, when used with the manager can be upgraded. The player uses firmware like many of the other players on the market. So if another format becomes dominant, like OGG on steroids, the company and make the player able to play the new format. You're not stuck with a piece of proprietary hardware.
Earlier I had stated that you could not upload music to different computers. Recently, this has been proven false on Windows XP. The player will function as a jump drive for mp3s on Xp for sure. Please excuse the incorrect information. Thank you, and have a good day.
The transfer speed is USB 1.1. Not much you can do there. However, this player isn't an ipod or more, so speed really isn't a concern. The long USB chord allows you to run the chord from the back USB 1.1 ports to the top of your desk. I do not know of any shorter chords for the more privileged people with front USB 1.1 and 2.0 ports, but the point is, you won't be crawling back under your desk into a jungle of wires to plug your player in.
The controls are outlined in the manual; they don't require rocket science 101 or quantum physics 101. Give it a day and you'll be able to navigate without looking. There are a lot of user preferences. Just tinker to find what is best for you. From user EQ settings, to power off, and firmware upgrades, you can mess around all you want.
The voice recording and radio recordings record at 96 kbps, not great, but fair for recording conversations and a few radio clips.
The player itself is very durable. My friend has the 128-megabyte version and she has dropped it, thrown it, scraped it up, sat on it and it works fine. The armband the company sells for the $ to me doesn't seem worth it. It does come bundled with the iFP-195 512 megabyte version.
The player is not compatible with Windows 95 and 98 first edition. Let that be a warning. Mac OS 8 and below are non-compatible. 98 SE, 2k, Me, XP, OS 9 and OS X are all compatible.
If you want a dependable, good, solid, economical and pseudo-flash drive, by all means, purchase this product.
89 READ THIS! IMPORTANT!!!!!!!!!
This mp3 is awesome so i'll let all the other people praise it.
Only complaints are headphones (no biggy), and installation.
If you get it, do not do anything and go to the iriver website and go to the installation trouble shooting. There they will give you step by step so you wont spend hours trying to figure it out like i did.
BUY IT
its awesome.
90 Not for first time MP3 player buyers!!
I'll make this really short...I had no idea going into this venture that processes such as 'encoding' and 'ripping' would need to be familiar to me. Nothing on the package, nothing from the salesstaff. Got it home, software manual lacking in a BIG way. Loaded the player up with songs and couldn't play one of them!! Neither the software nor the manual are for beginners. I am returning the item for another brand!!
91 Compact and easy to use
This is an awesome mp3 player with outstanding features. Everything the user needs to get started comes with the product. It literally took me 4 minutes to download the software onto my computer and begin downloading music. It is extremely light and small in size however big in features. It holds around 50 songs or 2 hours of music. It will record your voice and is great for any physical activity. It goes for about 18 hours on a single AA battery. The triangular design is very sturdy and feels comfortable to the grip. If you already have music downloading software ie winmx, kazaa, etc. it works directly with that program allowing the user to take files from it. The backlit monitor is also very bright and the interface is extremely upfront and easily accessible. The only thing i recommend is that you might want to consider investing in a better pair of head phones. The price tag may seem a little high but its worth the money for the amount of songs it will hold for you.
92 There's Something Better Out There
Avaialable only through Best Buy, iRiver's 256 MB iFP-390T os www.cnet.com 's highest rated MP3 player. Its also a newer model of this one. The 256 MB is $200 and comes with all the mentioned features of the iFP-190T but has the ability to record songs directly from a portable cd player and also includes an armband and carrying case. I own the 128 MB player(I purchased it for $110 with a $30 dollar rebate). It did not come with an armband and carrying case (available at www.iriver.com for 12.99) but it came with all the same features as the 256 MB. It holds about 30 songs give or take. Battery life is advertised as 23-24 hours but its closer to 17. There is also a 64 MB player but it does not come with an armband/carrying case and does not have a radio or in-line recording capabilities. You can't go wrong with iRiver but I just thought I'd let you know there's something better out there.
93 Among the Best Solid State Players
I've been using portable MP3 players since the original (RIO 300) came out and the iRiver is really the best fully featured solid state player to date.
PROS
It's amazingly light, with most of the weight being the AA battery. The sound quality is top notch in comparison to not only SS players but even more expensive HD based ones. The packaged earbuds are Sennheiser which is the THE brand of headphones for audiophiles (although the included ones are not the top end).
The iRiver is very feature loaded. Other mp3 players have no equalizers or a few equalizer presets, iRiver has not only presets but you can create custom eq settings. It supports folder based mp3 storage. The menu navigation is via mini-joystick like on high end cell phones, most SS mp3 players just have buttons. Everything is configurable, including the LED brightness & contrast down to the speed of clicking through menus!
The iRiver also supports file uploading and multi computer use. If you buy an iPod for example, you are only allowed to sync with one computer, ever. The iRiver has no such restrictions. You can upload MP3s and sync with multiple computers.
The included software is very simple to use. If you can navigate through Windows you can use the software.
CONS
The covering for the USB port is rather flimsy.
Because it is so customizable, there is a learning curve on how to use all its features.
94 Excellent little MP3 player
I've had this great little MP3 player for about four months now. It's amazingly small, has a lot of storage for a flash-memory-based player, and sounds great. I've used several mobile music players before (Sharp 722 minidisc player, TDK Mojo CD/MP3 player, and an Archos harddrive-based player), and those are absolutely huge next to this little guy. Even compared to other flash-memory mp3 players, the iFP-190T is very small. The sound quality is excellent. I've been using rechargable NiMH batteries, so I haven't been able to reach to expected 20 hours of playback time (more like 10 hours, I would guess).
The best part about this player is the relatively large 4 lines of navigation displayed for a directory's contents. Additional benefits include a good FM receiver and voice recording (which works pretty well based on the few times I've used it). The only negative I can think of is that the battery door has a tendency to open unless it is firmly closed. Not a big problem in my opinion.
I have to respond to the 1-star review posted by someone named "erik" previously. He brings up two points against the iFP-190T. First, he doesn't think the Sennheiser earbuds are that great and evidently returned the unit based on that. This is ridiculous. Very seldom will manufacturers provide high-quality earphones or earbuds because they know that users who spend this much on a music player will end up buying better earpieces anyways.
Second, he says that you have to use iRiver's software to download mp3s into the player and that the player cannot play mp3s encoded by other software. The first part is true, the second part is completely inaccurate. You do have to use iRiver's software to download (and you cannot upload from the player back to your computer). I personally don't like this (my Archos harddrive-based mp3 player is seen by Windows as just another hard drive), but this anti-piracy gimmick is the price you pay for having such a good player. And to finish off my rebuttal, you *can* use mp3s encoded by other software.
All in all, a great little player. Highly recommended.
95 Convenient and Intuitive
This mp3 player has a great design in both usability and looks. There are a few points that did bother me. The latch to hold the battery is flimsy and I've already lost one battery while walking down the street. The necklace type design is convenient for walking but this device is not easy to run with. The FM tuner is nice but the reception isn't great. Although the USB is still 1.1, the transfer time is acceptable and the computer interface is fairly intuitive.
96 Annoying DRM makes this largely useless.
I bought one of these and ended up returning it in favor of the Yepp Yp-55. In essence, both have the same features, but I originally leaned toward this one because it actually included decent headphones (rare in any portable).
The only problem (and one not mentioned anywhere on the packaging) is the fact that you *have* to use the included program to transfer files back and forth between the player and computer. The player will not accept files encoded using another program, nor does it act as a simple removable drive. Not too convenient, especially for those of us who use other operating systems and better encoding software.
That said, sound was decent, although the included 'phones are still sub-par, and the controls were somewhat intuitive after a short learning curve. The big sticking-point for me, though, was being chained to iRiver's software to use this device. The Yepp had no such problems, so I've gone with it and been very happy.
97 Best MP3 Player
A reviewer compared the iRiver player to the Digitalway Player. Although the iRiver is not Mac compatible, it outperforms the Digitalway player.
iRiver----------------------------------Digitalway
FM Radio S/N -50 dB---------------------45 dB
Battery Duration >16 hr.(AA)------------------10 hr. (AAA)
Headphone output 10 mW each channel------------6mW each channel
98 iRiver of Dreams
If you are looking for a MP3 player, there is no reason to look any further than iRiver's iFP-190T 256 MB Digital Audio Player. The unit has a lot going for it: small size, lightweight but durable, impressive battery life, more than enough MB than could possibly be listened to in one session, and most importantly great sound quality. I bought the 190T for working out at the gym - and unfortunately for me more people have asked me about the MP3 player than muscles! With all the clunky CD players being toted around the gym floor, it is no wonder that this piece of electronic equipment, the size of a pack of chewing gum, has attracted all the attention - and how many of those CD players are holding more than 60 songs?
The software to transfer files from your PC is easy to use and understand. With surface space being a premium on the unit, it takes a little trial-and-error to master the multiple uses of the four major buttons - but the basics (turning on/off, shuffle, repeat, switching between MP3/radio) are quite easy to pick up. Personally, I have had no issues with the earbuds and usually wear the unit with the provided necklace. If the activity is high/not conducive for around-the-neck wear, the player easily slips into a pocket (an armband holder is offered as a separate accessory on the company website, a recommended visit also for the latest software and firmware).
The FM-tuner is a great addition, while the voice recorder may be another added feature of interest (not something I was personally looking for). My one tiny qualm is the unexpected ease one can record from the FM tuner (the button to switch between MP3/FM mode is the same one to record from the radio). Why this is even a feature I am not sure - has anyone recorded from the radio since the 1970s?
Overall a great gadget - give yourself a reason to go out and buy one!
99 AMAZING FOR ITS SMALL SIZE!
I used several different MP3 players before I found this gem. The first thing I noticed was how extremely small and light it is. I am very impressed that they fit 256MB in such a small design. The sound, on the other hand, is anything but small. Big, boomin' bass and very clear in the mid-ranges and upper levels. The radio and voice recorder are both also very clear. I even use my player to transfer files between home and work. Simply the best!
100 SO much better than all the others
I rarely feel compelled to write a review, but just knowing how much better this mp3 player is than the millions out there, I felt I had to let everyone know. I don't want to repeat what everyone else has been writing, but it's all true - the small size, long lasting battery, great sound quality. The screen lets you actually navigate through menus, very easily. And with a voice recorder, FM radio, and the ability to record FM, there's so much to this gadget. I wanted to get an ipod, but this tiny thing had so many features, enough space (55 songs at hi quality) for the music I need to listen to, and was so perfectly small I could take it anywhere without fear of dropping or losing it. I know there is a new model coming out, but I would recommend getting this one for the price. I've tried many other players, and this one makes them seem [bad]
