MODEL- IFP-195T VENDOR- IRIVER AMERICAFEATURES- iFP-195T Portable Flash Music Player- 512MB iRiver now brings you the newest version of the most advanced portable music player available including built-in FM Tuner and Voice Recorder and features an industry first 512MB of internal memory for up to SEVENTEEN hours of your favorite music! The iFP-195T 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. The iFP-195T has increased portability with the included carry case and arm band and also boosts transfer speeds up to 33%! Includes iFP-195 Music Player Sennheiser MX300 headphones Custom Carry Case Adjustable Arm Band Neck Strap PC Installation CD AA Battery USB Cable and Printed Manual. * 512MB Internal Storage * Integrated digital FM Tuner with presets * Record to player directly from FM tuner * MP3 WMA and ASF Music Files Supported * Built-in voice recorder * iRiver Music Manager for simple music transfers * Weighs only 32 grams (without battery) * Ultra small design (80 x 32 x 25 mm) * USB connection to your computer with transfer rate up to 6.4Mbps * Use as a portable drive to transport any file type -- SPECIFICATIONS ---------------------INTERFACE - USB 1.1MEMORY - 512MB built-in Flash memoryPLAYBACK - approx. 20 hours (AA battery 1 EA 128 kbpsMP3) TRANSFER RATE- approx. 6.4 MbpsAUDIO - No of channels : STEREO (L+R) Frequency Range : 20Hz 20KHz Headphone Out : 10mW(L) + 10mW ; (16 ohms)at Max. Volume S/N Ratio : 90dB (MP3); A Weighted AUDIO TUNER - Frequency Range : 87.5MHz 108MHz Headphone output: 10mW(L)+10mW(R) : (16 ohms)at Max. Volume S/N Ratio : 50dB FILE SUPPORT - File Type : MPEG 1/2/2.5 Layer 3 WMA ASF Bit Rate : Supports 8Kbps 320Kbps Tag : ID3 V1 Tag ID3 V2 2.0 ID3 V2 3.0 ID3 V2 4.0 POWER- (1) 1.5 volt AA batterySIZE - 3.2 x 1.28 x 1.0 WT.- 1.12 oz. MANUFACTURER WARRANTY: 1 YEAR
1 iRiver 512 is sweet!
Ok, I've owned a number of mp3 players, and iFP 195T 512mb version is simply elegant.
Perfect size for any activity. Sound quality second to none (less one comment below), screen navigation control is as good as it gets (it's a tiny screen after all folks...), clear display in any light, FM is a nice bonus though rarely use it.
Downsides for the purist:
1. Earbuds are worthless-- but then I've yet to meet someone who uses of the factory shipped headsets of any mp3 player (except for my ipod friends). Sony earbuds of any variety are awesome (nough said).
2. Armband for jogging is OK, though I've heard some folks complain about the fit (nitpicking to say the least).
3. Hey, it's a tiny screen folks! Navigation is not hard to figure out. Seen a lot worst on top rated mp3 players. Upside: Even big fingers can work this one.
4. Required software is a bit annoying, but the Mac and PC versions work adequately well.
Personal opinion - 512mb is the smallest space a person should consider for an mp3 player (period). 256mb is way to small for anything but a few decent CD's worth of music. I find even the 512mb is too small, given that 512mb only allows about 8 or so full CD's in my case. Almost wish I'd held out for the 1gb version instead.
Enjoy!
http://TVCNet.net
2 Technology Not There Yet
This is a very nice player. It's the first one that I've owned so I have nothing to compare to. However, I have used flash memory drives. In retrospect, I should have waited until they came out with USB 2.0 and the ability to PnP without having to install custom drivers (Like flash drive, digital camera etc.) Why they haven't adopted these technologies yet is beyond me.
Good: Usability, Sound, Battery life, Capacity.
Bad: USB 1.1. Packaged software did not work. Had to download latest version from vendor web site. Does not come up as PnP logical drive letter like a flash drive.
3 Great Player
I did my homework before buying an MP3 Player, and I'm glad I did as the iRiver iFP-195T is great! No complaints. It fits approximately 75 songs and with just one little AA battery you get at least 20+ hours. Once you get the player I strongly recommend going to iriver.com to upgrade the music manager and firmware so you can "organize" the music files into folders on the player. Nice extra feature is the FM turner....never thought I'd use it, but guess what - I did. Overall, great product, small/compact and has a great user-friendly desktop application for transfer and organization of mp3s.
4 Great things do come in small packages!
I purchased my iRiver iFP-195T unit over six months ago, and all I can say is...I love it! Small, sleek, easy to use...enough storage space for over 100 songs (seriously, who needs more unless they are traveling across country??) Requires one regular old double-A battery which lasts a long, long time. And the Sennheiser ear-bud headphones that come with it are incredible. You won't believe that that much bass can come out of two tiny little pieces of plastic.
If you are thinking about getting an iPod, think again. This little gem does the trick for a lot less money. But hey, if you need to impress your friends by carrying around your entire mp3 library, then look into the iRiver iHP 140 40GB Hard Drive MP3 player.
5 Worth every penny
Pros:
Long battery life
High storage capacity
Easy to use software
Great sound
Never, ever, ever skips
Lots and lots of preferences and options
Very small and light
The USB connection is on the top, so you don't have to take off the cover to add music
The software is easy to use
Cons:
Reception on the tuner is just ok (only gets stations within 20 miles)
Programming presets on the tuner is difficult and switching from preset mode to tuner mode can be confusing
The symbols are not quite as intuitive as I'd like
File transfer is not fast (maybe 150K/sec)
The plastic cover can be hard to take off to change the battery
Even with all that, it does exactly what I wanted it to do and I would definitely buy this one again if I lost it (I shudder at the thought)
6 Very stylish/small never had a problem with it
ive had this for a few months now and it has been amazing. i have never had a single problem with it, although ive heard irivers support is outstanding. it is very very small and if you have the money to afford this and 512 mb is satisfactory for you then go get it! iriver rocks!
7 Good Product
I actually purchased the iriver IFP395T, which is similar to this product. Although it's capacity is less than that of the hard drive MP3 players, i chose this player because of portability, and the ability to be powered by AA batteries. I would love to have the ipod, but I don't think I can stand to spend the amount of money required to get one and then get battery problems later on. I would be too pissed off. The retailer I purchased this from told me he had some customers complaining of the battery issues of the ipod. So, I just settled on the iriver. I'm quite happy with my purchase.
8 Almost perfect
This is actually a review for iRiver iFP-395T. The difference between this one and iFP-195T is the latter has no linein encoding and the shape and backlight are different.
I just upgraded my iRiver firmware from v1.05 to v2.06. They added bunch of very helpful functions such as Voice detection, Auto Sync for linein encoding (similar to Yepp's WOW function only it's better) and several new EQ like 3D sound.These changes enable you to enjoy iRiver much more. (...)I've had it (iFP-395T)for 3 months now and used it almost everyday. It is almost a perfect player. I know a lot of people will pass it because of the price..., but I got a very good deal. My roommate has a Yepp (256MB). Both players are small and easy to carry around, expecially good for gym because there is no moving part and both have good sound quality and very similar functions such as voice recording, FM tuner & recording, and linein recording, ...
+ Not as small and light as Yepp becuase it uses one AA battery, but is still small enough to be carred around in your pocket, hung on your neck or held in your hand. AA battery will give you longer playing time.
+ Big, bright blue LCD display with 4 lines of informatin and multilanguage mp3 tag display
+ Although the buttons, esp. the joystick, and the navigation system are a little bit tricky, but once you've learned it, you'll find they are extremely convenient (much better than Yepp)
+ Sleep timer (Yepp doesn't have it!)
+ Folder structure: you can arrange your files as you do on your computer (Yepp doesn't have it!)
+ Good FM tuner and it's easy to set up the stations
+ The triangular shape is not as bad as other people said. It feels quite comfortable in hand and stays steady on your desk
+ Some people say the arm band is not very comfortable, but still, it's good to have
- Cannot plug directly to USB port, neet a USB cable (Yepp works like a local drive)
- Cannot upload MP3 files
- No WOW function which makes it inconvenient to record from another audio device because you have to manually separate one song from another (Note: upgrade your firmware, then you will have this function)
- Most of the EQ are not very useful, the sound is not loud enough (Note: the new firmware v2.06 will provide you with more EQ settings)
- The mode button is not very convenient (a minor inconvenience)
- Some bugs need to be fixed, e.g. If you use UMS (enable the player to be a driver) and download the files into the player, the files are not in order, it is extremely bad when you are listening to Audiobooks.
I bought it for gym or running, but now I use it mostly to listen to AudioBooks. Radio is another nice feature. Some people will say it's too pricey considering that with the same money you can buy a 5GB hard drive based MP3 player. I'd say, it's all personal preference and needs. I don't need to carry my whole collection with me because it's sure going to grow bigger and then I need to buy a new one with larger space. I just want to carry enough audio files with me and 512 is a good size. I hope it has a clock and WOW (Now I have it with new firmware :)), but right now, I am content with this MP3 player. Sure they will always be better one out some day in the future, but I cannot wait so long. Why not buy it and start enjoying the music today!
9 This is an excellent MP3 player
I received the iFP-195T for Christmas this year, and I'm am very pleased with the quality and features of this player. This is the first MP3 player I've owned, and have been reluctant to purchase one because of their limited storage capability with high quality MP3 files (128 MB can barely hold 2 albums at 128bit settings). I didn't want an iPod type player due to its size and weight. This player gives me more than enough room to store hours of music at 128 or 160bit quality settings. The features are quite extensive, and I highly recommend that anyone who purchases one of these gets the new firmware upgrade off iRiver's web site, which improves the EQ from a treble/bass option to a 5 band EQ (very nice), and adds other improved features.
The sound quality is amazing for something so small and light weight, the menus are very easy to navigate. One reviewer mentioned that it will not play songs in the order of the album, but this is all dependant on how you name your MP3 files, every album that I have transferred plays in the order that it is suppose to. Transfer rate comes in at about 1MB/sec, give or take a few seconds on a 60 minute album. I did have a little trouble getting my XP machine to recognize the player, but a quick visit to iRiver's website walked me through step by step on how to install it, and now it works flawlessly. I have probably used the player (including playing files and transferring files) about 10 hours, and am still on the first battery, so I'm very pleased with battery life. The headphones are high quality and I do not plan on replacing them anytime soon.
Basically, this is the first MP3 player I've owned, and I love it. It's an amazing piece of technology, small, lightweight, and loads of memory. If you're looking for a portable MP3 player, I would highly recommend this model. If you would like to know more, please feel free to email me at rattlhed@hotmail.com
10 Whats the point?
If your going to buy this item, I have one question to ask of you...Why? If your going to spend 300 bucks you might as well just buy and ipod or a diffrent hardrive MP3 player. Think about it, you would be geting more memory, in some cases rechargable batteries, menus that allow you to get to music easier AND faster, and more. I say just forget about this player because it seems like a waste of money
11 Nice features- has some problems
I have a 256 iiver and had a 512 iriver mp3 player. The 256 unit has been reliable. I liked it so much that I bought a 512 unit. I have had to return it twice because it works great for a while, then it simply won't turn on. Dead, Dead, Dead and no resurection. It may be a problem particular to this unit. I hope they get it fixed because they have a good, easy to use product with a lot of good features. I too, like others, question the quality. Amazon.com has been outstanding in handling my return issus. Kudos to them.
12 Excellent MP3 player, but not perfect
I've had this for about 6 months and its still working great. I'm definately happy with my purchase.
Pros:
Very small: not much bigger than the AA battery it houses.
Decent memory: about 4 CDs fit on it at a time
Good sound quality: the headphones that come with it are good and the device puts out good quality base and high end
Power: Uses 1 AA and it lasts a long time
Features: FM, record voice or FM, lots of settings for equalizer and play modes (repeat, shuffle, repeat folder, shuffle all etc), power saving featuers and more...
Cons:
Cant upgrade the memory
No AM radio
Its difficult to put the tracks in order (to mimic an album)
I saw some reviews saying that the parts were low quality, and while it does feel a little flimsy, mine has not broken or shown any signs of problems. I've dropped it plenty of times and it works good as new. Pay $15 for an extended warrenty if you're worried about it.
13 No Regrets!
I own four MP3 players but the iFP-195T is exactly what I had been waiting for. I had seriously been contemplating an iPod before I purchased the iRiver but the concern about the iPod's non-replaceable battery and it's average life of 2-3 years caused me to back off. I primarily bought the 195T because of the 512MB memory capacity and it's ultra tiny size. Despite the reviews that I had read about the previous iFP models, the FM stereo on this model works great. Sure, there are a lot of MP3 players out there to meet a variety of needs, but I doubt that any of them have sound quality better than the 195T. It packs a wallop! I wasn't familiar with the iRiver navigation system, so it took a little getting used to but has an impressive number of menu functions. I find the tiny size of the 195T also means that it has a tiny sized menu, so a good light source and reading glasses helps me compensate for this. I run Windows XP and the managing software has been working fine. Did I say that I had no regrets? Well, perhaps one. I bought the 195T when it first hit the market and paid about $... more for it than if I had waited a few months and bought it from Amazon.com. Oh well, such is life!
14 Worst quality ever
I got this as a birhtday gift and, doh, it broke after just 3 days. Talked to Philip at J&R and he says there's a lot of complains about iriver products. Seems they use cheap parts and have ZERO support. The other reviews here read like planted positive praises, so beware. I was a real-life user, not affiliated with any electronics company, so take my advice, do not buy iriver. Many owners find out the hard way. Now Evolution is another no-name brand, but better.
15 Best Digital Voice Recorder I can find, plus MP3's!
My main interest in this product was for recording classroom lectures. It is being sold primarily as an MP3 player, but it's absolutely tops for recording such audio. The huge 512MB capacity gives you more than enough space to record as much as you could possibly need, which can then be easily transferred to your PC/Laptop via the USB cable, then even burned to a CD if you wish. Like others, I purchased a different set of earphones for my personal comfort, but the ones that are included do sound quite good. I also added a stick-on belt clip notch, like the ones that are sold for cell phones, which I stuck onto the supplied carrying case. The carrying case is also very nice for solving the aforementioned problems with the battery cover, as it can't possibly open or get knocked around while the case is being used. The bottom line is that this is a very cool gadget, and with the extra cost over other inferior devices.
16 After firmware upgraded,It can serve as a removable disk.
This removable disk design makes it even simpler to transfer music files.
Sometimes,it is handy to carry a few warez and documents in 195.Maybe,it can aslo be a usb bootdisk.
My classmate bought one at 2300RMB,about 278Dollars in shanghai,China.
17 Perfect Portable machine!!!!
I'm actually writing about IFP-395T, not 195T. But I heard that they are built on same mechanism so I guess 195T is also incredibly great product.
First, 395T has joystick like button to make it easy to FF and Fast rewind and change volumes. Further, it works like L3 button in PS 2 controller. (Which means you can actually press that joystick button to open navigation menu.) Blue LCD supporting four lines allows you to locate file by browsing through folder. (Folder system makes it extremely easy for you to find files especially when you are having like more than 100 songs - Typical for 512 MB player:))
Second, the design is sooooo great! This is wonderful. I hate to say this but I think 395T looks way much cooler than 195T. Sound is wonderful!!! I heard that Samsung Yepp 55's sound power is just 5 mW while that of Iriver is 12 mW. You can hear song twice as large as other machines!
I paid like 380 bucks but it is definitely worth it. I may have bought Clie which also support mp3. However, what's the point in having PDA? It would be pain in the ass to keep it whereever i go. I usually wear IFP-395T around my neck. This is sooo light that i sometimes even forgot i wear it.
And I look much cooler with this gadget!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
18 Iriver rocks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Actually, I'm writing about IFP-395T. I just received this gadget and this is incredible. I heard that IFP-195T is built on same mechanism as this so I guess it is also as good as this one. This has joystick like button. it's very easy to forward and backward with this stick. this also allows you fastforward or rewind music without difficulty.
I have ps2 and this joystick works just like analog stick in ps2 controller. This lever even has L3 key function! (You can press joystick lever to open navigation menu) With 4 lines blue LCD, you can actually natigate folders and find files without difficulty. Beautiful carrying case! Perfect necklace! This is the best electronic i've ever bought in my life! Cost me about 400 USD though. A bit expensive but worth money.
To tell the truth, before I buy this, I bought MAMBOX 256 MB via Ebay. I haven't received it yet... (It is shipped in German so it may take a month or so.) After which, I started research on MP3 player!!! (I know I should have done this before I purchase one but I am sort of an impulsive buyer...) I found out that MP3 player was first developed by Korean companies such as Cowon, Digital Way, Iriver etc. It was bit of shock because I thought musical device is best made by German or Japan companies. (that was one of the reason I bought MAMBOX...)
Their market share in MP3 market was about 60% world wide and they seemed to be very famous in Europe market... Most importantly, I found out that Iriver IFP-395T costs about 600 USD in Europe while my MAMBOX was just about 180 USD!!!!
I was shocked and instantly ordered IFP-395T online because I knew that it is just around [$]in US. Now waht... I would have to sell my MAMBOX on ebay. whatever. I'm very satisfied with this product. Really love it!!!...
19 4.5 stars, a wonderful mp3 player
Pros: Half a gig of memory, FM tuner, FM and voice recording, small size and light weight. It uses a single AA battery and will run for about twice as long as any hard drive player. I'm getting an estimated 12 hours of real world use per battery. Compared to hard drive based units this can't be beat. Since it uses a single AA, you won't have any down time waiting for the unit to charge. The software that comes with this unit is stable, intuitive to use and works as advertised. I use this mostly for audio books recorded at low but adequate bit rates. Usually 24-48 mbps mp3's. Half a gig will hold about 30 hours of audio books. More than enough to take on vacation. Sound quality is as good as my iPod. The controls are not as intuitive as the iPod or Rio500 but if you spend 20 minutes or so with the manual everything will make sense. Navigating through content is a breeze. It's firmware upgradeable to support other formats and add or change features. Battery life is outstanding. Cons: Pricey. Subjectively cheap materials. Metal endcaps and a lanyard ring would have been a nice touch in a product that costs as much as this. I'd guess they used plastic to keep the weight down but I'd gladly sacrifice a quarter ounce for something that has a more 'quality' feel. If you're close to the end of a long audio book and stop the player, it seems to think you're done. It loses the marker and requires you to search for where you left off. Frustrating. A dedicated bookmarking button would have been nice.
Conclusion: this is probably the first go anywhere mp3 player with enough memory and battery life to be truly useful. Battery life far exceeds any hard drive player and doesn't require an electrical outlet. Simply pop in an AA battery and you're good for at least an honest 10-12 hours. Feature packed and mature in design. Hard drive players like the iPod, Karma and Zen are in a different catagory and shouldn't be compared directly with solid state players. If you need gigabytes of storage you'll have to go with a hard drive player. If you're ok with about four hours of high quality music or ~30 hours of high quality audio books, the iFP-195T is probably the best choice at the moment.
20 It's cute, I guess...But why?
Half a gigabyte of storage? For only (literally) a few dollars more, you can have a 15 GIGABYTE iPod! People complain about the iPod being too expensive, but from a cost/benefit perspective, it's an amazing bargain compared to this overpriced, underperforming trinket.
21 The Best Small MP3 Player Out there
This is an intelligently designed MP3 player. The addition of FM radio (and even recording FM to MP3) makes small device even more remarkable. It holds about 17 hours of music and runs on one AA battery which lasts for hours. While it cannot compete with jukeboxes (such as the iPod) in terms of storage, it's storage space is big enough to get the job done with an overall package size which is much smaller and lighter than the Jukeboxes. As noted by someone else, some of the switches/doors feel a little cheap/plastic - but it seems to be holding up fine and the light as a feather weight is appreciated.
22 yes. Yes. YES!
(Nearly) Flawless. Features, battery life, size... everything is great! Menu navigation is the same as other iRiver products, so if you're familiar with their format, you'll be fine - otherwise you will experience a slight learning curve.
The feel of the unit is much nicer than other mp3 players (i.e. Nike PSA), as I shopped extensively before buying.
For gym use, the armband is good and solid, though I can't compare it to other models for comfort.
As with almost all manufacturer-supplied earbuds - go out and buy a pair that you like. iRiver's sound fantastic, but I did not find them comfortable.
iRiver's music managing software is solid, but has a bug or two with XP, and it is not yet compatible with Windows Media Player (if you're even interested). Just make sure to have the 195T plugged into your usb before starting the program!
The bottom line: if you want the best, buy this model.
23 Just about as good as it gets if it suits your need
This player isn't for everyone 1) It is not 20-gig 2) It isn't cheap.
Here are 3 reasons why this player suited my need
1) Battery. Battery last 2 or 3 times the length of HD based players. It is user replaceable. You can find AA anywhere in the world. Rechargeable batteries in most Giga-players will die in 2 or 3 years and most of them can't be replaced.
2) Super light-weight and small: I carry the player in the included armband and hit the trail or track.
3)No motion mechanism : Since I use it for running, no worry about moving parts. All HD will fail eventually. I don't even want to find out how much it would cost to replace a drive in iPOD.
4)FM Radio: I wasn't able to find out anything about 195T's radio feature before I purchase it. Now that I have it, It is good. Pull in better signals than my Sony AM/FM Headphone. Recording feature is a nice bonus. I listen to NPR a lot and it is nice to be able to record something while I run and refer back to it later.
5) Large enough memory: I didn't say large, but it sure is large enough for what I need. I don't know how people can fill up 20gig of space with music. I don't have the time to go through that and don't have the desire to carry my entire CD collection with me everywhere. 512MB is enough music to last me a long time and is enough to carry most audiobooks.
Enough about the good points. Here is what I think 195 can improved upon.
1) Battery door feels flimsy.
2) The knob on the 5 direction key make it hard to remove the player from armband.
3) Limited amount of buttons means that all buttons has many functions assigned to them. You definitely need to spend sometime with instruction manual to figure things out. Luckily, it is very clearly written.
This is a niche player and it also looks great! It serves my needs perfectly.
24 Right up there with light sabers
It works flawlessly. Battery life is more like 13 hours. Get a magnifing glass and sit by a lamp to learn the feature rich navigation. Tiny,lovely and discreet. Ummm!
