iPod vs iRiver

[diabloII]

ill probably get one in a few months

IMO, the iriver H320 isn't as plain as an ipod 4th gen/mini and can be upgraded into the foreign 1.27 firmware to play videos

i can't decide between ipod/iriver/other brands

can anyone help?

 

[Reiniku]

the price and features of the iriver make it a real winner, but there seems to be a big learning curve for the ui. despite all the things that can be said about the ipod (and by that i mean bad), it truly is hard to beat its click wheel interface. i bought the 6gb silver mini and am very satisfied with it STRICTLY as an mp3 (and only mp3) player. if i were looking for a bit more than just an mp3 player i would have gone with an iriver equivalent (creative's line doesn't appeal to me).

 

[Philippine Mango]

Originally posted by: Reiniku
the price and features of the iriver make it a real winner, but there seems to be a big learning curve for the ui. despite all the things that can be said about the ipod (and by that i mean bad), it truly is hard to beat its click wheel interface. i bought the 6gb silver mini and am very satisfied with it STRICTLY as an mp3 (and only mp3) player. if i were looking for a bit more than just an mp3 player i would have gone with an iriver equivalent (creative's line doesn't appeal to me).

quite ironically, despite me getting the most difficult devices to work, I thought that the iPod's clickwheel thing was a pain in the ass and hated it. Infact I thought it was going to be the one thing that would make me like it but turns out I don't like it.

 

[Reiniku]

Originally posted by: Philippine Mango

Originally posted by: Reiniku
the price and features of the iriver make it a real winner, but there seems to be a big learning curve for the ui. despite all the things that can be said about the ipod (and by that i mean bad), it truly is hard to beat its click wheel interface. i bought the 6gb silver mini and am very satisfied with it STRICTLY as an mp3 (and only mp3) player. if i were looking for a bit more than just an mp3 player i would have gone with an iriver equivalent (creative's line doesn't appeal to me).

quite ironically, despite me getting the most difficult devices to work, I thought that the iPod's clickwheel thing was a pain in the ass and hated it. Infact I thought it was going to be the one thing that would make me like it but turns out I don't like it.

the best way i could describe the ui is that its my favorite single digited ui lol. i like that you rarely ever have to lift your thumb. i dont like the feel of a click wheel without something in between like a plastic film however

 

[WackyDan]

iPod: $$$ -everyone has one - great accessory market . Needs* software to load music... ie; iTunes. Yes, it can be hacked but lets stick with the raw specs for comparison.

iRiver: Less$$$$ - has more features ie; digital in and output, FM, Flexible voice record/source ..... most iPod Accessories work with it.... won't need some due to the added features. Treated as USB mass storage device... period.- no software or driver need be loaded.

 

[akugami]

NOTE: iPod is treated as a USB mass storage device as well.

 

[edmundoab]

a friend of mine has the IRiver as well
honestly had some problems trying to learn how to operate it.
but after that, its all smooth going.

I think the Ipod is more straight forward in terms of User Interface.
Again an eye candy with more $$$ needed to own one.

 

[ponyo]

I like iRiver's flash based players but find them expensive compared to other brands like Sandisk and Creative.

 

[FreshFish]

Originally posted by: akugami
NOTE: iPod is treated as a USB mass storage device as well.

But you can only leave files on the same computer. Useless if you want to store files for a school project or share any type of file with someone else

 

[SLCentral]

I'd say iPod, because of it's UI. The iRiver does have more features, but you need to ask yourself if you will ever use a digital in output, FM, etc. If not, the iPod is perfect. If you are, then the iRiver would be best for you. For playing music and music alone, I do believe the iPod is superior. People tell me that the iPod sound quality is subpar, but unless you are a true audiophile, I highly doubt you could tell the difference. People also complain about using iTunes. Whats wrong with iTunes in the first place?

Just because I own a Mac does not make me a fanboy; I just don't see why theres all this iPod hating. The iPod has a superior design, UI, and support for accessories, and still is competitively priced. It may not have advanced features, that, lets face it, 95% of us wil never use, but for music playing, I believe it's superior.

 

[robcy]

id go with the ipod (actually already did). I just could not figure out the UI for the iriver, but 10 minutes with the ipod, and I was hooked. Got the car adaptor, the adaptor for the home stereo, and my wife gave me the add on speakers for the office. 4000+ songs (4187) and going. Hell, I cancelled my XM subscription, and even connected the old record player to my pc so that I can rip the old wax collection. Yes, sir I am out of control.

 

[WackyDan]

Originally posted by: akugami
NOTE: iPod is treated as a USB mass storage device as well.

TRUE... Maybe I should have been more specific....

iPod can work as USB drive, but you CAN NOT natively drag and drop music files onto the iPod. The mp3/music folder is masked/hidden, and you need iTunes or one of the itunish spinoffs to load your music or you can hack the iPod.

 

[diabloII]

meh i'm kinda leaning towards the H320 (iriver) because i will be using the fm and it can be upgradewd to the korean firmware which lets me watch videos

 

[BW86]

I decided to get the h320 over the ipod mainly b/c all my music is in Ogg Vorbis and the drag and drop feature is convenient. I also liked the fact that it was in color, had Radio, and you can watch videos on it.

And if you can't use the Iriver UI than your most likely an idiot. Although the Ipod UI is easier.

 

[Lonyo]

Some people are idiots.
If they can't use the iRiver UI, then they really do suck, I found it very easy.
Never really tried an iPod, but the iRiver is so simple it's almost stupid, and it is also pretty much a single digit UI (on my H140)

 

[diabloII]

uh what's an ui?

user interface (random guess)?

 

[MrCodeDude]

Originally posted by: diabloII
uh what's an ui?

user interface (random guess)?

Yes, UI = User Interface. Basically, how easy it is for you (the user) to navigate and execute commands for the product (through its interface).

OP: Have you checked out anything from Jens of Sweden?

 

[WackyDan]

THe iRiver is real sweet at voice recording too.

I've used mine stand alone, and get a slight hummm when the drive spools up to save. However, with the lapel mic it's awesome, and I'm going to try another external mic as well. Very flexible on either recording to WAV or MP3 up to 320bit.

 

[diabloII]

so if i use it to record stuff in class would i be able to do it despite the distance?

and if i can, is the hard drive loud enough so that whoever is next to me can hear it?

 

[gsellis]

Folks are now using the iRiver 700 and 300 series as field recorders. So, versatile.

 

[WackyDan]

Originally posted by: diabloII
so if i use it to record stuff in class would i be able to do it despite the distance?

and if i can, is the hard drive loud enough so that whoever is next to me can hear it?

You can't hear the drive with your own hearing, but on my iHP 120, you can hear "electrical noise" during playback only when the drive spins up to save what is in the units cache. Minor annoyance... I'm assuming the flash based models that have voice recording don't have this problem.

I sat back about 15 feet or so in class and got an ok recording - had to turn volume up a bit on playback to hear everything. Next class I sat up front and it was much better, hence the reason I want to try a high gain, but small external mic on it to see if I avoid the electrical noise by having the mic separated from the device and get better levels farther back in class.

 

[MrControversial]

I'm neutral and after reading this thread, I'm leaning towards the iriver even though I use iTunes to download music. I love iTunes because its seamless and unlike warez programs, I know that I'm getting quality tunes.

 

[WackyDan]

Originally posted by: MrControversial
I'm neutral and after reading this thread, I'm leaning towards the iriver even though I use iTunes to download music. I love iTunes because its seamless and unlike warez programs, I know that I'm getting quality tunes.

To each their own...

I refuse to buy from an online service as the quality really isn't that good, and the DRM implementations suck.

I want files that are over 128bit and a more portable DRM policy, or replacement/re-download policy. Until then, I'll continue to buy my CD's used and rip them.

For the latter.... I think Napster might be on to something... ..... the "rent" your music approach. I find it funny that the labels and studios tell us that we only "buy" a license to listen to the music we buy on CD, but won't replace the cd's when they are worn, etc..... SO Napster equates to the same principle, but with a monthly fee cheaper than buying one or two cd's a month. Of course- quality (bit rate) still suffers, but it's a step in the right direction.

 

[tren001]

I've got one of those new iRiver H10s with the 5 Gb microdrive, and I like it so far. It's got a pretty simple UI, quasi-USB Mass Storage capability, and super good language support, and looks/sounds pretty cool too, and also has a touch sensitive scroll bar thing (opposed to the ipod mini's touch senstive scroll wheel), plus the FM and recording, and photo viewing and all the other crap iRiver adds to their players.

Only disadvantage to iRivers are that it must be the only company (other than maybe Sony) to consistently retail their products with HIGHER prices than Apple. I was lucky enough to score the H10 for like $180 via the Napster promotion, but as long as iRivers are so expensive, I don't see them as a major player in this segment (unlike Creative, whose players are cheap(er) and also decent).

In the end, it will come down to the cost and personal preference. I hate to admit it, but the ipods are a decent deal, considering it's apple. Probably the least price inflated thing apple makes (unlike their computers/laptops/lcds), but I just dislike apple for some reason, and got the iriver instead.

As for napster, it's not too bad. Although I liked it better when I, er I mean other people, could easily circumvent their DRM . Too bad napster is pretty agressive in maintaining the security of their rental music.

 

[railer]

I'm glad the 12 year olds haven't hijacked this thread yet. The one's who say the ipod is "crappy" because Bono uses one, and it's far and away the #1 selling mp3 player so of course everyone who uses one must be a sheep...etc, etc.

I went from an Archos 20 gigger (that I paid a bit over $120 for...and was the best bang for buck mp3 player ever) to a creative zen 60 gb, and now to a 40 gig ipod photo. My Archos died after about 11 months, and Archos wouldn't honor the warranty cause I installed rockbox on it. Fine, it was nice for the money, but a bit of a clunky brick.

The Creative is OK, but next to the ipod it's crude and rather big. It's more of a hassle to integrate with your pc than the ipod, and has about 8 buttons that perform different functions vs the ipods scroll wheel. Functional but clumsy. Not that cheap either at about $270.

The ipod is the slickest thing I've used yet. Love the dock. The thing just sits by my pc and charges/ syncs until I'm ready to use it. Looks nice sitting there too.

When I was looking at the iriver H340 and the ipod, the iriver was actually more money ($400) and while it did have the fm tuner and voice record option, it didn't have a dock, and I wasn't sure about the warranty on it. This was before I realized that it could be hacked to play videos, which makes it more appealing to me. I wonder if updating to a non-std firmware voids your warranty? That's a big risk to take on a $400 item. Guess I'm looking for more people who have used both the ipod and iriver to discuss them here. Biased fanboy's/haters can go rant somewhere else, please.