iriver Global Home – portable digital devices on steriods
When it comes to features in portable digitial devices, iriver runs circles around Apple. iriver even have the audacity to market some of their new products using a picture of an attractive lady eating an apple – yummy 😀
My first portable digital media player was an iriver iFP-700T, that I bought in august 2003. Already strong on features that Apple don’t want to add, like radio, record from radio, line-in and microphone MP3 encoding and, for 2003, a whopping 512K of Flash memory – I loved the device.
Unfortunately the mechanical quality of the iriver iFP-700T falls way behind any of the iPods I’ve owned. The play button on my iFP 700T broke after less than a year of – admitted – heavy use. I’ve opened the device, and even though the button it self reads quality, it is supported by a fragile micro-switch that is glued to the main print – I can repair it – but I haven’t had the patience.
Back to the the newest iriver devices, because they look very cool indeed. With no buttons and a fabulous screen the U10 breaks new ground. And the N11 is pure bling-bling.
If iriver has worked out the mechanical glitches, they are currently, IMHO, the only real competition to Apple.
It’s not that I need another portable media player – I have four – but if you’re feeling too much like the rest of the world, and refuses to flash an iPod, check out the iriver devices and swim up-stream. Maybe I should get one some N11 bling-bling – just to make a statement.