Archive for November, 2005
The remarkable new iriver U10 features an eye-catching, direct-click interface that makes it easy to fly through your media collection and find the right song, video, photo or game. Plus, the iriver U10 works with both subscription and pay-per-song music services, so millions of songs are available to you.
Review by Virgin.net
The new jewel in iriver’s crown, the swish U10 is a compact box of tricks described by the manufacturer as “the MP3 future”. With a 2.2″ colour TFT display it displays photos, Flash/text files and MPEG videos. Onboard recording boasts automatic gain control and direct conversion to MP3 format, and you can digitally record FM broadcasts straight to memory. Instead of mimicking iPod’s clickwheel, the controls instead use a “direct click” system, whereby four fixed buttons on either edge of the screen change function according to the mode you’re currently using.
Review by Epinions
The U10 has a rich color scheme, and good looking menus. The background changes color every day of the week, however, you can opt to put your own custom pictures instead.
At first, I bought this player for its video capabilities. I didn’t expect DVD quality, but with a fairly large screen, rich colors, and a 320 x 240-pixel display, I did expect its video playback to be fairly strong. Unfortunately, I was somewhat wrong. The movie quality is pretty good (3 out of 5 stars), but the major problem is that the U10 can only play AVI files using an MPEG-4 SP profile, meaning that it can’t play any of your other MPEG, WMA or any other movie files you have. What is even worse is that iRiver didn’t include any sort of file converting software with the U10, so users could convert some of their movies on their PC.
Review by CNET
As an option, iRiver is also offering a cradle pack. This separate accessories bundle includes an IR remote, a retro-looking docking cradle, a USB cable, and a minijack-to-minijack cable for line-in recordings, which are possible with only the dock. Once you pop the iRiver U10 into its bright white cradle, the whole thing ends up looking like a mini TV, complete with built-in speakers. There’s even a snooze button on top for the onboard alarm clock. On the back, you’ll find line-in and line-out jacks as well as a mini USB port. If there’s one complaint we have about the cradle, it’s that the pass-through on the back is a standard mini USB port, meaning it requires a different USB cable than the U10’s. And given the U10’s price tag, it would be so much sweeter if the cradle were a bundled accessory.