The Iriver B30.
Iriver may not have the same brand recognition as iPod or Zune, but the Korea-based company has consistently cranked out portable media players with slick modern designs and impressive graphic interfaces.
The U.S. has been treated to a handful of Iriver products, including the Clix, Spinn, and P7, but some of the company's creations never make it to our shores. The Iriver B30 is one such product--a portable media player with a 2.8-inch screen, micro SD memory expansion, accelerometer control, and a suite of features that includes music, video, photo, games, and a text reader. Unfortunately, the B30 also sports a DMB television tuner, which is next to useless in the U.S., and makes the product impractical for export.
Still, thanks to this video of someone expertly maneuvering the Iriver B30 in pitch-black darkness, we can at least appreciate the finer nuances of the product's GUI. It looks pretty slick, bearing a resemblance to the magazine-style aesthetic we found on the Iriver P7.
iPod competitors take note--it is possible to make a refined, stylish GUI without cloning Apple or rehashing outdated motifs. Kudos to Iriver.
Jasmine and Donald wrap their heads around a Sony MP3 player that, well...wraps around your head. Plus, Donald goes all "meh" on the Iriver P7, and Jasmine reveals the Ladybug iPod speaker for the cigarette-stashing decapitated sad robot head it truly is.
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Iriver's latest portable video player, the P7, has plenty going for it: big screen, low price, and a stylish design. From the moment we pried its aluminum frame from the package, we were certain this thing was going to be a slam dunk. We were wrong.
The Iriver P7 has a stunning design, inside and out, but looks aren't everything.
(Credit: Corinne Schulze/CNET Networks)While the P7's design feels like a million bucks, internally, the sluggish touch screen, jerky menus, and surprisingly limited video flexibility show the P7 for the $169 player that it is. We're also living at a time where there are a number of video-worthy options in the $200 PVP space, with products like the Cowon O2 or the oldie-but-goodie Archos 605 WiFi offering better bang for the buck.
Still, it's refreshing to see a manufacturer like Iriver prove that design quality and affordability aren't mutually exclusive. I can't tell you how many all-plastic products land on my desk that feel like they just rolled out of a gumball machine. The P7 is one of the prettiest looking and exquisitely built portable media players I've reviewed since the iPod Touch--but appearances only get you so far.
To read my full report on the Iriver P7, head over to CNET Reviews.
Donald and Jasmine try to make the most out of their limited in-studio time slot by talking as quickly and clearly as possible about the new Samsung P3 and SanDisk's unusual SlotRadio player.
Also, Nixon enters the headphone market with a new line a fashion-friendly 'phones that any surfer is sure to love. Plus, find out about our Top 5 iPod-recording accessories and top 10 portable speakers. Finally, see if you can wager a guess as to who came out on top in the latest Prizefight, "The Evisceration."
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Jasmine and Donald talk about their favorite portable audio discoveries from the 2009 Macworld Expo and the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES). This episode is recorded live from the CNET stage at CES 2009.
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Iriver's Wave Home: All-in-one communications/multimedia hub gets some buzz
Iriver didn't say when its Wave Home will be available or how much it will cost.
(Credit: Iriver)There's been a little bit of buzz at CES here about the Iriver Wave Home, which marries a networked mulitmedia device with a communications hub to form a kitchen/home office-friendly gadget.
A 7-inch 800x480 touch screen is built into the unit along with a detachable wireless handset and ...
Read the full post at CNET's CES 2009 blog.
We realize you probably spent a lot of time coming up with your Halloween costume this week (extra bonus points if your creativity went beyond a red power suit, pageant hair, and Tina Fey glasses!). So if you weren't able to keep up with all the goings-on in gadget land over the past five days, no worries, we've got what you need to know right here.
(Credit:
Hewlett-Packard)
• Prison life just got easier--for the guards at least.
• MP3 player prices are sinking to the bottom of the iriver.
• Showing now, pretty much everywhere: Netflix.
• Hewlett-Packard makes your dream of owning a magenta, flower-patterned Netbook come true.
• That burning smell could be your HP/Toshiba/Dell laptop with a Sony lithium ion battery inside.
• You thought Halloween was scary? Wait 'til you read this.
• And don't forget to check out Crave resident DIY geek Donald Bell's weekend Max/MSP project.
Iriver LPlayer: cute and affordable
Iriver does a solid job with its MP3 players. They're always packed with features and generally offer good sound quality. The company isn't exactly known for competitive pricing, though, so it's always nice to see lower tags on its devices.
For the holiday season this year, Iriver is slashing prices on the Spinn, the LPlayer, and the E100. Starting November 1, you can pick up a 4GB or 8GB Spinn for $189.99 or $229.99, respectively (down from $249.99 and $279.99). Prices on the E100 and the ultracompact LPlayer are being cut by $40 for the 4GB versions and $60 for the 8GB versions, bringing the final pricing to $69.99 and $99.99--downright cheap given the plethora of features.
Read the full review of the Iriver Spinn.
The Sony B-Series Walkman. What's that B stand for, anyway?
(Credit: CNET Networks/Corinne Schulze)
House of Representatives passes a bill that will protect Webcasters from royalty-related death for at least a bit longer. Also, Donald and Jasmine review the Iriver Spinn, Archos 5, and Sony B-Series Walkman.
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Click for more pictures.
(Credit: CNET Networks/Corinne Schulze)In the ultracompetitive MP3 player marketplace, Korean DAP manufacturer Iriver can always be counted on for two things: innovative design and feature-packed devices. The Iriver Spinn is no exception with its Spinn System Toggle Wheel, touch-screen display, and laundry list of features. At $249.99 for the 4GB model and $289.99 for the 8GB, the Spinn is perhaps the priciest flash player on the market today (by comparison, the 8GB iPod Touch costs about $229), and it's not the simplest to use, but its slick, high-quality build and variety of features may appeal to those looking for a nonstandard MP3 player with plentiful audio codec support.
