iRiver E100 MP3 player

It has lengthy been thought that if anybody was more likely to knock the Apple iPod off the MP3 top-spot that it could be iRiver. In spite of everything, the corporate has launched extra gamers within the final 4 years than simply about some other firm.

That mentioned, the iRiver E100 has clearly been designed as a rival to the Inventive Zen, with audio and enhanced video playback. When it comes to measurement, it is the identical depth as a Zen however barely narrower and longer. So, it comes as one thing of a shock to seek out the participant usually feels cumbersome within the hand. It wants this depth to suit the two.4-inch (QVGA) display that’s the primary focus of the participant.

The look is easy however the plastic used offers it a relatively low-cost and boring impact. It’s obtainable in a spread of colors, together with pink, brown and inexperienced. Beneath the display you will discover a four-way directional pad and enter button. With perform lock and quantity controls moved to the facet of the participant. It might not look or work as slickly because the iPod however it’s straightforward to navigate.

MP3 gamers usually fail as a consequence of an overcomplicated menu system. Nevertheless, this is not the case right here, as we discovered it straightforward to become familiar with. Controls are easy and accessing the settings to set it up the way in which you want is simple too. It isn’t the quickest software program to reply and we discovered it could often grasp for a second however for ease of use, it is nice.

When getting used for video playback, it is passable however is not as crisp because the Inventive Zen, and even the iPod nano. Photos have been vibrant however there was a level of pixilation to check information. The identical information working on a Zen merely look higher with sharper distinction.

The place this participant excels is within the sound division. It helps all the present in style flavours of file format and the bundled headphones are first rate. We have been impressed with the general tone of music.

For many who prefer to hearken to their music with others, you will discover small stereo speaker on the again of the gadget. The sound lacks bass however it’s loud and definitely higher high quality than you will hear from a cell phone on the again of a bus. Different options embrace FM radio and a built-in microphone for recording voice messages. This latter function can save WMA information in three totally different high quality codecs.

Our take a look at unit got here with 4GB, which for £80 (inc. VAT) is an affordable worth however with the 8GB model solely £100, we would go for that model in case your finances permits. In terms of including extra reminiscence, you will discover a microSD slot on the highest of the unit.

Transferring information is as straightforward as plugging within the mini-USB cable, which can be used for charging the participant and dragging information over. Certain, you should utilize Home windows Media Participant however we discovered merely dragging information over the best technique.

Our fast take

The iRiver E100 has quite a lot of nice options – it is easy to set-up and use and the general sound high quality is nice and as a music participant it is nearly as good as any Inventive or Apple participant. Nevertheless, in the case of video, the display merely is not as crisp as we would like.