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MP3 players
are popping up all over the electronics industry. Some heavy hitting brand
name companies, as well as some new companies with some very innovating
products are bringing some interesting products competing for our dollars.
First International Digital enters the MP3 player market with the distinction
of being a Motorola Spin-Off. So think new and innovative product with
the experience of a market leader.
The new iRock Digital Audio Player from First International Digital is
one impressive little piece of hardware. This MP3 player boasts 64MB of
onboard RAM, with the ability to upgrade via SmartMedia to a total of
192MB. For the market competitive MSRP price of $99.99, you may not be
getting a 10GB MP3 player, but what you are getting is the ability to
have over 3 hours of music in one of the lightest and smallest players
on the market.
Just
how compact is this sucker? The size dimensions are 2.5"x2.8"x.7"!
Amazing! I can't stress how wonderfully light the iRock 520 is. This MP3
player is undoubtedly the best choice for those wanting an MP3 player
for working out, jogging, or other similar activities. Other MP3 players
on the market are much to heavy or bulky to conveniently store on one's
self. However, I took the iRock for my morning jog everyday for the last
week, and I couldn't have been more satisfied with the performance.
The display
on the iRock 520 is a basic and simple STN LCD. There's not too much information
it displays - the player does not read ID3 tags (it's only flaw). The
LCD will display a song number (like a CD player would), volume level,
equalizer settings, and even the battery levels! The power supply is 1
AAA battery that should last users about 8 hours. Again, there's no heavy
AA batteries, just one tiny AAA battery that lasts a good amount of time.
More kudos for the iRock!
The variable function
selection on the LCD could be called "equalizer controls," which
allows several presets, including: Normal , Rock, Classical, Jazz, and
Bass. There's also Repeat, Repeat All, Random, and Bookmark functions
for owners to play around with.
Installing
the player onto your computer and loading songs onto the iRock is fairly
simple. Installing the CD and plug in the iRock device using the included
USB cable is all that is required. Once the included iRock software is
installed you can manage the songs and their order on the player. The
iRock Audio Manager program is the only way to add or delete tracks from
your player, which is no concern since the program is so easy to use,
even for novice computer users. The minimum system requirements (mainly
for the software) are Microsoft Win98SE, ME, 2000, or XP with a P166,
16MB RAM, USB port, sound card, and CD-ROM drive.
The maximum output for the iRock 500 series is 10mW, which is pretty decent.
The 3.5mm standard headphone jack allows consumers to plug in their favorite
headphones without having to purchase any sort of random adapter. Included
in the packaging are the player, Earbud earphones, 1 AAA battery, a user's
manual, USB cable, software, and handstrap (mine was pink, which is a
terrible color...next time First International Digital is better off using
a gender-neutral color!).
Overall
the iRock 520 MP3 player is one of the finest products on the market.
This would be the perfect gift for the avid jogger or athletic enthusiast.
With it's slim and light design, and versatility, this is one great product.
We certainly hope the good people at First International Digital keep
up the fine work!
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10 / 10 |
OVERALL SCORE
96%
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10 / 10 |
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8 / 10 |
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10 / 10 |
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10 / 10 |
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9.6 / 10 |
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