iRiver H10 MP3 Player

iPod, SchmiPod

By icantswim  Jun 22, 2006 | 4 out of 4 found this iRiver H10 review helpful

Pros: No iTunes, Multi-format compatibility, AM/FM Radio

Cons: Cons?

I actually went out shopping that day about a year ago intending to buy an iPod. After a lengthy discussion with the clerk at Best Buy, however, I ended up purchasing an iRiver instead. And I have to tell you, it was the best gadget-related decision ...that I have made in my life thus far. For one thing, it was instantly compatible with all of the music already in my collection, digital and otherwise. There was no special software to install; the iRiver runs directly through Windows Media Player, found readily on every computer ever made. Ever. Beyond the realm of digital music, the iRiver also sported several other features that appealed to me that were lacking in the iPod. The AM/FM reciever is surprisingly clear, and a built-in recorder allows you to record from the radio. Moderately illegal, true, but great for recording snippets of tunes that you want to look for later on. There's the image viewer (supposedly to look at album covers, which is a bit lame as a marketing tool; but for a miniature family album to carry around it works fine) and a text viewer (again, supposedly to read e-books on the go; I've used it as a phone book / shopping list / memo pad deal). What's more, after a year of fairly steady listening, I still haven't experienced any diminished battery life. I've had friends who have gone through several iPods, and who have experienced nothing but trouble with them. And yet, they keep buying them, for no other reason that I can tell other than market saturation. The iRiver might not have as many cool accessories, or the name value, or whatever you want to call it that keeps people buying them, but it has one thing that the iPod never will: My complete and total satisfaction. Read more Less