IRIVER iFP-790 (256 MB) MP3 Player
Out of stock |
Similar in MP3 Players
- Number of Songs: 64
- Usage: Music Recording
- Interface: USB
- Main Storage Type: Built-in Memory
- Storage Capacity: 256 MB
- Overview
-
Reviews
-
Compare Prices
User ReviewRead All Reviews »
Outstanding Flash Player
Pros
40 hours on 1 AA, easy firmware updates (lots of improvements and changes so far)
Cons
undersized jogging strap
Recommended it?
Yes
The Bottom Line:
For the amount of features and sound quality/output, you can't beat the price. USB driver recognition firmware has arrived. Get it while stores still have it.
[updated Feb. 28, 2005. see bottom of review]
The iFP-790 is THE flash player to get, if 256 megs is enough for you. I won't lie, I was only able to load 43 songs max onto my player the first time I used it. (too many 192bit mp3s). If you're planning on buying a small flash player, be ready to experiment with Ogg Vorbis and WMA formats to store way more songs but at the same time sacrificing little or no quality.
The FM radio has done well enough for me and gets better reception than my portable radios. It's not going to satisfy everyone, but remember the device is tiny and not every digital audio player comes packed with a radio.
Although the provided manuals are sometimes lacking and might leave you confused, you can get by with just looking at their picture/diagram examples and then actually trying the same features out at the same time. After about 5-10 minutes of pressing buttons, you should be on your way.
40-45 hours is IRiver's claim on battery life, and I can't say it's completely impossible. It's only impossible if you listen on one of the many EQ settings (mega bass, 3d sound, etc.) or crank the volume up very high. I play it on normal, because I use sony fontopia buds, which provide enough bass for me.
People are not lying about the included arm strap. Unless it was made for a child, it's too small. I'm a skinny guy, but I still have to hook it onto the last hole. Even then it feels like it's going to burst off of my arm. I'm probably going to jog with it in my hand, or at worst make my own arm strap like some guy in a review I read. IRiver has underestimated the importance of included accessories. They include a free Duracell with each player, but fail to provide a belt clip and a functional arm strap. The funny thing is that they sell a "sport armband" on their website along with an actual moving belt clip for $20. It's elastic, unlike the included leather one.
I was very cautious and at times doubtful about buying a small mp3 player, but surprisingly the only real flaws I can say are that the player is still too small for me (I press buttons by accident sometimes when I forget to put the player on hold - btw the hold switch is huge and even has ridges for easy sliding) and the included assessories are only decent.
The player is easy to use and looks great. I prefer black/blue/dark grey over red, but it looks sort of metallic so it's cool. One other final thing to talk about would be the battery door. It's plastic and has small pieces that slide into grooves of the player to close. Hopefully IRiver uses strong plastic, because misuse/drops could lead to a user having to use scotch tape or a rubberband to keep the battery door locked in. Lots of small electronics have plastic or "flimsy" rubber doors and flaps, so when buying something compact and small like the iFP-790, expect it. Overall fantastic product.
----
*January 30th, 2005 update - "...v1.28 MAKES THE IFP-790 READ AS A REMOVABLE DRIVE IN WINDOWS!...*
This update is definitely long overdue:
-I have been converting my tracks to 64-bit WMA "near-cd quality". 3.35mb mp3 shrinks down to 1.7mb, for comparison. This has allowed me to load approximately 90-100+ tracks onto the 790! That's a lot of albums and singles. Another member of epinions has confirmed this with me. WMAs are higher quality at lower bitrates because of the way they are compressed. 64-bit WMA is not higher quality than 128-bit mp3, I must correct myself - But it is still near-cd quality and sounds good.
-There has been more than one firmware update for this player since it came out.
Version 1.25 (available on the iriveramerica.com site http://iriveramerica.com/support/ultra/700.aspx) makes some menu function changes by adding a few more options into existing features.
Version 1.28 (this is what we've all been waiting for). You can find this on the Iriver Global Website [iriver.com]. This patch came out early January, but I'm not sure why they did not post it onto the America site. 1.28 MAKES THE IFP-790 READ AS A REMOVABLE DRIVE IN WINDOWS. I have tested this out and drag and drop through win explorer works perfectly. There are other additional features and bug changes too.
*The firmware upgrades only take a minute or two. All you have to do it connect the player, turn it on, and open up the IRiver Music Manager. Under Tools choose firmware upgrade and find the .hex file that you unzipped from the 1.25/1.28 file you downloaded off the Iriver site. If you have music on your player, it will be deleted. After the update finishes, the player turns off automatically. When you turn it on again, it begins an automatic format and clears it off. 249mb free space even after all these updates.
-Iriver has impressed me a lot with their updates for the ifp-790. They even changed the intro menu picture and hold picture since initial firmware version. A lot of attention to detail and usage by the Iriver team. So far so good.
-Price has also dropped dramatically since this player came out. You can buy it for $125 at Amazon now! I originally purchased from Amazon for a decent price, but it took 2 weeks for shipping. Second recommendation would be newegg.com for about $120. Their cheapest shipping is 6 bucks, but it's Fedex. If you live in CA, you can get it in 1-2 days after you order. The tradeoff is that they tax CA residents, so go ahead and add about 10 bucks to order.
Feb. 28, '05 - *** Great Tip by walkabout24:
If you install the 1.28 firmware update, you will no longer be able to use the Music Manager software. One of the major effects is that you'll then be unable to set your FM presets on the computer - you'll need to do them manually in the player itself, which shouldn't be a big deal at all.
The iFP-790 is THE flash player to get, if 256 megs is enough for you. I won't lie, I was only able to load 43 songs max onto my player the first time I used it. (too many 192bit mp3s). If you're planning on buying a small flash player, be ready to experiment with Ogg Vorbis and WMA formats to store way more songs but at the same time sacrificing little or no quality.
The FM radio has done well enough for me and gets better reception than my portable radios. It's not going to satisfy everyone, but remember the device is tiny and not every digital audio player comes packed with a radio.
Although the provided manuals are sometimes lacking and might leave you confused, you can get by with just looking at their picture/diagram examples and then actually trying the same features out at the same time. After about 5-10 minutes of pressing buttons, you should be on your way.
40-45 hours is IRiver's claim on battery life, and I can't say it's completely impossible. It's only impossible if you listen on one of the many EQ settings (mega bass, 3d sound, etc.) or crank the volume up very high. I play it on normal, because I use sony fontopia buds, which provide enough bass for me.
People are not lying about the included arm strap. Unless it was made for a child, it's too small. I'm a skinny guy, but I still have to hook it onto the last hole. Even then it feels like it's going to burst off of my arm. I'm probably going to jog with it in my hand, or at worst make my own arm strap like some guy in a review I read. IRiver has underestimated the importance of included accessories. They include a free Duracell with each player, but fail to provide a belt clip and a functional arm strap. The funny thing is that they sell a "sport armband" on their website along with an actual moving belt clip for $20. It's elastic, unlike the included leather one.
I was very cautious and at times doubtful about buying a small mp3 player, but surprisingly the only real flaws I can say are that the player is still too small for me (I press buttons by accident sometimes when I forget to put the player on hold - btw the hold switch is huge and even has ridges for easy sliding) and the included assessories are only decent.
The player is easy to use and looks great. I prefer black/blue/dark grey over red, but it looks sort of metallic so it's cool. One other final thing to talk about would be the battery door. It's plastic and has small pieces that slide into grooves of the player to close. Hopefully IRiver uses strong plastic, because misuse/drops could lead to a user having to use scotch tape or a rubberband to keep the battery door locked in. Lots of small electronics have plastic or "flimsy" rubber doors and flaps, so when buying something compact and small like the iFP-790, expect it. Overall fantastic product.
----
*January 30th, 2005 update - "...v1.28 MAKES THE IFP-790 READ AS A REMOVABLE DRIVE IN WINDOWS!...*
This update is definitely long overdue:
-I have been converting my tracks to 64-bit WMA "near-cd quality". 3.35mb mp3 shrinks down to 1.7mb, for comparison. This has allowed me to load approximately 90-100+ tracks onto the 790! That's a lot of albums and singles. Another member of epinions has confirmed this with me. WMAs are higher quality at lower bitrates because of the way they are compressed. 64-bit WMA is not higher quality than 128-bit mp3, I must correct myself - But it is still near-cd quality and sounds good.
-There has been more than one firmware update for this player since it came out.
Version 1.25 (available on the iriveramerica.com site http://iriveramerica.com/support/ultra/700.aspx) makes some menu function changes by adding a few more options into existing features.
Version 1.28 (this is what we've all been waiting for). You can find this on the Iriver Global Website [iriver.com]. This patch came out early January, but I'm not sure why they did not post it onto the America site. 1.28 MAKES THE IFP-790 READ AS A REMOVABLE DRIVE IN WINDOWS. I have tested this out and drag and drop through win explorer works perfectly. There are other additional features and bug changes too.
*The firmware upgrades only take a minute or two. All you have to do it connect the player, turn it on, and open up the IRiver Music Manager. Under Tools choose firmware upgrade and find the .hex file that you unzipped from the 1.25/1.28 file you downloaded off the Iriver site. If you have music on your player, it will be deleted. After the update finishes, the player turns off automatically. When you turn it on again, it begins an automatic format and clears it off. 249mb free space even after all these updates.
-Iriver has impressed me a lot with their updates for the ifp-790. They even changed the intro menu picture and hold picture since initial firmware version. A lot of attention to detail and usage by the Iriver team. So far so good.
-Price has also dropped dramatically since this player came out. You can buy it for $125 at Amazon now! I originally purchased from Amazon for a decent price, but it took 2 weeks for shipping. Second recommendation would be newegg.com for about $120. Their cheapest shipping is 6 bucks, but it's Fedex. If you live in CA, you can get it in 1-2 days after you order. The tradeoff is that they tax CA residents, so go ahead and add about 10 bucks to order.
Feb. 28, '05 - *** Great Tip by walkabout24:
If you install the 1.28 firmware update, you will no longer be able to use the Music Manager software. One of the major effects is that you'll then be unable to set your FM presets on the computer - you'll need to do them manually in the player itself, which shouldn't be a big deal at all.
