Girls Gone Mobile Reviews the iRiver Clix

[Jason Dunn]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.girlsgonemobile.net/?p=24' target='_blank'>http://www.girlsgonemobile.net/?p=24</a><br /><br /></div><i>"I’ve been using the iRiver Clix for a few months, following approximately five years of using iPods. The reason for the switch was that I wanted something different from the ordinary. Absolutely nothing wrong with the iPod per se, but a big part of the general geek mentality is using non-mainstream products that “regular” people don’t even know about. I came upon the Clix by chance when doing a buyers guide of MP3 players for Icon. I used it for five minutes after unboxing it, and that was all it took for me to email a workmate and arrange for her to buy my 30GB fifth-gen iPod from me."</i><br /><br /><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/girls-gone-mobile-clix1.jpg" /><br /><br />My friend Jenneth has not only launched a new site (<a href="http://www.girlsgonemobile.net/?p=24">Girls Gone Mobile</a> - great name!), but she's also published a review of the iRiver Clix, a device that has intrigued me since I first read about it. Jenneth's review covers the highs and lows of using the device, and interesting enough by the end of the review she wishes she had kept her iPod. The biggest reason why? An accessories ecosystem - the iPod has it, the iRiver does not. This is a powerful lesson to anyone entering this market (<a href="http://www.zunethoughts.com">hello Zune</a>!): the overall experience of using the device is greater than just the device itself. I don't really grasp her frustration about the hold button - it's standard on every audio player I've seen, and I believe <a href="http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=60951">iPods have the button as well</a>. How else would you carry the device in your pocket without random button presses happening? And leaving the screen on the entire time will kill the battery, so I'm not surprised she only got nine hours of battery. Anyway, go check out the review for yourself. Be sure to <a href="http://www.girlsgonemobile.net/?p=30">enter her giveaway contest</a> as well!

[BugDude10]

Here's the comment I posted on her site...


When you're on the song-info screen (i.e., while a song is playing), if you click-and-hold the right-edge of the screen, you get a new menu of features, including:

* Play Mode (including Normal, Repeat, Repeat One, Shuffle, and Shuffle + Repeat);
* Add to Quick List (for playlisting "on the fly");
* Select EQ (including Normal, Classic, Live, Pop, Rock, Jazz, U-Bass, Metal, Dance, Party, Club, Custom, and SRS WOW);
* Rate (from zero to 5 stars, contrary to what your review says);
* Buy (to tag a file for WMP11 to help you purchase when you next sync the device to your PC); and
* Scan Speed.

And, FWIW, every portable music player I've ever owned had a "Hold" switch to prevent accidental button-presses while the player is tucked away in a pocket or backpack. I don't think the Clix should be "Con"ed for having, and because of the ingenious screen-edge control needing, a "Hold" switch.

And, BTW, not only can you listen to FM radion broadcasts, you can record them as well.

Finally, IMHO, the Clix, like all iRiver products I've used, has exceptional sound quality, not merely "good".

Just my $0.02.

[mobilejenneth]

Thanks for linking to the review Jason.

BigDude10, this was my reply to your comment:

Ah! Thanks BigDude10 - that press and hold thing clears up a few things! I couldn’t for the life of me figure out where to find these settings. Although I still think that things like play modes should be accessible from a main playback settings screen.

I agree with your point re the Hold switch to a certain extent. However every other player that I’ve owned (and no doubt you’ve owned as well) has had the controls in a discrete area - ie presses against the casing of those MP3 players didn’t result in the music skipping or pausing! Here’s a test: take an iPod and iRiver Clix, stick each into your pocket without flicking the Hold switch, and tell me what happens. Obviously I’m angling for the iPod continuing to play music and the Clix not, hence me listing it as a con.

[Janak Parekh]

And re the screen -- Jason, on iPods the screen does not go off when the player's in use -- only the backlight does. In most lighting you can still glance at the screen and see what's going on, and you don't need to click twice -- a UI interaction works immediately and wakes up the backlight at the same time.

--janak