Feb 4 2004
irock 860
FM radio reception sets the irock apart as a flash mp3 player with options. The irock is a great mp3 player, and the additional radio reception is icing on the cake.
The irock has a sturdy feel, and runs 30 hours at a decent volume level on one AA battery. The ear buds sound better than most you’ll find. The controls are ample and provide easy access to volume, track, repeat and eq settings. The FM tuner includes presets and works as expected.
The software support and compatibility is another area in which the irock excels. The irock has an iTunes plugin, which enables drag-and-drop moving of music to and from the player right in iTunes. The player also includes software utilities for formating and firmware upgrades. All of which is unnecessary, because not only does the irock mount as a flash drive without drivers, it also treats folders containing music like play lists. And at 256 MB, you could have room to spare for some other files.
One downside: the irock sports a tiny USB port which will require you to tote the cord around with you anywhere you wish to connect it to a computer. While the player is moderately styled, the provided case is made of the same stuff as those ugly pleather cell phone covers we’ve all thrown away, but it is free. There’s a lanyard too.
It is hard to complain about the irock. The great sound and flash disk make the irock a great choice as an mp3 player. The FM capability makes it a great multifunction device. The total package is a very reasonably priced, feature rich audio player.
A note on compatibility: Music downloaded from the iTunes Music Store isn’t compatible with any player but the iPod. However, music can be converted by burning-then-ripping or with multimedia software.
You can find the irock for about $150
