Customer Reviews

iriver iFP-190T 256 MB Digital Audio Player

5 star:		(72)
4 star:		(45)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(15)
1 star:		(14)

 

 

Pros - MP3, WMA, records FM radio and voice, UMS (USB Mass Storage*), user-friendly GUI with green backlight, FM tuner with 20 presets, Duracell AA battery included, "Hold" switch to prevent accidental button-pushing, small size

Cons - Lanyard that comes with the MP3 player is stupid, memory cannot be expanded, uses USB 1.0 (slow if you're used to 2.0), FM Tuner recording quality is sub-par.

I received the iRiver iFP-190T as an early Christmas gift. At first I was hesitant to open it, since I had read reviews about how you had to use iRiver's proprietary software (iRiver Manager) to transfer files and how you could not transfer MP3 files from the player to the PC.

However, after a quick Google search, I found that you can install a UMS driver for Win2000/XP (not sure about the others), and the UMS driver also allows you to easily convert the .REC files created to .WAV format. Just go to the iRiver web site and do a search for UMS for your player. The directions on the support site are easy to follow as well. Note that you must format your player as FAT in order to configure UMS, so you will end up deleting any files you already have on the player.

One thing to note is that if you install the UMS drivers, you won't be able to use the iRiver Music Manager. That's fine for me, since I can now transfer files by drag-and-drop. Again, this is on the web site.

After installing the UMS driver on my Win2000 host, I was able to drag-and-drop MP3 and WMA files easily to/from the iRiver. If you make a recording, copy the .REC file to your computer, then right click, and you should see an option to convert your .REC file to .WAV. It's so easy!

So far, the sound quality is pretty good. The voice recording was good quality too, but I was recording with the mic pretty close to my mouth. However, the FM recorder seemed to be of pretty poor sound quality. The quality is definitely not as nice as hearing the FM tuner real-time.

I use this MP3 player when running, and it works great. I don't like to hang it on the lanyard, but if your shirt has pockets, it fits into the pockets nicely. The "Hold" button also helps prevent accidental button-pushing.

*For non-techies out there, UMS allows you to see your iRiver as a removable disk in "My Computer" in Windows. It acts very similar to the floppy disks of yore. You just plug it into your computer's USB port and turn it on (after you install the drivers, of course.)

I recently purchased this item as my CD MP3 Player seemed to be getting old. This MP3 player is truly great, it could do with a bit more memory but still, its good for a regular playlist of songs.

It's so small and light it hardly noticable to carry unlike my previous CD MP3 player which was bulky and heavy in comparison. Also, battery wise it great, one good battery will get you about 17 hours playback, and if you use rechargables its totally economical if you use it everyday.

This thing is suited to everyone, its simple to upload music and if you get bored of your songs its got the radio on it. It's simple to use anyone can figure it out.

I recommened buying this if your in the market for a good priced MP3 Player.

I bought the 128 megabyte version of this player (180T) and then discovered that the 300-series (in both 128 and 256 megabyte versions; 380T and 390T) includes MP3 encoding and inline recording. I prefer to buy from Amazon.com or Circuit City, but they don't yet have the 300-series yet so I returned mine to Circuit City and bought the 256 megabyte 390T somewhere else. I want to use this device for recording lectures, and it's much easier to have files in mp3 format right away rather than have to convert from the larger WAV format (as one could do with the 100-series). If neither this nor inline recording matters to you, then the 100-series may be fine for you. Other differences: slightly different shape, blue backlight in 300, battery compartment different and presumably fixing the problem others complain about (but which I didn't find). There is not a great difference in price however, so I would recommend the 300-series.

I was/am very pleased with the iRiver MP3 player, especially because it is so small and light and easy to carry around, and it seems less "precious" and vulnerable than the iPod, which it probably is because it uses flash memory instead of a hard drive. (Of course there is no comparison in terms of storage capacity. This is not a player for storing all your music, as the iPod can be.) Everything functioned well. I was disappointed with the default software, but if you are comfortable with Windows file management, you can go to the iRiver web site and download firmware that allows you to use regular Windows file management with this player.

Aside from music, I use this player along with one of the 'Tivo-for-radio' programs available online (e.g., Replay Radio or Cybercorder). I can record radio programs I want (BBC, NPR, etc.) and easily transfer to the iRiver. (See also the web site PublicRadioFan.com for radio stations of music and information all over the world.)

If you are looking for something really easy to use, you may be put off by all the complicated features and the need to use small buttons and look at small print on the iRiver screen. But if you want lots of features and don't mind learning how to use them, this is a great player. I'm well into middle age, but I don't find the small print to be a big problem, especially since there is good backlighting. But I'm comfortable with complicated features and appreciate them. You can listen to FM radio, record from it, do voice recordings, set the speed of fast forward, adjust equalizer settings, etc. Gadget freaks will love it. Or you can just enjoy your favorite music.

Final surprise: I twice called iRiver support, and each time a PERSON answered immediately. I think that's the first time that's happened to me calling a company in this century! I'm told that isn't always the case however. But the support was good, quicker than Apple and much better than the disastrous support I found at Samsung.

In sum, I'm very happy with the iRiver flash memory mp3 player.

Just got this player last week. First thing I did was download the UMS firmware update so I could use it as a USB hard drive and not bother with the propietary transfer software. What I like:
1) small and light
2) sound is good, default setting of 20 is loud enough
3) uses cheap, easy to replace aa batteries
4) 256 MB holds 5-6 cd's at 128kbit/sec
5) can be used with linux or any OS after firmware update
6) fm reception is surprisingly good
7) battery life is pretty good (20 hour rating)

8) firmware can be updated, hope for Ogg Vorbis support
9) no restrictions on file transfer after UMS update

However, apparently iRiver just released a 700 series of players, which has the following advantages over this model (similar price point):
1) 40 hour battery life rather than 20 on 1 aa
2) built-in Ogg Vorbis support (higher quality sound, no patent issues)
3) USB 2 interface rather than 1 (MUCH faster)

If you want a player for the subway or the gym, don't need to carry your entire music collection with you at all times, this is a very good choice.

I've owned an iRiver ifp series player for over a year. I've been pleased in general with their operation except for the issue that when the unit breaks (which yours may or may not) iRiver has no facilities to repair a unit beyond its warranty period.

On the plus side:
+ Small size
+ Long battery life with single AA battery.
+ No OEM battery that can't be replaced
+ Audio good, and EQ settings very flexible
+ Many changable option features
+ Software can be flash upgraded

On the negative side:
- The software for loading the device is only fair. The unit can supposedly be modified by software to act as an external drive, but I have not tried this.
- The need for an external cable is a hassle, nicer if it could just plug into a USB port without a cable
- FM radio is not very sensitive. Only local stations are heard. The earphone cord is the antenna, so this accounts for the lack of sensitivity. The stereo decoding takes about 10db more signal so only strong signals will be heard in stereo
But, I bought this unit as an MP3 player, so the FM aspect isn't that important.


NOW... FOR THE MAJOR PROBLEM WITH IRIVER.....

I had my unit for a little over a year. One day, while playing music, the unit just quit, and the display went dead. Checking for the obvious problems, like a dead battery, nothing seemed to be wrong with the unit EXCEPT that it wouldn't turn on or do anything.

I sent multiple emails to iRiver and received no reply. I called their 800 number, and was informed that "they do not have a servive center, and make no repairs of the flash players"

I cannot give any higher rating than two stars to a company that charges $150-200 for a product and then expects it to just be thrown away as they don't service their product.

Apparently, if the unit is still in warranty, they can send out a new unit as a replacement, but beyond the warranty period, you're out of luck as iRiver won't touch the unit.

Buy iRiver at your own risk.

I rarely feel compelled to write a review, but just knowing how much better this mp3 player is than the millions out there, I felt I had to let everyone know. I don't want to repeat what everyone else has been writing, but it's all true - the small size, long lasting battery, great sound quality. The screen lets you actually navigate through menus, very easily. And with a voice recorder, FM radio, and the ability to record FM, there's so much to this gadget. I wanted to get an ipod, but this tiny thing had so many features, enough space (55 songs at hi quality) for the music I need to listen to, and was so perfectly small I could take it anywhere without fear of dropping or losing it. I know there is a new model coming out, but I would recommend getting this one for the price. I've tried many other players, and this one makes them seem [bad]

Wow, I spent nearly a month researching MP3/Flash Player's that suited me the best... and finally settled on this one, despite heavy thought of purchasing iRiver iFP-180T or MPIO models. I orignally perferred MPIO over the 180T because of the memory expansion slot & MPIO package including arm band, and belt buckle.
Twenty reviews later decided against MPIO, because of repeated reports of poor service But I put them to the test. I emailed both online support companies asking them a phoney question (after spending a half an hour, trying to find MPIOs' online contact info. due to there horrible website), and 48 hours later, iRiver had contacted me with a professional response, and I figure the MPIO Koreans are still trying to decypher my question, hense still no reply a week in a half later.
I decided against 180T because I felt the memory wasn't enough for me, so here I am with a 190T, best $158 I have ever spent. After spending 15minutes trying to get it out of the package, and another 20minutes reading the manual and getting everything installed I was ready to listen to some music. I suggest you download UMS Firmware (www.iriveramerica.com/support/ums.asp?190), and install it to the player, so you can you use the 'drag and drop' feature, which makes it sooo much more user friendly. I use it as a flash drive to transport files from my PC to my schools' PC, and even listen to music in class with little noticability, due to its small size. :-P
I also reccomend a battery recharger, its nearly a must, because in the long run, if you use the player as much as I do, the recharger will easily pay for its self... but if you're rich, and have no problem buying countless batteries go for it.
Even though you're stuck with just a necklace in packaging, you can still order the armband from iRivers Estore, which I plan to do in the next hour.
Now some of the bad features... like someone said before... the USB 1.1 is a bit slow, but who really cares... and something I havn't experenced yet is the destruction of the buttons... I hope with a later model like mine, they've made the buttons much better, but I wont find out for another month, or hopefully longer. And of coarse the ugly gold look, I hate it, believe it or not, it was the original factor not to go with the 190T, and go with the 180T, but I figured no one else was going to see it in case, and it would be our hidious little secret. The FM reception is a bit choppy, but I'm out in the sticks in Wisconsin, so dont worry about having bad reception if you're in the city.
Other than that, this player is great! The extra 128MB was only 40 sum dollars, if you compare to the 180T. The green backlight is sexy :-p ... the earphones actually fit my ears :-) It was everything I'd hope it would be, and as long as it doesnt self destruct in 4 Monthes, it will continue to be awesome, and the thought if it does break, the nice people at iRiver can always fix it for me. Amazons free shipping made it the cheapest price all around on the net, excluding used, UPS even got it to me four days early :)) ... any questions I'll be happy to answer them, email me at crazy187sin@hotmail.com.

I have owned 3 of these. All 3 failed with same problem - broken buttons. I am SOL with the third. Conclusion: This product (iFP- 190 T) has a very high probability of breaking and becoming useless. iRiver helped is not being very helpful with replacements.

For more info, you can contact gmcjunk@yahoo.com

The Iriver iFP-190T is a greater player with very, very few drawbacks.

The weight of the player is less than 1.5 oz with battery. It can literally hang from the earphone chord. Few players can do that without you worrying about the safety of the player. Hanging the player around your neck with the neck strap is a convenient way of carrying it around and being able to change the songs or radio stations. You hardly notice the player when it is around your neck, it's that light.

Battery power is sufficient. I am currently using rechargeable NiMH batteries a year and a half old. They last about 5-7 hours. Not bad considering I keep recharging them every other day. Battery life for an alkaline ranges around 10-15, new that is, but you have to buy new batteries. Get rechargables, the player even recognizes that you are using rechargables.

Sound quality depends mainly on the quality of your mp3s and wmas. Radio quality depends on the signal of the station. Enough on that.

Several initial flaws have been fixed that previous consumers found obnoxious. The battery flap has been tightened, so the change of your battery sliding out is almost nil. The bad software bundled with the great product confused and annoyed many of their consumers. The addition of the UMS, or USB Mass Storage, allows your player to act like a massive floppy. Simply drop and drag. This is how it should have been in the first place. However, the new software iRiver Manager v2.2 allows you to check the battery power, change the radio stations, download voice recordings directly (the UMS requires a separate program to convert the special format) makes it something not to be so easily tossed out the window or defenestrated for you intellectuals.
The software, when used with the manager can be upgraded. The player uses firmware like many of the other players on the market. So if another format becomes dominant, like OGG on steroids, the company and make the player able to play the new format. You're not stuck with a piece of proprietary hardware.

Earlier I had stated that you could not upload music to different computers. Recently, this has been proven false on Windows XP. The player will function as a jump drive for mp3s on Xp for sure. Please excuse the incorrect information. Thank you, and have a good day.

The transfer speed is USB 1.1. Not much you can do there. However, this player isn't an ipod or more, so speed really isn't a concern. The long USB chord allows you to run the chord from the back USB 1.1 ports to the top of your desk. I do not know of any shorter chords for the more privileged people with front USB 1.1 and 2.0 ports, but the point is, you won't be crawling back under your desk into a jungle of wires to plug your player in.

The controls are outlined in the manual; they don't require rocket science 101 or quantum physics 101. Give it a day and you'll be able to navigate without looking. There are a lot of user preferences. Just tinker to find what is best for you. From user EQ settings, to power off, and firmware upgrades, you can mess around all you want.

The voice recording and radio recordings record at 96 kbps, not great, but fair for recording conversations and a few radio clips.

The player itself is very durable. My friend has the 128-megabyte version and she has dropped it, thrown it, scraped it up, sat on it and it works fine. The armband the company sells for the $ to me doesn't seem worth it. It does come bundled with the iFP-195 512 megabyte version.

The player is not compatible with Windows 95 and 98 first edition. Let that be a warning. Mac OS 8 and below are non-compatible. 98 SE, 2k, Me, XP, OS 9 and OS X are all compatible.

If you want a dependable, good, solid, economical and pseudo-flash drive, by all means, purchase this product.

I have been researching MP3 players for months. Since I had planed on using the player on long hikes, I had some important prereq's to consider. I had wanted a player w/ decent storage, light and compact, FM tuner, and at least 15 hours of battery life. Unfortunately, most of the players I had considered could not give me all of that, until the iRiver 190.

The 256mb storage can hold up to 63 songs (that I have loaded on my player now), at 128k quality. The sound quality far surpassed my expectations. I have used the player consistently this past week to test the battery life, and it seems to be living up to the 20 hour claim.

Software is relatively easy to use, although it has an annoying popup that tells you that it cannot connect to the MP3 player if it is not connected to your PC. And I think it's silly to not allow you to upload MP3's from your player to the PC, but I hear there is a way around this.

Overall, I am VERY pleased with this purchase and would highly recommend it, especially for those who are concerned w/ weight and size.