iRiver Clix (4GB) mp3 player

I couldn't have asked for a better example of the evils of sensor-resolution specmanship than Sony's 12-megapixel Cyber-shot DSC-W200. This top-of-the-food-chain addition to the otherwise sensible W series--not exactly budget cameras, but reasonably priced compact models with the occasional amateur-friendly feature--shares the attractive, compact design and midrange feature set of models like the W80 and W90, although Sony doesn't offer a black alternative. There's little to complain about with the 6-ounce camera's design. There's no dedicated area to rest your thumb, which I thought would pose a problem, but the slightly indented mode dial fulfills this purpose without incident. The buttons are a bit small, but manageable. Likewise, its feature set supplies the capabilities we expect from a premium-priced snapshot camera. Among them you'll find Sony's Super SteadyShot optical image stabilization, 9-point autofocus, and face detection. Here, Sony makes some odd choices. For example, you can only enable face detection in full Auto mode; it's not even available in Program mode. Also, the W200 provides a Manual exposure mode--a fairly limited one, in which you can select from only two or three aperture settings, depending upon zoom, but manual nonetheless--without providing a shutter-priority choice. I also expected more from the 2.5-inch LCD. It's the same coarse, 115,000-pixel model we see in cameras half the price, with poor off-angle viewing. It's almost impossible to view in bright light, and the Brightness Up setting is practically indistinguishable from its standard state. There's a surprisingly large, if somewhat distorted, optical viewfinder to supplement the LCD, however. The narrow f/2.8-5.5 35mm-105mm-equivalent 3x zoom lens is also a bit limiting. As we've seen in other Sony models, the W200's face detection works pretty well, recognizing multiple faces in a scene--as long as it can see both eyes. It tends to be inconsistent, however; in a three-headed test setup, it would usually choose one, sometimes three, occasionally two faces, and a couple of times none, all under identical conditions. The model fares moderately well on shooting speed. From power-on to first shot takes a zippy 1.6 seconds, and in high-contrast light it snaps photos in a reasonable half-second. In dim light, under harder-to-focus conditions, it takes a so-so 1.3 seconds. Unfortunately, the W200's typical shot-to-shot time is a sluggish 2.2 seconds, and when you enable flash, that almost doubles to a seriously shot-impairing 4.4 seconds. Its 2fps continuous-shooting rate compares better to its classmates, though. Truly, iRiver scored a win when it came up with the D-Click interface, arguably the most innovative DAP design move since the iPod scroll wheel. In fact, it was the Clix's excellent user interface--combined with a host of complementing features--that pushed it to be the highest-rated MP3 player. Now, a second-generation Clix is set to overtake the throne. It's not an outstanding improvement over its predecessor, but it's certainly a step in the right direction. Coming in 2GB, 4GB, and 8GB capacities at $149.99, $199.99, and $249.99 (respectively), the new Clix is set to give competing flash-memory players a run for the money. It's simply the best flash player on the market in terms of overall quality. Sleeker and slimmer It's hard to say whether the design of the 2G Clix is an improvement over the previous iteration, though it's certainly just as good. The new Clix is wider (3.2 inches), shorter (1.8 inches), and thinner (0.5 inch) than the old one, which means it could accommodate a noticeably larger screen. However, for some reason iRiver went with the same 2.2-inch screen--it's a bit disappointing, to be honest. That said, it's a gorgeous AMOLED screen, with lovely color saturation and crisp text in a pleasant font. And you still have the option of setting the background to any photo or going with the daily color schemes, which now have a light hibiscus print. The display is just nice to look at, especially when you're on the playback screen, which shows album art and a plethora of information: album, artist, track, time elapsed and remaining, upcoming track name, star rating, time, and battery level. Also, in keeping with the D-Click interface, which allows you to navigate menus by pressing on the sides of the screen itself, the display offers contextual icons on each screen. The Clix also features a variety of dedicated keys around its seam. And a seam it is: it looks like you could almost detach the face of the player from the back. This raises some concerns about durability, but it does make the Clix easy to get a grip on. The top edge houses volume buttons, while a power button and programmable hot key sit on the right spine. The requisite hold switch can be found on the bottom. The Clix also features a standard mini USB port and headphone jack. Rather inconveniently, all of the labels for the various buttons and ports are printed on the back of the player, meaning you'll constantly be flipping it over until you commit the functions to memory. Still, there's no denying that the Clix is supremely easy to use and quite easy on the eyes as well. Loaded with features You'd be hard pressed to find a feature the iRiver Clix doesn't have. Essentially, all that's missing is wireless connectivity (which is still an alpha function, really) and line-in recording. That's where this player's limitations end, though--the Clix is packed with useful extras. You get a voice recorder and an FM tuner with autoscan and seemingly limitless presets (FM recording is also possible). There's a calendar and an alarm clock, as well as support for Flash games. Our test unit came with several titles already loaded, but keep in mind you can't listen to music while you play these games; they have their own built-in sound. If you need to keep your eyes busy, the iRiver Clix delivers in that area too. You can view text, JPEG photos, or slide shows while listening to music. Of course, the heart of an MP3 player is its digital music playback, and the iRiver Clix is no slouch in that area. The Clix supports MP3, OGG, and WMA files, including DRM-protected songs purchased from online stores such as Yahoo Music or downloaded as part of an on-the-go subscription service such as Urge and, especially, Rhapsody (more on this below). You can transfer playlists to the device or choose from two on-the-fly options: make your own Quick List or let the player decide based on your song ratings. You can also rate songs on the fly. For music playback, the Clix offers the standard Shuffle and Repeat settings, and you can select from 13 EQ settings (Normal, Classic, Live, Pop, Rock, Jazz, Ubass, Metal, Dance, Party, Club, SRS Wow, and a user-defined mode) and preview them in real time. For those who like audio books, the Clix supports Audible content as well. As icing on the cake, the iRiver Clix supports MPEG-4 and WMV9 video, though there's no easy way to get this content à la iTunes. That is, you'll have to convert your files before playing them on the device. While iRiver's user guide clearly documents the parameters for compatible video and describes how to transfer footage to the Clix, it doesn't explain the conversion process. The easiest way to do this is to simply transfer the videos through Windows Media Player, which can automatically convert them to WMV9. However, if you would like to encode to MPEG-4, iRiver's Web site has all the info, along with the necessary software, called iRiviter, created not by iRiver engineers but by die-hard iRiver fans. In our tests, the software made easy--though not exactly quick--work of several video files, but other files proved impossible to convert. Another option is to purchase an MPEG-4 encoder plug-in for WMP 11 so that the app will do the work for you (we haven't had a chance to test this out yet). Rhapsody DNA integration As it did with SanDisk last year, Rhapsody has now partnered with iRiver to offer its DNA Platform on the new Clix. Players distributed after July 11, 2007, will come in Rhapsody-branded packaging and will offer enhanced support for Rhapsody Channels and Rhapsody's Internet radio programming. Upon start-up, the Clix displays the Rhapsody logo; once you dive into the menus, there's a new "Rhapsody Channels" selection for organizing the dynamically updating stations from the service. (You hand-select the Channels you want on your device.) Additionally, you can view editorial information about artists whose songs you've transferred from the service. Overall, it's a nicely immersive experience for Rhapsody users, though it's hard to improve on the Clix's already wonderful interface. If you purchased a Clix prior to July 11, don't fret: unlike with the Sansa e200, you won't need to buy a whole new player with an "R" attached to the name. Rhapsody and iRiver will offer the DNA integration via a voluntary firmware update. What a sound! Plain and simple: the iRiver Clix sounds fantastic. The catch, however, is that you'll need some earbuds that are up to the task. The ones included in the package offer fine playback quality, but if you really want to experience the full aural spectrum that the Clix is capable of offering, try it with some Shure SE310s. Tunes sound rich, warm, and encompassing across genres, and the high-end detail and low-end response are both impressive. The Clix also gets very loud--in fact, you'll want to watch that when switching between headphones. The Clix also offers snappy processor performance and relatively speedy transfers over USB 2.0. The player's lovely color screen handles video playback, but there was noticeable pixilation in the sample clips. Still, color saturation and detail are good, though I still wouldn't suggest watching full-length films on such a small screen. The rated battery life of 5 hours for video and 24 hours for audio is more than adequate. Finally, the Flash games are surprisingly engaging and colorful, FM reception is excellent, and the related autoscan feature works well.