iriver IFP-790T 256 MB Portable MP3 Player

I've owned this player for about three weeks now and am very happy with it. Very nice sound quality and fairly easy to use. There are a few things that put it over other 256MB players in my opinion...

1. UMS FIRMWARE UPGRADE. This is probably the most important thing I'll list. I did this as soon as I got the player and it made it that much better. Contrary to what some other reviewers may say here, you CAN make this device (as well as ANY products in the IFP-700 or 800 series) function as a regular flash drive, and not have to use the included IRiver software to transfer songs. Just go to the IRiver site and/or Google search for the UMS firmware update for this device (currently it is at version 1.28). Once you upgrade the firmware (the instructions are easy to follow on the site) it will operate not only as an MP3 player, but as a portable storage device for ANY type of file you need to transfer. This also makes it MUCH easier to transfer/arrange/rename/delete your...Read more

I recently purchased this mp3 player, and I am definitely satisfied with my choice. I used to have a 15 gb dell dj, which is the equivalent to an ipod. I didn't need all that storage space, so I sold it. I bought this so that I would have an mp3 player with just enough storage to put some of my favorite songs at the moment on, and carry it around with me so that I did not need to carry a cd player and cds all the time. I have 25 songs on it at the moment, and it still has plenty of space left. It can probably hold over 60. The reason i picked this over the others was because of the fact that it has a 40 hour battery life. Most have only 20! This is because it uses an AA battery, and not an AAA like most mp3 players. I also liked the fact that it had an FM transmitter. Other reviews said it was kind of scratchy, but I think it's pretty good for a little unit like this. I can receive stations better on this than on my stereo! It also is capable of recording FM broadcasts, and has a...Read more

As some previous reviews claimed, the iRiver is great in that it:
(a) is small and lightweight, with a very convenient arm band for when I do my 5-mile runs.
(b) lasts a long, long time on a regular battery.
(c) is fairly easy to use for downloading, as long as you stick to the WMA format and use the CD software that comes with it.
(d) holds a decent number of songs, although I find that I have to switch my playlists at least once a month.
(e) doesn't skip.

However, figuring out the bells and whistles is surprisingly complicated (even for someone like me who tends to intuit gadgets fairly well). If you download *folders* of music and play straight from those, it's easy enough to figure out how to shuffle tracks and switch between folders, but I've given up on trying to actually program any *playlists*.

Other small nuisances include:
(a) the player occasionally switches songs when I try to adjust the volume while running,...Read more