iriver X20

iriver has been known to make some very dashy looking players. While iriver has some excellent products, they are being offered at a premium. The X20 8 GB is one of the latest players launched in the market. Let’s see if it’s worth it.

Design
One of the most common reactions this player has garnered from people is that it looks like a compact mobile phone. Which is true, for it does look like one; in fact it also has a detachable battery that comes off, just like your regular mobile device. In fact, we compared it with phones like the Samsung E840, and they appear to share the same dimensions. At 40x32x9.6 mm and 15g, the player is still lighter than the lightest phone available in the market. And while it shares its form factor with mobile phones, the X20 also manages to bulge like one.

In my opinion, the player proves to be a better music player than a video player, although with its current pricing in the market, I doubt if the company shares my belief. The 2.2-inch QVGA color TFT-LCD is one of the main contributors to the bulky look of the player. Although, in many respects you may argue that the screen should have had a vertical display, just like mobile phones do, this one goes with a horizontal one. You will need to hold the player horizontally with the dial in your right hand. To facilitate lefties the player allows flipping the screen to be worked using the left hand.

The X20 comes with a dial in an imperfect imitation of the iPod, yet with a desperate attempt to differ from it as best as possible. The dial is basically a thin circular band with four upraised ridges placed in fair distance from each other. This is more to reduce surface tension than to offer convenience. For the truth is that, you will find it quite difficult to use the dial with your thumb tip. And since this is the only way one can browse through the menu, I caught myself swearing under my breath very so often.

The dial surrounds the four way D-pad, and the play/stop button. I found no immediate need to improve on these. Above the dial you will find the menu button, and below the power button. On top you will find the hold slider, and the external memory slot right at the bottom. The right side houses the USB slot, the earphone jack and the line-in jack.