July 20, 2006 When it all boils down, as much as we love the iPod, it doesn’t seem fair that Apple should do as well as it has on the strength of what’s basically a good MP3 player because there are plenty of other good MP3 players out there without the charisma of a Steve Jobs and the cleverness of Apple’s marketing team at their disposal – like the US$200 iriver clix f’rinstance. The clix has a very intuitive interface, 2GB memory capacity, a large colour display, digital FM tuner, enhanced photo viewing, video playback, and FlashLite game support. Seen as the most likely to successfully tackle the iPod, iriver has cosied up to Microsoft and offers immediate Windows Media Player 11 compatibility with the clix, has already spawned a bunch of accessories from the leading accessory manufacturers and has developed a close relationship with MTV Networks' new URGE digital music service in the hope of matching the iPod/iTunes team. There’s a really good interview with iriver America President Jonathan Sasse discussing all this at engadget.
The beautifully designed iriver clix plays music, video, photos and more. It features a new ultra-intuitive interface that is easily customizable. Additionally, the iriver clix meets the new quality bar set for PlaysForSure and is part of the vanguard of PlaysForSure-verified devices that will offer consumers an even better end-to-end service, media player, and device experience.
iriver clix Feature Set:
* Capacity: 2GB* Display: 2.2" Color TFT* Media: Video/Music/Photos* Games: FlashLite 2.0* Optimized for Windows Media Player 11* Simple synchronization with URGE music service* Supports URGE music feeds and custom playlists* "Now Playing" screen features album art, song ratings, quick play lists and next song preview* Optimized photo synching through Windows Media Player 11* Integrated digital FM tuner and FM recorder* Built-in voice recorder* Easily select portrait or landscape viewing modes* Customize interface with preloaded wallpaper or any photo* Innovative direct click interface* Convenient programmable SmartKey allows quick access to common functions* Support for MP3, Windows Media Audio (WMA) and OGG music files* Support for MPEG4 Simple Profile QVGA (15fps) video* Rapid USB 2.0 music transfers
iriver clix Accessories:iriver clix cradle and remote: US$69.99
* Play music through the built-in speakers* Record directly from any audio source* Connect to your home stereo* Recharge your player* Synchronize with your PC* Wake up with the alarm/snooze
iriver clix accessory kit: US$29.99
* Silicon carrying case w/ clip (fully usable in case)* Neck strap attachment for case* Arm band attachment for case* Lens protector
FM transmitter (AFT200): US$69.99
* Listen to the iriver clix through a car stereo* Simultaneously charges and broadcasts* Transmits on full FM spectrum* 3 programmable presets
Bill Gates, Microsoft Chairman and Chief Software Architect, demonstrates an iriver clix, at the Microsoft Windows Hardware Engineering Conference (WinHEC) 2006. May 23, 2006, Seattle, Wash.
