Review: iriver Mplayer

Who's the leader of the club that's made for you and me? Based on the new 1GB Mplayer, my guess would be iriver.

Originally commissioned by Disney for Hong Kong Disneyland, the iriver Mplayer has just recently become available in South Korea, which looks to be its only official destination outside of the amusement park.

But should a silly detail like your home country be allowed to come between your hands and an MP3-playing Mickey Mouse head? Warehouse123 doesn't think so!

System specifications

Capacity:	1GB
Supported audio:	MP3, WMA, ASF (up to 320kbps)
Dimensions:	1.73" x 1.56" x 1.18"
Weight:	0.63 ounces
Colors:	Black, blue, silver, pink, white

Packaging

The Mplayer is packaged very simply in iriver's trademark white box.

Since Disney normally plasters its colorful product boxes with cartoon characters and oversized writing, the minimalist presentation seems to suggest that the player is not aimed at its usual demographic.

Box contents

I have yet to be impressed by the accessory bundle included with any iriver player, and the Mplayer does nothing to sway my opinion in the other direction.

In addition to the player itself, each box contains a standard USB 2.0 cable, earphones with detachable lanyard, quick start guide, warranty information, and mini CD-ROM.

Design

Perhaps because I'm not used to seeing Mickey Mouse's head in 3D, much less separated from his body, the Mplayer doesn't always look like a round head with bulbous ears to me.

There are times (and angles) when the player actually looks more like gumballs or a misshapen pregnant woman. I think it's the facelessness that throws me off.

Even though Mickey Mouse is so iconic that designing a player in his likeness seems like a no-brainer, I think only iriver could come up with something like this. More straight-laced companies probably would have produced a rectangular device with an image of Mickey either printed or engraved on it.

Build quality is in keeping with iriver's usual high standards, so even though the Mplayer is fashioned entirely out of glossy plastic, nothing about it feels cheap or fragile.

Size

Measuring 1.73" x 1.56" x 1.18", the Mplayer is definitely one of the smallest flash DAPs around.

Anything too much bigger than this would probably make the disembodied head a little less cute (it's already not as cute as the Hello Kitty MP3 player) and a little more disturbing.

To put the diminutive size in perspective, here are the Mplayers with some of their low-capacity flash DAP competitors: second-gen iPod nano, iriver S7 and S10, and Creative Zen V and Zen V Plus.

Like similarly sized DAPs, the Mplayer is designed to be worn around your neck. I'm not enough of a Disney fan to do this at anything other than a Disney-sponsored event, but I suppose it's a surefire way to get some attention from strangers.

I try not to blatantly stare at anyone under any circumstance, but I'm pretty sure I'd do a double-take if you walked by with Mickey dangling from your neck.

Controls

One of the most unique aspects of the Mplayer, aside from the obvious, is its controls.

How people are able to interact with their DAPs is always important, as poorly placed buttons and unintuitive controls can easily ruin what would otherwise be a solid device, but it's particularly critical on players without displays. Without a screen, users have to rely solely on hardware controls to listen to their music. So they'd better be good.

Fortunately for the Mplayer, they are.

Iriver incorporated the player's main controls into Mickey's ears, which can both be twisted to the left and right.

• Twist left ear to increase/decrease volume in one-level increments
• Twist right ear to skip to the previous/next track
• Twist and hold left ear to quickly increase/decrease volume
• Twist and hold right ear to rewind/fast-forward within a single track

Since there's no grip on the ears, twisting them with a single finger is incredibly difficult. A better way to control the player, both one- and two-handed, is to hold an ear between your thumb and index finger. You can see above how little the ears actually twist (compare the "seams" in the three images).

Below the Mplayer's volume controls are a power button and reset pinhole. As expected, a quick press of the button turns the device on and off.

Music playback resumes about 5 seconds after the player is turned on and stops within 1 second of pressing the button to turn it off. Powering on/off is the only way for music to start/stop playing. In other words, the Mplayer does not have a dedicated play/pause button.

On the right side of Mickey's head is an LED indicator that glows red or green, depending on what the Mplayer is doing: steady red = battery is charging, steady green = battery is charged, flashing red = data is being transferred over USB connection, quick red = player is turning off, quick green = player is turning on.

The USB 2.0 port on the bottom allows the player to stand upright and, of course, to charge the battery and transfer music from a computer.

At the top is a standard 3.5mm headphone jack, and below that are lanyard loops.

Transferring content

The Mplayer is MSC/UMS compliant, which means that transferring music is as simple as connecting to a Mac or PC, then dragging and dropping albums and tracks, loose or in up to 400 different folders (8 depths), to the device.

Software-free drag and drop is always my preferred method of music management, but I don't mind using iriver plus 3 (supplied) if I have to. Given that the Mplayer has only 1GB of internal storage and doesn't have any extra features that need management, though, the software really isn't necessary.

Audio

Unlike most (all?) of iriver's newer DAPs, the Mplayer doesn't have any SRS sound enhancements, play modes, or even a single EQ.

All it does is play music in whatever order it's been transferred at various volume levels. Without a visual volume indicator, I can't say for sure how many levels there are, but I think there are 40. The first 3 are completely inaudible and anything above 20 is way too loud for me. I've never known iriver to have low-volume issues, anyway, so I'm not surprised that even something like the Mplayer could blow out my eardrums.

Sound quality is okay with my Sennheiser IEMs, but not as full or bright as on other iriver players I've tried. Everything is slightly muddled and, of course, bass is non-existent. The Mplayer obviously isn't powerful enough to drive a pair of high-end headphones, but I doubt that many audiophiles want a Mickey Mouse DAP, anyway.

Battery life

The non-removable lithium ion battery charges via USB in about 2.5 hours (1.5 hours for 80% charge). This is fairly reasonable on its own; however, music can't be played while the device is charging, so it could definitely feel like a long time.

I can't find any official ratings, but I was able to play 192kbps CBR MP3s at mid-volume for about 10 hours. The Mplayer lets out three sad beeps and promptly shuts itself off when the battery is drained; there's no warning when power is running low, so it's a good idea to be aware of your usage patterns.

Conclusion

The iriver Mplayer is a novelty DAP designed for die-hard Disney fans, iriver completists, and just about no one else. A unique design and clever controls are its strongest selling points, which is rarely enough to persuade consumers interested in sound quality, sophistication and sleekness, or extras like an FM tuner, EQs, and play modes.

Oh well. It's still a cute fashion accessory.

The iriver Mplayer is currently available for $87.50 at Warehouse123.

Comments

[benz145]

lol.

[P.U.P]

Great review Jenn! My daughter loves Mickey Mouse. Wonder if she is still too young for a mp3 player...:)

great review thanks!

[godivist]

I'll get straight to my point. "you suck jenny." What a biased and narrow-minded reviewer you are. You also don't have accurate infomation about the product. Where did you hear that Mplayer was commissioned by Disney in Hongkong? That is not true. Also, mplayer first firmware supports a shuffle function, which user can CHOOSE to listen to the music in order or randomly. I also want to point out all your silly mistakes in the reivew itself, such as unappropricate photos youve posted in size section, but will let it go just b/c there are too many.
Jenny, I serious want you to consider another job than a reviewer. If you want to be a better reviewer or talk personally with me, send me an email, and I'll give you some tips on better reviewing. lol

[godivist]

my email uses the name name as this one
at hotmail.

[Jenn]

Thanks for your comment, godivist.

The official Hong Kong Disneyland hologram on the box was my first tip-off that this was a commissioned player, so I looked it up. According to Gizmodo, "Disney commissioned iRiver to make the player for their Hong Kong amusement park and for retail in South Korea, though if sales go well enough iRiver hinted that Mickey might sneak into other regions."

I'm interested in knowing why you think some of the photos are "unappropricate." Since you're prepared to offer me much-needed tips on better reviewing (not grammatical ones, I hope), please let me know how I should have shown the true size of the player.

[Nicky]

Great review! Thanks for the impressions! My first reaction to seeing the Mplayer was not positive, since it is lack of features. Seeing it a few times in various online blogs it has begun to grow on me. And seeing your impressions and photos make it clear that the design is so unique and the control is so clever! Once again, iRiver shows it's still on top of its game here.

[Jenn]

Thank you for your thoughtful comments, Nicky. It certainly is a very unique player! Will you be getting one? I think Warehouse123 has all five colors in stock now.

[AGoodGuide]

Jenn, Very Nice Review! I especially love the objective details you have provided.

Now, let me clear up one point and Jenn is 100% correct - "Mplayer was commissioned by Disney in Hongkong"

I am 100% sure about this!

[Jenn]

Thanks, AGoodGuide. I appreciate the confirmation. :-)

[Hizu]

Nice review, love the pictures you've provided. I think it kinda convinced me to get one (even though I'm afraid I might twist the ear part off on accident haha).

[Jenn]

If you do, be sure to send in a picture! ;-)

[Hizu]

Send a picture if I get one or accidentally break the ears off? lol

[Jenn]

If the ear breaks off! :-)

What color are you thinking about getting? I kind of like the silver and black.

[Hizu]

haha sure, I hope I won't though.

I'm deciding between the white & pink one. I would get the silver one but I don't like how it's not glossy looking like the rest D:

[Jenn]

Not to worry, Hizu. iriver's build quality is absolutely top notch.

It is strange that the silver of all colors looks rather matte. If anything, it's supposed to be the shiniest!

[cutie_micky]

hv anybody know where can i buy this cute mickey mouse mp3 player? and how much is it? pls reply me as soon as possible... thanks a lot...

[Jenn]

Hi cutie_micky. Here's the last line of the review: The iriver Mplayer is currently available for $87.50 at Warehouse123.

All five colors appear to be in stock right now.

[Christina]

does anyone know if can or US sells it. or is there a particular store in either of the places sells it. ?

[Jenn]

I don't think the player has been released outside of South Korea. Warehouse123 is the only retailer I know of that sells it.

eBay has several listings right now as well. I didn't check each auction, but those that I did were all shipping from S. Korea and charging at least $20 s/h.

[Cherie]

wow, this mp3 player is ADORABLE!!! to bad it works on the idea of the iPod shuffle though, no screen or anything. they could have at least put a tiny black and white one at the back or something, so we could see what songs are playing. $90 is still too expensive though . . . i think they're only $50 in Hong Kong Disneyland

and very nice and detailed review!

[Jenn]

Thanks, Cherie.

I'm surprised that they're so much cheaper at Disneyland. For that price, the players would probably do very well at Disneyland, Disney World, and even the Disney Stores in the U.S.

[Nicky]

Warehouse123 provides very good service and I think $90 is a fair price.

For some reasons, my mPlayer was dead after using for a week. I had no problem getting RMA and my replacement expected to be forthcoming with no problems. Very good service Joe who I spoke to on the phone was very helpful!

Cherie, Hong Kong Disneyland may have a better but don't forget you need to pay for the entry fee. I believe price in Hong Kong should be around $80. You may check iRiver Store in HK.
http://shop.iriverhk.com/goods_detail.asp?GoodsID=214&show=general

[HUAY]

Omigoshh D: When I first saw this I was like O__O!

XD Im not anywhere near the biggest Disney fan on earth, or Mickey Mouse fan at that, but GAH D: this is just the cutest thing @__@. I totally want it.

THanks for your review =D

Mm. I have an mp3 player right now but this is so adorable *_* I would want it even if it doesn't have a screen (if i need the screen, I could just use my other mp3 player XD)

But yeah *_* It's so cheap too. Or. Sorta.

Uhm.. I heard about this on a forum www.soompi.com/forums ... If you're a member on there, there's a girl that's taking a survey/preorder.. She needs 20 people to carry out her order... She's selling it for $80.. ( http://s2m-star.livejournal.com/ )

But yeah O_O. I totally want it because its so cute *_*. And yeah. I hope it doesn't come to the US though D:. but if it does, I want to get one now, before everyone else does.. =_=, I hate having the same things as everyone else..

Before I start bugging my parents, I have to figure out what color I want. XD. I don't want a black one because everyone would probably want a black one + my other mp3 player is black.. So I'm thinking about getting a white one.. But then someone said that the pink one gets out of stock a lot.. meaning it's popular? D: so maybe I want a pink one.. XDD''

Anyway. I'm rambling. Thanks for the review xD

(And what was that kid up there talking about? your review was fine.. And I don't see how it's bias either..)

[Michelle]

In response to Jen, yeah... that girl is pretty amazing for doing the preorder.

To let you get a good idea how popular the mplayer is in general, it has been in the top 5 mp3 in korea for the past 3 months. Pink is number 1, white is number 4 and black is number 5.

I ordered the pink a few weeks ago. I should get it in a couple of weeks.

I also ordered the blue from s2m. I think I'm going to buy every color.... which is crazy, but I'm serious... when its out of batteries in the long run, no one could fix it. =(

[Jenn]

I had no idea the player would have such a following, Michelle. Thanks for the info.

Having every color would certainly be a sight to see!

[Chanti]

WOwoo...wat a beauty..!! I just got a mail about this cute darling and i'm totally flat..I wanna buy one..But I could not find it in Indian Market ..Can any one let me know how I can order it Online..??

[Puns]

This is really cute.................i am totally in love with this one.............I think I am going to get the Pink one. Jenn it was a great review, but is there a shuffle option in this one? Please let me know.

[Jenn]

As far as I know, Puns, the player does not have a shuffle option. Someone in the comments mentioned one, but it was not available with the firmware that shipped with my sample players. There was also no mention of the function in the product manual, which I read from cover to cover while writing the review.

I don't have the players anymore, so someone here who owns one would be better able to confirm whether the function actually exists.

[shuffle]

The latest firmware version is 1.02
After upgrade It's firmware, You can use a shuffle option.

http://blog.naver.com/mynv5/40043808469

[Puns]

Thank you Jenn and Shuffle....

[Bon]

Great review! It's so cute and little. A perfect Christmas present for my two little sisters. Yesss, killing their eardrums while they're young! =]

[Archana]

Very Nice!!!! Really anyone can fall in love with this....
Just want to know if i want to buy this in India how can i buy this?

[Cindy]

Archana, I know warehouse123 will ship worldwide and I'll suggest you to ask them. Lately, they offer the mplayer for free if you buy the Canon TX1 movie camera. Good deal, take a look!

[CKY]

I love that Disney Mplayer so much when first time i saw it!!! thats a great invention

[Prakash]

hey guyz..can u guyz help me out here..wher can i buy dis mplayer at da best price?? i'm frm malaysia.. hw much izit in RM? erm, my fren is visitin hong kong next month..do u tink i can get da mplayer 4da cheapest price ther?

[Charlene]

I know this is silly and it's more of a personal choice but...Which color is this best?

[What?]

I can't get to that site that you mentioned for the Shuffle option. Any other sites?
thanks

[Shuffle!]

SHUFFLE IS TOGGLED BY TURNING MICKEY'S EARS IN SEPARATE DIRECTIONS
If anyone is still troubled =)

[code 007]

Very funny review... i never see it before !

[yoman]

where could i get one in stores?

[Jenni]

My boyfriend bought me this player, am more than satisfied, yes less features but affordable for those cant have expensive mp3 player. good design. there is still many simple kids,adults liek to have this simple product... thanks to iriver...

[Viki Harry]

Substandard review, i think these days some of the reviewers feel their reviews are seen with authority if you go on making baseless refutes against the product without having a context of what they dealing with.

This is miniaturized product, you dont expect menus and controls to be on par with ipods or the Zen from example.

The head of a mickey mouse hanging loose from your neck is disturbing? Sounds more like an imbecile crying out that it cant understand what the product is about.

What is probably more disturbing is that we have a lots of useless reviews being posted because they have a job to do.

Your knowledge of the product and similar products has to be appallingly low for you to compare it with the likes of higher end full fledged MP3 players.

For the size and surface area constraints the Mplayer is one of the top end products thats out there.

If you dont understand tech and take things into context then do yourself and us a favor, dont post reviews. And spoil the reputation of a product with baseless comparisons.

I have done many reviews of Motherboards, CPU, GFXs etc, we have a professional way of bringing out the cons and pro of a product but you are even below mediocre for that matter.

Over all a review that has no understanding of the genre or category of the product, merely written by someone who in all probability has had some personal bad experience with an iRiver store or some other unknown reason.

Not an excuse to dish out trash on the net.

[Jenn]

Thanks for your comments, Viki. You're entitled to your own opinion, so I respect your thoughts and won't resort to name-calling.

I would like to point out, however, that nowhere in the review do I state that "the head of a mickey mouse hanging loose from your neck is disturbing" or that I expect this player to have menus and controls on par with other DAPs that have screens.

What I did say was that 1) the player would be "disturbing" if it was larger than it is (for example, if the head was the same diameter as a HDD-based DAP, I don't think it would be quite as cute), 2) a head dangling from someone's neck would make me do a double-take, and 3) the controls are clever and intuitive.

I have also only had incredibly positive experiences with iriver (I've reviewed the clix 2, X20, S10, S7, T50, and T60 favorably) and the company's representatives (in person at CES and over email), so personal grudges are not only nonexistent, but they have no bearing on a less-than-glowing review of the Mplayer.

The review also doesn't compare the Mplayer with the function and abilities of higher-end DAPs. The photos showing the Mplayer next to fuller-featured devices is simply, as clearly stated, to illustrate size.

And just as you are not the only person who thinks this is the be-all-end-all best player in its class, I am not the only person who thinks otherwise. I do not think the Mplayer is a bad product, but it is not for the typical consumer (my readership is about 80% male, 18-34 years old) looking for, say, an inexpensive flash player for the gym or commute.

[Viki Harry]

Nonsense, you contradict yourself that you may need support so you wont trip on your own feet.

Lets look at them for a moment here.

You claim at first

"There are times (and angles) when the player actually looks more like gumballs or a misshapen pregnant woman. I think it's the facelessness that throws me off."

A review is not about your strange lack of imagination. The product is designed to look like the Mickey Mouse head and at the same time it shouldn't look overly static toyish, It should feel like a gadget and thats why its faceless, is this even part of review?, you are supposed to review the quality.

Where is your audio frequency distribution chart? Where is the decibel level comparison with other products?

Too scientific for you? Thats review writing. If you cant do that then your claims that the sound is weak or that is not fine, is all your own opinion, your ears and capabilities to hear and analyze is different, its not the same from person to person, but lab tests with charts and valid data never lies.

You claim

"I have yet to be impressed by the accessory bundle included with any iriver player, and the Mplayer does nothing to sway my opinion in the other direction. "

and then you say

"I have also only had incredibly positive experiences with iriver (I've reviewed the clix 2, X20, S10, S7, T50, and T60 favorably)"

So in one turn its all impressive and positive aye?

Nothing but contradictory statements, the sign of a very poor review by a reviewer who has no clue as to what he/she wishes to convey.

You claim:

"Anything too much bigger than this would probably make the disembodied head a little less cute (it's already not as cute as the Hello Kitty MP3 player) and a little more disturbing. "

A disembodied head is a little less cute and a little more disturbing.

You should think more before making bold claims asking me to point out where you made such statements in your review.

I am a seasoned review editor i catch these things in quickly. Try not waste your time or energy trying to deny what i have pointed out, it does no good i will shot those refutes down.

It has been pointed out to make you take notice of the blunders in your review. But you dont wish to see it.

And besides how is something cute, disturbing??

You claim:

"Oh well. It's still a cute fashion accessory."

So cute and disturbing at the same time eh?

Do you even have a clue as to what you are saying there?.

Maybe reality distortion field exists in your office, perhaps thats the excuse here, yes?

You claim:

"The Mplayer obviously isn't powerful enough to drive a pair of high-end headphones, but I doubt that many audiophiles want a Mickey Mouse DAP, anyway."

Again comparisons with a higher end DAP, how is that a small device can house a higher end DSP micro controller to give higher fidelity, amperage like sophisticated devices?.

Yet again you lack information or knowledge.

Listen miss, i do embedded programming for embedded systems and when you say a small device is unable to give the output to drive the ear phones, it will crack up every engineer in the department into unstoppable laughter, its that illogical and silly.

Side note, i found the device to be quite adequately loud, your ears having problems in not hearing it loudly enough clearly is not the device's problem, thats why we insist on audio detection and decibel tests, never rely on a reviewers hearing abilities.

And please keep in mind, to drive large magnetic coils in headsets unlike earphones you need high current and voltage drop to attain distortion less and clear higher output. More power is needed to move the diaphragm. The lithium batteries are having different power output ratings in higher end devices and their sizes are also much larger.

You Claim

"Since there's no grip on the ears, twisting them with a single finger is incredibly difficult"

Wow and that is really out of this world now isnt it? How can anyone "Twist" with one finger? Logic dictates you need atleast two fingers in opposing fashion to grip something comfortably to twist it. Your complaint is laughable.

And plenty of similar uninformed opinions and contradictions through out the article, the whole article is poor, If am honest i will have to give it a negative rating, 0 would be too lenient for this article.

I can go on listing all the blunders but i think i have made the point clear as to why the article is just more like a grudge bash, you maybe however right that you have cordial relations with the supplier, but this article shows otherwise. I am willing to give the benefit of the doubt that its just down to uninformed and poorly thought review compilation.

Review writing is not that simple, many viewers read it, so it must make sense and your need to get your perspective right.

[Jenn]

I always take a conversational, consumer-centric approach here because this site is aimed at the average mainstream consumer who does not understand or have an interest in highly technical statistics or industry jargon. All of my readers know that I, like them, am not a technology expert (I have my master's in English). I never claim to be one, and I often make clear that I am not an audiophile and that sound quality is largely subjective. Despite SNR and decibel levels, what sounds fantastic to one person could very well sound horrible to another. I don't repeat this mantra in every piece, but I mention it enough; it's in my Samsung P2 review (the last DAP I reviewed as of today), for example. Scientific information is not useful to my readers; they do not come to me for it.

I run this site alone so all of the content is colored with my own opinions. Since I own the site and am the only writer here, I am not obligated to keep my personal opinions and biases out of my writing. I am not "supposed to" do anything. This is clear from all of the other reviews on this site. I do not make sweeping statements that I expect to be taken as absolute truth by everyone.

Being unimpressed with a player's accessory bundle has little bearing on having an overall positive feeling about a company and its products. Having a favorable opinion about something does not mean that everything about it is wonderful. I could think the iPod is a thing of beauty yet still express dismay that, say, a leather case isn't included in the box. Being disappointed by one element while still liking a product isn't a contradiction.

And yes, cute and disturbing can exist simultaneously. I'm allowed to be attracted to something even though it's slightly off-putting. Similarly, I could think something tastes good even though it's a little disgusting. Not everything is cut and dry.

I also never said the player wasn't loud enough. I said that I think there are 40 volume levels, that the first 3 are inaudible (that's level 1-3, so it makes sense that it would be difficult to hear), and that anything after level 20 (mid-volume) is really loud.

The review really isn't a "grudge bash," as there are both positive and negative opinions included. The point of your comments, on the other hand, is another story. And for someone so obsessed with semantics, I find your understanding and command of basic punctuation and syntax quite curious.

I don't see the value in defending my personal opinions on my own site, especially since it's not one that you need to visit. Given your low opinion of this article (and presumably everything else I've written) and your condescending tone, I'm not sure why you bothered to return.

I don't see your name listed on the AnandTech editorial staff list, but if I had a problem with your writing there, I would simply not read your pieces. So rather than suggest that I discontinue posting reviews (as you did in your first comment), perhaps you could simply not visit the site.

[Posed2]

Whoa! Jenn, Looks like you got a troll on your site that needs to get a life. I always read your reviews before buying something because you always talk about the stuff that I want to know. Pocketables Rocks!

[Viki Harry]

"I always take a conversational, consumer-centric approach here because this site is aimed at the average mainstream consumer who does not understand or have an interest in highly technical statistics or industry jargon."

Your review methodology is not focusing on this claim, industry jargon can be simplified and presented with charts.

The average customer knows about decibel levels. This is not something beyond the average reader, Your making excuses.

Your approach being controversial is not the aim of a review, it should be a neutral appraisal of the product for its cons and pros. So when you claim you seek to be controversial, the whole content is premeditated to be a put down.

Where is the logic in that?.

"I run this site alone so all of the content is colored with my own opinions. Since I own the site and am the only writer here, I am not obligated to keep my personal opinions and biases out of my writing. I am not "supposed to" do anything."

Oh yes you are obligated, if you cant then review writing is not for you. People are coming in here to read and buy the product for themselves. They dont need to be influenced by biased reviews.

"And yes, cute and disturbing can exist simultaneously. I'm allowed to be attracted to something even though it's slightly off-putting."

Speak for yourself but this is absolutely banana Hammock. Cute and disturbing at the same time eh?

Sticking by what you said is fine but when it makes no sense its futile to stick by it in your arguments.

"And for someone so obsessed with semantics, I find your understanding and command of basic punctuation and syntax quite curious."

You need to make some counter claim since i have pointed out the faults in the review.

Taking shots at someone's writing style, isnt getting your any brownie points, instead why don't you stick to the subject of blunders in the review?.

Besides you are the first as far as i can remember making this claim ;)

You could write to Anand Lal Shimpi or anyone of the editors there they will tell you they have many temporary testers and assistants who do editorial and testing work for them, as they have lot of products to test with very less time on their hands after the NDA is lifted and before the products are shipped back to the supplier.

"if I had a problem with your writing there, I would simply not read your pieces. So rather than suggest that I discontinue posting reviews (as you did in your first comment), perhaps you could simply not visit the site.
"

Sounds like you dont take kindly to someone pointing out the flaws especially when you are being biased, as you have admitted it yourself that you see no obligation to put aside personal bias in your reviews.

Anyone with a fair bit of IT Industry contacts with suppliers can start a website and post reviews but bear in mind when you do so its a responsibility not just a job to merely post reviews for the sake of having a site that many visit.

Sure I dont need to come in here again to read your reviews, but your review turned up on google amongst many reviews a friend of mine looked up. And she informed me of this review being rather harsh for no apparent reason. And so i decided to take a look.

As i have mentioned earlier i found it poor and in some cases unsubstantiated.

Some of the claims made in the review are completely uncalled for, to me it appeared like a grudge bash, but you insist you deliberately take such stances as its your flavor for being controversial. There is no need for it.

@Posed2:
"Whoa! Jenn, Looks like you got a troll on your site that needs to get a life."

A typical uninformed teenage comment, try not to be a big devote fan/follower of everything you do. Constructive criticisms always are part of this industry where many tend to be biased at times.

If am a troll then i am a pretty good troll at that aye?, for clearly pointing out the problems in this review. ;)

Have a nice day Jenn.

[Phil]

I don't mean to butt in but have to say that I don't know anything about decibels and wouldn't know what to do with a decibel chart. I think only cnet puts charts. Engadget, Gizmodo, Anything but ipod, The Gadgeteer, Crunchgear, and all the other awesome gadget sites I visit don't put scientific data or audio charts in their stuff. Nothing is wrong with that.

I don't agree with everything in the review but I don't think its overly harsh. Its balanced and gives the good and bad about the product. That sounds like the job of a reviewer to me. There's lots of positive parts in the review Viki so its not bashing.

No one should tell someone else how to do their job.

Jenn, You write great content for everyohne to read for free. I have my own mind too so if you say something is good or bad, I make up my mind for myself in the end. Take the high road and don't stoop down and egg on someone just looking for a fight. Your review comes out first in Google followed by others linking to you. I don't think that many people reviewed this player before so thank you for giving us information that no one else has.

[Phil]

Sorry me again.

I forgot to tell Viki that Jenn said CONVERSATIONAL. Not controversial like you said a bunch of times. If anyone is trying to be controversial, it isn't Jenn.

[Jacob Woodson]

Viki,

You are free to disagree with Jenn's opinions and review to any extent your time, energy, and life allows. We all have our own views and tastes.

I am curious whether your main complaint is simply that the review is not unequivocally positive. If Jenn had concluded that the Mplayer was, as you say, the best in its class and she recommended it without hesitation to everyone, would you have spent this much time nitpicking her word choices (flying off the handle because she used the word "twist" and juxtaposes "cute" and "disturbing" aren't strong points in your case against her) and taking single sentences out of context? Where is your voice in all of Jenn's other reviews? Many of those are highly positive. Check her iriver clix2 review if you need a place to start.

Your criticisms are welcome here, as Jenn makes clear by responding to you and not banning you from the site, but your approach is incredibly offensive. Heated discussions can be had with respect and class, not with rhetoric and namecalling.

You ask Jenn to stick to the topic of the blunders in her review, yet you continually attack her intelligence and character. Equating her review with trash and saying that she is an imbecile for finding a dangling, disembodied head hanging from a person's neck disturbing is hardly on topic or constructive.

Your bullying ("listen miss" is painfully arrogant and uncalled for) is not something that I can tolerate silently. Please take your toxic, unproductive comments elsewhere. Jenn, her site, and her readers don't need your destructive behavior here. Have a stupendous day Viki. You obviously need one more than anyone of us do.

Jacob

[Alex Edwards]

Phil I have to correct your there cnet is not the only one who puts up charts every other major hardware review site posts benchmarks, graphs and charts. This is nothing new, viki harry is correct on that. But then again only geeks and enthusiats go there.

I believe even gadgets have their own groups of enthusiasts. Maybe he was talking about that.

I have bought the Mplayer for my little girl. I find it much better than what the review here makes it out to be. I personally read reviews to get quick glances on basic features specs.

Always read more than one review site if you want an opinion. But I dont look for opnions I look for features. I can decide on the rest.

[Arris Woo]

OMG :-O hold your horses guys!!!

Are you so quick to jump on someone because they responded negatively about the review?

Sure calling someone and imbecile is not great but equally i have to say that little line about a pregnant lady's bulge was bit over the top for a review (what’s wrong with a pregnant lady's bulge anyway? Do you realize a pregnant lady might take offence to that little joke?). He used that imbecile word only once and after that its all normal words as far as i can see.

LOLs i have say it really is incredible to twist with only 1 finger. I laughed out loud when harry pointed that one out. I mean is it that hard two use two fingers when you need to twist anyways?

As for the rest of review i do not agree with Jenn's opinions on not just this product but in many of her other reviews. Its her opinion you are free to ignore it or accept it. The pics are good and clear and i get a break down on the Model/specifications. Thats what i need most. But you guys need to cool down a bit. I mean come on just because you are all regular readers here like me it doesn’t mean someone cant come in here and passionately respond why they think the review is wrong. And unlike most others who come in here and simply say they agree with everything, a change of opinion is welcomed and if you suggest that jenn is being nice by not banning him then thats more like dictatorship. Being a regular reader doesn’t automatically call for blind partisanship.

Alex: damn straight man, thats how review sites really do their stuff. They need benchmarks to compare devices. Gadgets could also use such tests I see no harm in that.

Ok back to topic: mines on fedex right now should be here in about two days time. Cant wait!!!!

[Viki Harry]

Thanks for the support Arris, obviously some in here do not appreciate criticisms.

Are you one of our forum members? I can see that you have linked www.anadtech.com as your personal webpage.

By the way Mt Jacob, how and where did I attack Jenn's character?, I have been attacking the article and specifically quoting from the article. Pointing out and berating a statement does not constitute an attack on the character of the author, but yes I am questioning the reasoning behind it.

And how is it bullying if I say "Listen Miss"? Is 'Miss' a swear? I do not think so, unless your English is different from the rest of the world. I sympathize if thats the case.

Mr Jacob, I have been pin pointing out things from the article, and I am sticking to the article, where as you are making merely statements against me claiming that I have attacked the author's character. You have hardly any valid points to make here.

If you are venting anger because I have critiqued a review on your favorite website, I do not apologize, I did not attack you or Jenn as a person. I am attacking the article.

I called the claim of "the dangling head of mickey off someone's neck as that of an imbecile crying out not knowing the product" to suggest its that ridiculous. I also mentioned it "sounds like someone....", I have not mentioned that it IS an imbecile's comment.

If am abusive towards jenn on intent, please show me where I have used any such words again in my posts.

Interesting that stern criticism is viewed as toxic. So it implies you would like to see only those who agree with the review to come in here post a comment.

I sure can accommodate your request, but it just goes on to show that I have definitely made my point.

[Arris Woo]

hey man Harry! i am not a forum member over at anandtech. But i do visit anandtech a lot. You guys are doing great job over there. I just put the link to show some support. I decided to put my 2 cents on the matter so i put the link when i saw the field for that section.

I do think you shouldnt have used the imbecile word on that comment even though you were probably annoyed with some of examples given in the review about the player.

Dude i am getting this Mplayer, its going to take 2 days as per tracking info. Sweet!!!

[Svilen Robertson]

Right,

I have been observing this little skirmish going on in here for a short while now.

First of all I agree with most the points Viki has brought out about the way the review has been written. But I can say that Jenn Lee is not an expert like she admits on the technical side.

But viki, lay out off the aggression mate. You have made your point. There is no need to call the examples as those by an imbecile. I think you were quite harsh in your response there mate. I get your point that it was a silly example. But chill mate its only a silly example.

Jacob, mate you are hostile for no good reason. Viki has mentioned some good point’s right out of the article. You on the other hand mate going for the jugular on the guy. Put on a lid on it he aint attacking jenn here by calling her miss. We address all strangers who are women as madam or miss. Where’s the big insult in that? So listen Jenn or Listen Miss, is there a problem?

Equating a poor article to trash is no big deal thats what we all say about a bad reviews anyway. You are probably the one taking things out of context the most in here. He also pointed out technical arguments in his replys. Do you have any to point out mate? Your personal vitriol is not welcome. Me thinks you could use a stupendous day instead.

Bottom line, you all oughta chill down. Obviously a lot of people in here adore the little Mplayer even though jenn lee doesn’t think as highly of it. A guy comes in here and tells why that is incorrect and tells it as it is. I liked that expect for the slight swear.

Now lets all get back to discussing this little gizmo. I haven’t bought one of these Mplayers as I am pretty content with me Samsung.

[Phil]

Yeah, this is getting out of hand.

I wanted to add tho that twisting something with one finger is not hard. I can twist the layers of a Rubicks Cube with my index finger and I always twist on the cap of my water bottle with one finger. It's easy to do.

As for twisting the mickey ear, it sounds like she just meant that if the ear had grip on it, you could put one finger ohn it and then just move it up or down. In other words twist it with one finger. Many people want to know if daps can be used with just one hand. Its a question that lot of people ask in forums and stuff. So if you want to use something with just one hand, you need to control it with only your thumb or a single finger.

@Alex: Thanks I didnt know about the charts. Engadget and Gizmodo are the top 2 tech sites on the Net and they dont use charts so I dont mind if other sites like this one don't either. Like I said I wouldn't know how to read them or care about the results anyway. lol. I only trust my own ears, not what graphs and charts say.

[Arris Woo]

Thats if its a dial or something. You cant turn anything with one finger if its the way it is like on the Mplayer. Mighty obvious if you think about it.

Touch pads? yes but the knobs are definetly bound to be mighty hard to twist with 1 finger. The argument is sound i dont see anything wrong with what harry pointed out. Thats what i meant to add.

Anyways i got my Mplayer!!! just as i expected it to be. SWEET.

I am one happy camper. (until i have to hand it over to my sis that is...)

[Jodi]

Jenn, thanks for the great review. I had already seen the tech info on other sites. What I was looking for was a personal experience using the gadget like a real person would, and I feel that you provided that for me.

Now I really can't wait to get one!

[ashley]

i really love this mp3 player...eps. when im a huge fan of mickey....but i have one question...that where can u get it if u live in California?.....can i anyone please help....i really want to get one...

[Ted]

I might buy it for a girlfriend, but just one question>>

IS warehouse123.com safe or a scam?

[Beth]

I bought mine off eBay and received it within 5 post days from S. Korea. I just chose eBay over warehouse123.com because it ended up being a little cheaper, even with the high shipping cost.

Also, am loving having it. Fun and functional, who cares about the rest?