Entered CNET Catalog: 11/06/2001
SKU: 0679437207025
Manufacturer: First Intl Computer Inc.
Manufacturer description
irock! digital audio players rock the world with their compact design and amazing features. They are built on high tech features at a low-tech cost. Get your own piece of the rock! Check out the newest irock! player - irock! 520. This sophisticated gadget keeps you rocking all day long. The ultra compact player has 64 MB of onboard memory allowing for up to 2.5 hours of skip free music.Product summary
The good: Inexpensive; expandable memory; easy to use; lightweight.
The bad: Substandard display; doesn't support ID3 tags; lacks a belt clip, a rechargeable battery, and other extras.
The bottom line: The Irock 520 doesn't tread any new terrain, but its low price tag might make it a good buy for MP3 novices or those on a budget.
Average user rating: from 77 users
3.0 stars
Editors' review
- Editors' Choice: No
- Reviewed on: 02/21/2002
 Editors' note:
The rating and/or Editors' Choice designation for this product has been altered since the review's original publication. The reason for this is
simply the general improvement of technology over time. In order to keep our ratings fair and accurate, it's sometimes necessary to downgrade the ratings of older products relative to those of newer products. |
The First International Digital Irock 520 won't blow anyone's mind with unheard-of features or a fancy design, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. In this case, the adage about getting what you pay for holds true. The Irock doesn't sport the bells and whistles found on higher-end MP3 players, but it's a solid player with an appropriately painless price tag. Updated 6/19/02
| Editors' note:
The rating and/or Editors' Choice designation for this product has been altered since the review's original publication. The reason for this is
simply the general improvement of technology over time. In order to keep our ratings fair and accurate, it's sometimes necessary to downgrade the ratings of older products relative to those of newer products. |
The First International Digital Irock 520 won't blow anyone's mind with unheard-of features or a fancy design, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. In this case, the adage about getting what you pay for holds true. The Irock doesn't sport the bells and whistles found on higher-end MP3 players, but it's a solid player with an appropriately painless price tag.
User opinions
Select a User Opinion to view: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 User Rating:
4.0 stars
out of 77 user reviews
Wonderful for the traveller
Pros: Great battery life Pretty good sound quality Love the yellow see-thru glass
Cons: Unable to copy CDs directly to MP3 player No backlight
Review:
User Rating:
5.0 stars
out of 77 user reviews
Best portable mp3 player in it's price range!
Pros: I love everything about this mp3 player. The sound quality is awesome with the right set of headphones.
Cons: only 64 megs of built in memory allows for about 10 songs at 128kbps .. but add a 128 meg card and u can hold up to 56 songs!
Review:
User Rating:
4.0 stars
out of 77 user reviews
great for the workout
Pros: single battery lasts for 8 hours play time- easy and quick software for loading 128MB+128 card=about 50 songs. so light you don't realize it's in your pocket!
Cons: none, i love it
Review:
User Rating:
1.5 stars
out of 77 user reviews
Defunct
Pros: Great when it worked
Cons: Paid to unlock software and it no longer works. the company has offered solutions that don't work.
Review:
User Rating:
4.0 stars
out of 77 user reviews
128mb for $79 hard to beat!
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Review: I recently purchased the Irock 530 at Costco for $79 after rebate. The package included 128mb,a nice set of wraparound headphones and ear buds. The music match software is a breeze to use and the unit is exapandable to 256mb. The carrying cord is cheap and there is no armband or case. But for $79 it is a steal. Some will complain about the display but I don't care; I put on the music I want and stick the unit in my pocket. I already know the name of the artist and the song in most cases.
User Rating:
3.5 stars
out of 77 user reviews
Use it all the time
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Review: I travel a lot and this MP3 Player works great! Bring it everwhere I go, fits in my shirt pocket too. 1 AAA battery lasts bout 8 hours on this thing. I even accedentally had it washed and it still worked!
User Rating:
2.0 stars
out of 77 user reviews
Doesn't play loud enough
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Review: I should have paid more attention to the CNET review saying it didn't play loud enough to drown out outside noise. Sound is not rich enough, even with better headphones -- no bass. Cheaply made, but that's what I expected because they give you a lot of memory for the price. I'm returning it.
User Rating:
4.0 stars
out of 77 user reviews
This is a great mp3 player
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Review: I just recently purchased this player and i highly recommend it for the first time buyer. The only problem was that it lacks some features and a belt clip.The sound is excellent.
User Rating:
3.5 stars
out of 77 user reviews
awesome! works with iTunes 3.0!
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Review: we picked up this unit at Costco for $149 CAD and it came with everything you need to get started, headphones, cables, software, case, arm strap, etc... we chose this unit because we read it was compatible with macintosh computers running iTunes in both OS9 and OSX. after installing the software with a simple drag-and-drop process we plugged in the iRock and everything worked flawlessly! copying over songs from your iTunes library is as simple as making a playlist, eliminating the need to rummage through your hard drive looking for mp3 files. this is a huge time saver and very simple, something you do in iTunes every day. the sound quality is very impressive as long as you are sure to activate the bass boost feature with the mode menu. the EQ settings are ok but we found it sounds best set to normal with the bass boost on. oh yeah, you can add a smart media memory card, which is something you can't do with a lot of mp3 players in this price range. as for not displaying ID3 tags, its really not an issue when you can only fit 15 songs. i can see this being necessary on hard drive based mp3 players like the iPod, and they of course do have ID3 support. overall this is an awesome player, the price is right and it suits our every need! now, GO BUY IT!
User Rating:
1.0 stars
out of 77 user reviews
Nice size, but limited features/support
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Review: Really cool how small it is, and impressive how long one single AAA battery will last. However the software for this product is aweful; its unstable and not user friendly. Does not support drag and drop, cannot organize files into folders. No light on display is annoying too. Like I said, great size, but limited in many ways.
User Rating:
2.0 stars
out of 77 user reviews
So-so product
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Review: As my first mp3 player, the irock turned out a boring ok. The display sucks, dowload time is atrocious, compatability with Windows Media Player is less-than-perfect, and don't get me started on the gym! It's small and fits in my pocket, but that doens't mean it won't fall out... after a few inevitable plunges, it's now skipping and stops sometimes in mid-song. It also does a weird acumulative thing where it won't completely erase all songs until i format it using the crappy software that comes with it. Gym-enthusiasts, i'd look somewhere else.
User Rating:
3.5 stars
out of 77 user reviews
I love my Irock 520
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Review: I got my Irock from QVC one year ago and i love it I don't use the softwear that came with it I use the musicmatch allso and use the inhancement and it rely sounds grat
User Rating:
1.0 stars
out of 77 user reviews
use your money on another product
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Review: i purchased it and it worked fine initially. but after 50 uploads onto the unit i found out that the management software was shareware that i had to purchase. i thought i already purchased everything i needed when i bought the product, what a scam. have you ever bought a product once and then had to buy upgrades to make it work. if you want to open a hole in our wallet and be my guest. since then i used windows media player successfully, then my computer quickly failed to notice the items was connected. i tried many mp3 managment software to no avail. i now have a $70 battery holder. i have recieved no support from the product manufacturer all they tell me is the software that came with it wasn't thiers. use the money to a better product. it's a shame because until the software failed it was a wonderful unit in itself, but without software it's the equivalent of a $70 cdr.
User Rating:
4.5 stars
out of 77 user reviews
Meets all expectations
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Review: You could spend a lot more but, why?...This player sounds great and stoers more than enough music for a workout or a plane flight. I would definitely buy it again.
User Rating:
4.0 stars
out of 77 user reviews
its cool
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Review: i bought this mp3 player at radio shack for a fair price. I loved it at first but there was only one problem. The paint on the irock is so cheap that mine faded from grey to white in less that two weeks. I got mad at that, but I went to a local place so they can do a custom paint job with air brushing and now I love it even more, so I definately recommend it!
User Rating:
4.0 stars
out of 77 user reviews
Excellent mp3 value
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Review: I've owned 2 RIO 300 mp3 players since they were introduced. While they still work perfectly, the company refuses to write drivers for Win Me or XP. I purchased a reconditioned Irock 520 for $47. This is an absolutely incredible player! The only negative is the Download manager. Don't bother to load it, and use Musicmatch for your manager. At full price, this is very much worth it. I purchased 3 more reconditioned 520s for my family, all work wonderfully. Highly recommended!
User Rating:
4.0 stars
out of 77 user reviews
Small, lightweight, simple and Mac-compatible!
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Review: I wanted a small, light, inexpensive, Mac-compatible MP3 player. I didn't want an iPod b/c it is too expensive, too big, too heavy and complete overkill for my needs. Another factor was that if it had a SmartMedia slot, that would be preferable since I have a 128 MB card from my digital camera that's just laying around... I first ended up with a Samsung Yepp YP-300S (or something like that). It fit all of my prerequisites above except that it was a bit larger and heavier than what I was looking for..., used it on one trip to Florida and then promptly returned it when I got back home. After doing some more research, I ended up with an iRock! 530 and I just wanted to tell you guys about it because it was quite difficult to find much information on it online (whereas there was a plethora of information on the iRock 300W FM transmitter). Anyway, I have to say that I'm extremely pleased with this little gadget! First, it is quite small and quite light. I don't really know what to compare it to, but suffice it to say that it could be placed in your shirt pocket without weighing the shirt down. It comes with 128 MB flash memory and an open SmartMedia slot. I popped my 128 MB card in, giving it a whopping total of 256 MB. That's more than enough memory for an average of about 50 songs at 128kbps (which is, btw, considered CD-quality sound). It also comes with two sets of headphones: the earbud type and a behind-the-head version. I run OS X full time and was happy to find an iTunes plug-in on the included CD-ROM (they give you an OS 9 version and an OS X version). I just dragged the plug-in to my iTunes plug-in folder and the player was recognized immediately when I plugged it into my iMac using the supplied USB cable. In the iTunes window, it shows the built-in flash memory as well as the SmartMedia card separately. Also, when plugged into the iMac, a new button appears at the bottom of the iTunes window which will erase and reformat the internal memory or SmartMedia card when you click on it. The display on the player gives you basic information, meaning track number and song length and whether the track is on the built-in memory or on the SmartMedia card. It does not list track names, artists, etc. However, this was/is not an issue for me. There is an equalizer for normal, rock, classic and jazz settings as well as a bass boost option. One thing I do miss is a backlight. There is a "jog dial" on the right of the player that turns the player on, plays, pauses, goes forward and goes backward. Also on this side of the player a two button volume control. The left side of the player has the mode button to access the equalizer, bass boost, repeat functions, etc. and the USB port. The back of the player contains the SmartMedia slot, the eject button for the SmartMedia card and the battery compartment (one AAA battery supplied). The top of the player has the headphones jack as well as a "hold" button to prevent unwanted pushing of the buttons. The sound quality is excellent. As mentioned above, I wouldn't be able to tell the difference between listening to an actual CD or to the iRock with songs encoded at 128kbps. All in all, I can't believe that this little MP3 player hasn't gotten more publicity, especially in the Mac community where it's hard to find Mac compatible MP3 players other than the iPod and those put out by a few other companies. If you're not into needing "thousands" of songs, can do without the extra size and weight of other players, and don't need track information with you when you're on the go, I highly recommend the iRock! 530. There's a 64 MB version for a bit cheaper, but spring for the 128 MB one...it's worth the extra [money].
User Rating:
3.0 stars
out of 77 user reviews
Good value for the price!
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Review: I wanted an MP3 player for the gym and got this for X-Mas 2001. It's been a year and I still use it daily. I recommend this product but have a few comments that might help you in your product decision. It is easy to manipulate the controls while not viewing the lcd. There is only a song counter, not a text readout. The software isn't great but I didn't really mind. I wish it had a form-fitting holder, I managed to adapt a beeper case but it's not great. Battery life is adequate. I love the card expansion that gives me 192MB total space! Price is great!
User Rating:
2.0 stars
out of 77 user reviews
Cheap product and software crashed my computer.
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Review: OK, I bought this b/c it was cheap and small. Well next time I will spend the extra cash. The software included with this unit is hard to use and made my computer crash within hours of installing it. Also, after ripping 50 songs from CD's, you have to spend another $20 before you can rip any more songs. I dont know if all MP3 software is like this, but Im definitely returning this player. The unit itself isnt too horrible, although it feels cheaply made. If everything worked it would be tolerable, but its been nothing but a nightmare since I've started using it.
User Rating:
5.0 stars
out of 77 user reviews
the best for less
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Review: This MP3 player is the best for its price and for its functionality, I have the IRock 530 and it has 128MB to start and is only for $130. With $50 you can add other 128 MB of mamory for a total of 256MB, It's a lot of music, about 4 hours of music, The 530 is very light and strong, I use it at the jim and works great, easy to use and with a good quality sound, also loud. I definetly recomend it.
User Rating:
4.5 stars
out of 77 user reviews
This thing is great!!!
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Review: It seems cheap at first, but after having used it for a few months now I love it. I have used it everywhere and it has really taken a beating sometimes and it just keeps right on working. The software for downloading songs to the player is kind of crappy, but it works just fine. It displays the pertinant info. The sound is absolutely awesome. I would highly recommend this to anyone. Oh yea, and get the 128 meg unit. That's what I have and I don't think 64 would be enough.
User Rating:
2.5 stars
out of 77 user reviews
Funny story
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Review: I sent for the i rock 530 fromt the web site and in two days i got a sorry red/pink player... I ended sending it back for the original white and blue.. what a bother... it took them 5 day to reply back to me after i sent it.. and after that it took another 4 day to send a new one back to me... over all it is al right my advice... tell them what color you want or they will send you a boogus color that you didn't even know they would ever produce...
User Rating:
5.0 stars
out of 77 user reviews
Impressed!!!
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Review: For the size, the pricee, the upgradability, and the amount of playtime you get from one single AAA battery is unbelieveable. Love it for the fact that it fits in your pocket and you'd never know it was there. This thing has been inmy ear since I got it...so I recommend it highly.
User Rating:
2.5 stars
out of 77 user reviews
NOT ITUNES 3 COMPATIBLE!
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Review: Not Itunes 3 or OSX compatible, though it claims to be; the drivers are flawed and cause constant crashing and unuseability. Do not buy this product for Mac OSX useage.
User Rating:
4.0 stars
out of 77 user reviews
An Excellent Buy
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Review: I have a few Mp3 players, and woud say this is one of the two best values for a flash-memory based player. It's got most of the things I want, and hardly anything I don't need. Pros: Great sound, small size, light weight, generous amount of memory (I have the 530 w/128megs + another 128 on the CF card. 256 megs is room enough for slightly over 50 tunes recorder at around 192kbs), thoughtful touches like covering the usb port, random/repeat modes, ability to turn OFF eq settings (ie-can play signals flat), unit shuts down after playing through all tunes (great for listening while going to bed and not waking up to a dead battery), good battery life. Cons: For the price and intended design, nothing. Some people may not appreciate that the unit has no backlight, and does not display ID3 tags, personally, I don't care. If I had to nitpick, I wish the thing could play just a *little* bit louder. I listen to a lot of delicate acoustic stringed instruments (lute, harp, guitar, cittern, etc.) and in noisy situations I sometimes find myself wishing I could turn it up just a bit more. Also, like most of these players, the supplied headphones are not great. (They are better than many, however, and may be good enough for some.) Personally, I'd replace them. If you like earbuds like the ones supplied, the Sennheiser MX-500 are a great value for the money (around $20). I wouldn't bother with the software that comes with the irock. Download the Rio plug-in for MusicMatch and use that. Very simple, and works great. All in all, one of the best flash-based mp3 players I've owned/used. I would highly recommend it.
User Rating:
4.0 stars
out of 77 user reviews
Great Little MP3 Player
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Review: Great size, good value. By the way after much research (and going to Radio Shack) the Armband Carrying Case refered to by Lone_Wolf is actually made for Family Radio Service Devices (sort of like walkie talkies. Here is the spec to save you time at Radio Shack - - "Armband Personal Radio Carry Case #42-265".
User Rating:
0.5 stars
out of 77 user reviews
Says Mac Compatable, But it Isn't
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Review: I bought the iRock because it said it was Mac compatable but it is not, at least not in any way I can find. Also, the customer service is non-existant. No 1-800 number and the email I sent to the company detailing my problem went unanswered. All, in all the iRock iSucks...
User Rating:
4.0 stars
out of 77 user reviews
The best bang for your buck
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Review: The only things missing for me in this device is the ability to go directly to a track and a jack to connect to my car to save the battery
User Rating:
3.5 stars
out of 77 user reviews
Great for first time user
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Review: I bought the Irock 530 which is white/red and has 128mb from RadioShack. I really wanted the Nomad IIc but I couldn't see paying almost $300. The Irock software was impossible to use but thanks to other views on CNET, I got some good advice and loaded software from MusicMatch Jukebox and I'm now very pleased. The sound is great and it's so easy to use I didn't need a manual to figure out how to set the equalizer. For the price this is a great way to experiment with portable MP3 players. It came with a hand belt and is so small and light that sometimes I forget it's in my hand. Once I outgrow this puppy, which won't happen anytime soon I'll move on to the big boys! This is a great little device.
User Rating:
4.0 stars
out of 77 user reviews
Light, bright, and just right
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Review: I originally purchased the 520 from Radio Shack, which comes with 64MB memory standard. After I bought it, Irock came out with the 530 which has 128MB standard expandable to 256MB. The sale price was $129, so I quickly traded in my 520 and bought the 530 for only $30 more. First, let me say that no other MP3 player on the planet that will give you this kind of memory storage for this kind of price. Secondly, the gripes about the display and controls really are irrelevant to a unit this small and light. Besides the memory capacity (and sound quality which I will address later), the main reason I bought this little gem was because I do not like to carry bulkly music devices when I jog or work out. Yeah, it doesn't have a belt clip or a case, but, it does not need one. It fits neatly and securely in any pocket your shirt or pants happen to have. Like other MP3 players, it bass a four-position equalizer and bass boost, and the ability to replay and shuffle tracks. The jog control -- which selects tracks to play -- is its weakest feature, mainly because it is small and very sensitive to movement. The best way to use this player is to select a track to play, adjust the volume control, and then slide the HOLD switch over to prevent accidental movement of the jog control. Basically, the display just tells you which track you are on, the elapsed time on that track, and the settings of volume, EQ, and repeat. It does not show ID3 tages. Again, big hairy deal. I do not need to be reading ID3 tags because I know which tracks belong to what music. The software that came with the player is adequate for transferring files from the computer to the player. HOWEVER, do not use it to rip tracks from CD's to convert them to MP3's. Why, you ask? Because (1) the money-hungry mogols at First International limit the number of times you can do that for free, and (2) you are limited in the bitrate you can select. I have one word for them and it beginsd with an "F" FREEWARE! There are several, really good CD-rippers on the web. The best that I have found to use is DbPower AMP (http://www.dbpoweramp.com). OK, listen up, because here is the key to storing great music on this machine. Use Db Power Amp to rip your CD tracks and/or convert your other WAVS and MP3s to 64MPS, not 128 KPS. What you get on the Irock with music encoded at 64 KPS is sound that is almost as clear and crisp as music encoded at 128 KPS, but you can store twice as much music. Like, how does 8 hours of music sound to you? The sound quality of the Irock is far better than the little players produced by Rio, Sanyo, RCA and others. Plus, the sound quality at 64 KPS is even better than WMA coded music. In short, you have no reason NOT to buy this great, liile player.
User Rating:
3.5 stars
out of 77 user reviews
Simple, Small, Sounds Great!
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Review: After reading all the user comments, I decideded to buy the Irock 530. It is exactly the same ast the 520, but comes with internal memory of 128mb instead of 64mb. I paid $129 for it at Radio Shack. I have to say, unlike a lot of users who complained about the software, I have had zero problems with it. It does what it's supposed to do. After starting the software,I simply go to the folder on my hard drive where my MP3's are stored, select the songs I want to add to the player and transfer them. Its really not that hard people!! Other users complain about the lack of features. Well,ok, so you don't get to see the name of the song scrolling accross the screen. So what!! Are you just gonna use the thing to lay on your bed and stare at the screen or are you going to get outside and do something with it?? Portabilty is where it's at. This is one of the best features about the irock. Second most impressive feature, the is the sound quality is awesome! Even the supplied ear buds work great. This little player fits in your pocket and has a slim transparent design, which disappears without an obtrusive bulge in your pocket. It's really the way to go if you want to down load your songs and get out and do something while enjoying great sounding music. The expandable SMC slot is great too. It can hold up to a 128mb SMC. That's about 4.5 hours of music, folks. Of course, you can always buy extra cards and store music on them and swap cards as you desire. I have found the battery life to be expectional too. I am getting about 6-7 hours of use from the single AAA battery. I may try buying NmHi batts. One more note or two, It does lack a belt clip. Some other users have offered some possible remidies for this mionr problem. The battery compartment door, seems a bit flimsy, but as long as you treat it with care, it should work out fine. I have not had any problems with mine. Just don't beat the thing up. In summary, if you are like me and you want your music and you want it to go, then get the Irock.
User Rating:
3.5 stars
out of 77 user reviews
Great overall player for the money.
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Review: The only problem ive been having is with XP compatibility and im trying to get the driver but cant find it.
User Rating:
4.0 stars
out of 77 user reviews
Best Portable MP3 Value Right Now
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Review: The iRock 520 is clearly the best current value for portable MP3 players IMHO. For $89.95, I got 64M of internal memory, 1AAA battery operation (works great with rechargeable NiMH), great sound quality, adequate LCD display, and fairly transparent form factor (disappears in any pocket, and is unnoticeably lightweight; can be taken anywhere). SmartMedia offers one of the best expandability options; I added 128M for $34.95 (on sale at Fry's; usual every month or so). Total cost = $124.90 for a 192M MP3 player capable of holding 3 hrs of CD quality music or 6 hrs of FM quality programming (ideal for audio novels). One caveat, the iRock formats the SmartMedia card in a proprietary standard that is unrecognizable by my Olympus digicam and SM reader (and many other devices, I suspect). I would purchase a dedicated card for the device. The support folks were responsive, but unhelpful on this issue; hackers can get into the intricacies of SM details to address this. Other minuses: No power-off index so one loses the point in the song when power is turned off (even the cheaper IO Data player has this, so how hard can it be!); cheap plastic, especially for the battery compartment (no problems so far, though); and no scrolling title display (probably would have increased the price of the unit, so forgiveable). The included software is adequate, although the Rio plug-in for MusicMatch seems to work well; that's all I use now. Just make sure to do the initial hardware installation as Administrator for Win2000. I ask the CNET reviewers: Is there another unit that offers this price/performance? I think not, so why the mere 6 of 10 rating? It's clear from the user ratings (~87% Thumbs up) that it merits better. Also, I believe a comparison with CD-based MP3 players is between apples and oranges. A user in the market for a portable memory-based unit wants extreme portability, skip-free performance, and avoidance of the hassles of burning CDs. For a no-frills bargain basement unit, check out the even smaller IO Data 64M MMC-expandable MP3 player which can be had for $50.
User Rating:
4.0 stars
out of 77 user reviews
easy to use and sounds great
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Review: I use my iRock when I go inline skating, and after adding a 64Mb SM card, it is reliable, sounds great, has good battery life, and I love it. My only problems have been occasionally with the download software, which is not fully baked.
User Rating:
4.5 stars
out of 77 user reviews
Try the new IRock 530...WOW!
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Review: I believe this is only an upgrade of the 520 to internal memory of 128MB. I was able to load about 2 hrs. of my favorite music and am very happy with this little simplistic gem (less can be more!). The included software was a little quirky, so I downloaded the free version of MusicMatch (they also provide a driver to load MP3's to your 520 or 530... just download the free Diamond 500 plugin from MusicMatch!). I'm using Windows XP and all is well! The sound is awesome! The size is perfect! It seems very solid, except for the battery cover plastic, so use caution when opening. I think that it may be more solid overall than the 520, 64MB version! The ear buds provide excellent quality and are very compact. I love this thing. Great bass booster! I can't wait to pick up a 128 MB SM card - 4 hours of recorded music then! I paid $129.95 for mine at Radio shack this past weekend (first shipment just came in on Friday). I wish that there was a case to hold the unit and ear buds - no big deal. I'm sure that I'll run across one for a few bucks. Go for it!
User Rating:
4.0 stars
out of 77 user reviews
It really does rock :)
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Review: Well, the little unit is absolutely great. It sounds amazing, and with a 128MB SM card lasts me all the way thru a 2 hour session at the gym. It has everything I need, and nothing I don't (like those ID3 song name features). Fine as the unit is, the software is a nightmare. It's convoluted and nearly useless if you have a lot of MP3's. Make your life easier and go on the irock site and get their "Download Manager". It's a lot easier to use to install tunes on your unit (it's more instinctive, looks like the MS File manager). Pat
User Rating:
3.5 stars
out of 77 user reviews
Everything you need (almost), nothing you don't.
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Review: I was skeptical at first, especially when the Irock is most prominently displayed at Radio Shack stores, the purveyors of rather uninspiring brands like RCA and Tandy. But for under $100 I thought it was worth the risk. I must admit I am very satisfied with this purchase. Even the 32MB unit has enough capacity to hold a full CD of music, if you record songs at 64kbps rate. In a noisy gym, 64 sounds no different than 128. However, for $20 more, you get the 64MB model, which is a cheaper memory upgrade than the memory cards will be - so go for the 64MB model to begin with (both models are expandable with the SMC memory card slot). For my purposes, I have no interest in reading text or graphics - I know what songs I have downloaded, thank you, and I am not so zonked out by this MTV era I need to be bombarded by visual stimuli while listening - so I am perfectly willing to sacrifice this option in lieu of affordability. The software is a BIG part of the value of this unit - the software really completes the overall package, by offering a well thought-out interface between the user, his computer, and his Irock. I find it very easy to download tracks to the unit - and I didn't have to seek any 3rd party software to get the tracks loaded from a CD onto my computer - the included software offers everything you need to manage your tracks. The USB connection allows fast data transfer. Seems to me at an age when 1800 MHz Pentium 4 processors are commonplace, today's computer technology would allow greater memory and a wafer-thin MP3 player. But given other brands and models of MP3 players I have seen hanging on the shelves elsewhere, the Irock's case is among the best in size and shape. The unit is very compact, and its symmetrical, tapered profile fits comfortably in palm or pocket - especially when compared to the traditional benchmarks like portable cassette and CD players. Don't let the package weight fool you - the Irock is very lightweight out of the box, even with the AAA battery installed. The controls are only cryptic for about 2 minutes until you read thru the manual, at which point they become very sensible. The "hold" switch is an excellent idea - while activated, it freezes all the controls once you have them set, preventing undesired button presses while moving about. My only real gripe is the lack of a clip. I fail to understand how a portable music player of ANY type could get off the drawing board and into production without any decision to include a belt clip. So far I have kept it in my pocket while working out, but I am afraid it will fall out - so I plan to get an arm band like another poster suggested. Again, I hope in a few years I will be able to get a credit-card size unit with a Gigobyte of memory for $50. But until then, I will be very satisfied with the Irock.
User Rating:
4.0 stars
out of 77 user reviews
Great compact device for all uses
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Review: This is small, easy to use, and its all basic. no fussing around with preferences. great for gym, running and just haning around. Its back to the basics with great technology
User Rating:
3.5 stars
out of 77 user reviews
Great MP3 player for the price & gym
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Review: I have had the 520 about a week ,as an avid weightlifter, I put the 520 through the paces..It has been hit against 45lb plates, survivied two sweaty 5 mile runs..and a change of songs...It performed admirably..the software is great..took a couple of minutes to figure it out..when all else fails go back and read the directions..the music manager program is very user friendly with a cool graphic display..the negatives are the battery life I have managed to squeeze about 6 hours out of the single AAA..it just went out on we through my arm workout...over all great Mp3 player for the money..I read all the reviews here and could'nt be happier..one of my partners has the older Rio 500..this 520 is much smaller and less intrusive...Irock needs to develop a small carrying case or clip on the back..the carrying strap is useless and feminine looking (pink?)...I bought the 520 for $108.00 including tax at CompUSA($99) without tax..
User Rating:
4.0 stars
out of 77 user reviews
Excellent No-Frills MP3 Player
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Review: Wow! I got this thing yesterday and I'm in love! $99 plus a few bucks to ship. Setup was no problem, and in about 10 minutes, I was enjoying some fine 80's metal MP3s with the bass thumping through my cranium. I was slightly concerned by the few negative reviews, but still thought it would be a good buy. I was right on! Put your fears aside, but get your expectations in order. Yeah, it's definitely no frills. But I'm using it to shove into a backpack and go running... so I didn't need a backlit LCD or display of the song name and artist. For that purpose, this thing rules. Also, I took the advice of others and didn't use the enclosed software to rip MP3's. I ripped them with another program and uploaded them with the enclosed software. The User Interface is a little clunky, but once you figure it out (Hello? Press F1 for help, you knuckleheads) it's pretty easy. Big Sound, Small Form Factor, Great Price. Enjoy this little gem.
User Rating:
3.5 stars
out of 77 user reviews
Cheap and dirty
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Review: Hey for the price it's great. If you want $300's worth of electronics pay for it...this is cheap, light and has 64M of memory. I got it as a gift and I love it!!!
User Rating:
3.5 stars
out of 77 user reviews
Little price tag, BIG sound
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Review: I bought my iRock player from Radio Shack - on sale for $79.99 - add another $70 for the 128MB card and we are looking at about $150. The sound and ease of operation are definitely worth the small deficiencies of the unit - such as the card ejector and lack of song titles. Great for the beginner to intermediate MP3 aficionado. Enjoy the 3.5 hours of music that this little boom box packs.
User Rating:
4.0 stars
out of 77 user reviews
Great Sound for the Price
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Review: The sound on this mp3 is excellent. This unit holds approximately 42 songs w/ 128 SMC. Perfect for an hour long ride. Doesn't have multiple features, you probably wouldn't use. It's the perfect size and easy to maneuver. Case could be sturdier.
User Rating:
4.0 stars
out of 77 user reviews
Perfect for the motorcycle
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Review: The Irock makes for an outstanding addition to my bike! Sure, It doesn't have Title/Artist tags and other such schlock - But when it just sits in your pocket - Who cares? The included earbuds are quite potent and do an excellent job of reproducing tone at all ranges. The 4-setting EQ w/ Bass boost meets my needs very well. It is light, durable, expandable, easy on batteries, and best of all CHEAP. It is a fine proiduct.
User Rating:
3.0 stars
out of 77 user reviews
A solid--but extremely BASIC--mp3 player
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Review: PROS: affordable; great sound; stylish and hi-quality earbuds; preset equalizer; ample and cheap expansion capabilities; fast transfer rates (one song in 10 secs); mac/pc compatible; effective control layout w/ jog dial etc. CONS: nightmarish software; no built-in recording function; microscopic screen with NO backlight; flimsy battery compartment door; no remote; expansion slot has NO COVER, exposing the inside of the unit. BOTTOM LINE: A good-sounding, compact and efficient mp3 player at a very affordable price; but lacks a LOT of features that are included in other players. I recommend that you visit a retailer and actually try it out by yourself.
User Rating:
3.5 stars
out of 77 user reviews
Perfect for no-bells MP3 player
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Review: If you just want to download your music and put the player in your pocket and listen, this is perfect. If you want to know each song title as you are running/working out and show off what a cool MP3 player you have, you should buy something else. This little Mp3 player gives crisp clear sound, it is small, and you can change songs while this thing is in your pocket easily. Isn't that what an Mp3 player should basically do? It does not have a belt clip, just get a velcro belt @ WALMART for $1.99
User Rating:
3.5 stars
out of 77 user reviews
Nothing fancy but it rulez!
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Review: Just picked up this little wonder, great sound and extremely easy to use.If you can't figure this gizmo out, you is STUPID.Very intuitive.My only complaint,it looks a little cheesey.Definitely worth the $189 Canadian I shelled out for it!
User Rating:
0.5 stars
out of 77 user reviews
horrible software
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Review: The player itself, though it is cheaply made is okay. The software on the other hand sucks the big one. I too run ME and it's a nightmare trying to get it to recognize it, and the so called tech support at this company doesn't have a clue what to do.
User Rating:
3.5 stars
out of 77 user reviews
Good sound, good price, poor design
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Review: Great player for the price. Sound quality is great, software is cludgy. Found this player in my search for a sub $100 player with at least 64 megs. Decided to give it a shot. The case design is my only dissapointment. The plastic seems flimsy (although after reading a few other posts, this doesn't appear to be an issue). Without a card in the expansion slot, the card eject mechanism just sort of flops around. Also, the card slot itself could use a cover of some sort and a belt clip would be nice. Other than that, I'm very impressed with the player, and would recommend it for anyone looking for a good sounding player with plenty of memory for a good price.
User Rating:
3.5 stars
out of 77 user reviews
perfectly functional
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Review: I bought this player at Compuserve while I was waiting for my Bantam to come in the mail. I got 4 NiMH batteries (for Palm too), charger, 64MB SMC, and player for about $40 less (incl. 9% tax)than I'd paid for the BA350. I figured I'd check out both and spend the extra $40 if I felt it was warranted. Nope. The Bantam feels much higher quality, but the sound is better from the iRock. Plus, I can use the iRock with MusicMatch and resample music as it is being downloaded. Finally, the iRock offers more flexibility. Audio books can be stored on individual SMC when traveling. I'm headed to Europe for spring break. With the iRock I'm not worried I won't be able to charge it. Sure I would have paid another $40 for better quality plastics, but this thing works and I don't have plans for using it in any contact sports!
User Rating:
3.5 stars
out of 77 user reviews
Easy to us, excellent sound
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Review: I purchased one last week. I have been impressed with the sound quality from such a little box. The transfer process is straighforward and simple. The unit small, lightweight and easily fits in a pocket. Tye controls are picked up easily so the unit can be operated by feel. If you need the song titles displayed, you are out of luck, but it is not as if there are thousands of songs on a 128 meg SMC. Only real problem experienced was problems probably specific to my machine casued by the lack of the ICH2USB.CAT driver file. Once I figured that (on-line tech support is poor - I did not use telephone support), everything ran great.
User Rating:
3.5 stars
out of 77 user reviews
Great value, decent quality
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Review: I recently purchased my Irock520 at Circuit City for $90, with an additional $29 for a 64 mb Smartmedia card. I have used the player while skiing, mountain biking, and running, and have had no problems with it. It is compact and light weight, simple to operate, and in my experience so far, is reliable. When I first opened the package, I thought the player looked flimsy and cheap, and was frankly concerned about durability. I have dropped this player a few times and have not had any problems with it so far. I would certainly reccomend this player to anyone who wants an inexpensive, simple, basic MP3 player.
User Rating:
4.0 stars
out of 77 user reviews
No feature you won't use anyway.
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Review: Great MP3 player. Doesn't have all the features that you most likely wouldn't use anyway. Light, easy to use, great sound quality, even at 96 kbps, great headphones. And a $9 cell phone case for Nokia 8200 series from Wal-Mart fits it so perfectly, that even the headphone socket and hold switch have their openings already cut. Also you have access to all the other controls including the display. By the way, why would you really need titles when you can at most store about 4.5 h of music? The player is for active people that upload music they want and don't care to much what it is at the moment.
User Rating:
3.5 stars
out of 77 user reviews
ok for fist timers
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Review: Its light weight and easy to use, but memory upgrade you have to be careful and get the right one
User Rating:
3.0 stars
out of 77 user reviews
mine is broke after 2 DAYS!
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Review: i am so let down with my irock 520. after one day of difficult use, tha player stopped working. first i could no longer transfer songs to the device, now it simply doesn't work at all. and the software is a nightmare. it can only transfer songs from it's own database which is very cumbersome to compile. if you let the "audio manager" scan your drives, the database will contain hundreds of poorly named sound files from windows and every other program on your pc. ironic name ,huh. the irock definetly does not Rock!!
User Rating:
3.5 stars
out of 77 user reviews
No frills, no gimmicks, good sound
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Review: Simple and devoid of extra features but does exactly what an mp3 player is expected to do, has a smart media card (got a 128meg expansion for a 196meg mp3 player), and above average sound quality (90db s/n vs. the normal 75-85). Perfect if you don't care about silly extras.
User Rating:
4.0 stars
out of 77 user reviews
Very nice little player
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Review: Just bought the IROCK after doing a lot of research. It was very easy to set up and transfer songs. Only downside is that it could have a bit more power on the volume but the sound quality is great. Storngly recommended for the price, it's a great buy!
User Rating:
0.5 stars
out of 77 user reviews
Laughable attempt at making a decent MP3.
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Review: It's absolutely laughable and incredible how many folks will lambast the iPod because of its pricing while failing to look closely at what it does right. Basic math will tell you that the iPod is a much better deal than any of the MP3 players avail. for PCs. At $100 your average Wintel MP3 player comes with 64 MB capacity. That comes to $1.56 per MB. While the iPod at $400 puts in your hands 5000 MB of which roughly 4760 MB are useable. Which comes to $0.084 per MB?!!? And that's just judging the iPod on a MB per dollar basis. It's user interface is incredibly easy to master and navigate. Firewire is infinitely better than USB. (I filled up my iPod in 13 minutes!?). 10 hour battery life! Truly a portable MP3 device. It's agreed that the iPod costs a bit. But it excels in all areas. Also, you CAN use the iPod with PCs.
User Rating:
4.5 stars
out of 77 user reviews
Great first mp3 player
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Review: Before buying this mp3 player, I read review after review, and this one seemed like the best for the money. 64mb for $99, it can hold about a cd and a half worth of music. I just got mine today and went on a 3 mile run with it, and it works great, no skipping, the audio quality is excellent, the sound volume is great as well, I find that I can't listen to it with the volume turned up full blast. The only thing I dont like about it is that it doesnt come with a belt clip 
, it does however have a cheesy "armband" that doesnt look like it would work to well. I just put it in a baggie and used a tiewrap to attach it to the string on my running shorts I also find the included eatbuds adequate, but just a bit too large for my ears, so it can get a bit uncomfortable if not bearable. I'm probably going to buy another pair.
, it does however have a cheesy "armband" that doesnt look like it would work to well. I just put it in a baggie and used a tiewrap to attach it to the string on my running shorts I also find the included eatbuds adequate, but just a bit too large for my ears, so it can get a bit uncomfortable if not bearable. I'm probably going to buy another pair. User Rating:
3.5 stars
out of 77 user reviews
Great player - small and inexpensive
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Review: Needed something I could run/snowboard/bike/etc with. This thing is incredibly small, with great battery life. If you're looking for something to use for short periods of time, get this.
User Rating:
4.0 stars
out of 77 user reviews
Definitely worth the money!!
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Review: Had a little trouble with the driver and XP. Easily downloaded the updated driver from MyiRock.com and zingo.......runs like a top, sounds great. By the way you can add a 128 SM Card and it works fine, tons of headroom for what I listen to.
User Rating:
1.5 stars
out of 77 user reviews
Great MP3 Player very portable!
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Review: I have been using this for about a month now. My main feature was portability as I wanted to use it in the gym. At first I felt it was a little cheezy because of the plastic case and it's feel in the hand. I was soon won over by the great sound, ease of use, and the fact that I have used it many times and have still not changed the one AAA battery! The down side is there is a small display so no song names (I didn't care about this. And the big downside is the software BITES! If you want to rip more then 50 songs they want you to pay another 50.00, and if you build the database and then move files to a new directory, when you rebuild the database it keeps the old entry which is a dead link. Upside is it will work with Musicmatch, just download the Diamond Rio 500 plugin. In summary get the player, dump the software.
User Rating:
4.0 stars
out of 77 user reviews
Best deal for the price range.
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Review: A good portable for the gym or on the go.The only downside so far is the lack of carrying case. The wrist strap is inadequate. The rest is a nice fit for its purpose.
User Rating:
3.5 stars
out of 77 user reviews
cheap but good
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Review: Picked it up from work. Under $180CAD for a 64 meg MP3 player is awesome! Not as well built as other units, but it works fine and it's small!
User Rating:
3.5 stars
out of 77 user reviews
Not perfect, but still a great player...
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Review: As a big mp3 collector, it was time to get a portable mp3 player. a MP3 CD player is too big to be portable, and a mini cd player only holds 185MB CDs which is costly to keep buying CDs. I decided to get a flash memory type player. I wanted the Intel Pocket Concert, but was not about to drop 300$! So, i came across the Irock 520 for 99$ at CompUSA. The player has 64MB memory. The addon card was 39$. So, for 140$ u get a 128MB player. At 160$ cheaper that the Intel player, its a steal. There are a few things i dont like about it. For one, it doesnt display id3 tags. This means it wont display Artist name, song name, etc. But with 128mb, you wont be fitting multimple albums on here either (maybe an albuim and a half at 192), so id3 isnt as neccesary as a 10GB player. Also, its kind of cheaply constructed. It uses one button for play, stop, foward and back, which feels kinda cheap. And lastly, with the 64mb card in, sure you have 128mb, but if you have an album thats say 100mb, youll have to transfer 64mb of it first, than the other half to the card. Kind of an inconveniance, but not terrible. Overall, i payed 151$ after tax for a player that weighs nearly nothing, has 64MB internal memory, a 64MB addon card, and is a bit bigger than a beeper. Its an awesome player, and its low price outweighs its problems. Definately reccomended.
User Rating:
2.0 stars
out of 77 user reviews
A fair mp3 player
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Review: Bought this product at Radio Shack...wanted another Iomega HipZip(out of stock) and was convinced by the salesman to give it a try. This one is going back. Rudimentary functions and poor display. No listing of titles, artists, and menu is cryptic. Will not download some songs that HipZip could. No backlight. Controls feel cheap. Some good things about it are the sound quality, the small size, and the fact you can add memory. A fair player, but I'm not keeping it!
User Rating:
4.0 stars
out of 77 user reviews
Best MP3 player for the price.
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Review: One of the only 64MB players on the market for $99. Upgradable to 128MB with Smart Media card. Easy interface, went from the box to download to play in about 15 minutes. Fair to good audio. Good intuitive controls. The software interface could better, but is functional.
User Rating:
4.0 stars
out of 77 user reviews
A pleasant surprise
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Review: Ok... I was a little peeved Christmas morning when I opened my MP3 player only to see the IROCK 520, not the $300 Intel MP3 player I wanted. (My wife assured me the salesman guaranteed her this was a better choice) So... It was with some trepidation & a fake smile that I opened & setup my IROCK. Installation went smoothly - I had no issues or problems install the software on my DELL W2K laptop or on a Windows 98 desktop. Quick install & reboot, USB detected the 520. Software was fairly straight-forward, I had no issue copying MP3's down the player. Popped in the battery & off I went on a running. No skipping or pops & to date the first battery has lasted 9 hours & is still going. PRO's: Price, Price, Price Easy installation - No bugs Easy of use Size - small & light weight Inexpensive memory upgrades - 64MB for $29.99 Fairly fast downloads Good sound CON's: No armband or carrying case or jogging, but It's so small you can put in a shirt/jacket pocket. Short USB cord. Note a big name brand if you want to impress people. Bottom Line: This is a great little deal. I have heard complaints of it not being feature rich. I'm not really sure what other features people are looking for, but it has a nice sound, random, shuffle, bass boost, equalizer and it plays MP3's! If you are looking for a decent MP3 player that is inexpensive, easy to use & has some nice features... This is the one.
User Rating:
4.0 stars
out of 77 user reviews
A little mp3 player Gem
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Review: I bought the 64MB 520 model just after Christmas. It has fantastic sound and is plenty loud enough which is amazing considering it takes just one AAA battery. Even after using it for what seems a good while, the battery meter is still reading full so I can well believe the claim of up to 10 hours use. It's a nicely designed little unit but sadly as I have read before the software is the weak link. It kept crashing and even corrupted the transfer on my Windows 98 PC, but so far touch wood, it has behaved flawlessly on a Windows 2000 Laptop which is good because I didn't want to return it!! In fact I liked it so much I went straight out and bought a 64MB Smartmedia card.
User Rating:
4.0 stars
out of 77 user reviews
good things come in small packages
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Review: I've have only had the irock for a couple of days, but with my experence with it is pretty good. I has a great sound, although you should turn the bass on. My one complaint is the software they supply, its a weak sister, but everything else is great
User Rating:
4.0 stars
out of 77 user reviews
Compact price and size
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Review: I just received my irock 520 for Christmas and think it is great. This is my first mp3 player and we did not want to spend alot of money on something we did not know alot about. We checked out reviews online about several products and decided to try the irock 520. For the value $99 it packs alot of sound. I was able to download about 16 songs to the built-in 64mb and we also have a 32mb chip that we use for our digital camera that is able to be swapped and used in the smartmedia slot. So this is a plus. My fiance knew that I wanted behind the head headphones, so he also bought me those with the player. But we tried the ones that come with the player and they are fine. So far I am very pleased.
User Rating:
4.0 stars
out of 77 user reviews
Absolutely the best value available.
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Review: 64MB, Expandable to 128. USB Small, easy to use, easy to install, good sound quality. 99 bucks! can't be beat.
User Rating:
3.5 stars
out of 77 user reviews
Perfect cheap MP# player for running.
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Review: As a serious runner all I wanted in an MP3 player was something that was easy to use, very small and light, and had good sound. The irock 520 fit the bill perfectly. At just under 3 ounces with battery and headphones, I can put in the pocket of my running shorts (sealed in a baggie to keep out sweat), and I don't even notice it's there. I had never had an MP3 player before, but had this up in running in under 30 minutes (most of the time was spent transferring my CD's to MP3 format). I gave support a 3 because I didn't have any use for it. I bought mine at Radio Shack for $99.99. (I'm still on the original AAA battery after over 5 hours of use, and it's reading 2/3 on the LCD)
User Rating:
5.0 stars
out of 77 user reviews
Simplicity to the MAX!
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Review: Very simple display and buttons. Also the add on radio trasmitter rocks. You can use it on any device with an earphone jack, and it will play back to the station you set. I am sure anybody with an iq over 3 will be able to setup and use this device.
User Rating:
4.5 stars
out of 77 user reviews
Cant Beat It For The Price!
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Review: Flawed design? Fair Value? Buggy? Cant get it to work? COME ON! I had this thing installed and running in 15 minutes AND without reading the instructions. It couldnt have been any easier! Load it up with tunes, put it in your pocket and your off. Upgrading memory is cheap and easy since, it uses inexpensive Smart Media cards. People shouldnt bash products that they are too stupid to know how to use!! Thanks for reading.
User Rating:
2.5 stars
out of 77 user reviews
Flawed design; fair value
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Review: Bought this at Radio Shack for $90 for the size, low cost and support for smart memory card. Uses card in a proprietary way, requiring use of buggy MP3 loading and maintenance program. Sound quality is relatively good. Should read/write memory and memory card with standard windows FAT to support standard copying.
User Rating:
5.0 stars
out of 77 user reviews
Excellent value and quality!
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Review: Easy to use controls. Excellent sound quality even with the supplied headphones. I have listened to the Nike and Intel MP3 players and this one is better. BUY IT!
