Little did we know that irock! was hard at work improving their technology. It seems that minutes after we reviewed the irock! 730i Digital Media Player, irock! announced the release of the new and improved 830 model. Our curiosity got the better of us and we requested a demo.
At less than 2 ounces the irock! 830 is lighter and smaller than the 730i. The 830's 30 hours of battery life are welcome improvement over the 730i's meager 8 hours. Its beautiful pearlized silver finish makes it stand out. You don't have to worry about scratching it. A black leather case comes standard with the device. A strip of blue backlight LCD displays the devices functions. Sleek with rounded edges, the irock! 830 is definitely a looker.
Loading your music on the 830 is easy enough. A CD includes the USB drivers as well as software to transfer music to your player. However, unlike many competing flash players on the market, the 830 is fully compatible with Windows Media. If your files are in this format all you need to do is open Windows Media player, click the "Copy to CD or Device" button, and start moving files. This feature makes the 830 a great choice for the less tech savvy consumer, or the consumer that just doesn't want to deal with the idea of learning new software. If you're an Apple user, rest assured that the 830 is also compatible with Apple iTunes™.
If you do want some new software, rest assured the 830 comes bundled with lots of it. MUSICMATCH® Jukebox is included if you want an alternative to Windows Media Player. MP3i Creator™ software lets you make interactive MP3s with scrolling text and pictures. One of the more interesting pieces of software included with the 830 is MP3i Creator™ which creates custom mixes for you depending on your mood. What will they think of next?
One of the areas where irock! could improve this device is ergonomics. Tuning the radio for presets is accomplished by using the "EQ/FM Presets" and "A-B" as up/down buttons. The controls are placed awkwardly on different sides of the device, making it difficult to control the unit while jogging or other physical activity. The scanning function is also a little tricky because it entails holding down the lever, which can cause you to skip stations. It seems as though the FM feature was an afterthought on this device and they placed the controls wherever they could.
The irock! 830 features 5 Preset Equalizer Modes: Flat, Rock, Pop, Jazz, Classical. Unfortunately the EQ settings are not customizable, and some distortion is audible on settings such as "Pop" and "Rock", however it is subtle and the average listener may never notice it.
