iriver CXW-2G Clix 2 GB Digital Music and Video Player, White Review

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(More customer reviews)*I bought the Clix with the Dock as a complete package from iRiver and this review covers both items*
Packaging
iRiver does a good job with their packaging by making it simple and clean, probably taking note of Apple's packaging strategy, though not as refined. All the included accessories are placed in clearly labeled paper boxes making it simple and easy to find what you need quickly. There is no foam padding of any sort to protect any of the accessories or the player itself but I do not think this will be a problem because the Clix is a flash based player. The Clix itself is protected by a sticker with a printed on animation of the "now playing" screen. There is a "starter kit" that comes with the Clix that contains the manual, quick start guide, software CD, various documentations, and a neoprene case with a screen cleaner. The case fits the player very snugly and is padded enough to ensure proper protection. The screen cleaner does a decent job though I sometimes found that it just smeared the oils from my skin instead of absorbing it.
The packaging for the cradle dock contains a series of boxes as well with no foam padding to protect anything but everything came out of the box in perfect condition. The cradle comes with a line-in cable, 3.5mm extension plug, the dock itself, and an IR remote.
I enjoyed the packaging but it did not wow me as Apple's packaging does. I was concerned with the lack of protection for the components though none of them were damaged. I would like it if iRiver included some plastic molds to hold their components to make it seem more professional while adding some protection at the same time.
Design
The Clix is one of the most beautifully designed MP3 players I have ever seen. The button-less screen creates a very clean and sleek look that resembles a flat panel television. Since there are no buttons to press, navigation is done through pressing the sides of the screen. The sides of the screen are tactile buttons and not touch sensitive, which would have made it too sensitive. The rest of the controls are located on the sides of the player which include dedicated volume buttons, a power button, a "smart key," and a hold switch. The hold switch does not only cease the function of the screen buttons but actually locks the screen buttons into place so they can not be pressed. This is a wise choice by iRiver because it will prevent wear and tear on the buttons. The back of the player is made of glossy white plastic and has a clean look to it instead of having a bunch of Windows, SRS, WOW, and other logos. While the screen of the player seems very scratch resistant, the back seems to be more prone to scratching so users should exercise caution. One of my favorite design features of the Clix is its ability to switch between landscape and portrait modes. Portrait mode is useful in allowing one-handed operation of the player, though it is a little more difficult that I would have liked it to be. Since users have to touch the sides of the player to navigate, they will find their thumbs and hands obstructing their view when pressing some buttons. Though it this is a little annoying, it is bearable and does not take away from the overall pleasurable experience of using the player. Another gripe is that the reset button can only be pressed by inserting a paperclip into a pin-sized hole located at the bottom of the player. Both Creative and iRiver have to find a simpler way to reset the player. I really like the simple button combo that makes the iPod reset itself. Creative and iRiver should take note.
Once in the Cradle Dock, the player will resemble a retro-style television which will draw stares and wow your friends. There are tiny speakers on the back of the dock that allow wireless use of your player. The dock gives the player the awesome feature of line-in recording but also disables an important feature, the FM tuner. I assume this happens because there is no headphone lead to act as an antenna, which would have given the player horrible reception. The dock also lets you connect a line-out cable so you can listen to your music on better speakers and there is a mini-USB connector to allow you to sync your player while it is still in the dock. The included IR remote is the only method of navigating the player while it is in the dock. The remote has a very slim profile and membrane type buttons and while this remote provides excellent functionality for the player while it is in the dock, it is poorly designed because the buttons become a little exhausting after prolonged use and the directional buttons are a bit more spread out than I would have liked. The remote also looks quite cheap with an uneven fit and finish and lack of attention to detail. Perhaps I am being nit-picky but I do enjoy the fact that every function can be accessed wirelessly.
One design feature that I find refreshing is the USB cable that is provided with the player. It has a mechanism that locks the player into place on the cable and can only be unlocked by holding buttons on the side. This results in a secure attachment to your computer, making it impossible to accidentally disconnect your player while it is performing a sync which could wreck the player. More manufacturers should take note of this simple, yet ingenious locking mechanism.
Finally, if you are worried about the durability of Clix, worry no more. I gave this Clix to my sister as a present and she has the reputation of having the "touch of death" with all things electronic. It has been over two weeks and I'm happy to report that the player has not scratched. This is truly an amazing testament to the kind of plastic that iRiver chose to make the Clix's screen with.
Performance
Once I fired up the player for the first time, I was immediately impressed with the fluidity of the interface and how beautifully simplistic, yet sophisticated the menus were laid out. Everything is laid out very logically and can be picked up without reading the instruction manual, which I believe most people do. The GUI reminds me of Windows Media Center, which makes sense because iRiver worked very closely with Microsoft on the development of this player. The "now playing" screen really impresses me in that it uses its screen real estate to deliver tons of information without searching through a sub menu. Song title, album name, song rating, artist name, year of album release, time, battery meter, EQ setting, number of songs in current playlist, and my favorite, next song. More companies should add a "next song" display on their players. Though this may seem like an overwhelming amount of information to be displayed on one screen, I did not find it confusing at all. One thing that bugged me about the interface was the fact that you could not delete songs or recordings from the player.
Pictures are browsed on the player in list form, displaying a small thumbnail of the highlighted picture. Photos look accurate and fluid on the screen as it would on the computer screen though detail is lost because of the 320x240 resolution. There is no over saturation as with other players, namely my Creative Zen Vision: M. Videos can also be played on this device and look good for 15 frames per second (fps). I expected the video experience to be severely degraded compared to the 30fps that my Vision: M is capable of but I am pleasantly surprised that there was minimal difference. Music videos looked great and the screen provided excellent viewing angles. I would advise against watching anything longer than a few minutes on the Clix because of two reasons: one being that the screen is so small and will fatigue your eyes and two being the fact that the player maxes out at a dainty 2 GB.
My favorite feature about the Clix is its ability to record in several different ways. There is FM recording which is very handy for catching shows or songs you want to save, thought the RIAA will not be happy about the latter. You can also perform voice recordings and line-in recordings. Voice recordings were of average quality and had a hard time picking up sounds that were far away. I would not use the Clix to record lectures or conferences though it is a handy tool for taking notes or to do a casual podcast. Line-in recording provided much more of a use because of its excellent recording quality. If set at "high" recording quality, files are encoded at 256kbps MP3s and 128kbps at "medium" quality. Recording whole albums is a simple process though editing the file names and ID3 tags of the songs is not as fun or pleasurable. I did encounter a few problems when recording, one of which was the recording volume. Even when set at the highest recording volume and max volume from the recording source (my ZVM) the volume of the recorded tracks was still lower than I would have liked them to be. Another problem I encountered was the track splitting function which breaks up the recording when it doesn't sense any sound for 2 seconds. For classical albums, it could not sense the gaps correctly and recorded the album as one huge MP3. My final gripe about the line-in recording function is that the recordings are stored deep in the submenus of the "Extras" section which is irritating when you want to find your recordings and listen to them since they are not included in your library. Hopefully a firmware update will place a folder in the music library for recordings.
With all of these extra features, it is easy to forget what the Clix was designed to do and that is to play music and boy does the Clix deliver. This is one of the best sounding MP3 players I have ever heard. There is also an incredible amount of adjustability with this player. Users can choose from a...Read more›

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The iRiver Clix features an eye-catching, direct-click interface that makes it easy to fly through your media collection and find the right song, video, photo, or video game. The unit is centered around a vivid 2.2-inch color LCD display, which delivers remarkably clear 320 x 240 (QVGA) resolution for watching videos and playing flash-based games. With support for MP3, WMA, ASF, Ogg, JPEG, MPEG-4, and Flash Lite 1.1 files, users can choose from a ton of other audio and video formats. The iRiver Clix even works with Windows Media Player 10 and its variety of affiliated online music stores and subscription services, including PlaysForSure services such as Napster and Rhapsody.
Measuring just 2.7 by 1.8 by 0.6 inches and weighing a mere 2.5 ounces, the Clix is about the size of a business card. But don't be fooled, as the unit features 2 GB of internal flash memory, which is capable of storing approximately 32 hours of CD-quality MP3 music (encoded at 128 kbps) or 64 hours of WMA tracks (at 64 kbps). The Clix also plays MPEG-4 Simple Profile (SP) files at a maximum of 384 kbps and 15 frames per second, with audio encoded in MP3 format. Should you need to convert other formats to MPEG-4, simply download the free iRiverter utility and you're set.
The display also doubles as the control interface, so you don't have to mess with any cumbersome buttons or controls. And unlike the touchscreens normally found on PDAs, the Clix's direct-click feature responds to gentle fingertip pressure, eliminating the need for pens or control keys.
Meanwhile, a built-in microphone makes the iRiver Clix an ultracompact dictation machine. The recording quality is freely selectable and is controlled automatically. And listeners who hate to miss their favorite public radio program will dig the built-in FM tuner. Finally, the unit comes with several free Flash Lite games, including Launch Fighters (a Space Invaders remake, Log Jam, Barn Baron, and Sudoku.
Audio-wise, the Clix offers 10 EQ settings along, a user-defined EQ option, and SRS WOW virtual surround sound, which creates a 3-D soundscape and a superior bass performance. In addition, the Clix, which is compatible with Windows XP operating systems (SP1), sports a fast USB 2.0 interface for speedy file transfers. The device comes with a rechargeable lithium-polymer battery that delivers up to 25 hours of battery life per charge and is backed by a one-year warranty.
What's in the Box iRiver Clix media player, earphones, carrying case with screen cleaner, USB 2.0 cable, Easy Start installation CD, user's manual.

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