Bruce, I do not know it, but have looked at the manual and know a couple of other iRiver players, so here's what I think:
The iRiver flash players cannot be used as USB mass storage devices by default, one normally has to use the supplied software for file transfers. There exists so called UMS software from iRiver, with which one can use the flash players as USB mass storage devices, but this has to be installed, and one proberbly would need sighted help. Also, with the UMS firmware not all features of the normal firmware are available. As much as I know, one has to use the menu for such simple things as switching from the music player to the built-in radio and back. To update the firmware, one has to use the menu too. Resuming from the stop position shouldn't be a problem. Although it supports OGG Vorbis, it doesn't play low bitrate OGGs as much as I know. It only supports low bitrates with MP3 files. My favorite MP3 flash player is the Nextway NMP-612T. As much as I know, it's not available with one gig of memory, the maximum is 512 mb. It cannot play OGG Vorbis files. For that, I use my IHP-100 hard disk player from iRiver, which can play low bitrate OGG files. The Nextway has a mechanical switch, with which one can set it to radio or music player. It always works as a USB mass storage device. To update the firmware, one just copies it onto the player, removes the Nextway from the PC and switches it on. That'S all, no menu usage needed. The playback speed can be increased without having to use the menu. It resumes at the stop position. Although one cannot hear sound while fast forwarding and rewinding, it has a setting with which it can skip a settable amount of time, whenever one presses the fast forward or rewind button (joglever). I've set it to two minutes and it is wonderful for those three hour radio shows, which I download from wfmu.org. Although one show consists of just one three hour MP3 file, I can easyly jump to the songs by skipping in two minute increments. The Nextway has a silence detect feature, with which one can repeat the last sentence or phrase by pressing the fast rewind button, but I haven't turned this on yet. Another advantage of this player is that it switches its recording source automatically: If I connect a device to its line-in, the recording source is the line-in. If I switch to radio mode, radio is the recording source. With other MP3 players, one has to set the recording source via the menu system. The Nextway is not Audible compatible. Switching folders is a bit difficult but necessary, when one records, because the player uses seperate folders for radio recordings, microphone recordings etc. Here's the link to a review of the player, you may have to join lines, the URL is quite long: http://star-techcentral.com/audioplayer/story.asp?file=/2004/9/14/a_cube_to_root_for&sec=reviews&sid=798 <*** Michael Lang ***> You wrote: > How accessible is the IRiver IFP-799 portable MP3 player? It looks to be > something with exactly the features I want: supports Vorbis, a gig of > internal memory, supports low bitrates. But does it use real buttons? Can > you move back and forth between tracks without looking? Can you resume > playing where you left off? > Bruce _______________________________________________ PC-Audio List Help, Guidelines, Archives and more... http://www.pc-audio.org To unsubscribe from this list, send a blank email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
