iriver S7 (1GB)

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When images of the S7 first hit the Web, it had us scratching our heads. And it was not because the minuscule player had no screen, nor was it that it took after its older brother the S10. Rather, we were puzzled by the icons of the rooster and the peeing puppy which didn't make any sense to us.

Design
It took a Korean reader to enlighten us on the symbolism. According to him, volume increase is represented by the loud crow of the rooster, while the noise of a peeing dog is so soft it's used to indicate volume decrease. Makes sense now? By the way, the same goes for the stick people; "boy right" fast forwards and "boy left" reverses.

	Small and chic

The three-by-three mosaic grid on the player's face underlines the most glaring difference between the S7 and the S10--a display, or the lack of. This is probably the first iriver MP3 player to ditch the screen. Yet despite the lack of a panel, the Korean company has chosen to stick with its D-Click system instead of cluttering the front estate with buttons.

On the S10, the two small side buttons are used for upping and lowering volume. In the S7, these are used for playmode and SRS activation instead. Like the S10, holding down the two side buttons will launch the Hold function. The power button now has two secondary functions: Music and FM radio mode selection. Oddly, there isn't an option to pause the playback.

	A bit larger than the shuffle.

The D-Click system works well even without a display to pair it with. It offers plenty of tactile feedback, something we rarely experience in something so small. But with the additional secondary buttons, the navigation lacks the intuitive feel-and-press controls of the iPod shuffle with its simpler five-way control.

We think the Microsoft Zune team ought to heave a sigh of relief. After enduring snide criticisms from style-conscious journalists in the US for the Zune's earthly shade, here's a competitor who thinks toffee is a pretty nice color, too.

Like the Creative Neeon 2, S7 users can purchase additional skins to paste over the player, which is ideally suited to those who disdain the presence of a fowl or canine motif on their MP3 player. Looking at the current crop of skins, it would seem that iriver is trying to replace the S10's wallpaper feature with a physical substitute. Additional lanyards in five different colors are also available as optional purchases, though the lanyard solution lacks the clip chic of the iPod shuffle.

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