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iriver U20 (2GB)

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By Edvarcl Heng, CNET Asia
Feb 14, 2007

The first iriver U10 was greeted with delight by both users and reviewers alike. It had an engaging interface, simple controls and it was finally something decent that wasn't an iPod.


Fancy interface.

iriver has built on the strengths of the U10 with a thinner player. But the Korean firm has kept what obviously works: The D-Click system, Macromedia Flash support and a bright, clean screen. Some key differences lie with the new AMOLED which promises an even brighter display which will pair well with games and videos, and a support for the more advanced Macromedia Flash Lite 2.1 (the U10 used the 1.1 version).

One of the strengths of the U10 lay with a healthy community developing free Flash games and videos custom-built for the device's resolution. We also loved the fact that the background and themes of the U10's display were fully user-customizable. Undoubtedly, this trend will continue with the U20.


A down-to-earth dock?

For video, the U20 will run both MPEG-4 and WMV9 videos, though we suspect, as with the U10 and E10, that we can run Flash videos as well. Video playback time for the U20 is claimed at 5 hours which is pretty good. On the audio front, the U20 will support Audible on top of the usual MP3, OGG Vorbis and WMA formats.

iriver says it will sell the U20 in 2, 4 and 8GB variants. But as of press time, the 8GB U20 was not available yet. Just like the U10, the U20 will have value-added features such as FM radio and FM/voice recording.

When the U10 first turned out, it came with an optional fancy dock that turned the player into a miniature TV-like alarm clock complete with a snooze button. We loved it, though we couldn't say the same for its price tag. iriver has abandoned the old dock for one with a more conventional design that will, hopefully, come with down-to-earth pricing. A luxurious leather holder is available for optional purchase.

A neat, stylish and feature-packed player? The U20 appears to be all that.