iRock 730i MP3 Player Review
With all the MP3 players on the market, what does iRock want to accomplish with the 730i? iRock first introduced the new 730i at CES. The player was small, capable and featured a unique LCD display capable of displaying images that related to the song being played. Not only did it play MP3’s, used the LCD effectively with images, it allowed you to record yourself with it’s built-in recorder. Today we will be taking a look at this unique MP3 Player.
The 730i arrived to us via FedEx next day delivery. I was actually surprised it arrived to quickly. The iRock 730i MP3 Player is packaged in hard plastic displaying the front of the player. The rear of the box has information and you can see the included accessories.
Once you open the package, you will receive the following:
- The iRock 730i MP3 Player
- Leather case
- USB cable
- Earphones
- Triple A battery
- Software/Driver CD
I quickly found that the software CD was not inside. Someone probably forgot to package it in. Luckily, iRock sent me one.
SPECIFICATIONS:
• Size: 3.0" x 2.4" x .8"
• Memory: 128MB internal
• Expandable Memory: SMC slot for up to 128MB external memory
• WMA™ bitrates supported: 64Kbps~192Kbps
• MP3 bitrates supported: 8Kbps~320Kbps
• Voice-Record bitrates supported: 8/16/32
• Display: Graphical 128 x 64 LCD
• Power supply: 1 AAA battery
• Battery life: 8 hours typical
• Audio Output: 20-20kHz
• Signal to Noise Ratio: 90 dB
• Harmonic Distortion: <0.25%
• Maximum Output: 10mW
• Audio Connectors: 3.5mm headphone jack; 3.5mm microphone jack
• Microprocessor: 32-bit RISC processor
• Interface: Full speed USB v1.1
One thing I would like to point out is the battery life. The battery life is very sparse (8 hous only) and I recommend picking up a rechargable AAA battery.
The 730i is an MP3 player that measures only 3.0”x2.4”x0.8” and has a gray and rubberized turquoise color scheme. The unit is so small that it literally fits in he palm of your hand. The rubber enhances the grip when you are holding it.
The front panel of the player has the plastic up and down buttons (when you scroll through MP3’s), a stop button and play/pause button.
The top of the 730i has the headphone jack, microphone jack, mode button (where you control whether you want to see the text, images or filename of the current song), and the options button where you go into the menu with various options to tweak such as the equalizer and display backlight.
The left side features the A-B button, record button, and the USB port connection. It also has a SmartMedia card slot that is expandable to 256MB of storage.
The right side of the player has a pair of buttons that include the volume control and hold function
The rear of the 730i has an integrated belt-clip that is tightened with a big screw. There is also the eject mechanism to remove the SMC card when needed.
Software
To use this MP3 player you first have to install the drivers and software that is held on the included CD. Without this, Windows cannot recognize it, thus you cannot transfer any songs. I actually feel that this is a downfall because what if you want to go to your friend’s house and you want to add an MP3? You’re going to need the CD. It would be great if Windows can read it as a storage device so you can click and drag files into the player.
Easy to use transfer software
The iRock 730i MP3 player is a good MP3 player. The sound quality is good. The quality with the included earphones are good. The only problem I had was the fact that there is no way to tune the treble and the bass. This is why some songs sound better than others. The unit is small, portable and is easy to use. The voice recording is useful when you want to remind yourself what you need to do. The iRock 730i MP3 player features a greenish backlit display such as of that from the iRock CD/MP3 player we reviewed a while back. It wasn’t as bright as the CD/MP3 player but it did what it was supposed to with flying colors, text was easy to read at nighttime.
The leather is nice too
Loading the MP3i file
Options
Playing text is like singing along
Transferfing files
The software included with this player makes MP3’s easy to edit
and helps you utilize the full capabilities of this unique player.
The 730i is compatible with Windows and Mac operating systems with iTune software.
The player comes with some downfalls. First off, the iRock 730i’s is slow when downloading music because it is only USB 1.1 ready. When you want to download more than a few songs, it will take a bit of your time. Another thing is that the battery life with AAA batteries don’t last that long. I feel 8 hours is too short. A big downfall to me is that the player for how long I have used it, it doesn’t have any ways to fast forward or reverse a track when it is playing which really is bad.
I rate the iRock 730i MP3 Player a…
8/10!
Pros and Cons
+
Small and expandable
+ Sound quality
+ Leather case and earphones
+ Backlit display
+ Easy to navigate
- Only USB 1.1
- Battery life is short
- You need the CD to transfer MP3’s
- No fast forward/reverse playback
- Someone forgot to put the software CD in the package
