iRiver x20

My iRiver x20 was delivered today. First impression out of the box, it's very small (about the same size as my E65) and light (2.5 ounces), even with the battery included. After charging the battery (via USB) for 4 to 5 hours, I turned it on, and the 2.2" QVGA TFT LCD screen is just wonderful. When connected to the PC, it shows up as two drives - the x20 on-board 2GB memory and the microSD slot. Adding media files is as easy as drag-and-dropping files into the appropriate folders. Sound quality is top-notch; it even comes with built-in stereo speakers at the back. Battery life is not as good as the Philips GoGear though. Video playback is a bit laggy, too. Navigation is through a control wheel. The wheel has a ridged outer ring which you turn to scroll. Clicking the central white button makes the selection. When activated, the control wheel lights up with a bright blue color. Another nice touch is a hold button to prevent accidental button presses. The only downside for me is that there is no slideshow functionality.

Pros:

• sharp colorful screen
• very good sound quality
• external SD slot
• built-in stereo speakers
• removable lithium-ion battery
• USB charging
• mic and line-in
• support for album art

Cons:

• bad sealing from cloth fibers
• has clock, but no alarm functionality
• no slideshow feature
• GUI not user-friendly
• slow scrolling
• inconsistent tag identification
• no ebook or lyrics support

All in all, not too shabby for $80 including shipping.