IRiver U10, Continued

Not only does the battery trickle-charge from USB, it is practically beyond compare in the realm of flash based portable audio (with the possible exception of Sony's "Bean", the NW-E207). iRiver lists the battery life as "up to 25 hours", and we've seen 26 hours quite comfortably; there are even tales of users crossing the 30 hour barrier... though their believability is a little suspect.

The option to record direct from the FM tuner on formats other than WAV is something of an anomaly among PMPs, though certainly not an unwelcome one. Unlike the Gmini 500, whose onboard recording is only direct to WAV, the U10's FM radio will record directly to MP3. Thanks to the offer of 20 presets on the tuner the radio will certainly be an option easy to use. While all of this might seem a little over the top, it dramatically cuts down on the need to download "podcasts" and does means that favorite radio shows can be recorded for later use when desired.

As far as audio playback goes, it's far less restrictive than the MPEG-4 only video, supporting MP3, WMA (including protected WMA) and our own favorite open source audio format, OGG. Not only that, but the audio quality is superb - far better, in fact, than can be appreciated with the included headphones, which really will need to be replaced.

The only question we're left with about the U10 is why, given that it has support for OGG, didn't iRiver provide the slinky little device support for OGM playback, which would have made it an open source icon? Who can tell with these things.

It's also worth mentioning that if the U10 is powered off halfway through playback, if you play the same file again immediately after powering up it will resume from the last point. This is as useful as the Gmini's "bookmark" feature, though obviously only works on one file at a time. The addition of a feature like this makes listening to "podcasts" fantastically manageable, and it functions the same way for video playback.

Conclusion

The biggest question with regards to the Gmini 500 is whether or not most will be willing to carry the extra weight. In contrast, the U10's main problem is the amount of regular access to a home computer needed to keep media up to date (or at least fresh), given its lack of storage in comparison to its rival in this review. Overall, the U10 is a handier device, despite the need to re-encode videos specifically for playback on it.

The Gmini 500 feels like a design left behind by more recent devices, and while it performs better than most, it's the look and feel that drive away those as superficial as I am. The U10 never seems to outperform it - except perhaps in the realm of audio recording and battery life - but is a far more endearing and useful player.

Of course, it's all subjective and a matter of personal taste, but for my money the Gmini is sadly left in the dust by a friendlier feeling U10. Those who are less inclined to re-encode their files one at a time might find that the reverse is true. Those who do not mind the weight and dimensions of a small brick will enjoy the Gmini 500.