Follow abi on twitter

Iriver E150 / E200- Improved Version of the E100

iriver-e100-new.jpg

I have some strong words for the iriver E100 and to sum up my review in two blunt words: epic fail. By any other means it would have been just a mediocre MP3 player, but I use these harsh words because I expect much more from iriver.

It seems they realized their mistake to cheap out on the E100 and are revamping the player with an aluminum case and a better LCD screen. Additionally, they are getting rid of the external speakers- this being good news since they may make for a slimmer design and really the speakers were pretty weak by standards to begin with. So all in all it should be a very nice upgrade to be released sometime at the end of summer.

[Crave]

  • Submit this article to Del.icio.us
  • Submit this article to Reddit
  • Submit this article to Furl
  • Submit this article to StumbleUpon

Comments

Kamil on April 24, 2008 9:40 PM

The removal of the speakers is good. But iriver also needs to integrate the two flash memory sources TOGETHER.

As it stands, the microSD slot and internal flash are completely separate, so browsing through mp3s will only show the mp3s based on which source is selected. This is REALLY stupid.

iRiver also needs to change the orientation of the d-pad, up/down skips tracks......??? what the...? Its completely opposite of every other mp3 player on the market. Why?

If the speakers are being removed, id like to see a better or bigger battery put in place, 25 hours of battery life is good, but it could do a lot better, any by that, i mean it could perform like a sony (36 hours!)

Fix that, and those MINOR details and irivers got itself a good product to throw against competitors, i was VERY excited to see it, especially by its aesthetic design, its very nice (i really do hope they dont switch to aluminum, i like the plastic, the brown colored E100 is my favourite).

whoami on April 24, 2008 10:21 PM

I believe its "epic failure". Please proofread.

ptwk on April 25, 2008 2:23 AM

Whilst "failure" might be grammatically correct, "epic fail" is a popular internet slang expression and there's nothing wrong with it in this context :)

GrahmSkee on April 25, 2008 4:43 AM

@ptwk, thanks for defending me against the grammar nazis. Indeed that was the usage i was going for. =)

shoken on April 25, 2008 9:47 PM

I just read the review and a categorical "epic fail" isn't the impression one gets. If that's what you really think of the product, I wouldn't have expected the review to sum up with the words "decent player", and to be generally positive with mild, diplomatic caveats sprinkled throughout.

James on April 26, 2008 8:26 PM

@Shoken, he states in this post, "By any other means it would have been just a mediocre MP3 player, but I use these harsh words because I expect much more from iriver."

I don't believe it was so much that it was a bad player, but that a company of iRiver's prestige is expected to put out a good player. In this case you get a still kinda expensive okay plastic-covered mediocre player from an expensive brand name company.

That's epic-fail.

James on April 26, 2008 8:31 PM

@Whoami, I believe it's "it's", not "its"!

PLEZ PRUFRED!

lifesavings25dawler on April 28, 2008 11:41 PM

I hope the new E100s
Work it harder make it better do it faster makes us stronger
lol

Jutlanders on April 29, 2008 12:23 AM

LOL. It is stonger. :)

Derrick on June 4, 2008 4:10 PM

The use of "Epic Fail" in a review published on the internet is perfectly acceptable, although I do think it's a bit harsh for the E100, which was a nice attempt but, admittedly, could use some upgrades. I for one am looking forward to the E150/E200 ( does anybody know what the difference is going to be? Storage capacity? ) since I finally bricked my H140 and need a replacement that plays Vorbis. Hopefully they'll be out before too long and available at a reasonable price.

Sarah on September 3, 2008 5:02 PM

I'd like to get my hands on this, but it seems it's not even out yet. I've read news reports that it will be out "this summer" and summer is nearly over. I've been meaning to buy the e100 but not if there's something that's better (and still as cheap) coming out soon.

radu on August 17, 2009 3:52 PM

ive seen some photos of the e150 player..and it seems iriver dindt taked off the speakers..to be more exactly this player has now 2 speakers

i want to know if i can cheange the theme...its so..simple..e100 had a better one,it had an ipod look

urbanbicyclist on September 24, 2009 7:55 PM

I have the E100, As much as I was really disappointed with the unit (see notes below, I bought 2 before I even tried them) the speakers are my favourite part. I play music through them when I have the iriver in my pocket and I'm cycling (bike polo on a court with team mates, not in traffic, and I still have to be able to hear)
I really liked the E100 for it's FM Radio, USB plug, Built in Mic, Line In, and Card Slot, but it really failed on FM Reception, UI responsiveness and non alphabetical sorting of file names and accellerated seeking through really long tracks like podcasts.

clueless on October 6, 2009 12:41 AM

I currently have a creative zen that after three years is now playing up. As it's still under warranty the retailer wants to replace it with the Iriver E150. Will i be disappointed or not? i just want something that won't play up on me and be easy to use.

Tim on October 12, 2009 2:45 AM

I got the new iriver e200 to replace my old iriver e100. It doesn't disappoint me. For ppl who is disappointed with the E100, Iriver fixed all the issue on the new player. I believer you will no longer feel disappointed.

cloudface on October 28, 2009 2:44 AM

Why isn't there an actual review of the E150 on this site but just this "it's supposed to be better than the E100 and it's coming soon" post?
I'm about to go buy one and want an actual review but your site has made me do an epic facepalm.

Fail at being epic Anythingbutipod.com.

Sean on November 5, 2009 1:23 AM

Will the E200 16GB available soon?
I found it in here and it is still unavailable.
http://www.warehouse123.com/store/product_information.php?pid=21340&ptext=iRiver-E200

Leave a comment

  • Name:
  • E-mail:
  • URL:
  • Remember info?

Type the characters you see in the picture above.


Top MP3 Players
abi Editor's Choice
  • SanDisk Sansa Clip
    SanDisk Sansa Clip

    The Clip has a fantastic little form factor; cheap in build quality but very rugged. The interface is simple and relatively straight forward. The features on the clip are more or less average, mostly identical to the Sansa Express. However, what earns this player a spot in Editor’s Choice is the superb sound quality; you will not find another player at this size and price that can match it. Read the full review or go ahead and buy it.

  • Samsung P3
    Samsung P2

    The Samsung P2 was a success and the P3 is a very welcome and substantial update. Samsung has paid close attention to users on P2 issues and made great strides in addressing and improving most of them. The best feature of the P3 is its native video support. Most content you thow at it will playback without conversion on the great looking screen. Stop by the Samsung P3 forums for more details or check out our indepth P3 review.

  • Microsoft Zune 120
    Samsung P2

    Sure, many of us are not big fans of the walled garden, but there are a lot of great things going on with the Zune- sturdy hardware, ultra easy to use user interface, and a media player that is worthy of editor’s choice. The best part of the Zune is the constant firmware and software updates virtually giving you a new device at each major refresh. You can check out the latest Zune 120 & 16 review or stop by our Zune forums for the latest.

  • Cowon iAudio D2
    Cowon iAudio D2

    The D2 is a fantastic sounding PMP with a very nice looking screen and a tone of features. One of the best features of the D2 is the SDHC slot allowing you to add another 32GB to this small wonder. The touch interface does not lend well to on the move operation, but it is not enough to keep it from being an editor’s choice. You can find usually find it at Amazon for the best price and before to check out the review.

  • Phonak Audéo PFE
    Phonak PFE

    Phonak Audéo PFE offer outstanding clarity and precision; natural, dynamic mids and treble, and decent bass for a single armature in-ear phone. They handle dense, complex music very well. The PFE work well with most acoustic and some electronic music genres, but bassheads might have to look at other alternatives. They're great for sports as well, since they fit very securely. Check out our review.