Not one to be left out of the booming portable media player market, iRiver has released their iPod Nano equivalent, the Clix. The iRiver Clix is actually a rebranded version of the iRiver U10 which was introduced in 2005; it revamps the U10 design with a nicer user interface, better performance, increased capacity, and a lower new price. The Korea-based iRiver is on a roll with their high quality portable media and music players. Let’s see how the Clix clicks with the pack of similar offerings from the competition.

Features

The iRiver Clix is a fairly straightforward media player. Its physical dimensions are 2.7 x 1.8 x 0.6 inches and it weighs a feather-light 2.5 ounces. The chassis sports a sleek black front bezel with silver sides and back. The front face plate is actually a four-way rocker button, almost resembling a touch screen. Other controls are neatly laid out on the sides of the player. Connectors and interfaces are also found on the sides: the Clix has the standard issue USB 2.0 port, a proprietary connector for the optional Clix cradle, stereo headphones, and battery charger. The Clix utilizes flash storage to store data, music, and videos. The player is available in 512 Mb, 1 Gb, and 2 Gb options.

For audio file support, the Clix supports MP3 and Microsoft WMA up to a maximum of 320 Kbps bitrate, and Ogg Vorbis files up to Q10 encoding quality. For video, the Clix can play MPEG-4 SP (Simple Profile) files up to a maximum of 15 frames-per-second, and Macromedia Flash movies. For pictures, non-progressive JPEG files can be viewed. A handy additional feature is the built-in FM tuner with the standard frequency range of 87.5 – 108.0 Mhz. The unit uses the earphone cable was an antenna. Also, the Clix can play simple Flash-based programs, commonly games.

On the output side, the display on the Clix is a bright, little 2.2 inch LCD screen. For a low resolution of 320 x 240 pixels, it’s surprisingly sharp, and it can display up to 262,000 vivid colors. The audio output features 10 built-in equalizer settings with the ability to store customized EQ settings. The Clix also supports SRS WOW surround sound.

The Clix also integrates support for an upcoming online music joint venture between Microsoft and MTV. Called the Urge service, it aims to provide similar services to the Apple iTunes Music Store. When playing a song that the user doesn’t own yet, the Clix provides a way to mark a song for purchase, and the next time the Clix is hooked up to a PC with Internet access, it automatically downloads the necessary “rights” to own the song.

Pros and Cons

When we got our paws on our first test unit, we were delighted by the innovative “touch screen” on the Clix. It isn’t an actual touch screen per se, but it works in a similar way. Unfortunately, touching the screen often can lead to fingerprints and smudges on the screen. It’s a good thing iRiver provides a little wipe cloth with the Clix’s neoprene sleeve. The player is light and compact and has a solid feel. We also loved the bright TFT LCD. At 2.2 inches, the screen displays rich vibrant colors at a resolution of 320×240.

We were disappointed to find rather limited media file support on the Clix. Of course, there’s the usual MP3 and WMA for audio, but the Clix does not have plain WAV support. Interestingly, it has support for Ogg Vorbis, an open file compression standard that is growing in popularity due to its higher compression ratios and better audio quality than MP3, as well as the absence of license restrictions such as those of MP3. For video, the support is extremely limited: only simple-profile-encoded MPEG-4 files are playable by the Clix, and iRiver does not provide any software to convert videos to that format. Fortunately, there are open source tools available online to do just that. Picture support is limited to JPEGs. As a sort of bonus, the Clix can play Flash-based programs and games.

Audio playback on the Clix is great. The audio is pretty customizable, thanks to the built-in software equalizer. With the stock earphones, audio is clear and loud. Naturally, we slammed the equalizer to a V-setting and thoroughly enjoyed the sound playback quality. The SRS WOW surround sound is pointless when used with earphones, but when the Clix is hooked up to the (unfortunately) optional Clix cradle with built-in speakers, the effect adds a little extra depth to the sound. One gripe we have with the video playback is that it’s too slow for watching full-length videos. At a choppy 15 FPS, probably the only things that are adequately viewable are short movie trailers or advertisement clips and nothing more.

One thing that could be a big selling point for the Clix is the built-in support for the upcoming Microsoft and MTV music subscription service called Urge. We were able to purchase tunes from Urge when we hooked up the Clix to a PC that had Internet access. Urge works just as well as Apple’s iTunes, but has a long way to go in terms of user base.

Another thing we absolutely loved about the Clix is the extra long battery life. After a full charge, our Clix was able to play audio non-stop for a whopping 27 hours with MP3s encoded at 128kbps, equalizer set at normal (flat), volume at 20, and LCD turned off. That’s two long hours more than the Clix’s advertised battery life as stated on the iRiver website. Unfortunately, we were also absolutely turned off to find out that the Clix’s battery is not user-replaceable (iPod batteries, anyone?), though we hope that having the battery replaced won’t be a costly affair.

Summary and Recommendations

Overall, the iRiver Clix is a tidy little player with some nice features built right in. The faux touch screen is a nice touch (pun not intended), the package itself is compact and light, and audio support is more than adequate. We gave plus points for Ogg Vorbis support, which we believe would become an important audio compression standard in the very near future. The video playback and support is nothing to write home about, but then we don’t consider it a major feature of the Clix. The ability to play Flash videos and games is interesting, if not time-consuming. The battery life is definitely something to be happy about, but we just hate how it’s a proprietary battery. On the whole, for people who want a serious portable media player with the most common features and the ability to use an online subscription service, the iRiver Clix is a good solid choice.