iRiver H320SE

The iRiver H320SE is a portable digital audio player that, unlike some devices, manages to differentiate itself from the market-leading iPod. Moreover, it couldn't be farther removed from Apple's iconic design.

The H320SE is a chunky device that may feel slightly awkward to use if you have small hands. Its black carbon fibre-style finish is attractive, but from a distance it looks more like a Walkman than a modern MP3 player.

Distinguishing itself further from the iPod, the H320SE has a large colour screen, which can display JPG or BMP images, a feature that digital camera owners may find useful. It can also be used as a USB hub, which means you can connect a camera or a second audio player and transfer files directly without using a PC.

Its audio capabilities are fairly advanced too. It has an FM radio and a line-in port for recording directly from your PC's sound card or record player. The integrated microphone is a nice touch, but the subject has to be quite close for it to pick up anything, although you can attach an external microphone.

The audio playback functions are also impressive. It's compatible with a large number of formats including MP3, WMA and Ogg Vorbis. Other players are usually restricted to supporting one or two formats, the most popular being WMA and MP3. If you're willing to experiment with alternative, lesser-known formats supported by the H320SE, you can easily reduce the file size of each audio track and thus store more music.

One music format you won't be able to use is AAC, as this is unique to the iPod. This means you won't be able to use of the iTunes music download service. The H320SE is compatible with Napster downloads, however, but you'll need to buy songs outright as opposed to simply 'renting' them via the subscription service.

Using CD-quality MP3s, the 20Gb hard disk can accommodate approximately 3,000 songs. It can also store (but not play) other file types such as Word documents or MPEG movies. Since most PCs can recognise the device without any special software being installed, it operates just like an external hard disk.

Our only real criticism of the H320 concerns ease of use. We were able to find our way around the iPod within a few seconds, but in this case you'll need to consult the manual since it can get fairly complex.

On the whole, the iRiver H320 is a very accomplished audio player with a bounty of features. Its design and navigation system aren't as elegant as the iPod's, but it is a great alternative.

Contact: iRiver
www.iriver.com

Also consider:
Apple iPod Mini Less versatile than others, and just 4Gb of storage, but still the standard for digital players.