1. Introduction

While manufacturers like Archos manage to hold in this consumer product sector, hard-drive digital audio players often suffer from comparison with Apple's iPod, which is the reference in the field. And yet certain manufacturers are showing real imagination in trying to do better. The H320 from iRiver is one of the best examples. Even though its looks aren't impressive at first glance, with its boxy design and black plastic case, this MP3 player has functions and ergonomics of which the great majority of competing products can be jealous. And above all - we'll get back to this point - it has a remarkable color screen, which could rival the best PDAs on the market if it were only a little bigger.

Performance

But before discussing ergonomic-aesthetic considerations, let's start with what's most important at the end of the day: performance. And here too, the H320 emerges from any comparison with flying colors.

This model uses a 20 GB hard disk (there's also a version with a 40 GB drive). The drive is a 1.8" format Toshiba MK2004GAL, perfectly suited for this type of application, with a power consumption of only 1.4 watts and weighing only 51 grams. With its 4,200-rpm speed, we were able to transfer 100 MB of MP3 files in 12 seconds - connected to the PC, of course, via a USB 2.0 interface. Startup is the only thing that seems to take any time. It takes 13 to 15 seconds from the time you power up the H320 before the files stored on the hard disk are accessible.

The USB 2.0 interface also serves to recharge the H320's internal battery, which incidentally is not removable. Fortunately, it's not the only means of charging the unit, because it's a little slow. Due to the low voltage of USB 2.0, a complete recharge takes several hours. And if you do use USB recharging (it can be de-activated in the player's general options), you can't listen to songs or the radio, since the H320 is inoperative during charging. So it's better to use traditional recharging with the external transformer that comes as standard equipment. There's also an innovative external, autonomous battery pack. You put four AA batteries in it and then plug the H320 into its dock and the AAs recharge the H320's battery. This increases the unit's battery life - which is already good, since it clocked nearly 13 hours of continuous MP3 play.