2. Handsome And Simple To Use, Continued

It's no exaggeration to say that iRiver has taken inspiration from its predecessors in designing this new unit. From the iPod mini, the H10 has taken the slim look and the metal shell, even if the colors they've chosen - red, dark blue, silver, and anthracite - don't give the same impression of softness as Apple's do. From the Creative Zen Touch, they've taken the touchpad, with both its pros and cons, and from the Zen Micro, the swappable battery. On the other hand, the 1.5" color display is iRiver's own. The use of a different background color for each menu of the interface lends a touch of elegance without hindering navigation.

Actually, "elegantly simple" is a perfect description of how this device handles. On the front panel, aside from the touchpad for adjusting the volume or changing from one option to another, there are Cancel and Select buttons (on the left and right, respectively) for going back to the preceding menu or entering your choice. On the left side is the On/Off button, and on the right the usual Play/Pause, Next, and Previous controls. One issue is that on the model we tested, the latter two were so stiff we often had to press them several times to get them to do what we wanted. A Hold button, jacks for the earphones and the remote control (available as an option), and a place for the USB cable round out the equipment.