2. Performance

The iFP-1090 MP3 flash memory player comes in a 256 MB and a 512 MB version, both of which link with a PC via USB 1.1. The transfer rates, while not dreadful, are slow enough to make you want to avoid having to update your playlist every day. It took us two minutes 45 seconds to transfer 30 tracks totaling 100 MB. Compared to the 1FP-790 and iFP-890, which use USB 2.0, the operation takes twice as long. So that means that, to fill up the 512 MB model, you'd need about 15 minutes.

iRiver's iFP-1090 has an embedded Li-Ion battery that is recharged through a 1.1 USB connection. Using the USB to recharge the battery has both upsides and downsides. The upsides are that you won't have to spend a fortune on batteries and you don't need a cumbersome external transformer. But the downside is that you are always going to need a computer on hand to recharge your player. Fortunately, the battery lasts a very long time. After being charged for less than one hour, the iFP-1090 remained charged for 23 hours.