Inovix Ipocket 2GB

NOTE: I apologise in advance for the long review, but there is a real lack of comprehensive reviews/user guides for this particular player. I could have really used one initially, so I hope it proves useful for someone!

I recently purchased the Inovix IPocket for around £50 last month. I was looking for was a cheapish music player that looked halfway decent, and was under my budget of £60. As this is a lot of money for someone as consistently overdrawn as me, I did make sure I did my research first. Although, from reading very brief online reviews from some of Ciao’s competitors and first-hand reviews, I was aware of some of the drawbacks of this player, there were some advantages that made the iPocket stand out from its peers. First, it is quite reasonably priced for a 2GB music player – when shopping around for the best price, the most expensive I found was £65. Secondly, it can easily be mistaken for an iPod nano, especially when encased, thus preserving my reputation as the coolest kid on the block. (However, the iPocket disappoints when compared to the iPod, but we’ll get to that later.) Thirdly, the range of functions distinguishes it from other mp3 players in the same price range; these include a colour screen, mp4 (video) player, ability to display e-books and photos, voice recorder, and many others. These were the main advantages I could spot before purchasing. After using the player, it’s fair to say I was disappointed and impressed in equal measures!

Included with the player are:
•A mains battery charger – this has a red/green light to indicate sufficient charging.
•USB cable.
•Earphones – fairly standard sound quality, but with a plug measuring only 1.5mm! The advantage being that the matching 1.5mm earphone socket takes up less space, the disadvantage being that you cant use your own earphones without the
•3.5mm earphone jack – easy to use, but makes it slightly more cumbersome to carry.
•Driver disc – it’s all extremely easy to install.
•User manual – straightforward for the most part, some grey areas, but also included is an A4 Quick Start Guide which covers all the main bits, saves you having to wade through the 40 page manual.

Before first use, the player should be fully charged, which is straightforward enough. Once this is completed, you can install the player on your pc using the cd provided, just follow the prompts. Then, simply plug in your iPocket via the usb cable, and your ready to transfer files! The best thing about this player in my opinion, is the ease with which you can put your music on it. There are a few options: you can either access the player’s folder via ‘My Computer’ and simply drag and drop files into it, or you can use Windows Media Player to sync files, or else you can use the Media Manager software installed with the cd. I don’t really use the latter, but it seems very similar to syncing via Media Player. Most music formats are supported by the player, the manual has a list of them. For video files however, they must be first converted to an AMV file, but since a converter is provided with the cd, and the manual has comprehensive instructions, its not a big problem. Regarding photos, jpeg files are fine and can be transferred as they are, however very large pictures can take upto 10 seconds to load on the screen. To use the e-book function, simply copy the text to a text editor (the manual mentions Windows Notepad, which I have used successfully) and transfer the file. A lyric display function is also available, which is a nice touch. Simply use the provided lyric editor to save and transfer the lyrics to the player, and as long as the file has exactly the same name, the player will recognise it and display when requested with the song. I have found that apart from music files, all other files must be transferred via the drag and drop method, which is easy enough.

I have been using this player for nearly a month now, and there are still functions I have yet to use. They are either, for me at least, unnecessary – equaliser, tempo speeds, a choice of repeat functions – or the instructions were too difficult for me to understand eg. karaoke mode. However, other useful functions include a great voice recorder (with a variety of settings), and a game, the classic that is Minesweeper!

Practically speaking, there are both drawbacks and advantages to the iPocket’s design. I am going to use the iPod nano as a comparison here, both because most people are familiar with it, and also because being a blatant physical plagiarism of it, its hard not to! (Its dimensions are exactly the same as a nano, including the weight.) The iPocket’s main flaw is that it’s difficult to navigate around. The cross-shaped navigation keys have to be physically depressed, and lack the sophistication of the brilliant iPod click-wheel. I sometimes find the menu layout confusing as well, especially when going through the music folders. The sound quality sometimes fails to impress aswell. However, and this is a major plus for me, it is a bit more durable than the nano, as its much harder to scratch, both on its glossy black front and on its mirrored back.

In summary, I would recommend purchasing the Inovix iPocket – but only if you cant afford its superior cousin, the iPod Nano (like I said, when they look this similar, comparisons are inevitable). That said, it does boast a range of functions (some of which the Nano doesn’t have), and of which I only managed to cover the main ones. It is sturdy and durable, plays videos, is reasonably priced, decent memory size, is easy to setup and transfer files to, and is very attractive. Disadvantages include the 1.5mm headphones, the awkward navigation, and fairly short battery life (can be as short as 8 hrs some days). The website www.inovixeu.com can be used to register the 2 year warranty, and also has the number of the call centre which provided me with excellent technical support when I needed it. I am very pleased with my purchase, but advise considering the drawbacks before buying. Hope this was helpful to someone!