iRiver Clix

Photo gallery: iRiver Clix

Six months ago, we fell for the minimalist look and "D-Click" (display-as-navigation-button) design of iRiver's 1GB U10 player. The Clix shares the sleek look of the U10, but beneath the clean lines and glossy surfaces is a faster processor and an overhauled interface optimised for Windows Media Player 11. The storage capacity has also been lifted to a slightly more video-compatible 2GB.

Design
Like the U10, the Clix measures a pocket-friendly 69 by 47 by 16mm and weighs in at 71 grams. If you haven't encountered the D-Click system, you're in for a treat. This navigation method uses the entire front face of the player as a four-way navigation button. Pressing down on the sides of the display causes the whole thing to click (hence the whole Clix thing). It's a simple and elegant way to cruise through menus, and a non-RSI-inducing alternative to teeny multifunction buttons and scroll wheels.

The Clix isn't button-free, however; on the right-hand side are a power key and smart button that you can assign one of five frequently-used functions to. The top of the player houses dedicated volume keys and a pinhole-sized microphone, while the bottom sports a proprietary port for USB connection, a hold switch and a reset button. Headphones plug into a socket on the left.

The Clix's QVGA display is sharp and seductive, not to mention expansive at 2.2 inches. It can be viewed in either portrait or landscape mode, allowing for flexibility when switching between photo/video and audio.

Features
In addition to your standard audio (MP3, WMA, OGG, ASF) and video (MPEG-4 and Flash) playback, the Clix has some nifty extras that set it apart from other flash players. An FM tuner, voice and line-in recording and Flash games round out the features list, and the customisation level is high. Users can tinker with the wallpaper, change the function of the smart key and download extra games to play during those wasted idle moments aboard public transport.

The Clix features 13 preset equaliser modes, and if that's not enough, there's also a graphical interface where you can tweak the levels until you find your sonic sweet spot. Then there are the little touches, like the player's cute "this is how to use me" tutorial, and the fact that you can view photo slideshows while listening to your tunes (many MP3 players can't manage both these functions simultaneously).

In addition to syncing via Media Player, the Clix also functions as a mass storage device, allowing you to transfer files to the internal memory folder via Windows Explorer.

If you haven't yet acquired Windows Media Player 11, it's time to start downloading. While the Clix will work with Media Player 10, it's optimised for version 11, and features such as video file transfer won't happen with version 10 (though you can drag videos across in Windows Explorer).

Performance
Thanks to the intuitive navigation and text list-based menus, the Clix was a breeze to use. We liked the ability to queue tracks while music was playing, and the simplicity of the layered menus reminded us of Toshiba's Media Center-based Gigabeat S series.

Text files transferred to the Clix are displayed in a large font, and are clear and easy to read -- a radically different experience from squinting at documents on a tiny phone or MP3 player screen.

Battery life is quoted at a competition-maiming 25 hours, but we found it lasted for around 18 hours of music playback. Not too bad, but similar to other flash-based players currently on the shelves.

Despite the fact that the Clix halves the standard frame rate of videos (playing them at 15 frames per second rather than 30), clips looked pretty good. A greater concern for those planning to get video-happy is the lack of file format support -- if your vids aren't MPEG-4 or Flash files, you'll need to do some converting before they'll work on the Clix. The manual is strangely silent on this matter, but iRiver's Web site offers free conversion software and an illustrated walkthrough.

Now that iPod Nanos and Sansa's e200 series have hit 8GB, the 2GB Clix may not seem so covetable for those who want a player bursting with multimedia. But the design of the Clix, with that near addictive D-Click system, certainly pushed our buttons. If you're happy regularly changing the contents of your portable library rather than carrying around your entire collection, the Clix is the fix.