The Iriver LPlayer is a pint-size version of the well-received Clix. You get most of the same features in a smaller package offered at a pared-down price point.
Since the player's controls are activated by pressing anywhere on the frame, a hold switch is highly necessary. Iriver includes one on the back of the device.
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One of the best features of the D-Click interface is that it allows for a large screen relative to the size of the device. The LPlayer measures just 1.6 inches by 2.2 inches by 0.4 inch but is dominated by a 2-inch color LCD (with a 320x240-pixel resolution). As with the Clix, playback controls are activated by pressing around the edges of the display, with soft keys on the screen acting as guidance.
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The LPlayer onscreen interface is a bit designy. You can choose between two themes for the menus, but we kind of miss the Clix's days-of-the-week theme that changed the wallpaper color from day to day. Also, you can't set your own image as wallpaper, which isn't a deal breaker but still a bit of a bummer.
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This ultracompact MP3 player could be the offspring of a first-generation Clix and the S10, with its similar design and extensive feature list. But the LPlayer isn't exactly like its predecessors. It comes with a more reasonable starting price point: $110 for the 4GB and $160 for the 8GB.
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Photo, video, and audio quality is good. Photos look bright and crisp, with nice color saturation. Videos look fine, though we noticed some letterboxing, which made the already small picture even smaller--not great for extended viewing. Music through our test Shure SE310s sounds solid, though not stellar.
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The LPlayer supports a variety of audio codecs (MP3, WMA, OGG, ASF, and FLAC) as well as subscription-based music from the likes of Rhapsody. You also get photo (JPEG, BMP, PNG, and GIF) and video (MPEG-4, WMV9, and XVID) playback, a text viewer, voice recording, and a built-in FM tuner with autoscan and up to 20 preset slots.
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Handily, Iriver includes a dedicated volume rocker on the bottom edge of the device, next to the power button.
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A mini USB and standard headphone jack are embedded into the left edge. The player has swappable MTP/UMS modes for connecting to both Windows and Mac systems. You can transfer using software or drag and drop.
