iRiver Spinn
The iRiver Spinn (stylised iriver SPINN) is a portable media player that was developed and sold by iRiver. It was announced at the 2008 Consumer Electronics Show[2] and shipped later that year. It was a successor to the iRiver Clix 2.[3]
| Also known as | U30 |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | iRiver |
| Type | PMP |
| Release date | August 2008 |
| Media | 4–16 GB flash memory |
| CPU | Telechips TCC7901[1] |
| Display | 480 × 272 px, 3.2 in (81 mm), color AMOLED, touchscreen |
| Input | SPINN System, Touch |
| Connectivity | 3.5 mm jack, Properietary data/power USB cable |
| Power | Li-Ion battery |
| Predecessor | iRiver Clix 2 |
Features edit
The Spinn is fully made of metal[4] and features a resistive touchscreen AMOLED display along with an analogue wheel knob. Both the screen and the wheel have haptic feedback.[4]
The Spinn has sound customisability in the SRS WOW HD 3D, as was seen previously on the iRiver Lplayer.[4] Some features have been carried over including a voice recorder and Flash Lite games, but the Spinn also has Bluetooth.[4] iRiver officially rates a 25 hour battery life for audio, or 5 hours for video.[4]
In some regions such as the UK, it came with a DAB radio tuner.[3]
Formats edit
It supports the audio formats MP3, WMA, Ogg, APE, ASF and FLAC, and videos in the formats MPEG 4 Simple Profile and WMV.[4]
Interface edit
The iRiver Spinn's distinct feature is its user operability. It has a modern user interface that can be both operated by both the touchscreen or the physical analogue spindle,[4][5] which is officially called the SPINN System (Analog Toggle Wheel).[5] The wheel lets the user navigate left and right, and it can be clicked to select.[6]
Reception edit
Trusted Reviews thought that the Spinn was "excellent and innovative", but that it could be niche in the market.[5] The Register commented that it provides good sound quality as with previous iRiver players, but that it lacks in the video department and that the UI is "half-baked".[4] The CNET review (with a score of 7 out of 10) liked the build quality, interface and support for audio codecs, but criticised the high price and the lack of certain features for the price.[7] Engadget liked the "beautiful" hardware design, the display and the wheel, but did not like the high price and the software.[8] In What Hi-Fi?'s review, the Spinn's design was praised but otherwise commented that for listening to music other products were better.[9]
In South Korea, the Spinn failed to generate enough sales to recover against its rivals, Cowon and Samsung. IRiver did release another U device in 2011, the U100.[10]
References edit
- ^ "TelechipsInfo < Main < Wiki".
- ^ "CES 2008 Leftovers: iRiver SPINN - complete with novelty knob". 11 January 2008.
- ^ a b "iRiver Spinn: Juicy new details and launch info".
- ^ a b c d e f g h "iRiver Spinn media player". The Register.
- ^ a b c "iRiver Spinn 4GB Review". Trusted Reviews. 8 October 2008.
- ^ "Unboxed: iriver Spinn". 31 August 2021.
- ^ "iRiver Spinn review: iRiver Spinn".
- ^ Miller, P. "iriver SPINN review". Engadget.
- ^ "Home review". 16 December 2008.
- ^ "[iriver] SPINN (U30)" (in Korean). 13 February 2012. Retrieved 19 April 2022.