Photos: Hands-on with the iRiver Spinn
Tags: iriver, thumbnails, scroll, wheel
There's a palpable level of excitement in the office today, and there's only one reason: we've got our hands on a fully working iRiver Spinn in its ready-for-sale state, and man are we excited. This is one of the most hotly anticipated MP3 players of the year, and has been since the world got its first glimpse of a dummy model back in January.
"This is epic," exclaimed Andrew Slim. "Nate, I'd happily make love to this," announced Ian Morris. "It just won't stop itching, I don't understand," admitted Rory, mis-hearing our question.
Rather than only giving the unbelievably crisp 84mm AMOLED screen superb touch-sensitive navigation, iRiver has innovated a new type of input method in the form of a mechanical scroll wheel in the top-right corner. Spinning this -- hence the name -- scrolls through menu items, both horizontally and vertically depending on the menu you're in, and can be clicked down to select.
It works well, although at times it's a little touch sensitive, and it takes a short while to get used to. We actually found that we did half our navigation with the wheel, and half with our finger on the touch-screen.
And never have we seen a screen so crisp and so bright. Images are stunning; videos are smooth and sharp. In fact, in the video menus, moving thumbnails are used to illustrate listed videos, and there's enough detail given by the screen to make this look damn impressive.
The slick menu system is plain but effective, and complements the analogue scroll wheel with what appears to be an interface similar to the dials on an analogue radio tuner. Did we mention it rumbles like a phone? Clicking back through menus, for example, causes the Spinn to gently vibrate. Pointless, yes. Awesome, totally.
Awesome too is sound quality. The Spinn supports MP3, FLAC, WAV, WMA, APE, ASF formats according to the box, but we found it also plays WMA Lossless. We played a range of FLAC and WAV tracks through our Denon AH-D5000 reference headphones, and heard an extremely clear sound, with a notably high volume level.
In an interesting move, Adobe Flash games are supported. Files must be in SWF format and seem to be limited to 1MB as a maximum file size. Out of our 20 most addictive Flash games ever made, we only got Chimgam to play, but it did at least play really well -- just like it does on a PC. Sadly, YouTube videos won't work, no matter how large or small.
The Spinn comes with 4GB, 8GB or 16GB of internal capacity. 16GB is pretty good for a player that supports so many lossless audio formats, and we're told iRiver is being pressured to bump the capacity to 32GB, although the demand for this much memory in Korea -- iRiver's home -- isn't high.
There are some downsides, however. First and foremost, the Spinn's not expandable. We would have loved to see microSD support. AAC files aren't compatible. One or two guys here in the office found the mechanical scroll wheel a little awkward to use unless you hold the player with a certain grip. It's not a deal-breaker, but opinion on the usability of the wheel is, at the moment at least, somewhat divided here at Crave.
But overall, we're loving the Spinn -- it's well worth the excitement. We're going to have a full review for you as soon as we've tested the player to death and translated our findings from brainwaves to letters. For now, what do you want to know? Tell us in the Spinn's official forum thread, where we'll answer as much as we possibly can.
Until then, enjoy our collection of unboxing, hands-on, comparison and in-menu photos over the next few pages, and all being well you'll be as excited about it as we are. It'll be available to buy in the UK from Advanced MP3 Players.
Update: There has been a bit of confusion from readers concerning the 16GB model. Just to confirm, a 16GB model will be available, but it will follow shortly after the initial launch of the 4GB and 8GB versions. iRiver won't be publishing this news yet, but you can rest assured 16GB is on the horizon. We hope this clears up any confusion.
Update 2: Our good friends at Advanced MP3 Players tell us the store will be stocking the 8GB model for £149. Keep your eyes peeled for availability. -Nate Lanxon
Update 3: Read our full iRiver Spinn review here.
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AnonymousThu 7 August, 2008 10:50pm
Great job getting your hands on this beauty guys! I am however confused.... Every other tech site including the iriver.kr one itself state that the Spinn in only available in 4GB and 8GB? Don't get me wrong, I'd be chuffed to bits if it becomes available in 16GB and even better 32GB (nudge, nudge, wink, wink to iriver!), but just wanted to clear this up before you're bombarded with the same question....
Keep up the good work and can I have a job too, I make a mean cuppa! :o)
Kev
AnonymousThu 7 August, 2008 10:58pm
goona get this or the zen xfi!!! ahh crap
AnonymousThu 7 August, 2008 11:00pm
why arent 32 gb mp3 players in high demand in korea. they cant download music or videos or sumthing.
Nate LanxonThu 7 August, 2008 11:42pm
Yes guys, we have it on official word from the UK stockist that 16GB will be available. 32GB is not on the road map, but pressure is being applied by the UK for such an upgrade in the future.
AnonymousFri 8 August, 2008 12:17am
No AAC?
No thanks.
Not gonna convert a TB of music to MP3.
Oh well.
AnonymousFri 8 August, 2008 1:51am
How would you compare the video and audio of this device with that to a Cowon A2 or Cowon A3? It's very hard to beat a Cowon! I doubt, if this does?
AnonymousFri 8 August, 2008 4:04am
iriver has very very good sound quality and i have a clix 2 and has amazing sound not sure about video qulity cant compare it to my cix 2 its to small.
AnonymousFri 8 August, 2008 4:05am
This one looks quite big, i would prefer one with sleek design like the new zen x-fi. The 32gb one looks good with the wifi and xfi!!
AnonymousFri 8 August, 2008 9:44am
Right, lets start giving them some pressure then cause 32GB would be sweeeeeeeeeeeeet! To be fair though, I'd still probably replace my Samsung P2 16GB with this if it's any good....
AnonymousFri 8 August, 2008 10:02am
Either you guys are overrating the player or you've only had really crap mp3 players before because the Spinn is not all that great. The screen is just mediocre as it only shows 65k colors. The UI is sluggish and appears to lag. And no 16GB version will be available.
AnonymousFri 8 August, 2008 10:06am
Oh, I would like to add that early reviews of the Spinn from Korea confirm what I have just said, with many concluding that the Spinn is rather a disappointment.
AnonymousFri 8 August, 2008 10:35am
Defo not had crap players before.... iriver HP120, iriver Clix 1, Clix 2, Samsung P2. I always do alot of research before buying a player and go on sound quality more than anything else... Don't worry, I'll be doing a lot of research before replacing my Samsung P2 with anything else!
AnonymousFri 8 August, 2008 11:38am
Even more confused now.... Just chatted to the UK stockist (amp3) and they say they'll only be getting the 8GB in....?
Kev
Nate LanxonFri 8 August, 2008 12:54pm
RE: 16GB
Guys, I'm going to check this out for you. I'm purely going off what was confirmed to me, but I will follow it up this afternoon. Check back later on today and I should have an update for you all.
Nate LanxonFri 8 August, 2008 12:59pm
Okay, the official word is that 16GB models WILL BE AVAILABLE, but is due to follow shortly after the initial launch of 4GB and 8GB versions. No date has yet been set, but keep your eyes peeled and we'll let you know as soon as humanly possible. Hope this clears up the confusion.
AnonymousFri 8 August, 2008 2:12pm
Ah, nice one Nate! Cheers for the info!
Kev
Nate LanxonFri 8 August, 2008 5:04pm
No problem. We've updated the story to specifiy final UK pricing details now, too.
AnonymousFri 8 August, 2008 10:04pm
And the left-handed version will be available when?
GravitonSat 9 August, 2008 12:47pm
I have a question about materials of Spinn. Is it plastic or metal?
AnonymousSat 9 August, 2008 3:23pm
one question, why did they put the headphone jack on the bottom? You can't use it when you place in on a desk upright as shown on your pic or when your working out!
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AnonymousThu 7 August, 2008 10:27pm
You have Mp3 players lying around? Can I get a job with you guys? I have thought about upgrading my tired Ipod 3G to a touch but I hten question why i dont just get a netbook for a couple Benjamins more and use my old ipod when i dont want to carry the netbook. My primary use for the device would be for video playback.