iRiver P7 Converts Media Files, Wins Hearts of Audio Video Buffs

The portable media player market is a crowded field with Apple, Cowon, Creative, Microsoft, Samung, and others duking it out for your multimedia dollar. So in order to stand out from the pack, a PMP has to offer something unique that its rivals lack.  iRiver has adopted this tactic with the introduction of the P7, a PMP featuring a brushed-metal finish and a built-in media converter. Available now in 8GB ($179) and 16GB ($209) flash capacities, the iRiver P7 features a 4.3-inch (480 x 272) touchscreen display and a widget-like GUI that lets you view all of the available options at a glance.  It includes codec support for audio (MP3, WMA, OGG, ASF, FLAC, APE, WAV),  video (DivX, H.264, MPEG, RM,  RMVB), and photos (JPEG, BMP, GIF).  SRS WOW HD, 7 preset EQ settings, FM tuner, radio/voice recording, firmware upgradeability, and a microSD card slot round out the feature set.  iRiver rates the player to have 50 hours of audio playback, and 7 hours of video playback. Intrigued? So are we. Look for a full review of the iRiver P7 after it touches down in our offices.