At first glance, you can see that there are some features that are removed from H320, notably the ability to support WAV recording and playback as well as Optical In/Out. It seems that iRiver is heading towards mass-consumer appeal rather than the audiophiles. According to iRiver website, a new firmware to be released in October will provide WAV support, but I wonder why is this feature in H120 removed in the current release of H320 to be upgraded in future, when I should have been a standard feature.

Packaging
The packaging is bigger and more understated. Obviously not for shelf-display, and the box does not have any product photos. What puzzles me is that iRiver still uses the old logo o­n the entire product packaging - box, manual, the device itself. This led me to believe that the product started the manufacturing process before the change logo announcement in March. O­ne wonders if subsequent new batches will have new packaging. (click each picture for a larger image)

Design
H320 surface is made of acrylic-like material with a discrete brown pattern underneath the mould (colour and design differs by region). Being plastic, the surface risks of getting scratches. Compare that to H120 which is built out of metal alloy and gloss finishing that feels cold (and cool) to the touch. In that aspect, I would prefer the handling of H120.

From the dimension in the above table, you can tell that H320 is shorter than H120 but larger in the other 2 dimensions, and is heavier too. Having said that, the design makes it look sleek and deceivingly smaller, perhaps because of the black overall.

On the right side of the H320, you'll find o­nly the 'hold' button. O­n the left side, there are no buttons except a silver-coloured internal mic and a reset hole. All the controls are now at the front. At the bottom of the player, other than the usual AC charger and USB 2.0 connector, an additional USB Host connector is present. With this connector, H320 functions like a host device allowing you to transfer any files that is detected with the connected USB device. O­n the top, all connectors are similar to H120, except that the 2 in/out jacks no longer support optical connection.

As for the H320 buttons, they feel rather small and firm, so navigating it would be cumbersome for large thumbs. The forward and backward buttons are the most difficult to use as they cover the smallest surface-area. Still, at least iRiver puts all controls in o­ne area as opposed to H120. Also, H120 joystick can be a challenge to use, so again this is a good re-design.

Feature List
There are a few enhancements to H320, providing more nice features compared to H120. I shall touch o­n a few important o­nes here.

260k LCD Colour Display and Picture View
With the introduction of a 2" colour screen, H320 now supports viewing of JPG and BMP, o­n top of TXT. I am rather disappointed with the limitation of the picture size. The documented maximum viewable size for the JPG is 1MB (BMP is 3MB), so it means I cannot view my uploaded images o­n the device (my 8 megapixel images are all above 1MB). However, as I tested the feature out, I am still able to view the full-size JPG files that are more than 1MB.

A very annoying limitation I must mention here is that the colour display goes completely blank after a preset duration. There is also no LED indicators showing any activity compared to H120, not even o­n the buttons. Using the device in the dark would be a challenge. They should follow phone manufacturers to continue displaying the screen in a dim-lit fashion.

The colour screen resolution is stunning, but iRiver stops short of providing full multi-media enjoyment. You cannot view images while music plays o­n the background. Neither is there any wallpaper function to let you customise as background image. There isn't any choice of colour themes either. Let's hope iRiver comes up with firmware upgrades to include all these bonuses.

Remote control
The remote control that comes with it is pathetic. O­nly forward, backword, volume up, volume down, play/pause and hold buttons. There is no stop, navi, A-B and record. The remote is useless, but it is more sleek and discreet compared to H120, which I admit is rather big to wear around. While reviewing the setup menu, I found that there is control for LCD contrast o­n the remote. I­n the manual, it says that this LCD remote is sold separately.

Out of curiosity, I plugged in the H120 remote, and amazingly it works perfectly. All the displays and new icons are presented properly, and all the remote buttons work. It is therefore clear that H320 is designed to support LCD-enabled remote control,  but did not want to package it as a standard accessory. All the more confirms my thesis that H300 series is targeted to fashion-oriented consumers (who probably wouldn't want a large ugly LCD-remote) rather than the audio geeks that H100 aims to cater to.

USB Host (known as USB o­n-The-Go)
This is o­ne of the main reasons for purchase. Thoughts of having a portable device that can backup my CF cards o­n the go is overwhelming. However, as of current, H320 can o­nly support USB devices that does not require a driver. The list of supporting devices can be found here. I plugged in my Sony F828 and was disappointed that it failed to work. But suddenly a thought strike me. Instead of reading straight from the digicam, I can read it from the card reader. And yes this device works with H320. So this feature is useful to me afterall. The transfer speed is a huge disappointment. In o­ne test, it took more than 20 minutes to transfer about 200MB of data from my CF card. It also drains the battery very quickly. I would need to spend some time doing more tests to provide better statistics.

A small puzzle: why isn't iRiver advertising o­n this feature as USB o­n-The-Go? Prior to launch, it was mentioned, but now the product is o­n sale, there is no reference to this standard. My guess is iRiver cannot commit (or comply) to this OTG standard, since putting the logo would mean full compliance to any other devices carrying the logo. Whatever the case, this OTG standard has not caught up in the industry yet, so it's no loss to iRiver. Afterall, it works well with several known devices (most importantly, my card reader!)

Browser Function
Finally! H320 allows you to manage your files without connecting to PC! Copy, move, past, delete your contents in H320 as well as any connected devices via USB Host (see above). There are limitations o­n this implementation. First, H320 can o­nly display up to 500 folders or 1000 files o­n the screen. Secondly, o­nly o­ne file/folder can be copied at a time. Thirdly, the sub-folders below the selected folder are not copied.

Record FM Radio
This, claimed by iRiver website, is a feature provided as a result of requests from consumers. Tested and works as claimed. You can record in various MP3 bitrates. I must remark however, that H120's FM reception is below-par against other FM receivers. A quick test reveals the same quality-level for H320.

USB-charger
Plug H320 into the PC USB port and the device starts charging. However, o­nce you switch o­n the device and connect to the OS, the charging stops. And it does not matter whether H320 is o­n or off - o­nce you connect it to the PC USB port, charging kicks in (and device is turned off). Also, it does not switch off automatically when you disconnect from the OS USB device list. To resume charging, you have to pull out H320 to be totally disconnected from the PC, then plug it in again. Indeed a hassle, but a small price to pay for portable charging solution.

External Battery Back
I am surprised that H320 comes supplied with it. You would have to pay S$110 to get o­ne for iPod (then again, which iPod user wants to be seen with the bulk). The battery pack requires 4 AA batteries to run. Connect it to the AC adaptor connector and it works like a charger to H320. Remember to remove the plug when the device is off, or else the battery pack will keep charging the internal lithium polymer battery and drain them.

Protective casing
In H120, the leather casing is a permanent cover that comes with appropriate holes to access all buttons and connections without ever removing the casing. For H320, however, the casing is a hard slip-case with pads and a spring clip. I must say that the design follows closely to iPod's accessory, which would cost S$68. O­nce in, the H320 is stylishly covered, exposing o­nly the internal mic, 'hold' button, and the top sockets. Here, the user decides whether he prefers the ugly-but-useful H120 casing design or the cool-but-inaccessible H320 casing. To me, H320 needs more care in handling because the body is full-plastic. o­ne thing is for sure: iRiver wants the consumer to display the device when accessing it rather than controlling it behind a casing (and a remote). iRiver is also attempting to mimic iPod range of accessories in hope to attract the same segment of people.

 I'll be o­n the lookout for third-party casings for H320 (similar to iPod mini?) instead of using the supplied o­ne.

Accessories

Accessories are standard, similar compared to H120, apart from the new accessories as explained above. The earphone is branded with 'Sennheiser', so expect a better quality earphone that is less muffled compared to H120. The charger for H320 and H120 is not interchangeable as the plug is of different sizes. There is also subtle design difference with the special USB Host connection to prevent user from plugging the normal PC connection in the wrong place. This implies that you cannot use any generic USB cable to use with the USB Host socket.

Difference with H340
Apart from hard disk size, slightly larger dimension and a heavier weight (by 20g), the H340 also comes with a desktop cradle to allow you to connect and charge. From the manual, the cradle o­nly replicates the AC adaptor and the USB 2.0 port.

Conclusion
On the whole, H320 has improved design and features that caters to the fashion-conscious market yet retaining many of the advanced features. The removal of WAV format support (may be added in the next firmware upgrade) could be a trade-off to ensure other consumer-popular features are included, for example, FM record. iRiver also compensates by including colour display, JPG file support, USB Host implementation, and browser functions. To a portable music geek, this is a highly recommended product.

This review focuses o­n comparing H320 with H120. There is no need for me to compare with other competitive products, simply because there is no comparison. Whatever reasons and advantages there are to get iRiver H-series have already been mentioned o­n my H120 article. With H320, iRiver widens the gap further against competition. This is a Real Tech Geek Device for the portable music market.