Feb 7 Test Lab

Viewpad 4 – Dhs.1199
Iomega Media Player – Dhs. 879
I-river MP4 – Dhs.429

iomega ScreenPlay Director HD Media Player

1TB 3 year warranty or 2 TB

Iomega Media Player – Dhs. 879

-can play from home network, a connected USB or the device

Best to connect to TV and Network before powering up as it looks for devices

-you can get a wireless adaptor for it to connect to your internet (not provided)

-no internet cable provided

www.iomega.com/onlinemedia to create online media account and you can add to your player’s content this way by linking to your computer.

-Full size remote with basics on it only!

-supports up to 1080p high definition video running at 24 frames per second (fps), which is the frame rate of Hollywood movies.

-The device also supports other popular formats such as H.264, WMV, AVCHD, MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4 and more.

-Delivers online media content and comes pre-loaded with some popular links (US and Europe)

DURABILITY	5 this is a wonderful addition to any home media network be it a stand alone hard drive or networked.  You don’t need to touch it once it is connected to your modem and TV!
PORTABILITY	5 Super
EASE OF USE	3 For the most part this is not a complicated device to use. There is a setup wizard that is very good.  I found the Online media options a bit on the slow side and several options didn’t seem to work in this region. BUT this device’s real value comes in you loading media onto it and in this respect it is super and it it is home networked the whole home can access it.
Design and Form Factor	5 Pretty standard black tower setup.  It blends in nicely which is what you want.  The fan is super quiet.

18/20

VIEWPAD4 by View Sonic

Viewpad 4 – Dhs.1199

I would see this as an entry level smartphone if price is an issue but you are thinking you want to be in the smartphone market this may be your phone.

This is an Android 2.2 smartphone

Has a nice 4.1 inch screen!

480X800 screen resolution

Bluetooth, WIFI and HDMI

5 MPS camera

.3MPS front facing

It is a heavy product  and it tries to navigate that space between a phone and tablet, neither well.

It doesn’t have a standout feature.

DURABILITY	2.5 I worry about this device if it is dropped! It is heavy. On a positive note when you remove the back to add your sim or Micro SD card this phone is solid! Lots of metal!
PORTABILITY	5 4.1 inch screen! I love it!  Would I hook this up to a TV with the HDMI? Not likely.
Ease of Use	3 This is an android 2.2 device. Work pretty well and for the most part it is easy to navigate but it is not breaking any ground.  The operating instructions out of the box are all pictorial and that is nice. Camera is ok, nothing to write home about.
Design and Form Factor	3 This is a little square brick! Reminds me of an LG phone in look!

13.5/20

iRiver S100 MP3 Player

I-river MP4 – Dhs.429

-in usa can access digital radio!

-comes in white black or pink

-4GB internal memory expandable to 32 with MicroSD

-manufacturer say 17 hrs battery life in continuous play music, maybe

-7.5 hrs video

-MP3 (MPEG 1/2/2.5 Layer3), WMA, OGG, ASF, FLAC, APE

-AVI, MP4, WMV

-works with windows!   Windows 7 / Windows Vista / WindowsXP / Windows 2000

Small Screen, why you would watch video on this but them people do with BlackBerry, 2.83" (7.2cm) TFT LCD (320x240) 260000 Colours

-ncie clean balck plastic body

small power button on lower left side and then a 5 button pad on the front that is invisible (hot key feature) Intuitive really)

-no touch screen

-FM Radio with Recording!

-easier to work with device if you download iRiver plus4 (only PC) Free

simple not very pretty

Durability	3.5 This is a light plastic case product. The build seems ok but I was worried about losing it and don’t think of dropping it!
PORTABILITY	5 Super
Ease of Use	3.5 It is easy to use but the operating system is so basic it is easy to move away from a function. Love the recording of radio oprtion. no mic, no camera Really need to download iRiverPlus4 to get content on the device
Design and Form Factor	3 Nice screen, small and basic. Micro SD goes int he bottom, ok It looks nice and does what it says on the box. The plastic is light and polished it could do with more weight.

15/20