[LINK] iRiver woes

[Marghanita da Cruz]

Pilcher, Fred wrote:
> Daughter #2 wanted, and got, an iRiver Clix for her birthday last week, and an astoundingly lovely little machine it is. But the rub is that it ONLY works under Windows. I expected that, like other devices including her iPod, or other daughter's iRiver device, it'd simply be recognised as a USB disk. Not so. No dice. It seems to recognise it as a camera, and then falls over when I try to look inside it.
> 
> That irks me, of course, but what irks me more is that there's no warning. Sure, it says that it's designed for Windows, but it doesn't say that it's specifically designed NOT to run under anything else.
> 
> It uses Windows Media Player 11 to sync, and comes with a CD (which, before it will install under Windows, goes off and checks that your copy is kosher), but which won't even consider installing under wine.
> 
> One of the things that attracted me to iRiver devices in the first place was that, as I understood it, they actually run Linux, and certainly support Ogg Vorbis, but this seems particularly nasty.
> 
> I've e-mailed the Australian distributor who may or may not offer me a refund, but daughter doesn't want me to return it - she loves it.
> 
> So - a) beware, and b) any suggestions?
> 
<snip>
a) I would guess the only labelling was that it runs on MS, Which is
true and what is more the software shipped with it is not open source or
free... This is the same situation with laptops, Video cameras, and
DVB-T tuners....doesn't mean they don't work. Just a matter of finding
the software.

b)
Check out....
<http://tuxmobil.org/player_linux_survey_iriver.htm>

Marghanita
-- 
Marghanita da Cruz
http://www.ramin.com.au/linux
Telephone: 0414-869202
Ramin Communications Pty Ltd
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