Jeantet’s Blog

So I mentioned in a previous post that I recently upgraded the hard drive and reimaged my MBP with Snow Leopard.  There have been a few headaches along the way, but none that couldn’t be worked through with google and a little tenacity.

The latest issue is: how to sync iPhone and iPod to the newly imaged computer?  Thanks to parasitic organizations like the RIAA, the manufacturers of mp3 players have to design the devices so that music can be uploaded to, and not downloaded from the device.  This has been standard operating procedure since the aforementioned parasitic RIAA sued the Diamond corporation after it introduced the first commercial quality mp3 player.  They claimed that it could be used to distribute copyrighted materials.  They used the same argument used against VCRs in the 1980s, but Diamond settled by making the device writable to by not readable from, so they would be able to release their product.  I digress.

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Inspired by my unwillingness to sellout and get an iPod after my iRiver woes from last week, I searched around the internet for iRiver H300 replacement batteries. To my surprize, eBay is crawling with them. I guess there’s a real aftermarket! (thinly vailed dig at iRiver) It would stand to reason, therefore, that somebody out there knows how to crack open the iRiver and replace the battery. Sure enough!

Since things have a way of dissapearing on the interent, I have taken the liberty of copying that web page into this PDF (1.2MB). Credit to a guy named Denny, from the UK, and to Misticriver.net – for iRiver enthusiasts.

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A friend gave me a hand-me-down iRiver H100 when they first came out. It was such a great 20GB mp3 player that I bought a friend the iRiver H320 for Christmas a few years later, back in 2004. It was a bit expensive, but seemed worth it given my anti-mainstream (anti-iPod) mindset. The device was perfect: USB – comes up as a drive, can record FM radio or voice with the buil-tin mic or with an external mic.

Then I felt the need to upgrade mine and get an H340 (40GB).

Fast forward to present day: my friend’s player keeps cutting out – seems like the battery is shot and won’t hold a charge. Then, a few days ago, I plug mine in, the screen freaks out, then goes white, and the device gets REALLY HOT to the touch. I didn’t smell any funkiness (aka burnt silicone), but it’s obviously not happy.

So I call iRiver support – I’m impressed: some dude answers the phone after a very brief wait on hold. (not off-shored either). Here’s the skinny: the iRiver comes with a 1 year warantee, and they don’t offer repairs due to the cost – not even if I’m willing to pay. They e-mail me some web site where I can log in and they’ll give me some e-credit towards one of their new H10s. Oh gee. I’m thinking: why replace a product that breaks in 15 months with another?

So then I think maybe it’s time to sell out and get an iPod… I mean, there’s an adapter for it to integrate seamlessly into my Mini… they offer battery repair /replacement kits, and there are tons of really cool accessories etc. etc. etc.

But then I think – NOOO! I can’t sell out to iPod and iTunes and their proprietary nonsense – I mean, why must I put iTunes on my PC just so I can use the iPod? More importantly, why must their application default to their proprietary digital audio .aac format rather than the industry standard .mp3 format? Why can’ t I just upload my own mp3s as if onto a USB flash drive – kinda like the iRiver? Why do they use some proprietary connector rather than an industry standard mini-USB? Ahhh, so there is the incentive to try and solve this iRiver problem.

A quick search of eBay reveals they many replacement batteries for $30! A quick search in Google reveals step by step instructions on how to do this. AWESOME! I love the internet.

And then, almost as if on queue, I my friend (whose H320 won’t hold a charge) tells me that she plugged it into the USB, and charged it that way (rather than use the wall wort) and it hold a perfect charge again. Could that mean the charger is defective, and not the iRiver?

HOLY CRAP! My iRiver shit the bed when I plugged in the charger – actually, I kinda did something that I know I shouldn’t have done – I plugged in my iRiver before flipping the switch on the power strip… I’m thinking the surge is what fried the iRiver but this brings up a very interesting issue: could their devices be great, but they just have cheap ass chargers!

So now I get to pull apart my iRiver (from those awesome instructions) and see if there’s anything I can salvage :-/

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