Hi all, The IRiver 799 and 899 are virtually identical. The essential settings which are most useful are accessible, and are the same for both models. The only difference I am aware of is the cases, which vary the location of the jacks. Rick ----- Original Message ----- From: Gary Wood To: blindcasting@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Sent: Monday, February 06, 2006 9:19 PM Subject: Re: Urgent - How to Adjust Iriver IFP899 Recording Levels - Terrible Overall Setup Experience I'm sorry. I don't have an Iriver! Theyk really sound like something that would be good to have, but I was just commenting as to the technical nature of the product. ----- Original Message ----- From: Richard Quan To: blindcasting@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Sent: Sunday, February 05, 2006 5:48 PM Subject: Re: Urgent - How to Adjust Iriver IFP899 Recording Levels - Terrible Overall Setup Experience What's the difference between all the iriver ifp's: 780/790/799/890; is it a apacity thing and is there a place where I can go and read more about them? Thanks. ----- Original Message ----- From: Gary Wood To: blindcasting@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Sent: Sunday, February 05, 2006 4:37 PM Subject: Re: Urgent - How to Adjust Iriver IFP899 Recording Levels - Terrible Overall Setup Experience It sounds like the IRiver is very technical. With all the problems and complications, it sounds like it could drive anyone to drink! ----- Original Message ----- From: Mika Pyyhkala To: blindcasting@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Sent: Friday, February 03, 2006 8:51 PM Subject: Urgent - How to Adjust Iriver IFP899 Recording Levels - Terrible Overall Setup Experience Hi, I recently got an Iriver IFP899, and I cannot figure out how to set the recording level and the monitoring level, are these two different things? Also I have had a terrible experience as a blind person getting the unit configured. I was able to record mono voice files using the built in mic myself just by reading and listening to some podcasts and talking to 1-2 other Iriver users. However, I was not able to: *Set the device to Line In/External Microphone mode; *Tell it I wanted to record in stereo, and set sampling rate, etc.; and *Set the recording levels. I also tried to get three different sighted people to help me with it: Experience 1, Roommate: Could not figure out how to set the device to record in line in mode. Even after you set this in the control menu, there are additional modes that you must select which were not obvfious; Experience 2, Radio Shack: I took the device to a local Radio Shack where I have bought some electronic equipment. They looked at it, and also were not able to set it to line in recording mode. Again, they made adjustments in the control menu, but there is some other place in the interface where you must switch it from internal mic to line in external mic mode; Experience 3, Roomates Girlfriend: Finally I got the manual out, and I worked on it with my roomates girlfriend. After a frustrating series of steps, we were able to get it to switch to line in mode, though we don't know really how we did it. She followed the instruction manual, and read the screen, and still it took several tries and the process was not clear. I asked her "what the trick was," and she didn't know. Still we are unable to set the recording levels, and it is recording very softly for both a bi noral mics, as well as a power microphone. My roomates girlfriend was unable to see anything in the screen talking about recording levels. Given that 3 sighted people of average or greater intelligence could not figure out how to make a simple change on the device (changing it from internal mic to external source/mic recording) I would suggest that the user interface leaves a lot to be desired. I was surprised that so many blindcasters like the Iriver given this. It seems like maybe you could get it to work, but you would have to sit down with an intelligent sighted person perhaps for 2-3 hours, and map out all the menus and memorize how many key presses are needed for the functions you need to do. I suppose the device is somewhat accessible if after you configure it you don't need to make any changes. But if you buy one of these (now you must get it on Ebay because the IFP899 is discontinued) you may need to spend a good deal of time with a sighted person getting it set up. And the later models are even less accessible? And you will probably need to find a person who is good with gadgets and reading manuals that are unclear. If I am missing something please let me know. I suppose there is a good market for someone to make a top to bottom tutorial for the blind on the Iriver. Have other people who are blind had a similar problem getting this device configured, or am I missing something and in fact there is some straightforward way for me to adjust all of these settings. Thanks... I'll now go and read the manual some more, or have a drink :). -Mika