Inovix Ipocket 1GB

Design
The Inovix IPocket 1GB is a good looking little thing – the only difference between the IPocket and the Nano is the cross centre control panel replacing the circular iPod one.  Apart from that -  it’s got the same black front and silver back design.  Inovix have made a strange decision by sticking a 2.5mm headphone port on there so you can’t use standard earphones,  but they make up for this by including a 3.5mm adapter cable – what were they thinking?  The scratch test was probably the only area that beat the Nano, giving an excellent anti-scratch performance.

Setup/Installation
Getting music, photos and video onto the IPocket was painless, simply plug in the USB connector cable and you are away.  Photos are easy enough to deal with too as it supports both JPEG and BMP formats.  Video on the IPocket is AMV supported. 

Features
As far as features go – the IPocket offers the usual suspects.  MP3 music player, video player, digital voice recorder, 20 manual and auto search radio stations, lyrics display, sound equaliser, built-in lithium battery and last but not least it also acts as a gaming console. 

Performance
With the IPocket being so aesthetically similar to the Nano design I was so disappointed with the performance.  I expected it to behave similarly to the Nano but I couldn’t have been more wrong.  The menus are difficult to use and rather confusing at times.  The added equaliser helps the sound out but just not enough – the sound was nothing to be impressed by.  The battery lasted about 8 hours which is nothing compared to some that are lasting up to 100 hours.

Overall Opinion
There is no doubt that the Inovix IPocket MP3 Music and Video Player is not a scratch on the iPod Nano -  But I would say it is better than some of the other MP3 music and video players on the market.  For the price, the IPocket does perform well once you get to grips with the menu and get used to the slightly lower than average sound quality.