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Compared to leading competitors, the iRiver iHP-120 has double the battery life (16 hours), an FM tuner, backlit remote, built-in MP3 encoding, optical audio output, built-in voice recording and WMA support. The iRiver iHP-120 also gives customers the option of using familiar folder navigation to sort through files quickly and easily.

"Consumer demand continues to increase significantly for portable MP3 players, especially in the hard-drive segment," said Cindy Wolf, an industry analyst at In-Stat/MDR. "In addition, the products are reaching a broader demographic, as more consumers become familiar with digital technology and recognize how the convenience integrates with their active lifestyles. Shipments of portable MP3 players are expected to reach about 12.5 million this year (this number includes solid state, hard-drive and revolving media), up from about 6.8 million in 2002. As the competition in this market increases, new products, such as the iRiver iHP-120, will be essential for continued growth."

The iRiver iHP-120 features the unique ability to record, encode and store MP3s all in real-time direct from the unit's FM tuner, built-in microphone or optical input, giving users the ability to record MP3s on the fly from an array of sources.

"We are expanding into the MP3 hard-drive player market after attaining North American leadership position in the MP3 flash-memory player and MP3 CD player categories," said Jonathan Sasse, president of iRiver America. "We are choosing now to enter the hard-drive portable MP3 player market after spending considerable research effort in designing and developing a product that is exactly what our customers have come to expect from iRiver. We are convinced customers will embrace our innovative iRiver iHP-120 with the same enthusiasm as our MP3 flash-memory and MP3 CD players."

The iRiver iHP-120 comes bundled with iRiver earphones, remote control with backlit LCD, carrying case, AC adapter, USB 2.0 cable, line in/out cable, microphone and the iRiver Music Manager CD.

  iRiver iHP-120 features:
  -- Plays 600 hours of digital music**
  -- Supports MP3, WMA, ASF, WAV and OGG files
  -- Ultra-fast USB 2.0 transfers
  -- Integrated FM tuner & voice recorder
  -- Simple music navigation on 8-line backlit LCD
  -- Real-time MP3 encoding (voice, FM, optical & analog - no PC required)
  -- Remote control with backlit display
  -- Store or transfer files of any type
  -- Rechargeable battery lasts up to 16 hours
  -- Optical input and output for high-quality audio
  -- Enhanced 3D audio

Pricing and Availability

The iRiver iHP-120 is available now at selected retailers and the iRiver E-Store (www.iriveramerica.com). iHP-120 MSRP is $399.99.

About iRiver

iRiver is the emerging global leader in delivering advanced portable digital audio devices. iRiver provides consumers with listening and recording flexibility to accommodate their active lifestyles by manufacturing award-winning hybrid products supporting existing and emerging formats, including MP3, WMA, ASF, AAC and OGG. San Jose-based iRiver America, Inc. can be found on the Web at www.iriveramerica.com.

  * 1.0GB equals 1,000,000,000 bytes.
  ** Over 600 hours of music based on Windows Media format at 64kbps.

NOTE: iRiver America and SlimX are registered trademarks of iRiver America, Inc. All other registered or unregistered trademarks are the sole property of their respective owners.

CONTACT: Gary Byrd of Nadel Phelan, Inc., +1-831-440-2414, or gary@nadelphelan.com, for iRiver.

Source: iRiver America, Inc.