The H10 range was originally pitched squarely at the iPod mini. Its capacity was 1GB more (at 5GB) and required the same agonising choice as to which colour you wanted. Now that the mini has been killed by the nano, the H10 range has been expanded with new capacities. It starts with the 5GB PURE (£127), which doesn’t have the FM radio of our 6GB sample, and at the top end there’s a 20GB rival to the full-blown iPod.
The first thing we noticed was the lightness of the H10, making it comfortable in the hand. However, the six-hour battery life doesn’t compare well to others on test, which is a shame, as we like the iriver in other respects. The audio quality is good and navigating through the menus is easy with the vertical touchpad. A colour screen and logical menus help no end.
We found replacement batteries on www.novatech.co.uk for £11 (make sure you get the right colour). They’re small enough to take with you, but a bit inconvenient. The H10 is certainly an interesting alternative to the iPod, and only relatively poor battery life holds it back.
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