You may be tempted to dismiss iriver's Mplayer as just another child's toy, given the fact that it's shaped like Disney's iconic mouse ears. Looks can be deceiving, however; the Mplayer is, in fact, a nicely designed novelty that offers some pretty powerful audio.

The Mplayer is a 1GB Flash-based system that connects to a PC with a USB cord. Song transfer is easy via Windows media manager or the company's proprietary iriver plus software. In terms of features, the Mplayer is pretty lean; it includes no FM tuner, voice recorder, or screen for image playback. But this mouse is awfully cute, it comes in one of four colors (black, pink, white and silver) and it offers some really nice design touches, including earbuds with a detachable back strap and cord management ties with a happy face tab named Mr. Cable.

Better-than-average earbuds loop around the back of the head (and are detachable, if you want to substitute a more traditional style) with a spongy cord for added comfort. This device can be worn as a necklace when not in use. Further kid-proof the player by securing it to the headphones with an additional lanyard that is included in the package.

Controls are simple. Just twist one of Mickey's ears to navigate forward and backward through playlists and twist the other for volume control. The player automatically pauses when the earbuds are disconnected, and an LED indicator glows red or green while charging. Somewhat surprisingly, the sound quality of this Mickey Mouse device is impressive.

The Mplayer is not just for kids. If there are any negatives to point out, it's this model's limited availability (it's only available at Disney's theme parks and from its online store, for now) and its relatively high price.


Pros: Great design, good earbuds, easy controls
Cons: No FM tuner, no voice recorder, expensive

Warranty
1 year