Portable Media Player Reviews

The TA 454 Digital Video Player is touted as being the "smallest Media Player" presently available. The player comes with 256MB of built-in memory and a USB connector which allows you to connect the device to your PC or laptop. 'The powerful sounds of MP3 music and the color rich images from your last vacation are in the palm of your hand with the Ultra Portable Personal Media Player & Recorder. Watch full motion video on the surprisingly large 1.5” TFT LCD screen. Or read an eBook. Or view photos from your last vacation or your loved ones.' The TA 454 is available from Gadget Universe for $79.95.

Kevin Hunt writing over at The Morning Call has reviewed the RoverTv portable video player from Doghouse Electronics ‘The wide-screen RoverTv is, in fact, pocket size. But choose your pocket wisely. At 4.1 inches long, 2.75 high, about half an inch thick and 5.5 ounces, it might overwhelm a shirt pocket. Unlike the iPod, the RoverTv does not use built-in memory. It comes with a basic 2-gigabyte SD memory card that slips into the side of the disc. That's not a lot of memory — about three hours of video in high-quality mode — for something that costs $349. Of course, you can add as much memory as you need with additional SD cards. (Doghouse is expected to supply a 4-gigabyte card with the RoverTv sometime in the first few months 2007.)’

PC World have published their review on sound-quality tests of some major brand name portable multimedia players available to consumers. 'The latest generation of portable audio players offer interesting new features and more storage, and the best of them deliver excellent sound quality. The highest-capacity player we've tested recently is the 80GB Apple iPod, which can store around 20,000 popular songs of average length and compression level. The Microsoft Zune has a neat new wireless sharing feature, and the SanDisk Sansa e260R integrates easily with the Real Rhapsody online music service. Many models appear similar at first glance. We point out differences in features and performance to help you weigh which is the right player for you.'

CNET have published a review of the Dada Footwear Code M/WSW (for men) which includes an MP3 player embedded in a pair of basketball shoes along with an USB 1.1 cable and three mini-USB heads. ‘The Code M shoe has finally been released, after being announced at CES 2006, and maybe the idea is crazy enough to find an audience. It's a high-top court shoe that comes in three men's styles so far: all-white, all-black, and a tan/brown combo. The right shoe has a 128MB MP3 player embedded in the sole with playback controls on the tongue. Both shoes have speakers built in, or you can wirelessly send your music to a pair of included headphones. It's a novel idea, but, as we found in our testing, the Code M isn't a strong performer.

3DGameMan have publiahed a review of the Eureka LX351 portable media player. ZIO is not really much of a known name around the Americas, but over on the other side of the globe, they are somewhat established. ZIO is actually a brand under SDT Information Technology Co., Ltd. Here is what their website says about themselves and their products: “SDT Information Technology Co., Ltd., is a specialized Network products anufacturer, headquartered in South Korea and with factories in China. SDT designs and manufactures a wide range of products, from Wire/wireless LAN adapter, Switches, USB and IEEE 1394 products, HDD storage, representative IP Sharing Broadband routers and to multimedia p.'

DAP Review have published a review of the X-Micro MP4 F610 digital media player. 'The player does have a slick form factor, with curved edges keeping it protected from early wear-and-tear. As we've come to expect from budget-friendly players like the F610, it mainly consists out of plastic parts (on the outside, that is). Yet, it feels and looks pretty slick and smooth while repelling fingerprints and key scratches quite successfully.

The Gadget Site have published a review of the RAmos Q13 portable media player. 'RAmos is a brand relatively known in China for their digital audio players. Price wise, their products stand between the cheap Chinese clones that can be found on eBay and players from the larger manufacturers such as Meizu and Teclast. Quality wise, they also land somewhere in between. In early February 2007, RAmos introduced a new player to their line of Q players, the Q13. At a glance, one would easily confuse the RAmos Q13 with the second generation iPod Nano as their appearances are almost identical. The Q13 is a Rockchip powered player that has a decent set of features. It plays music in MP3 and WMA, plays video in AVI, RM(VB), DAT, VOB, MPEG (conversion needed), and supports Micro SD cards with up to 2GB in storage.'

CNET have published a review of the Mach Speed Trio TV5 MP3 player. ‘The Trio TV5 has a suspiciously lightweight all-plastic body that measures 3.75 inches long by 2.25 inches wide by 0.75 inch thick. With no dedicated volume control or any typical Play, Pause or Skip buttons, the TV5 has the design of an OEM digital camera that has been awkwardly hacked for MP3 and video playback. The controls become somewhat clearer after turning the TV5 on and using the graphical user interface displayed on its 2.5-inch TFT color display. Still, tracks advance seemingly out of order, and something as simple as volume control involves a finger-dance of unintuitive buttons that make a cheap plastic clicking sound and often get stuck if pressed too hard.’

A review of the MP Man MP-CS155 1GB multimedia player has been posted over at Shiny Media. 'MP Man meant well when they created the MP-CS155. It's a £39.99 MP3 and video player for a start, in a barely palm-sized, light, slim case. It's easy to drag and drop tracks and videos on directly or through Windows Media Player. There's a voice recorder, too, and a 1.5" screen squeezed in, which is more than the shuffle has. Okay, it's only 1GB, but presumably when you're going for a light, cheap player, you're not that concerned about capacity and you can probably squeeze in a movie if you're daft enough to watch it on a wee miniature screen.'

CNET have published a review of the Blue Raven MediaMate 7080 portable video player. ‘The MediaMate 7000 players have most of the features you'd expect from a wide-screen PVP. You get a video player, a video recorder, an MP3 player, a voice recorder, a photo viewer and a text viewer. There's no FM radio, but you'll likely be using a device like this in a car or a plane--situations where you'll already have a radio or where a radio would be useless. The MediaMate also includes a three-in-one flash memory card slot (SD, MMC, MS) that allows you to import the contents of the memory card directly onto the player's hard drive.

CNET have published a review of the Harman Kardon GPS-500 "convergence" device which combines a portable navigation unit with an MP3 Player. 'Much like the company's other products, the Harman Kardon Guide + Play GPS-500 is a stylish piece of technology. It's sleek (4.6 inches wide by 3 inches high by 0.8 inch deep and weighing 7 ounces) and attractive, with a classic silver-and-black finish. The compact size will allow for easy portability between cars, and the unit comes packaged with a simple and secure vehicle mount.

CNET have published a review of the affordable Venzero Slickr portable video player. 'There's no denying the Slickr's stunning design. Its iPhone-esque aesthetic, uncluttered screen, and metallic trim are absolutely drool-worthy. A designer with refined taste must have selected the silky, matte-black, rubberized finish on the player's back and sides, for instance. Otherwise, however, the Slickr is behind the times. Venzero's disconnect between form and function makes the Slickr feel like a Lamborghini running on a Ford Festiva's engine. But we'll get to that later.

A review of the Reddmango Angora VX435 portable video player has been posted over at Computeractive. 'The Angora VX435 can play music (MP3 and WMA) and video (AVI, Divx, Mpeg and others) files, and includes a 120GB hard disk on which to store them. The 3.5in widescreen display is clear and quite sharp, and the built-in speaker is loud enough to listen in our office, although there is of course a headphone socket (the speaker is rather tinny, making it unsuitable for music). Files can be copied to it using the supplied USB cable. The menu system is well laid out and easy to follow - it's navigated with the small joystick to the right of the screen. Sound quality is excellent through a decent pair of headphones, although the ones supplied are not particularly good.'

Personal Computer World have published a review of the Becker Vision Pro portable media player. Becker's Vision Pro is another entry into the PMP market, but differs from rival products from companies such as Archos mainly due to its size. Weighing just over a 1kg and sporting a 7in touchscreen display, you won't be tucking this into your pocket, but you will benefit from a larger viewable area on which to enjoy video and photos. Of course you can play back audio as well and, in general, the range of file types and formats supported is extremely impressive - DivX, XVID and AVI, along with MP3, WMA and WAV are included.’

IT Reviews have published their review of the Reddmango Angora VX435 media player. 'One advantage the Angora player holds straight from the off is that everything you need to do this is supplied in the box, which includes a remote control plus composite and component adaptor cables. The VX435 is quite a bit larger than most rival media players though. The rather chunky black and silver design may not appeal to all, and a relatively small 3.5-inch display doesn't seem big enough to make best use of the space available. It seems to be built for right-handed use due to a protruding cylindrical battery compartment that houses a rather chunky rechargeable cell offering just two and a half hours of playback for video and eight for audio.'

CNET have reviewed the Trevor Baylis Eco media player which features a 1.8" screen, and 2 gigabytes of internal memory which holds around 500 songs. 'The Eco Media Player is a chunky little guy that measures 2.5 inches high by 4.5 inches wide by 1.25 inches deep. Don't judge him by his looks, though; the Eco Media Player is designed with utility in mind. Like the Swiss Army Knife of portable human-powered entertainment, the Eco Media Player's design is packed with every imaginable MP3 player feature--and even some features you might not expect on an audio device (flashlight, anyone?).

A review of the wind-up Eco Media player has been posted over on the SlipperyBrick. 'The navigation leaves something to be desired. It’s not as immediately friendly as an iPod or or other devices, but once you get used to it, it’s pretty basic. The voice recorder is pretty straight forward too. Just speak and record your voice and play it back when you need to. It even has an e-book option that’s pretty much just a text file. The photo viewer can display single pics or display them in a slideshow. The FM radio is great, you just can’t play it with the built in speaker since it uses your headphones as an antenna.'

A review of the wind-up Baylis Eco Media Player EMP-MX71 has been posted over at Computeractive. ‘The EMP-MX71 has a high-grip, rubberised surface and the trademark winding handle on the back. Winding it steadily for 60 seconds gave over 30 minutes of music, and the battery can also be charged from a USB socket for up to 20 hours' playing time. A selection of connection cables are provided so that you can charge a mobile phone from the device and it has a small, bright torch built into the top. The media player itself has an adequate 4.6cm screen, but it's not as bright and clear as some of its rivals. It plays a range of formats including MP3 and WMA as well as MP4 video.’

JR.com has the Sansa Express MP3 Player on offer for $49.99 down from the previous $79.99 price.
Features/Specifications:
• Direct USB connector-No cable needed
• Built in Mic for Voice Recording
• Four-line, bright OLED screen
• Digital FM tuner, with FM recording
• Simple to use controls for fast device Interface navigation
• Supports MP3, WMA, protected WMA, WAV, and Audible files
• Up to 15-hour, rechargeable lithium polymer Battery life per full charge
• Requires Windows XP or Vista Operating system and Windows Media Player 10+
• Includes Earphones, Lanyard, CD Software, USB extension cable
• Unit Size - 3.1 x 1.0 x .65 inches

IT Reviews have published their review of the wind-up Baylis Eco Media Player EMP-MX71. 'There are a couple of unique features to this 2GB, flash-based player, which flow directly from the wind-up generator. Firstly, it comes with a selection of USB-to-mobile phone connectors and these can be used to provide emergency charging to most types of phone. A minute's winding gives around two minutes talk time. Secondly, there's an LED torch built into the top end of the player, which is powerful enough to find your way by and gives about 25 minutes of light for each minute on the hand crank.'

TechShout have published a review of the Latte Ice flash portable media player. 'Latte’s Ice includes all the necessary features that a basic PMP needs to incorporate. With a 3.5mm Stereo Earphone Output, the player actually comes with no additional frills and useless extras that at times remain unexplored by layman users. The Ice plays MP3, WMA, FLAC and APE audio formats along with MPEG AVI and FLV videos. However it is necessary to note here that to enjoy videos on your Ice, you have to convert them in appropriate formats with the help of the software, which comes bundled with the player.'

Auto Express have published their review of twelve in-car FM transmitters which allows you to listen to MP3 tunes via the radio. 'There’s no cheaper or easier way to listen to your iPod or MP3 player through your car’s sound system than with an FM transmitter. These devices connect to the player and broadcast the tunes on a low-power signal which can be picked up by the car tuner as if it was a conventional radio station. But which works best? We tried 12 of the top sellers to find out.'

Laptop Magazine have published a review of the Slacker digital audio player. 'It's certainly not the sleekest portable audio player around. In fact, this glossy black block of a device is more than twice as thick as the iPod touch (0.7 inches versus 0.3 inches). The good news is that the Slacker Portable isn't as heavy as it looks, weighing in at a manageable 4.6 ounces (versus 4.2 for the touch). The player also sports a 4-inch screen, larger than the touch (3.5 inches). But, at least for now, this real estate is somewhat wasted in that it only displays bigger album art and artist bios. (The company hints that video playback could be added later, as part of a firmware update.)

PC Magazine have published their review of the Slacker Portable media player. 'The player comes in three flash memory capacities: 2GB, 4GB, and 8GB (we tested the 4GB version). Most of that storage is reserved for Slacker files—respectively, each capacity can store up to 15, 25, or 40 personalized "stations," leaving only 500MB, 1.5GB, or 4GB for "personal files"—specifically, your MP3s and WMAs. Audio codec support is weak: Clearly, the device was designed primarily for listening to Slacker files (which happen to be AAC Pro V2). The biggest surprise is that, despite the huge 4-inch, 480-by-272-pixel LCD, the device doesn't play videos or display photos.

A review of the Slacker Portable Player has been posted over at CNET. 'The design of the Slacker Portable Player hasn't changed much from the initial beta unit the company had on hand for SXSW 2007. It's a hefty (4.2 inches by 2.7 inches by 0.7 inch) device with a face-dominating, 4-inch color LCD (480x272 pixel resolution). The ample screen is great for displaying album art and other information, though it's a bit counterintuitive that it's not a touch screen, as the large size definitely gives the impression that it would be. Instead, Slacker includes an optional touch strip along the left edge of the screen. We prefer to leave this feature off as its lack of "swipe" operation--whereby you drag your finger to scroll--makes it less handy. Plus, we often touched it accidentally, which caused various undesirable results (changing stations in the middle of a favorite song). However, the interface is straightforward and easy to navigate with the tactile controls. Check out our slide show for interface details.'

The Register Hardware have published their review of the Baylis Eco EP-MX71 wind-up multimedia player. 'First seen in August last year, the Baylis Eco Media Player looks to combine the very latest technology with good old-fashioned elbow grease in an eco-friendly package. No one is going to argue that this player is the sleekest most sophisticated model on the market. However, if cutting down your carbon footprint is important to you, not to mention the environmental impact of a product once it has reached the end of its life, this product is a real boon.

Laptop Magazine have published a review of the MC Square X1 digital audio player. 'The device consists of two pieces: a black, 3.5-ounce digital audio player, and a visor with plugs that connect to the MC Square X1's audio and visual jacks. The device delivers six nonintrusive beeping patterns intended to stimulate different cognitive areas (concentration, relaxation, learning, language, energizer, sleeping) as you listen to six natural sounds (Woods, Surf, Rain, Brook, Dolphin, White Noise). It then sends corresponding pulsating lights into LEDs in the visor, which you can see through closed eyelids. Donning the visor, we couldn't help but recall a certain sight-impaired engineer from Star Trek: The Next Generation.'

PC World have published a review of the Slacker Portable internet radio and music player. 'The strongest aspect of the Slacker Portable is the associated Slacker Web music service, which you can listen to for free without the player. I suggest that you do so right away, even if you don't plan on buying the player. As with the Pandora online music service, users can enter an artist's name on the Slacker site, click Enter, and create a custom "station" consisting of free music from that artist and others similar in sound or genre. The Slacker site does a great job of matching your demonstrated tastes to other music that you might enjoy, though Slacker's artist roster and music-matching abilities don't seem quite as deep as what I've experienced with Pandora's service.

CNET have published a review of the Peapod Toys SweetPea3 digital music player. 'The SweetPea3 doesn't look anything like your standard MP3 player, and that's just as well because it's not trying to be to the most stylishly compact competitor on the block. Rather, it looks like a baby monitor, with a circular handle shaped out of its top end and a large speaker built into the front. Above that, there are three buttons: two marked with opposing triangles on either side of one marked with a square.

Digital Reviews Network have published a review of the Qingbar GP300 Wireless Video Glasses from YelloMosquito. ‘Even without documentation, the GP300 is refreshingly user friendly. The physical interface shows thoughtful care in the design, with the controls clustered on the right arm and kept to a minimum. Each button is clearly identified with its function. It only took me a few short minutes to learn it on the fly. On the top of the right arm is the power button highlighted in red, with the volume controls just ahead of it towards the front of the frame. On the underside of the same arm are the menu button and a scroll/press wheel for play, pause, forward and reverse. The positioning of the controls is good when your index and forefinger are on the volume controls, the thumb will naturally rest on the scroll wheel.’

Trusted Reviews have published a review of the Sumvision ICE 1000 touch screen media player. 'In addition to the video capability the ICE manages to pack in an FM tuner with recording ability, a tinny built-in speaker and an external mic which you can use to turn the player into an impromptu dictaphone. There are a couple of games included - a space-invaders-style shoot 'em up and an overhead 2D tank game - and they look pretty good for MP3 player games. And if 8GB for 60 quid isn't enough for you, you can also add to it using the microSD slot at the bottom edge of the device, for a potential maximum capacity of 10GB.

IT Reviews have published a review of the Veho VMP-008 1GB sports neck band MP3 player. 'The VMP-008 is classed as a sports MP3 player. Fortunately, that doesn't mean it can only play sports-related MP3s like "Eye of the Tiger", or Olivia Newton-John's "Let's Get Physical" (God forbid). Of course, it refers to the device's compact nature, and the fact that it comes on a cord so it can be worn around the neck while pounding along on the treadmill at the gym. To say this Veho MP3 player is compact is quite an understatement. It's tiny, measuring 4cm by 1.5cm, and it's only 7mm thick. The VMP-008 is also very light, so it hangs around your neck comfortably.'

A review of the IOGEAR portable media player has been posted over at the Blogger News Network. ‘This is a dev