Portable Media Player Reviews

The RCA Lyra X3030 (30GB) portable media player records video direct from source and plays movie and videos encoded in different audio and video formats as well as DRM-protected subscription-based content 'The X3030 can fit into a blazer side-pocket, at 5.0 by 3.1 by 0.8 inches. While it's not as sleek as many MP3 players, it is definitely portable, weighing just 8 ounces. Its 3.6-inch, 262,000-color LCD is large enough for portable viewing, but not as ideal, for instance, as the 4-inch wide-screen found on the similarly sized Archos 604, which retails for $350.

A review of the budget-priced RCA S2001 Jet Series Sports MP3 Player has ben posted over at CNET. ‘The front of the Jet sports a small (1-inch) monochrome OLED screen that displays white text on a black background--and you can't reverse it, so those who have trouble reading light text on a dark background should steer clear. Below the display is a five-way control pad: track shuttle and volume keys surrounding a central Play/Pause button. The control pad is pretty stiff and the buttons are a little hard to press, plus it takes a moment for the selection to register, so it's not the easiest thing to use while strapped to an arm. Also, we found it a little odd that the headphone jack at the bottom of the player is covered by a splash-proof flap, in that presumably you would be wearing (and listening) to the device while sweat damage was most at issue. But no matter--the standard mini USB port is also covered by one of these flaps, and that makes infinite sense.’

CNET have published a review of the RCA Opal (2GB, blue) MP3 player. 'The RCA Opal looks like a miniature plastic body board, with its slightly tapered, rounded edges, and measures 3.5 inches tall by 2 inches wide by a slender 0.25 inches thick. The headphone jack is located at the very top, while a small, yet usable, hold switch is found on the middle of the right edge of the player. The Opal's back is nondescript, except for two holes for the microphone and reset switch (with which we soon became familiar). On the front of the Opal you'll find its 1.5-inch color OLED screen, a menu button, and a four-way rocker pad that controls volume in the vertical direction and track skipping in the horizontal direction. A play/pause button is located in the middle of the four-way pad.'

A review of the RCA 1GB Jet S2001 MP3 player has been poste over at Laptop Magazine. 'The size and shape of an egg (but flatter), the Jet fits in the palm of your hand and is so light that if the bumble bee-colored device landed on your head, you wouldn't feel it. Yellow on the outer rim, the Jet sports a black rubber control wheel that's strikingly similar to the layout of the iPod Shuffle, with a circular Play/Pause button in the center and the track-skip buttons to the right and left. The plus and minus volume controls straddle the Play button vertically. The controls were simple to use, given the small physique of the device, but we found the volume buttons a little tough to press. The player doesn't have a Mute button, so we had to repeatedly hit the Volume-down button when listening to the radio to hear what a friend was saying.'

PC Magazine have published a review of the RCA S2501 Jet Stream MP3 player. 'RCA's new S2501 Jet Stream is geared toward gymgoers and offers a wireless listening experience, but it doesn't use Bluetooth to achieve it. The new technology, from Kleer, operates between 2,400 MHz and 2,480 MHz and sounds much better than Bluetooth 2.0 audio (which, frankly, isn't hard to do), but the earbuds that come with the Jet Stream, while providing decent range, are uncomfortable and don't fit securely in your ears, spoiling the audio quality. Throw in a tiny 1GB of storage, a dismal interface, and limited video- and photo-viewing capabilities, and you've got a player that disappoints in the gym—and everywhere else.'