Hard Disk MP3 Players,Top 5 Review

Cowon iAudio6 Archos Gmini 500


Apple iPod 30GB


Sony Walkman NW-A1200


Creative Zen Vision M

Hello,it me again,this is a busy week for me.I got a lot of works and must finish off all the works before this Friday(paper work ect...).Next week I will not post the new article,cause I go back to my home town till Wednesday .

Today I discuss about hard disk MP3 players.Hopefully all of you get the benefit from my writing. Emm.. carry your whole music library with you,along with movies and photos

Apple iPod 30GB( and 80GB) sports a 60% brighter screen and battery life is extended to 14 hours for audio and 3.5 hours for video ( for the 30GB version).It weighs only 156g and sofrware improvements include the new search feature where,like the Creative,you can scroll though the alphabet with the click wheel to save time in long lists.You can now buy games such as Pac-Man and Tetris from the iTunes Store.Video looks good on the 2.5 in screen,but it cannot compete with the Archo’s 4in display.Also,codec support is not as wide as the Creative,lacking WMA and protected WMA.The iPod is a good choice,but only if you do not have WMA files in your library.

The Sony Walkman NW-A1200 tips the scales at 110g.It is similar to the NW-A1000,but offers an 8GB hard disk.It also supports MP3,ATRAC3,unprotected AAC and WMA files.Unlike others here.The navigation pad is no match for the Creative’s touch strip,especially with a large music library.I think the Top100 option and the Artist Link button,which can find songs and artists related to the current song.The problem is the software- Sony still hasn’t introduced compatibility with Windows Media Player.Instead,you use the counter intuitive SonicStage,which is apain when you want to add music.

Neither is the Cowon iAudio 6. It has a paltry 4GB hard disk.But it’s by far the most pocketable here( and weight just 58g). Plus it has come suprising features too.It support Mp3,OGG,FLAC,WMA and WAV files.Despite the 1.3in OLED screen,it supports MPEG4 videos and photos.There is also a line in on top direct recording,and FM radio and atext file viewer.But menus are fiddly and the headphones a poor quality,which makes the FLAC support pointless.But the poor capacity at this price makes the Cowon one to avoid.

The Creative Zen Vision:M is cheaper than the Cowon,but has a 30GB hard disk (a 60GB version is imminent).The 2.5in screen is superb,allowing you to more comfortably watch DivX,Xvid,WMA or Mpeg1,2 or 4 movies,while the battery lasts a shade over four hours.If you are just listening to music ,it will last for about 14 hours.The Zen weighs 164g and DRM friendly;there is also an FM radio with recorder.The touchpad allows quick browsing through lists.While you can also jump to any letter in the alphabet to save scrolling.If an adapter were not needd for USB,power and A/V output the Zen would be just about perfect.Even so it is still the one to buy if you are primarly after an MP3 player.

If video is a priority,consider an MP4 player like the Archos Gmini 500.It costs more than the Creavite,but boasts a 40GB hard disk and a fantastic 4in widescreen TFT with aresolution of 480 x 272. It is bulky at 124 x 24 x 76mm and weighs 322g,but it is a small compromise for the superb video quality.MPEG4,WMV and AVI files are supported,and the screen is so bright that you can comfortably watch a three hours movie without eyestrain.You can expect five hours of life watching movies and 15 hours with MP3.With the extra bulk,I can only recommend the Archos if video ia a priority,but the Gmini is asuperb alternative to the Creative if it is.Ok just all today.I wish all of you enjoy it bye…Happy reading,and for all Chinese around the world ,Happy New Year!

Tag : Creative Zen, iPod Nano, MP3 Players, MPEG4

FM Transmitters

Kensington Pico

Digiana Audiax
iCarPlay
Griffin iTrip Dock
Belkin TuneCast II






Listen to your mp3 player in the car with one of there affordable transmitter

When you entire music collection is stored on adivice that is no bigger than your mobile phone,it seems a shame not be able to have the contents of this tiny jukebox at your disposal when you are in the car.Unless you have a car stereo with a tape player(into which you can plug an inexpensive tape adapter),the only real option is FM transmitter.

If you happen to own an iPod,there are plenty of FM transmitter to choose from.One of the most popular is the Griffin iTrip Dock.Since it is powered by the iPod,there is no need for any batteries,but it means it wont’t work with older,non-docking iPods.As it doesn’t connect via the headphone socket,you don’t have to worry about setting the right volume,but I found that it took up to a minute to switch on.The prequency is show on the small backlit LCD,and audio quality was good no metter where the transmitter was in the car.

It makes the Griffin abetter choice than the Kensington Pico,which is designed for those with a first generation iPod nano,hence the black finish tiny dimensions. Again it is powered by the iPod,but there is no display frequencies appear on the iPod’s screen and are selected by the jog dial on the side.However,the signal wasn’t as strong as the iTrips,so the Pico had to be in exactly the right position to avoid interference.And even the quality wasn’t as good –a lack of treble made it sound dull.

For those who don’t own iPod,there are still plenty of options.One is the Digiana Audiax.It isn’t much bigger than your thumb and take just one AAA battery (or can be powered via the included cigarette lighter adapter).Operation couldn’t be simpler – plug the coiled mini jack lead into your player’s headphone socket,press the power button and select a prequency between 88.1 and 107.9 MHz.There’s a rudimentary LED backlight that only lights the centre of display,but the signal was strong and provided interference free audio from any position in the car.Audio quality was fine but when you are statinary it became obvious that voices were a little muffed.

A cheaper option is the iCarPlay,which plugs directly into your cigarette lighter.It has a tiny blue LCD panel,which is hard to read in daylight and awkward if your socket is not the dashboard in front of you.The two buttons let you select tha same range as the Audiax and as with that transmitter,the memory remembers you last setting when you power it on again.The 0.7m cord gives more freedom on where to place your player than the Audix.Sound quality was not bad,and the signal was fairly strong.Aside from the tiny screen the only downside is that you are limited to in-caruse-you cannot plug it indoors for use with a home FM radio.

The last one is the Belkin TuneCast II.It has a green backlit display and take two AAA batteries.There are good for several hours playback,but quality drops of noticeably as the cells lose power.Thegood news is the Belkin bundles an in-car adapter.The TuneCast automatically powers on whenever it detects a signal,and also powers off when it stops.The best feature though,is the built-in memory,which can be store four frequencies ( which you did then store in your head unit’s matching memories ),and if the current setting is not working you can easily select the next one without pulling over.The short lead means the player has to be next to the transmitter and I found it was picky about its location in the car.However,once you have found the ideal place sound quality tops the lot.

Tag : FM Transmitter, headphone, iPod Nano, MP3 Players

More Flash MP3 players Review-Netac MuStick A200,Samsung YP-K5 and SanDisk Sansa e2200

Netac MuStickA200
SanDisk Sansa e200
Samsung YP-K5 MP3 Player

The Netac MuStik A200 lacks the style and polish that makes the nano so appealing.The playback controls are awkwardly positioned on the top and bottom rather than the front.But it has a major strength no other can boast;as well as an FM radio receiver,it has a built-in FM transmitter to send music directly to your car stereo.Netac even bundles an in car charger should the eight-hour battery life prove too short.I wouldn’t recommend the A200 if you’re just looking for an MP3 player,but if you drive a lot this makes it adifferent proposition entirely,and both the 1GB or 2 GB models offer good value.

The Samsung YP-K5 might be 18mm thick,but this is to house the slide out 750mW speakers.With several EQ presets,the K5 beats most laptops for sound.It will play WMA DRM tracks and the alarm clock can wake you up with a particular track or FM radio station. The touch sensitive controls are little fiddly and there’s no scroll pad or wheel,but finding tracks is simple thanks to the bright 1.7in screen.Even with the speakers on it will last six hours,and five times that when using the decent headphones.If you need built-in speakers,it,it’s worth the money.

In term of value,though,nothing can compete with the Sandisk Sansa e200 series.It is unique in offering 6GB,and provides it for less than most 4GB models.The 4GB and 2GB versions are good value,plus an 8GB model is now available.While its mechanical scrollwheel is clunky compared to iPod,it is the quickest way to navigate alarge library,and one that supports WMA DRM tracks,among others.The 1.8in TFT is impressive as is the MicroSD card slot on the side,20 hours of music playback is decent and the e200 is stylish,does more than a nano (it plays video and has a built-in mic for voice recording)

Just all guys,enjoy it!!

Tag : hours, iPod Nano, MP3 Players, music, samsung, speakers

Flash MP3 Players iPod Nano Vs Creative Zen V Plus Review

Flash MP3 players,enjoy you music on the move: I try out 2 of the best based MP3 players on the market.

With the capacity of flash-based MP3 players now up to 8GB,they are no longer the lesser cousin of hard disk models.In fact with their diminutive size and absence of moving parts,flash based players arguably represent the better deal.With no hard disk to jog,they're ideal for excercise,and as flash memory requires little power in operation,battery life is most often counted in tens of hours.

The revamped Apple iPod nano has a solid aluminium shell,and the familiar scroll dial remains faster and more flexible than anything else here.As ever,you are restricted to using iTunes to buy or tranfer tracks,and you will have to convert unprotected WMA files to AACor MP3.But even with this drawback,it is now just 6.5 mm tick and weighs 40g,yet it feels solid in you hand,it lasts for 25 hours and the range of available cases and accessories is seemingly endless.The 8GB and 4GB model ofer decent value.

The Creative Zen V Plus is the smallest challenger on test- a third shoter than the nano but twice as tick.This is abonus when slipping it in a pocket,but restrict ease of use.Navigation is via a small joystick,similiar to those found on mobile phones,which is fine for basic tasks but lack speed for large lists
But onto this minute device is squeezed a 1.5 in colour display that handles photos and video.Protected WMA files are supported,and there is also an FM radio and a line in mini jack for recording,plus a bundled microphone.The battery life of 15 hours(for music) falls behind the best,but the prices for all capacities are competitive.

Tag : Apple, iPod Nano, MP3 Players, Zen