I Review Electronics

Overall Rating
Design
Features
Performance

iRiver PMP 120 Introduction

The iRiver PMP 120 is a new breed of portable media player. It plays your movies, music, photos and more. Plus, integrated FM tuner, voice recorder, ultra-fast USB 2.0 file transfers and simple navigation are just a few of the features you won’t find anywhere else.

iRiver PMP 120 Design

*20 GB Hard Drive Storage capacity
*3.5″ LCD Display
*Built in Speaker/Microphone
*Includes Detachable Lithium-Ion Battery and Charger
*Integrated FM Tuner
*Unit weight : 9.8 ounces
*Dimension : 5.4 x 3.3 x 1.2 inches

iRiver PMP 120 Features

The unit is PC-compatible, of course: connect it via high-speed USB 2.0 to transfer your media files to the PMP-120 in a jiffy. You can store up to 80 hours of video (using 320 x 240 resolution at 500 kbps, AVI format) or up to 600 hours of music (using Windows Media format at 64 kbps).

iRiver PMP 120 Performance

iRiver’s PMP-120 portable media player gives you an incredible 20 GB of storage for music, digital photos and full-color, full-motion video, too. The unit sports a 3.5-inch TFT LCD and an audio input so you can load audio content directly into the player from other home or portable devices–no PC required. It plays the most popular formats MPEG 1/2/2.5 Layer3, WMA, WAV, JPG, BMP, AVI, ASF, MPG, FM radio.

What’s included in the package

Portable media player, iRiver earphones, remote control, remote battery, rechargeable lithium-ion battery, a carrying case, USB 2.0 Cable, USB host cable, line-in cable, TV out cable, a user’s manual, a hand strap, an installation CD, and an AC power.

Conclusion

What is more impressive than keeping your entire home entertainment system and all of your favorite media in your pocket?

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Archos AV500 Mobile DVR Introduction

The all-in-one handheld device, the Archos AV500 Mobile DVR, combines a portable media player, digital video recorder (bundled with a remote and Electronic Program Guide software), and personal digital assistant (PDA). Furthermore, the device supports Ethernet, WiFi, Bluetooth, and GSM connectivity via an add-on port. The Archos AV500 comes in 30GB and 100GB.

Archos AV500 Mobile DVR Design

The new slick Archos AV 500 portable media player has a vibrant 4-inch color screen that looks great in contrast to its brushed metal case.

Archos AV500 Mobile DVR Features

A personal media player, ideal for playing video, audio and photos on the move; using as a portable hard drive; recording TV programs; outputting video to a TV.

Archos AV500 Mobile DVR Performance

*Up to 15 hours of battery life for music and up to 4.5 hours for video playback on the built-in LCD
*Record television programs, movies and home videos and watch them on 4-inch LCD whenever, wherever
*Plays and stores up to 400 hours of video, 250 movies, 55,000 songs or 1,000,000 photos
*Compatible with MP3, WMA, WAV, protected WMA, MPEG-4, WMV and protected Windows Media Video
*Supports the Mophun mobile gaming platform; USB 2.0 port for fast file transfers

Whats included in the package

AV 500, USB 2.0 cable, USB host adapter, AC adapter & charger, stereo headphones, protective case, user guide, TV Pod, remote control (with batteries), audio/video cables (SCART in and SCART out for European version).

Conclusion

A unique mobile Digital Video Recorder offering direct TV recording and the best of video, photo and music on the go on a 4″ color screen.

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Sandisk Sansa M250 2GB Introduction

With Sandisk’s Sansa M250, you can make your music go mobile. The Sansa m250 MP3 player from SanDisk supplies 2GB of storage, providing plenty of room for your favorite music files. An FM tuner with 20 presets presents an additional audio option; repeat, random, and continuous playback modes let you customize the beats for up to 19 hours on one battery charge.

Sandisk Sansa M250 2GB Design

The compact yet robust industrial design offers an easy-to-use interface with an indigo-backlit LCD screen showing the song’s vital information. The main menu includes Play Music, FM Radio, Recorder, and Settings, and overall navigation is logical and easy, thanks in part to the big controller buttons. When compared to other mp3 players, the design seems bulky and looks weird.

Sandisk Sansa M250 2GB Features

In addition to playing both MP3 and WMA audio files, the Sandisk Sansa M250 also sports an FM radio and digital voice recorder. It supports Microsoft Windows Media Player 10 and features PlaysForSure support for portable music downloads and subscription services such as Rhapsody To Go, Napster To Go and Yahoo! Music Unlimited. You can take your expensive looking, sleek mp3 player all round the world, whether you are staying at cheap hotels overseas or luxury resorts. It’s powered by one single AAA battery, which will provide up to 19 hours of battery life.

Sandisk Sansa M250 2GB Performance

SanDisk’s Sansa m200 Series MP3 players are a perfect example of what Sandisk offers. The flash-memory-based models are available in sizes ranging from 512 MB to 4 GB, with reasonable prices. These players include FM radios, built-in microphones for voice recording, indigo blue backlit displays, and carrying cases. The 2 GB Sansa m250 will hold approximately 32 hours of CD-quality MP3 tracks (encoded at 128kps) or 64 hours of WMA tracks (at 64kbps).

Whats included in the package

Sansa 2 GB MB player, carrying case with armband, stereo headphones, AAA alkaline battery, USB 2.0 travel cable, CD-ROM with drivers and online user guide, printed Quick Start guide.

Conclusion

The SanDisk Sansa m250 provides a nice package of features at a low price. A sophisticated music library sorting lets you browse the music in your player by artist, album, song title, genre, year, playlist, and other useful criteria. With 5 equalizer types, you can optimize your sound for your favorite style of music. You can also use the built-in microphone and voice recording function to capture interviews, classes, and short voice notes to yourself.

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Creative Zen Vision:M Introduction

The Zen Vision:M is a new mp3 player created for one reason: to compete with the all-powerful Apple iPod. However, the Zen Vision M does more than play your music. It also plays your videos and photos as well. It displays them in their true glory on a vibrant, large full-color screen. Perfect for road trips long or short, carry your entertainment in the palm of your hand. Available in a light 30GB model, take your pick from 5 dazzling colors – blue, green, pink, black and white.

Creative Zen Vision:M Design

With the Vertical Touch Pad, which is ergonomically designed, the innovative touch pad control enables quick, comfortable access to menus and settings. 2.5″ high-definition LCD screen: Watch movies and photos in their full glory on the large 2.5″ LCD screen, even under bright lighting. Displaying up to 262,144 vibrant colors, get crisp, clear detail in every image in high-definition 320 x 240 resolution.

Creative Zen Vision:M Features

Ability to play movies, photos and songs.
Voice Recorder: Meetings, lectures, even voice memos to yourself – record them all with the integrated voice recorder, which stores hundreds of hours worth of recordings.
Personal Organizer: Store and view all the information that’s important to you – daily tasks, contact lists and even a calendar. ZEN VISION:M syncs easily with Microsoft Outlook, and lets you edit your information with Creative Media Explorer.
FM Radio: If 15,000 songs aren’t enough, listen to more with the integrated FM radio. 32 station presets let you switch stations whenever you want.

Creative Zen Vision:M Performance

With the rechargeable Li-Ion battery you can enjoy up to 14 hours of music, or 4 hours of movies. Perfect for watching an entire movie non-stop anywhere you are. The Zen Vision M features a customizable shortcut button and it supports a wide range of online music stores and subscription services, as well as video formats. It has excellent audio and video quality. As with all music players that play from a hard drive, there is a slight delay when playing music.

Whats included in the package

* Creative ZEN VISION:M
* Earphones
* Power Adapter with 2 interchangable plugs
* Sync Adapter
* USB 2.0 cable
* Pouch
* User’s Guide
* Installation CD (includes Creative MediaSource and Creative Media Explorer software)

Conclusion

Lets quickly recap the specs again, a 2.5-inch screen at 320×240 resolution and a 30GB hard drive, 4 hours of video playback (double that of Apple’s iPod), 11 hours of audio playback, and practically the same size as an iPod. More features include an FM tuner and voice recording niceties, and they have a decent list of video format support, including MPEG-4, WMV, Motion JPEG, DivX, and XviD. It looks like Apple has some competition now finally. Coming in at $330 starting price the Creative Zen Vision: M is a very nice mp3 player.

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iPod Nano Review Introduction

Apple’s iPod Nano seems and feels even smaller in person but everything fits together very well. The seams around the edges are very neat and nearly impossible to notice. When holding the iPod Nano, you really get the feeling that you are holding an electronic gagdet of appreciable quality. The iPod Nano is a pencil-thin marvel, featuring a color display, up to 14 hours of battery life and space for up to 1,000 songs, audiobooks & podcasts.

iPod Nano Design

The 4GB model is available in black or white. Video Display Size: 1.5 inches. Battery Average Run Time: 14 hours. Weight: 1.5 ounces, Dimensions: 1.6″ l x 3.5″ h x 0.27″ w.

iPod Nano Features

The 4GB iPod Nano holds up to three days worth of music. It plays for up to 14 hours between battery charges. The iPod Nano displays the color album art for the song you’re listening to. It also carries all your digital photos, podcasts and audiobooks. It syncs seamlessly with the iTunes program and also can connect to a host of different iPod accessories.

iPod Nano Performance

The iPod Nano’s Click Wheel puts music under your thumb. Click to fast-forward, rewind, play, pause or access menus. Run your thumb over the touch-sensitive surface to control volume. With an iPod nano your music will always keep up with you – at home or on the go. Stores up to 1000 songs; supports AAC (16 to 320 Kbps), Protected AAC, MP3 (16 to 320 Kbps), MP3 VBR, Audible (formats 2, 3 and 4), Apple Lossless, WAV, AIFF.

What’s included in the package

iPod Nano mp3 player, earbud headphones, USB 2.0 cable, dock adapter, quick-start guide, CD with iTunes for Mac & Windows, features guide.

Conclusion

Finding and playing music on iPod nano is simple. Menu options let you browse by artist, composer, album, song, genre, or playlist. Want to mix things up? Click Shuffle Songs. Apple’s iPod Nano makes your music look as good as it sounds, thanks to the 1.5″ color display. Album art appears alongside your songs, so you see your music as you play it. Also, iPod nano lets you take your calendar and contacts with you. With support for Address Book and iCal on the Mac and Outlook
or Outlook Express on the PC, plus industry-standard vCalendar and vCard files, iTunes syncs your calendars and contacts so you can access everything with a quick spin of the Click Wheel. Now you can enjoy 4GB worth of mp3′s with the smallest most powerful mp3 player in the market, Apple’s iPod Nano.

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Sony Walkman Core MP3 Player Review Introduction

The new and stylish NW-E series Walkman from Sony delivers crisp sound in a sleek and ultra-compact body. This slim MP3 Player boasts all the features you need to make the most of your listening experience.

Sony Walkman Core MP3 Player Design

It is as small as a pack of gum. It features a 3-line organic electroluminescence display. Choose the memory capacity that suits your needs. Weight: 1.66 oz (47 g). Dimensions: 3 1/3 x 1 2/15 x 6/11″ (84.9 x 28.8 x 13.9mm). Available is several colors.

Sony Walkman Core MP3 Player Features

There’s no sacrifice with the NW-E series. It’s incredibly small, yet it still has a 3-line display. It is easy to keep track of song duration, title, battery level and more. Choose the one best for you. The 512MB storage capacity lets you load up with 345 songs of your choice. The 1GB storage capacity lets you load up with 695 songs of your choice. But, you can also choose the one with an FM tuner, so you can scan the dial when you need a change of pace. The NW-E series features excellent battery life: up to 50 hours of playback on one full charge. And, if you’re down to your last bar, just quick charge it. A three minute charge gives you three hours of battery life.

Sony Walkman Core MP3 Player Performance

Plays Back MP3/ATRAC3/ATRAC3 plus Audio Formats. For customers who already have extensive music libraries, use the included software and hardware to store and play back their collection of MP3s. For the customer who is just getting intodigital music and downloading, Sony’s ATRAC format provides higher sound quality with smaller sizes than many competing formats. This enables the user to store more music and have longer listening times.

What’s included in the package

SONY Network Walkman Digital Audio Player, CD ROM (PC Application Software and operating instructions), USB cable, High quality stereo headphone, Extension headphone cord, Carrying pouch, Quick start guide.

Conclusion

The smooth design of the Sony Walkman Core adds a unique flair to your portable audio experience. Sleek as it is fashionable, it is the perfect accessory when you are on the move. The Walkman Core MP3 Player delivers amazing quality sound to your music while providing easy, trouble-free MP3 and digital audio file transfer. Simply hook up the Walkman to your desktop PC or notebook using the provided USB cable and your music is exported quickly, easily, and exactly the way you want them.

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Apple iPod Video Review Introduction

It is time for the worlds best music player to take the stage for another encore. In 30 GB and 60 GB models that hold up to 15,000 songs, full-color album art and up to 25,000 photos, the new iPod makes the most of your music and more. Yeah, you’ve heard that tune before. Only now, you can watch it, too. With support for up to 150 hours of video and a 2.5-inch color display, the new iPod lets you take music videos and TV shows on the road.

Apple iPod Video Design

The video iPod comes in two colors (white and black), and two sizes (30 and 60 GB). The 60 GB model also features a larger battery than the 30 GB model, allowing 20 hours of music playback, vs. (a real) 14 hours for the 30gb model. The controls are few, the large clickwheel below the color display on front, a locking switch on top (disables the controls), headphone jack on top, and the USB cable connector on the bottom. 30GB model is 4.1 x 2.4 x 0.43 inches; 60GB model is 4.1 x 2.4 x 0.55 inches. Bright 2.5-inch, 320 x 240 pixel TFT display

Apple iPod Video Features

Witness the evolution of the revolution. First it played songs. Then photos. Then podcasts. Now iPod plays video, changing the way you experience your music and more. Again. Videos of all types, except for full-length movies, are available in the new iTunes 6, which has been retooled to serve as an iTunes video store. Within this store, which is virtually guaranteed to explode with content, there are a couple thousand music videos, plenty of movie trailers, a handful of Pixar shorts, and of course the highly publicized, commercial-free TV-show offerings.

Apple iPod Video Performance

Don’t call it the Video iPod, the vPod, or anything that indicates that this is a video player. It’s the new iPod, period. Though it does have video-playback capabilities, Apple has chosen to keep the iPod’s focus on audio (for now). That said, video looks excellent on the new model’s 2.5-inch screen, and the thinner profile not to mention new audio capabilities such as high-quality stereo recording makes it more versatile than previous generations.

What’s included in the package

In the box are the iPod, a slip case, USB cable (which doubles as the charging cable), earbuds, dock adapter, iTunes CD,and a quick-start guide.

Conclusion

Incredibly thin and intuitive design; beautiful LCD; supports photo and video playback; seamless integration with iTunes,which boasts the world’s biggest music catalog and a new video store; smooth video; lots of extra features, such as a world clock, a stopwatch, and PIM applications; a galaxy of accessories designed for the iPod; great overall value.

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