Altec Lansing Moondance Glow Specs:

• Dimensions: 12.2 x 5.3 x 3.1 inches
• System Response: 70 Hz to 15 kHz
• S/N Ratio at 1 kHz: 76 dB
• Drivers: Two 3 inch full range drivers
• Ports: Line in
• Price: $120

Review:

The Altec Lansing Moondance Glow is a very stylish device with a nice black and silver design. It has dimensions of 12.2 x 5.3 x 3.1 inches with two 3 inch speakers on either side. In the center lies a slide out iPod dock. The speakers are covered with a metallic grille which looks pretty stylish. Just above the right speaker, you find a small LCD screen which displays the time and the currently playing track. It also displays the alarm status. The build quality of the Altec Lansing Moondance Glow is very good and feels durable. The slide out iPod dock has a nice sliding mechanism and slides perfectly into place.

The Altec Lansing Moondance Glow has 12 touch sensitive controls right on top. They include alarm, speaker, music player controls. It comes with 2 remotes to control your Moondance Glow. One is the enhanced remote which offers most of the functionality and the other is the Wireless Snooze Remote to snooze off the alarm, change the alarm settings like snooze duration, volume etc.

The sound quality of the Altec Lansing Moondance Glow’s speakers is very good. The speakers also offer nice volume levels. It is compatible with all iPods, the iPod Touch and the iPhone. It has lights embedded in the back of the system which can light up the wall behind for a soothing effect. You can change the lights using the Mood button. All in all, a great accessory for your iPod. It offers superb speakers, a nice alarm clock and ambient lighting in a stylish design.

Pros:

• Easy to Use
• Great Speakers
• LCD Display

Cons:

• Slideout Dock

Our Rating: 3.5 / 5.

Cowon D2+ specifications :

• Dimensions : 3.07 X 2.18 X 0.65 inches
• Weight : 91 g
• Display : 2.5″ TFT with 320 x 240 resolution
• Memory : 4GB/8GB/16GB
• Interface : USB 2.0 High Speed
• Card slot : SD/SDHC/MMC cards
• Audio file formats : MP3, WMA, OGG, FLAC, WAV, APE
• Video file formats : AVI, WMV
• Image file formats : JPG, BMP
• Approx. price : $179 (16GB)

The design of the device has remained unchanged and it still is quite fat at 0.65 inches. Controls for power, menu, button hold, and volume can be found on the top edge of the player. USB port, audio, peripheral connectivity ports are located on the left side. The bottom side has the card slot.

The 2.5″ TFT screen has QVGA resolution and can display up to 1.6  million colors. The screen quality is great and the images turn out crisp and clear. The interface has been tweaked around and made more user friendly. The touch screen uses a stylus to accept inputs but fingers work just as good for most of the tasks. The entire body of the D2+ has been made from plastic that reduces weight at stake of build quality.

The player supports all major file formats except for AAC. AAC has slowly and steadily risen among top used audio format and no support for it might be a deal breaker for a few. It also has a touch reader, voice recorder and other small apps. There are loads of other features that the D2+ supports to make it a complete PMP.

The best feature for D2 was its audio quality and that hasn’t changed in the D2+ either. It improves the audio quality and also adds the BBE+ suite of audio enhancements making the experience worthwhile. It has all the major settings such as repeat, shuffle, equalizer settings etc.There is a small pop-up menu in the bottom left corner that lets you access the song browser, bookmarks, playlists etc with ease.

Supported file formats include MP3, WMA, FLAC, OGG, Audible, WAV etc. AAC as mentioned before is notably absent from the device. The song browser feature on the Cowon D2+ feels a bit awkward to use  after having used all those really awesome touch interfaces on the latest PMPs. Scrolling especially is lot of pain with the D2+. One can browse the songs using the ID3 tag information or even the directory structure, something not possible with most of the PMPs.

Video playback on the device has also been inherited from the D2 without much change, leaving us disappointed. The supported formats on the D2+ are uncommon ones ie. AVI and WMV having a resolution of 320 x 240. Converting videos to those formats can be pain as one is inlikely to have videos in those formats. This is a major downer as other portable media players come with more often used formats making life easier for the end user.

Some of the other features on the D2+ include FM Radio that works well and has good clarity. Photos, text and voice recording add to the goodness of the player. Other small apps such as calculator, notepad, flash based games come preinstalled on the device. These were added to the D2 with a firmware update. The player also has a memory expansion slot that supports SD, SDHC and MMC card formats. The memory card is treated like internal memory and all files from both internal memory and memory card are shown together.

Talking about the performance of the player, the player outscores a number of its competitors in its price range with its fabulous audio quality. The bundled earbuds with the player are nothing to rave about as they offer average sound quality. You are better off upgrading to a better pair of earbuds to enjoy the music in its full glory. There are quite a few audio settings that you van tinker around with. This includes five-band EQ, Mach3Bass, BBE enhancement, 3D Surround, Stereo Enhancement, and MP3 Enhancement. If that wasn’t enough, you can even tune the frequencies for the graphic equalisers.

The video playback on the device is bright and crisp and there is no jittery playback. The playback is smooth at 30 frames per second. There will however be quality loss when converting videos to the required formats. Video bookmarking is supported on the device along with the auto-resume feature. Audio enhancement settings work with video as well which is a nice thing to have. The screen displays all the information regarding the song being played such as time elapsed, artist name, album art etc. Playlists too can be formed on the device itself. The battery life of the player is rated at 52 hours for audio and 11 hours for video which is nothing short of great. The player overall has pretty strong performance.

Pros :

• Touch screen
• Large file format support
• Great audio quality
• Large number of audio settings
• Smooth video playback
• Strong performance

Cons :

• No AAC support
• All plastic body
• Average earbuds
• Less used video format support

Final Thoughts

The Cowon D2+ is a nice offering from the company looking to compete with the likes of Apple iPod series. This one certainly gives the iPod Nano a run for its money. It has strong performance and many other features. However, it lacks the all important AAC support. The display on the device is great with good video playback. The audio quality is the player’s strongest point with huge number of audio settings to fine tune the sound to your liking. The price is definitely attractive coupled with great performance, it surely is a winner. There are couple of drawbacks such as no AAC support or support for less used video formats that needs to be factored in before making the purchase.

Rating : 4/5

Samsung S3 Slim Specifications:

• Dimensions: 1.7 in x 0.4 in x 3.7 in
• Weight: 55 gms
• Storage: 4 GB
• Display: 1.8 inch Display, 176 x 220 pixels
• Audio Formats: WMA, MP3, OGG
• Video Formats: MPEG-4
• Battery: Li Po Battery
• Protocol: MTP
• Other Features: JPEG viewer, Text Reader, FM Radio

Review:

The Samsung S3 Slim has a very nice and stylish, though clean design. The build quality is superb and the player feels sturdy and durable. The build materials used are of good quality. Also as it has flash memory, it can sustain light shocks and jerks.

It has touch sensitive controls in the front below the display and a power switch on the right. The controls are easy to use and make the interface pleasing. It has a tiny 1.8 inch display with a resolution of 176 x 220 pixels. The small display accomodates a neat little interface with all the basic features you would expect from a PMP. The display is not suited for video playback though it does support MPEG-4 transcoded playback. The audio quality is very nice and amongst the best you can get in this category. You can connect to your Windows computer through the MTP protocol and transfer music and videos. The bundled earbuds are quite good but if you are looking for a superior experience that transcends all sonic boundaries, you should probably get better earbuds.

This player also offers many other extras like FM radio, JPEG image viewer and a text reader. If only it would have had a bigger display, it would have been great. It is powered by a Lithium Polymer battery which has a rated battery life of 24 hrs for audio and slightly more than 5 hrs for video.

Pros:

• Stylish Design
• Light and Portable

Cons:

• Small Display

Our Rating: 3.5 / 5

Cowon S9 Specs:

• Dimensions: 57 x 106 x 12.8 mm
• Weight: 77 gms
• Display: 3.3 inch AMOLED Touch Display, 16.7 mn colors, 480 x 272 pixels
• Audio Formats: MP3, WMA, FLAC, OGG, WAV
• Video Formats: MPEG-4, DivX, XviD, WMV
• Image Formats: JPEG
• Colors: Chrome Black, Titanium Black
• Storage: 8 GB Flash Memory
• Battery Life: 55 hours, 11 hours
• Data Transfer: MTP, MSC
• Other Features: Voice Recording, FM Radio, Bluetooth, Games, Custom EQ

Design and Build Quality:

The Cowon S9 sports a radical new, super stylish and sleek design. It could be used as an example of the new age aerodynamic sleek design. On the first look, you wouldn’t perhaps even guess that it is a PMP, you can easily mistake it for some hi tech super secret military gadget. The body is composed fully of high quality plastic. Not once after using it would you wish it was made of metal. The plastic body shows advantages especially in weight – it weighs only about 77 gms. It is also pretty compact at dimensions of about 57 x 106 x 12.8 mm. It is available in two colors – Chrome Black, Titanium Black, both of which look equally good, I prefer the Titanium look though. The curved design is very ergonomic and offers a nice feel and grip. It is very durable and should easily last you for more than a couple of years.

Display and Interface:

The Cowon S9 sports a brilliant 3.3 inch AMOLED Touch Display supporting 16.7 mn pixels with a resolution of 480 x 272 pixels . AMOLED displays are generally more power efficient, better and more vibrant looking and slimmer than normal LCD displays. They also have relatively faster response times. The video playback on the Cowon S9 enters a whole new realm thanks to the AMOLED display, as well as the superb codec support. It has a capacitive touch screen display allowing you to control the interface fully using your fingers. The touchscreen display is very responsive and has great sensitivity. In addition to the touch controls on the display, Cowon also has included physical controls around the device for easy access with better feedback. The top sports the volume controls, pause / play, reverse and forward buttons. You can adjust volume, play / pause tracks and also navigate through the interface etc using those buttons. It also sports a accelerometer for automatic screen orientation – christened by Cowon as the G Sensor. It still is a bit buggy and there is a slight delay between changing orientations.

Multimedia Playback:

The sound quality of the Cowon S9 is truly Cowon.. err.. amazing. It has among the best sound reproduction in this range and is a tough fight to its competitors. It is easily among the best PMPs in terms of overall audio and video playback quality. It comes with a 5 band custom EQ using which you can customize your audio experience. It support the MP3, WMA, FLAC, OGG, WAV file formats. You can easily pair your headphones with the S9 for an out of the world audiophilic experience, in case you aren’t satisfied with the basic bundled earphones, which is very likely if you take your music seriously by any chance. The UI is very simple and intuitive with all the basic track management features. You can browse through your music by tags, folders or files. You can sort your media files according to Artists, Albums, Songs etc. You can also create custom playlists and bookmarks. The interface features are just like those found in most other PMP devices.

The video quality is also superb on the AMOLED screen. The S9 supports the MPEG-4, DivX, XviD, WMV video codecs / formats. You can transfer your media to the S9 through the MTP protocol using any compatible software like Windows Media Player, Winamp etc. You can also directly copy files to the Cowon S9 like a mass storage device using the MSC protocol. It is compatible with all three – Windows, Mac, Linux. Movie watching is truly a pleasure on the S9 and even surpasses the iPod Touch in some aspects. It plays most video codecs by default, so no need of any complicated video conversion hassles.

Other Features:

Apart from the usual stuff, the Cowon S9 also sports many other features like Flash games and applications – there are just a few as of now, but the numbers are sure to increase. It also has a built in FM Radio with decent reception quality. You can also autoscan and save all nearby FM channels easily. The Cowon S9 also sports a basic image viewing app to browse through and view your image collection. You can zoom into your images, view them as thumbnails or as a slideshow etc. It also comes with a sound recorder to record audio. You can record audio from the built in mic, the line in jack with some external recording device and the FM Radio directly. The recording quality is also pretty decent.

It also has Bluetooth with support for the A2DP and the AVRCP profiles. You can use any wireless stereo headset for a wire free music experience. You can also read text documents on the S9, owing to the large superb display. You can also switch background colors when reading to minimise the strain on your eyes, zoom into the documents and save bookmarks. It has a battery life of about 55 hrs audio playback and 11 hrs video playback. For normal users, it should easily last about 3-4 days. It comes bundled with just the bare basics – earbuds, data transfer cable and the standard Cowon software CD.

Pros:

• Nice Design
• Superb AMOLED display
• Easy to use Touch Interface

Cons:

• No external memory support

Final Words:

The Cowon S9 is a superb PMP at a great price – just about $200. If you try hard, you can also find yourself a better deal. It is a great option to the iPod Touch and gets a recommended rating from the DigitGeek team.

Our Rating: 3.75 / 5.

It competes with the the likes of the Creative Zen, Sansa Fuze as well as the iPod Nano. It packs a nice set of features at a decent price, with an cute design and great build quality. As expected of all Sony PMP’s, it sports great sound quality and battery life.

Sony S630 Specs:

• Dimensions: 42.9 x 89.5 x 7.5 mm
• Weight: 46 gms
• Storage: 8 GB, 16 GB
• Display: 2″ QVGA TFT LCD Display, 240 x 320 pixels
• Audio Formats: MP3, WMA, AAC
• Video Formats: MPEG 4, H.264
• PC Connectivity: MTP
• Other Features: FM Radio, Themes, SensMe, Podcasts, Digital Sound Enhancement Engine (DSEE), Virtualphones Technology (VPT)

Design:

The Sony S630 sports a stylish design and is probably one of the slimmest Sony PMPs. It measures around 42.9 x 89.5 x 7.5 mm in dimensions and weighs around 46 gms. The design is much better than the Sony S610 and the build quality is also improved. The design, in fact, closely resembles the Sony A820. It is composed mainly of aluminium and plastic which give it a great pricey feel. The build quality is robust and should easily last you for years.

Interface:

The Sony S630 sports a nice 2″ QVGA TFT LCD Display with a resolution of 240 x 320 pixels. The display quality is superb and adequately bright. The resulting video playback is also very fluid.

The buttons on the Sony S630 are exactly the same as on the Sony A820 with the exception that they are round instead of rectangular. Other than that, the placement and everything else is exactly the same. The display size has shrunk to accomodate the bigger buttons as well as factor in the dimension changes. The buttons offer decent feedback and a nice way to navigate around the interface. The interface is very similar to Sony’s earlier series, there is no significant change in that aspect.

Playback:

The Sony S630 has superb sound quality – typical Sony. It sports a range of sound enhancing technologies like Digital Sound Enhancement Engine (DSEE), Virtualphones Technology (VPT) etc. It comes bundled with the exceptional EX82 earphones which when coupled with the Sony S630, offer superlicious sound quality. They are one of the best bundled earphones. The S630 supports the following audio formats – MP3, WMA, AAC. The video playback is also nice. Video formats supported are MPEG 4, H.264. You can play videos at 320 x 240 resolutions. To transfer music to your S630, you can connect it to your Windows PC and use the MTP protocol.

Other Features:

The Sony S630 also has many other features like an FM Radio, Podcasts and customizable Theme support. It also has SensMe which can create custom playlists automatically based on your mood. The battery life is pretty good and lasts for about 40-50 hours. For normal users, that is about 4-5 days of moderate usage.

Pros:

• Nice Build Quality
• Great Sound Quality
• Long Battery Life

Cons:

• Not very different from its predecessors
• No MSC Support

Our Rating: 3.5 / 5.

Cowon O2 specifications :

• Dimensions : 4.7″ x 0.7″ x 2.9″
• Weight : 7.2 oz
• Interface : High Speed USB
• Display : 4.3″ TFT touchscreen
• Memory : 8GB internal flash
• Card slot : SDHC Memory Card
• Supported image formats : BMP, GIF, PNG, JPEG, TIFF
• Supported audio formats :  ASF, MP3, WAV, WMA,
  FLAC, Ogg Vorbis,  MPEG 1 Audio, MPEG 2 Audio
• Supported video formats :  ASF, AVI, WMV, XviD, H.264,
  MPEG-1, MPEG-4, DivX, MPEG-4 SP, Motion JPEG
• Battery : Internal rechargeable Lithium polymer
• OS Compatibility : Microsoft Windows 2000, XP, Vista
• Approx. price : $249 (16GB)

The Cowon O2 is available in both black and white and looks as good in either. The available capacities start from 8GB and extend upto 32GB much like the iPod touch. However it does have the advantage of a card slot to further expand its storage capacity.

The dimensions of the device are rather small keeping in mind its 4.3″ display. It easily slips in to the pocket without getting noticed too much. The body of the O2 is made up of plastic but its high quality and feels great in the hand. Also the device uses flash memory so it can take the rough treatment you might give it.  The O2 has a nice frame running all round the display that adds to the ergonomics while holding it in the hand.

There are only a couple of manual controls on the device which are the power/hold button on the right and the volume rocker at the top. Apart from the controls, you can find a headphone jack at the left side. The charging port is at the bottom. Within a flap are concealed the miniUSB port, SDHC card slot and the reset switch. The miniUSB port can be used to hook up the player to TV through a composite cable sold by Cowon as an accessory, though it does not turn the player in a portable AV recorder.

The player starts up real fast in under 10 seconds. The interface is similar to iPod touch having five icons lined up across the scene that are for the major functions of the player. The five icons are for Music, Videos, Pictures, Recent Files and Documents.  There are hidden smaller icons also such as settings and utilities like calculator etc. The inner menus are not as good as the main menu as they are cluttered and the fonts used are tiny forcing you to use the bundled stylus.

The collection organization on the Cowon O2 is not based on ID3 tags which is a shocker! It follows the file-tree organization structure, something not acceptable when ID3 tags are the standard and are followed by almost every manufacturer. Linux users will feel at home as they are accustomed to this file structure in their daily lives. Navigating through the menus is much similar to Linux that takes time getting used to.

The Cowon O2 is not a feature rich player as it lacks Bluetooth, WiFi commonly found in next generation portable players. However it does have a card slot which supports SDHC format. It can come in handy if you want to expand storage by only a few gigs and not double by going for next higher version. The player has a 10-band graphic equalizer which lacks on the iPod.

Format support is truly exceptional in all the three departments. You rarely find a player supporting so many formats. It has support for five image formats, loads of audio and video format including high-definition video playback. Right from AVI support to DivX support to H.264 playback, the player has it all. The player even accepts high resolution video files and plays them smoothly. The two major standards it misses out on MOV and VOB, not many of us have files in those formats.

You can do the regular stuff with the videos but Cowon has included a feature called ‘favoriting’ which is basically bookmarking your videos. You can change the aspect ratio of the video, turn on/off subtitles, zoom in/out or even pan the video. Multiple audio tracks are supported too and it also has 3D sound enhancement.

The music department is no different and has loads of features stacked up. Apart from wide format support, you should note than DRM protected WMA/AAC files are not supported. There are various preset equalizers and audio enhancement features. EQ settings can be adjusted according to your taste. There are various sound enhancement options can help in jazzing up the music quickly.

The performance of the player is amazing when talking about the audio playback and video playback. The viewing angles are surprisingly good too. The bundled earphones however do no do justice to the player’s capability. However the display has low resolution which takes some pleasure out of the interface. The resolution does not hinder during video playback which is great to say the least. The player is capable to delivering 8 hours of video playback and 18 hours of audio playback on a single charge. Although not great but more than acceptable numbers. The player can be charged through an adapter as well as using the miniUSB port.

Pros :

• Elegant design
• Large display
• Wide variety of format support
• SDHC card slot
• Good battery life

Cons :

• File tree organization
• No ID3 sorting
• No WiFi
• No Bluetooth

Final Thoughts

The Cowon O2 is an excellent performer with a huge number of formats supported. The player as such does not have many features to boast about but the audio and video players are excellent. Having either bluetooth or WiFi would have added a lot more value to the player. The battery life is good and can be charged both via the charger as well as the miniUSB port. Grab this one if you are looking at performance rather than features.

Rating : 4/5

Archos 605 specifications :

• Dimensions : 4.8″ x 0.6″ x 3.2″
• Weight :  6.7 oz
• Display : 4.3″ TFT touchscreen
• HDD capacity : 30GB
• Audio formats supported : MP3, WAV, WMA etc.
• Movie format supported : WMV, MPEG-4, Protected WMV
• Image formats supported : BMP, PNG, JPEG
• Battery : Li-ion rechargeable
• Battery Life : 17 hours(music), 5 hours(video)
• Approx. price:  $300

Archos has excellent design and user interface clubbed into one device much like Apple. The dimensions of the device are just fine keeping in mind the 4.3″ display it supports. The thickness of the device is just over half an inch which makes it easy in the pockets too. The Archos 605 also has a stand that flips open from the back when needed. The device is made up of metal which tends to get scratched with rough use.

The 4.3″ display on the device has excellent resolution of 800 x 480 which produces crisp and clear pictures. The screen is apt for viewing pictures and videos even in broad daylight. The screen is also resistant to fingerprints, which the iPod touch screen fails at. The device also has an inbuilt speaker for casual hearing, don’t depend too much on it in noisy environments.

Archos has a lot of add-ons that you can purchase separately for the device. Although this is an advantage but Archos has used it to its effect by making some format plugins paid too. For $30 you can add browser functionality to the portable video player which uses inbuilt WiFi to connect to the Internet. The Opera browser is Flash enabled and one of the best browser solutions for portable devices. Some of the other useful plugins that you can buy separately include high definition video playback, Internet radio etc.

The player supports a wide variety of formats for audio, video and even images. It even has an inbuilt PDF Viewer, hence adding support for PDF format too. It also has a feature called Content Portal which is basically a content grab service to let you access content provided by providers such as Youtube, Cinema Now, BurnLounge etc. If you do not purchase the Opera browser, this does come in very handy.

You can add support for more file formats by paying extra, not a nice strategy to be adopted. The player has inbuilt support for major formats such as MP3, WMA, WAV. AAC format is not supported but it included in the addon plugins list. Music is sorted on the device by ID3 tags, so make sure you have them in place and complete to be able to enjoy the experience in its full glory. Album Artwork is displayed for the selected music track if its embedded in the tag.

The video player on the device does justice to the awesome video playback, thanks to the great display. MPEG-4, AVI and WMV formats enjoy inbuilt support and should be sufficient for major part of your video collection. However if you own high definition content, then you will have to shell out extra for the high definition plugin pack to be able to view it on the device. You can do a lot of things while the movie is playing such as bookmarking it, resizing it or skipping through portions of it.

The DVR Station accessory deserves special mention as it transforms your portable video player into a digital video recorder. The DVR Station is priced at $99 which we believe is a bit steep. The DVR Sation is basically a dock for the Archos 605 player to unlock its ability as a digital video recorder. You also need to connect your television which becomes the primary output device rather than the small 4.3″ screen of the player. The dock comes with a remote control for you to control the player from a distance. So it can also become your home entertainment system but at a price.

The performance of the player is amazing to say the least. The video playback is exceptional due to the high resolution screen. It beats every other player out there at video playback. The audio playback is great too and the player has various settings to tinker around with. The five band equalizer and independent Bass Boost control are just a couple of settings in the player. WiFi transfer of files is possible and it also has the ability to be connected in both MSC and MTP modes which allow you to use Windows Media Player to transfer files to the player. Normal USB mode is supported too which allows you to use it as a mass storage device. The battery life is good enough at 17 hours for music and 5 hours for video. The addons add a whole lot of new functionality to the player and there is even a battery back to extend the battery life of the player. DVR accessory is just amazing but comes at a price.

Pros :

• Huge screen
• Good design
• Excellent video playback
• Great music quality
• WiFi file transfer
• DVR addon

Cons :

• Bit bulky
• Additional file formats need to be purchased
• Expensive accessories

Final Thoughts

The Archos 605 is a great portable video player. The huge screen with high resolution is ideal for viewing videos on it. The great music quality and WiFi file transfers add to the goodness of the player. Both the audio and video player have various settings that you can play around with. If you are ready to shell out a few bucks extra then you can add Internet capability to the device by purchasing the browser and some of the other addons. DVR addon is the ultimate accessory for this device and we can’t just stop talking about it. The bulkiness and paid additional file formats are some of its cons. Still a very good buy at the current market price.

Rating : 4/5

iriver Spinn Specs:

• Dimensions: 99.5 x 51 x 10.7mm
• Weight: 70 gms
• Display: 3.2 inch AMOLED display, WQVGA 480 x 272 pixels Touchscreen
• Capacity: 4 GB, 8 GB
• Supported Audio Formats: MP3, WMA, OGG, FLAC, ASF
• Supported Video Formats: MPEG-4 SP, WMV
• Other Supported Files: Flash Lite, TXT, JPEG
• Transfer Modes: MTP, MSC
• Sound: SRS WOW, 5 Band EQ, EQ presets.
• Other Features: Bluetooth, FM Radio, Voice Recording

Design:

The iriver Spinn sports a very innovative design which is comprised of mostly of metal and plastic. The build quality is superb and the player is very durable, suited for rough usage. It can handle a few light bumps easily. At dimensions of 99.5 x 51 x 10.7mm and weighing about 70 gms, it is very portable. It sports a gorgeous 3.2 inch AMOLED display supporting 262K colors which has a native resolution of 480 x 272 pixels – WVGA. The display is a touchscreen with haptic feedback. The AMOLED screen has a very good contrast ratio and has much more accurate color reproduction than normal displays. The colors are much more vibrant.

Interface:

The iriver Spinn sports a very intuitive touchscreen interface with haptic feedback which is a very nice addition. Another great interface addition is the spinning cylinder scroll wheelonthe side. It is can be used to scroll through the interface and to click on files. It is fun and easy to use. There are also buttons on the top and the left side – back and hold, and volume switch and power respectively.

The iriver Spinn supports both the MSC and MTP protocols so you can use it with Mac, Linux and Windows and drag and drop music directly on the device or you can use the MTP protocol to sync it with Windows Media Player or other MTP compatible software.

Multimedia:

The iriver Spinn supports the MP3, WMA, OGG, FLAC, ASF audio formats and the MPEG-4 SP, WMV video formats. The audio quality is superb for casual users and you wont feel much difference unless you buy audiophile grade headphones. The music interface is standard and easy to use. it comes with a 5 band customizable EQ and the SRS WOW HD settings improve the sound quality.

The video playback is nice and videos look great on the AMOLED display. It is great for movie watching. You can convert your videos to the supported formats using the iriver Plus software bundled with it.

The Spinn also supports Flash Lite and comes with a FM radio. The radio interface is good and the reception, nice. You can also view images on the Spinn, it supports the JPEG format. It also supports wireless music streaming through bluetooth.

The battery life is rated at about 24 hours for audio and 5 hours for video. It lasts about 2-3 days with moderate usage.

Pros:

• Nice Interface
• Superb AMOLED display

Cons:

• Relatively Expensive
• Only 4 GB/8 GB capacities

Final Words:

It is a decent PMP with good capabilities but is a bit pricey. There are better players available on the market in this budget range, so we wouldn’t exactly recommend this. However if you have the dough and want to try out something new, go for it.

Our Rating: 3 / 5.

Design:

It sports a very solid metallic design with sturdy build quality. As it has no memory or display, it is very rugged and suitable for people who are very rough with their devices. It has dimensions of 2.8 x 1.4 x 1.4 inches and weighs just about 60 grams, very compact and portable. It comes with standard earphones and a AAA battery. It sports music playback control buttons – play / pause, next, back, volume which blend in with the design. All in all, nice design and build quality.

Sound Quality:

It plays the MP3 and WMA audio formats and offers nice sound quality. It is compatible with upto 8 GB MicroSD cards and is fast and zippy. This is the best you can get in $20. The sound quality is way better than expectations. With no DRM restrictions, you can simply copy your music onto a MicroSD card, insert it into the player and start listening to your favorite tunes.

The Sansa slotMusic can be used with slotMusic cards that can be bought for $15 each. You can also use your own MicroSDs loaded with your own music.

Pros:
Inexpensive
Light and Durable

Cons:
No Internal Memory

Final Words:

The Sandisk Sansa slotMusic player is a great buy at just $20. It doesn’t have many features but does its core job quite well, and at such a throwaway price, it is great deal.

Our Rating: 3.5 / 5.

Apple iPod Nano 4G specifications :

• Dimensions : 1.5″ x 0.2″ x 3.6″ (W X D X H)
• Storage : 8GB/16GB
• Weight : 36.8 g
• Body Material : Aluminum
• Display : 2″ LCD with 320 x 240 resolution
• Supported audio formats : WAV, TIFF, Audible, MP3,
  AAC, Apple Lossless
• Supported bitrate : 16-320
• ID3 Tag support : Yes
• Supported Video formats : H.264, MPEG-4
• JPEG support : Yes
• Additional features : Built-in games, motion sensor,
  Nike+iPod support, Cover Flow, Genius technology
• Battery : Internal rechargeable Lithium-ion
• Estimated battery life : 24 hours
• OS compatibility : Windows XP SP3, Vista, MacOS X 10.4.11 or later
• Approx. price : $149 (8GB) / $199 (16GB)

Apple does done a great deal of work on the redesign of the iPod Nano. The new design gives the Nano a curved look and even the display is made up of curved glass. This comes as a complete change over the square design of the iPod Nano 3G. The length of the body is long and hence is easier to grasp. The buttons are easy to reach and the click wheel is as good as ever.

The glass used for display is scratch resistant similar to iPod/iPhone. The glass do not affect viewing in bright light although it is glossy by nature. Dimensions of the new Nano will put all other MP3 players to shame. With a thickness of just 0.2″, it is the thinnest iPod yet. The display size and resolution has remained unchanged from the previous generation.

The headphone and dock connectors are located at the bottom. The hold switch has made a comeback and can be seen at the top. The display has been rotated 180 degrees and hence the interface has also changed. The font size of the menus can be changed now. Full screen album art is displayed by default, Cover Flow works much more smoothly.

No feature has been dropped from the older version but new ones have made their way on to the device. Tilt-sensor now comes integrated into the Nano, similar to what you find in the iPhone or the iPod Touch. Apple has cleverly made use of it and apart from the usual automatic switching between Cover Flow and album art mode, its now implements shake-to-shuffle which is self explanatory. Casual shaking or jerks are not accepted and the feature can be deactivated from the settings menu. Video orientation can also be changed using the tilt-sensor which is not possible in iPhone/iPod Touch.

Genius feature is probably the biggest addition the iPod family. It lets you create instant playlists based on similar songs to the one you are listening. To enable the Genius feature, you first need to enable the feature in iTunes 8 and send library information over to Apple for it to be able to create playlists. Sync your iPod to iTunes then, and you can create Genius playlists on the fly now!

Voice recording is now possible as the headphone jack accepts input through it. But sadly, only a few headsets are compatible with the feature and you would need to shell out extra for a compatible headset. I you have a iPhone headset, then you can use that. The bundled earbuds are the same and do not have a microphone.

Visually impaired users have got special attention in the 4G iPod Nano. Visually impaired users now get to listen to menu, selection, playback information etc. This feature too needs to be implemented from iTunes. This should certainly be an eye opener for other manufacturers to implement such features.

Speed and performance updates have made iPod Nano 4G zippy. Menu navigation is faster than ever. Audio quality hasn’t changed as it sounds as good as ever. Custom EQ setting continues to elude iPod users. No new formats are supported though. WMA is the only major format that isn’t supported though iTunes has the option to convert WMA to other formats.

Video playback on the iPod Nano 4G is great for a small display. It is good for watching short videos such as promos or Apple keynotes but watching movies can strain your eyes. Auto rotation of movies is supported through the tilt sensor, but getting used to controls in landscape mode takes time. H.264 or MPEG4 compatibility means you will have to convert your movies to these formats which can be time consuming. Images are crisp and clear but glare does hinder in their viewing.

iPod Nano 4G works with iTunes 8 or later which has significantly improved over the last version. iTunes is an important factor that one needs to be factored in when purchasing an iPod as it completely controls the iPod. Coming to the battery life of the new iPod Nano, it manages to play music for a full day and videos for around 6 hours at a stretch. These numbers have reduced from the 3rd generation iPod Nano.

Pros :

• Great design
• Tilt sensor
• Genius feature
• Hold button
• Voice recording

Cons :

• Screen has glare
• No custom EQ
• No WMA support
• Reduced battery life

Final Thoughts

The iPod Nano 4G is a major improvement over the previous generation in terms of design and new features. Tilt sensor and genius feature add a lot more value to the new iPod Nano and give enough reason to upgrade. The new design is much better than the previous one. Hold button has made a comeback. Voice recording is not supported although works only with few handsets. WMA support and custom EQ continue to elude the iPod Nano. Battery life has reduced by not by much and still is very good. Overall a great product to buy.

My Rating : 4/5

Sony NWZ-S738F Walkman specifications :

• Dimensions : 1.7″ x 0.3″ x 3.5″
• Memory : 8GB
• Weight : 1.6 oz
• Display : 2″ TFT with 240 x 320 resolution
• Supported formats : WMA, WAV, Protected WMA, MP3, AAC
• Audio features : Clear Stereo, Clear Bass
• Headphones : Binaural in-ear ear-bud
• Battery : Rechargeable Lithium-ion
• Approx. price : $179

The MP3 player has a sober design which is anything but flashy. Black is the only available color option with the player. The dimensions of the player are compact and it is marginally thicker than iPod Nano, its closest competitor. The player has a 2″ screen, but a bigger one could have certainly made its way.

The player is controlled by physical buttons which are well laid out. The buttons offer good tactile feedback and are intuitive to use. The right side of the player has the volume rocker and the hold switch. Noise cancellation switch, USB port and the headphone jack find their way at the bottom.

The menu has been well organised for blazing fast navigation. The menu is laid out in a 3 x 3 icon grid. ID3 tags are used to sort music according to artists, genre etc. The interface supports themes and wallpapers too.  The Walkman supports all major audio formats along with JPEG photos and MPEG, M4V movies. SenseMe can be though as a substitute for Genius feature in iPods and it analyzes songs but groups them in pre-defined categories.

The Walkman player also has a built-in FM player which can store upto 30 preset radio stations. Podcasts are now supported on Walkman series and have a separate menu too. You can copy them by simply dragging from iTunes. Noise cancellation is another handy feature that works quite well. The bundled headphones do quite an impressive job and you can stick to them if you are a casual listener.

Performance of the player is sublime. It offers rich quality of sound with deep bass. Custom’s EQs help in improving sound quality. The display has great quality showing clear pics but movies are not too good. The battery life deserves a round of applause with 40 hours of music playback and 10 hours of video.

Pros :

• Simple but cool design
• Compact and light weight
• Good earphones
• Intuitive menu
• FM Radio
• Great sound quality
• Amazing battery life

Cons :

• Small display
• Average video playback
• No touch screen

Final Thoughts

The Sony NWZ-S738F Walkman player is a great offering from Sony that quite matches upto the iPod Nano. It has a nice design along with great menu layout. FM Radio always comes in handy. Excellent sound quality and battery life steal the show. Overall a great alternative to the iPod Nano.

My Rating : 4/5

Creative Zen Stone Plus Specifications:

• Capacity: 2 GB / 4 GB
• Display: 64 x 64 pixel Blue OLED display
• Size: 55.6 x 35.7 x 17.5 mm
• Weight: 27 gms
• Battery Life: 20 hours Audio playback
• Battery Type: Rechargeable Li-Ion Polymer (Embedded)
• Audio Support: AAC, MP3, WMA, Audible 2, 3 and 4

Other Features: Mass Storage Device (MSC mode), USB 1.1 / 2.0 connectivity, FM Radio with 32 Preset stations, Voice recording

Design and Build Quality:

The new Zen Stone Plus sports basically the same design as the older models but comes with an added speaker now. The body is almost completely built with a rubbery matte surface woth plastic used only in some places like the controls. The build quality is superb and just like the old Zen Stone Plus, this one can take many a hit easily. It is very durable and tough. The newer version is slightly more bulkier than the older ones due to the bigger battery and speakers. The button layout is almost the same as the previous models with no other difference. They are easy to press and have a good feel. Apart from the player controls, it has just the USB data port at one edge and the volume rocker and a headphone jack at other edge. At dimensions of just 55.6 x 35.7 x 17.5 mm, it is a very compact player and should fit in any 4 year old kid’s pocket easily. It also weighs just 27 gms which is super light when taking its features into account. There are almost no qualms on the design and build quality front, except that some people might have preferred a slightly more stylish design. However, we are not complaining.

Display and Interface:

It sports a small blue OLED display with a resolution of 64 x 64 pixels on the front face. It is used just to display basic media player track information, FM radio station information and other player controls. The new Zen Stone Plus has a very minimal interface, very similar to the older Zen Stone / Stone Plus with some performance improvements. The menus now open slightly faster with less delay.

The interface is a lot less buggy than the older iterations and can be navigated through by the player control D Pad on the right. The interface is easy to use and shouldn’t need even a beginner to exercise his brain cells. Most of the controls and interface elements are very logically arranged so you can easily guess where you need to go next. You can also use a dedicated customizable shortcut button to jump to any feature you want with a single click – Music, Radio, Speaker On / Off, Clock etc.

The Zen Stone Plus supports just the MSC (Mass Storage Class) protocol and not the MTP (Media Transfer Protocol) protocol. Thanks to MSC support, it can be used as a mass storage USB device on any computer or OS – Windows XP, Vista / Linux / Max OS X. You can just plug in the device and copy the songs to your device without the need to install any software. It supports the AAC, MP3, WMA, Audible 2, 3 and 4 audio formats. You can convert any of your music to these formats using any third party converter or using the bundled Creative Media Lite software. You can also update your firmware using the mentioned software.

Audio Playback:

The Zen Stone Plus used to be the king when it came to audio quality in the low end range until the Sansa Clip took its crown some time back. Creative does manage to bridge this gap substantially with the new Zen Stone Plus and both the players are now almost equal in terms of sound quality. The Zen Stone Plus has one more thing going for it – its loud speakers. The Zen Stone Plus is one of the best sounding players in this category. It should easily satisfy most people who need a player just for casual music. You can’t get better quality than this atleast with normal earphones. Audiophiles may not like it and may shell out more dough and get a Archos 5 or a Zen X-Fi. It also comes with a basic equaliser which does more bad than it does good. The interface is decent as discussed earlier and performs better than the earlier versions.

Coming to the feature that has been the highlight of this new player, the new Zen Stone Plus sports a small speaker which is surprisingly loud and has good sound quality. It undoubtedly has the best speaker in this range which has a good range and is clearly audible across a big room. The speaker is where Creative has been totally right with the Zen Stone Plus.

Battery Life and Other Features:

The Zen Stone Plus is powered by an embedded rechargeable Li-ion polymer battery which gives a battery life of about 20 hours for continuous audio playback. The battery life is quite good compared to other players its size and should easily last for about 2-3 days depending on the usage. The Zen Stone Plus has a load of other features like FM Radio, Voice Recording, Stop Watch etc. FM reception is nice and has 32 presets to store different stations. The FM sound quality is great. It supports autoscan which doesn’t work quite well. It can also be used for voice recording which is strictly average though. You can also use the built in stopwatch feature in the Zen Stone Plus. You get just the basic accessories bundled with the Zen Stone Plus. It comes with the standard earphones, a skin, a clip, a USB cable and a quick start guide.

Pros:

• Inexpensive and Durable
• Nice Loud Speaker
• Great Battery Life

Cons:

• Minimal Interface
• Poor Equaliser

Final Words:

The Creative Zen Stone Plus is a great buy at just $49 for the 2 GB version and $69 for the 4 GB version. It totally trumps the iPod Shuffle and is a good alternative to the Sansa Clip.

Our Rating: 3.75 / 5.

Samsung YP P2 Specifications:

• Display: 3″ TFT LCD Touch screen, 480 x 272 pixels (WQVGA), 262k Color
• Size: 3.8″ x 2.0″ x 0.4″
• Weight: 86 gms
• Capacity: 4GB, 8GB
• Audio Formats: MP3, WMA, OGG
• Video Formats: SVI, WMV
• Other Documents: TXT, JPEG
• Colors: Black, White, Red
• Price (Approx): 4 GB – $129, 8 GB – $179
• Battery: 35 hours audio, 5 hours video

Other Features: Bluetooth Headphone Support, RSS Data casts, FM Radio with Recording, Alarm, Calendar, World Clock

Design:

The Samsung YP P2 is a very slim and compact PMP with a sleek design. The design is very subtle, clean and minimal. It has dimensions of 3.8″ x 2.0″ x 0.4″ and a weight of just 86 gms which makes it very portable and easy to carry. The YP P2 has superb build quality, basically it is made of just a plastic face and a metal back plate. The touch screen is scratch resistant but is very susceptible to finger prints as is expected in any touch screen device. Overall the Samsung YP P2 feels solid and can easily compete with the iPod Touch in the design and looks as well as the build quality department.

It sports a 3″ touchscreen display with a resolution of 480 x 272 pixels and supports 262k colors. The display is smaller than the iPod Touch’s 3.5″ but is just as good in terms of brightness, contrast and video quality. The daylight legibility is decent too.

The bottom of the player has a mic, dock and headphone jack. There are volume controls on the right and play / pause / power button and a hold switch on the left. Most of the controls are handled with the touchscreen, hence the minimum amount of external buttons and controls.

Interface:

The Samsung YP P2 is almost totally controlled through its touch screen interface, just like the iPod Touch. The interface of the YP P2 is easy to use and intuitive and the touch screen is very responsive with nice sensitivity. There are no lags or delays in opening menus, media files etc. The GUI is cool with nice icons and menus. It has almost all the features you would expect in a PMP, nothing ground breaking though. The earlier versions used to have some bugs, but most of them have been squashed by Samsung with firmware updates.

The Samsung YP P2 supports just the MTP (Media Transfer Protocol) and not the MSC (Mass Storage Class) protocol. This means that it is compatible with just Windows XP and Vista for media transfer and won’t work with Mac or Linux. It works flawlessly with Media Player, Winamp and other MTP compatible players. You can use Samsung’s Studio software to transcode video and audio files before transferring them to the device. It supports the MP3 and WMA audio formats and the SVI and WMV video formats.

Audio and Video Playback:

The Samsung YP P2 has excellent sound quality and will impress most audiophiles. It is cheap compared to many other players which provide the same sound quality. It trumps the iPod Touch in this case. For a better audio experience, you can swap the bundled earphones with better earphones. It performs well over the whole spectrum with no reason to complain about.

It comes with Samsung’s DNSe – Digital Natural Sound Engine technology which enhances the which adds to the audio playback. It also has a 7 band customisable EQ which you can use to customise the sound to your liking. It supports multiple playlists to which tracks can be added easily with just a click of the Menu button. You can sort your music easily based on the artist, album, genre and playlists. You can also organise it in folders if you wish to.

Video playback is awesome on the YP P2, thanks to its superb 3″ display. It can easily play 2 or more full length movies on a single charge which mkes it all the more enjoyable when commuting. There is no lag in video playback and no skipping of frames. Video playback is as fluid as it can get, very close to the iPod Touch. It supports the SVI and WMV formats for videos, to transcode your videos to these formats, you can use the bundled Samsung Media Studio software or any other video converter. It would have been nice if the YP P2 had natively supported more common formats and codecs like DiVX and XViD.

Other Features:

It supports document viewing and can be used to view TXT files and JPEG images. The image viewer is great and allows zooming in as well as fullscreen mode You can view images as thumbnails or as icons. Viewing images is a pleasure using finger gestures on the brilliant display. There is slight lag in the image viewer interface though. It also has a built in FM radio with decent reception. It supports a total of 30 available presets. It also supports FM recording using which you can directly record songs off any FM radio channel. It also supports many other basic features like alarms, calendar, world clock and RSS data casts. You can also connect it to any bluetooth headset to listen to your music wirelessly.

The YP P2 has a rated battery life of 35 hrs for audio and 5 hrs for video and does manage just about the same. It can last for about 2 days with moderate usage. It comes bundled with a USB cable, earbuds, the studio software, a screen protector and clip alongwith the user manual.

Pros:

• Nice Design
• Superb Audio Quality
• Fast Responsive Touchscreen UI

Cons:

• Limited Codec support
• No Voice Recording

Conclusion:

The Samsung YP P2 is a great PMP with superb audio quality, nice video playback and a sleek design with good interface. It is a good alternative to the iPod Touch.

Our Rating: 3.5 / 5.

Archos 5 Specifications:

• Display: 4.8″ TFT LCD at 800 x 480 pixels, 16 M colors, Touch enabled
• Processor: ARM Cortex TM A8, 32 bit clocked at 600 MHz, 32bit DSP at 430 MHz
• RAM: 128 MB
• Connectivity: Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g , USB 2.0
• Hard drive: 60 GB / 120 GB / 250 GB (2.5″ HDD)
• OS: Linux based
• Audio Playback: MP3, WMA, AAC, WAV
• Video Playback: MPEG-4, DivX, XviD, WMV, H.264
• Image formats: JPEG, BMP, TIFF, PNG, GIF
• Other documents: PDF, Flash
• Video recording: VGA resolution (640 x 480 px) at 30 or 25 f/s
• Audio recording: WAV format
• Transfer Protocol: Mass Storage Class (MSC) and Media Transport Protocol (MTP), Picture Transfer Protocol (PTP)
• Battery Life: 12hrs Audio, 4 hours Video
• Size: 127.5 x 78.3 x 12.9 mm (60GB) / 127.5 x 78.8 x 19.4 mm (120/250GB)
• Weight: 250g (60GB) / 300g (120/240)
• Applications: Email (POP/IMAP), Opera Web Browser with Widgets, PIM (vCard support), Calculator, News Reader.
• OS Compatibility: Windows (MTP), OS X, Linux (MSC)
• Accessories: Earbuds, USB cable, DVR station adapter.

Design and Display:

The Archos 5 has a new super stylish design with ultra sleek looks. It is way better than the bulky designs of the previous Archos devices. The body is almost fully made of shiny glossy metal that imparts a never-before-seen kind of sleekness to it. Though a full metal body also has some downsides – it is fingerprint prone. Also it gets scratched a bit too easily. The build quality is very good. The device feels sturdy and solid. It should be able to withstand light drops without any problem.

It sports a superb 4.8″ TFT LCD screen with 16.7 M colors which has an operating resolution of 800 x 480 pixels. The screen is bright and offers good contrast. The display quality is great and produces crisp images and accurate color reproduction. It is a glossy screen which provides for a much better overall movie watching experience. The sunlight legibility is average. It is a fully touchscreen display with superb responsiveness and sensitivity. It adds to the overall appeal of the device, after all touchscreen is in these days. The huge 4.8″ screen provides for a much better touchscreen typing experience than other devices increasing the typing accuracy substantially. There isn’t much to complain about the touchscreen display, it is almost perfect.

Interface and Multimedia Playback:

The Archos 5 has a superlative, brilliant and easy to use interface. It is a vast improvement over the user interfaces of the previous generation Archos players. The fully touch interface is too good and much better then the previous hybrid interfaces. It does have some bugs but those are paltry, and can easily be squashed out with firmware upgrades. The interface is very intuitive and would take just about an hour or two to get used to. You shouldn’t even need to look at the quick start guide. The interface has very neatly and logically organised options so you shouldn’t have any problem navigating through it.

Video Playback is one of the strongest points of the Archos 5. The video playback experience is one of the best in PMPs, with smooth playback and no lags. It supports the MPEG-4, DivX, XviD, WMV formats natively and AAC encoded audio and H.264 codecs can be purchased separately to enable their playback. It would have been great if they provided these codecs for free. Nevertheless, there is nothing to complain of in the video department as far as quality and playback is concerned.

The Audio playback is also pretty good with great sound quality. The quality may not be the best, but it is definitely near the top of the list. It supports MP3, WMA, AAC, WAV formats natively. Pairing it with good earphones, you can have a superb audio experience. The built in speakers leave a lot to be desired. They are low on volume as well as sound quality. The music interface is quite good and has all the standard features you would find on any PMP – playlists, tags, sorting etc. There are many EQ presets available with a custom five-band EQ and balance controls. You can also view images on it and they look quite good on the brilliant 4.8″ display with accurate color reproduction. You can also convert the Archos 5 into a DVR using the optional DVR station and DVR snap on accessories.

Transferring media onto the Archos 5 is a breeze as it supports both the protocols – MTP and MSC. You can use it with any OS – Windows XP and Vista, Mac OS X or Linux.

Other Features, Battery and Accessories:

The Archos 5 comes with a customised version of the very famous Opera browser. It can be used to surf the internet over a Wi-Fi connection. The browser is arguably the best mobile browser ever and offers a browsing experience in the league of the iPod Touch’s Safari. The Archos 5 also has supprt for Flash content and PDF files. A beta email application is also pre installed and it supports the POP and IMAP protocols.

The Archos 5 comes bundled with all the basic accessories – earbuds, USB cable, and an adapter for the optional DVR station. There are many other accessories available which can be bought – a DVR station, DVR snap on and a battery dock. You also have TV tuners, FM tuners and GPS addons.

The included Li Polymer battery has a rated life of 12 hours for audio playback and 4 hours for video playback. It manages slightly less than that in actual testing. The battery life is a letdown and can be a deal breaker for some. There is an optional battery dock for $50 to increase the battery life.

Pros:

• Stylish design and great Build quality
• Brilliant Touch Screen Display
• Improved new UI
• Superb Video and Audio playback

Cons:

• Low Battery life
• Codecs cost extra
• No TV out / FM with addons

Final Words:

The Archos 5 is a huge improvement over the previous Archos PMPs and has many compelling features like excellent touch screen display, UI and video playback going for it. However it also does have its shortcomings – low battery life and the extra cost of certain codecs. It is still a great buy at $350.

Our Rating: 3.5 / 5.

Sony S610 Specs:

• Dimensions: 47.4 x 84.6 x 16.2 mm
• Weight: 52 gms
• Display: 1.8″ LCD, 262k Color, 320 x 240 pixels
• Capacity: 2 GB, 4 GB, 8 GB
• Audio Playback: MP3, WMA, AAC
• Video Playback: MPEG 4, H.264
• Battery Life: 32 Hours Audio / 8 Hours Video
• Image Format: JPG
• Transfer Protocol: MTP
• Other Features: FM Radio, Preset and Custom EQ
• Included Accessories: Headphones, USB Cable

Design and Display:

The Sony S610 sports a strictly average design and is not much of a looker. It’s body is almost fully made of matte plastic which give it good durability and sturdy build quality. It has nice round edges and plastic buttons with a tough plastic screen. At dimensions of 47.4 x 84.6 x 16.2 mm and a weight of just 52 gms, it is very compact and light weight.

It sports a 1.8″ LCD display with 262K colors and a resolution of 320 x 240 pixels. The display quality is superb with good brightness and contrast. The colors are distinct and accurate, and the image quality crisp. It has nice viewing angles and offers good video playback.

Interface and Multimedia Playback:

The interface of the Sony S610 is very easy to use and intuitive. All the menus and options are easy to understand even for a first timer. The interface is almost similar to the older players- A810, A720 etc. It is very responsive and fast.

The Sony S610 has seriously good sound quality. The sound is balanced fully throughout the whole sound spectrum. It manages both the highs and lows equally well. The music interface is standard supporting most features, it lacks direct playlist creation though. It has a 5 band custom equaliser with some presets. It also comes with Sony’s DDSE Sound Enhancer Technology which improves the sound quality. The video playback is nice and smooth with no frame skipping. The display size is a bit too small – just 1.8″ for serious video viewing though. It plays any videos encoded to M4V at 320 x 240 px.

To transfer multimedia content to your S610, you just need to connect it to a Windows XP or Vista PC and transfer content using and MTP supporting software like WMP etc. It isn’t compatible with Mac or Linux OSes as it doesn’t support the MSC protocol. It also has an FM radio built in with excellent reception quality. You can also view JPG images using the built in image viewer.

The battery is rated at 32 Hours for Audio and 8 Hours for Video playback. It offers just slightly less than that, which is still quite good.

Pros:

• Great Build Quality
• Superb Sound Quality
• Nice FM Reception

Cons:

• Unappealing Design
• No Direct Playlisting
• No MSC support

Conclusion:

The Sony S610 is a good PMP with nice features and superb sound quality at an affordable price. It is definitely a good buy at $100 for the 2 GB version.

Our Rating: 3.5 / 5.

iriver T7 Volcano Specs:

• Size: 83.8 x 25.4 x 10.1 mm
• Capacities: 1 GB, 2 GB, 4 GB
• Display: 1″ OLED (64 X 128 px) Display
• Audio: MP3, WMA, ASF, OGG
• Battery: 200mAh Li Poly Internal with 10 hours audio playback (rated)

Other Features: Voice recording, FM Radio, 7 Preset Equalizer

Design:

The iriver T7 Volcano’s design is not much to speak of, it is just a simple flat stick like design similar to the Samsung U3. It is just slightly bigger than a pen drive. On the front face is the 1″ OLED display supporting a resolution of 64 x 128 pixels along with the playback control keys. The headphone jack and USB plug are located at the left and right end respectively. There is a small button on the back to pop out the USB plug. On the top there is a power button and a UP button and on the bottom is the hold switch and the DOWN button. The UP and DOWN buttons can be used as volume controls or for navigation.

The player has a plastic quality to it which means that while it is durable and has decent build quality, the feel is not very desirable. The buttons are small and hard to get used to. The click mechanism is well implemented though. Also as the player is very light weight and has a OLED display, it can easily withstand moderate falls.

Interface and Sound Quality:

The interface is very intuitive and can be easily operated by beginners. It is mostly text based and has simple animations and menu transitions. The player is a bit buggy and random lags can occur when navigating through the interface. The main menu offers the Music, FM Radio, Recording, Browser and Settings options to choose from which are pretty self explanatory.

Music can be transferred to the iriver T7 Volcano through the USB cable. It supports both the MTP and MSC modes which can be selected through the settings menu. MTP ensures advanced media transfer features on Windows XP and Vista while MSC ensures compatibility with all OSes.

The sound quality on the iriver T7 is good and possibly among the best. It will suffice for most casual users but it ain’t no audiophile material. The volume levels are superb. It is comparable to the Creative Zen Stone, slightly better. It also has 7 EQ presets, a custom EQ and SRS WOW HD.

Other Features:

It also has some other features like FM Radio and Voice Recording. The radio reception is good and the sound quality is above average. The voice recorder is very basic and has a small range. You can also record FM with it though.

The battery life of the iriver T7 is rated at 10 hours. This isn’t much to speak of but does suffice for about a day of music.

Pros:

• Rugged and Portable
• Good sound quality
• USB Compatible
• MSC and MTP modes

Cons:

• Plastic feel
• Small buttons

Conclusion:

There isn’t much to speak about the iriver T7. It doesn’t offer anything new which other players in it’s range don’t. At this price point, we would rather suggest you the Sandisk Sansa Clip. However if you are looking for a rugged player with good sound quality and a simple interface, you can also consider the iriver T7 Volcano.

Our Rating: 2.5 / 5.

Apple iPod Touch 2G specifications :

• Dimensions : 2.4″ x 0.3″ x 4.3″
• Color : Black
• Display : 3.5″ LCD
• Audio formats : Protected AAC, Audible 3, WAV,MP3 VBR,
  Audible 2, AIFF, MP3, AAC, Apple Lossless, Audible 4
• Video formats : H.264, MPEG-4
• Connectors : USB, 3.5mm headphone jack,Docking connector
• Photo playback : JPEG photo playback
• Battery : Rechargeable Lithium-ion
• Estimated battery life : 36 hours
• OS : Mac OS X, Windows XP, Vista
• Warranty : 1-year with 90-days phone support
• Approx. price : $229

The price drop on the iPod Touch comes as no surprise as it was long expected after Apple introduced iPhone 3G at a starting price of just $199. The iPod Touch and the iPhone share a lot in common and with this update, the difference has further reduced. Apple has made the back of the iPod curved like the iPhone 3G and also included a volume rocker. Also now the iPod Touch ships with inbuilt speakers which a lot of users were craving for.

The back of the iPod Touch is still metallic but has a black color instead of silver. The metallic back feels much better in hand as compared to the iPhone 3G. Another thing which took the beauty away from the older iPod Touch was the black plastic patch at the top which was a WiFi receptor. Apple has now made it square and now gels with the overall design.

The display has remained unchanged except for the color tone which has is now a lot warmer, similar to iPhone 3G. The connectors remain unchanged and you have only the USB cable for both syncing with iTunes as well as charging it. Charge time is really slow at 4 hours.

Talking about the software, it comes loaded with the latest firmware ie. v2.1 which was released alongside the new iPods for both the iPod Touch and the iPhone. This version has a new feature called Genius. It lets you create playlists based on songs similar to what you are currently listening. It uses preferences from other users of iTunes to enhance its capability over the time.

External speakers are now a part of the 2G iPod Touch. But the quality of sound is average at best, although its good enough to play games and run other applications. Nike+ functionality now comes inbuilt into the iPod Touch which would be a boon to those who use their MP3 players during workout.

The Safari browser remains unchanged with no Flash support or audio support. You already have YouTube app to view YouTube videos on your iPod. Now you can purchase music from iTunes Wi-Fi music store. The downloads are restricted only to music songs as of now. Hopefully Apple will add video, podcasts etc support in future. The downloads can be paused and resumed too.

Coming to the performance, it has undoubtedly the best interface that you will come across any music player. It supports multitouch and has excellent responsiveness. Accelerometer further enhances user experience and Apple has used it brilliantly in CoverFlow. The interface speaks lengths about the hard work that has been put in to bring out an excellent interface.

The music quality of the player seems to have improved a bit from the earlier version. The formats supported are stil the same, which means you still have to convert your WMA files to other compatible format to be able to play them on your iPod. The worst thing about the iPod Touch is probably that you can not set a custom equaliser. A music player of its capability should have that option without doubt. The preset equalisers are no good and hardly improve the sound quality.

Video playback on the device is one of the best features. Watching videos on a large 3.5″ screen is a pleasure and the videos play in landscape mode only. Youtube videos can also be watched using the app provided by connecting the iPod through Wi-Fi.

The battery life on the iPod Touch is rated at 36 hours for music and 6 hours for video. This should be good enough to satisfy the needs of most of the users. The actual usage varies according to Wi-Fi usage and screen brightness etc.

iTunes 8 is a pre-requisite for syncing iPod Touch to your Mac or PC. iTunes 8 has seen a major overhaul over the previous iTunes v7.7. It now has better interface as well as the Genius feature integrated. Song management is great in iTunes but new users will have a high learning curve.

So to put it straight, is it worth buying/upgrading? If you do not have an iPod Touch/iPhone then this is certainly a must buy. If you need external speakers necessarily then you should upgrade, else install v2.1 software on your previous generation iPod Touch for a mere $10 to get all the software benefits that the new iPod Touch flaunts.

Pros :

• Sleeker and curvier
• Amazing display
• Application support
• Nike+ integrated
• Great battery life
• External speakers

Cons :

• No custom equaliser
• No bundled iTunes software
• Average external speaker
• No WMA support

Final Thoughts

The second generation iPod Touch is an amazing device which beats its predecessor by quite a margin. The external speaker and Nike+ are two big additions to the device. Battery life has improved too along with the design which is now sleeker and curvier which feels better in the hand. Apple has still not added support for custom equaliser which is frustrating for music lovers. Overall a great device enhanced by application support from the App Store.

My Rating : 4/5

1. Griffin PowerDock 2 Charging Base

Price: $49

The Griffin PowerDock 2 is a charging base which you can use to charge your iPod or iPhone. It includes two built-in Apple Universal Docks and comes with a collection of Universal Dock insert adapters to ensure compatibility with almost every iPod and iPhone variant.
Features

• Two charging bays
• Base plugs into standard 120VAC wall outlet
• Heavy, brushed metal design stays put on any surface
• Charges nearly any combination of iPod models and iPhone

Specifications

• Internal power supply: 2 to 2.5 amp
• Power input: 110-120 VAC, 60Hz
• Power output: 5 VDC 500 mA to each dock well
• AC cable length: 6.0 ft./1.8 m
• Dimensions: 8.07 x 3.15 x 7.87 in
• Weight: 0.54 kg

2. Altec Lansing T612 Digital Speaker System

Price: $199

Altec Lansing’s T612 digital speaker system was originally intended for the iPhone but is compatible with the iPod as well. In addition to its strikingly stylish design, the T612 delivers delightfully clear sound with satisfyingly deep bass. And if you get a call while listening, the music pauses automatically. Then once you’ve completed your conversation and re-docked the iPhone, the music resumes playing exactly where it left off.

To ensure superior sound quality, the T612 includes internal GSM shielding to keep its speakers from picking up potential intermittent noises emitted by iPhone or other mobile devices. It also provides powerful neodymium speakers and XdB bass-enhancement technology.

The T612 comes equipped with a wireless remote for maximum convenience and control. It offers power on/off, volume up/down, track back/forward, play/pause, and separate bass and treble controls.

Features

• Digital amplification for powerful sound from a compact system
• Full spectrum of pure, distinct sound delivered by four specially engineered neodymium speakers
• Surprisingly deep bass without a subwoofer thanks to XdB bass-enhancement technology
• Wireless remote and built-in controls for speaker functions and iPhone music playback (play, forward, back, volume, bass, treble, and stand-by)
• Universal dock to charge iPhone and iPod
• Auxiliary-in jack for connecting older iPod models and other audio devices such as CD players
• Elegant, wall-mountable design

Specifications

• Sound pressure level (SPL): 100 dB
• Total continuous power: 60 W RMS
• System response: 60Hz to 20kHz (-10 dB)
• Signal to noise ratio: >70 dB at 1kHz input
• Drivers: Two 3-in. full range drivers and two silkdome 1-in. tweeters

3. Bose On-Ear Headphones

Price: $179

The Bose on-ear headphones are one of the best on ear headphones available currently. They are capable of delivering clean, rich sound in a small, light, on-ear design. The sound quality is totally awesome.

They are also very light compared to many other headphones, weighing just 148 gms. Their earcups are softly padded with memory foam that gently conforms to the shape of your ears and designed to rotate for an enhanced fit with no pressure. You can wear them comfortably for hours while listening to your favorite music.

Features

• Proprietary Bose headphone technologies deliver clean, rich sound
• Lightweight fit; single-earcup cable; increased portability and easy storage
• For use with media players, computers and home stereos

Specifications

• Cable lengths: 1.1 m; 0.4 m
• Overall headphone dimensions (HxW): 7.3 x 5.3 in
• Ear cushion outside dimensions (HxW): 3.0 x 2.2 in
• Weight: 5.2 oz./147.4 g

4. Logitech Pure-Fi Anywhere Compact Speakers

Price: $129

The Logitech Pure-Fi Anywhere is a compact speaker system that delivers clear sound with maximum bass and minimal distortion. Its compact size and long battery life make it the ideal companion for all music-junkie-road-warriors. It also sports a simplistic but nevertheless stylish design which adds to its appeal.

Features

• Advanced acoustics for exceptionally clear sound
• Three-inch pressure drivers to maximize bass response
• StereXL technology widens the stereo image dramatically
• Ten-hour rechargeable battery for longer listening
• Battery-level indicator eliminates surprises
• Travel case to protect and store speakers.
• iPhone or iPod charged whenever it’s docked
• Wireless remote to control your iPod or iPhone and browse content

Specifications

• Dimensions: 3.6 x 13.2 x 1.5 in
• Weight: 0.73 kg

5. Shure SE310 Sound-Isolating Earphones

Price: $249

The most expensive item in this list, the Shure SE310 Sound-Isolating Earphones are the best in the business. Combining a stunning industrial design with remarkable acoustic performance and superb audio quality, the Shure SE310 sound-isolating earphones are the ultimate audiophile accessory. Their attractive ergonomic design and flexible modular cable help you focus on your music, as they minimize interruptions from the outside world.

Features

• Sound-isolating design; included sleeves block more than 90 percent of ambient noise and ensure a solid fit
• Hi-Definition MicroSpeaker plus Tuned BassPort improves bass response for a listening experience that reveals hidden details in your music
• Detachable, modular cable so you can make the cable longer or shorter depending on your activity
• Connector compatible with earphone ports on both iPod and iPhone

Specifications

• Speaker type: Hi-Definition MicroSpeaker + Tuned BassPort
• Frequency range: 22Hz-19kHz
• Impedance (1kHz): 28 Ohms
• Sensitivity (1mW): 111 dB SPL/mW
• Cable length : 18.0 in

6. iHome iH9B6 Clock Radio

Price: $99

The new iH9 is basically a clock radio for the iPod. It is the successor to the hugely popular iH8 and offers several new features and capabilities including a remote that controls both the unit and iPod menu functions, programmable snooze, and a soothing negative LCD display. Other features include AM/FM presets, EQ controls for bass, treble, balance, even 3D sound for an enhanced audio experience. It sports a sleek design and intuitive interface as well as great sound quality.

Features

• Wake to your own custom playlist
• Full-function remote control controls unit and iPod menu functions
• Programmable snooze feature with intervals from 1 to 29 minutes
• Extra-large, backlit custom negative LCD Display with dimmer
• Wake or sleep to iPod, AM/FM Radio or buzzer
• Universal dock with inserts to fit docking iPod models
• Charges iPod while docked
• High-fidelity stereo drivers in specially designed Reson8 speaker chambers to deliver astounding clarity, depth, and power
• Patch cord included to connect other audio sources
• Gradual Wake and Gradual Sleep increase/decrease Alarm/Sleep volume allows gentle wake up or sleep
• Dual alarm with AM/FM presets
• Bass, Treble, 3D, and balance controls for best sound
• Speaker jack for adding separate speakers
• 7-5-2 Alarm settings (everyday, weekdays, weekends)
• DST switch for quick daylight-savings time adjustment
• Backlit buttons

Specifications

• AC power: 10V, 1.4A
• Dimensions: 9.05 x 4.25 x 3.54 in

7. Apple iPod Radio Remote

Price: $49

And last but not the least, we present before you the Apple iPod Radio Remote. One of the reasons people quote for not buying an iPod is the absence of a FM tuner (radio). With the iPod Radio Remote, Apple has attempted to solve this problem and it has worked very well. You can access it through the Radio menu on your iPod and even save your favorite stations easily.It even supports RDS so you can view the song, artist and station information directly on your iPod display.

It comes with a wired remote to control slideshow, video and music playback — adjust volume, skip forward/back within a playlist and switch between radio stations and turn the radio on or off. The iPod Radio remote is powered by the iPod batteries itself which make it even more compact and hassle free. Weighing just about 15 gms, the compact remote features a simple, familiar interface and plugs into the Dock connection on your iPod or iPod nano. You can use your own standard earphones instead of the bundled ones with the 3.5 mm audio jack.

For more details on these accessories, visit the Apple Online Store

Microsoft Zune specifications :

• Dimensions : 2.4″ x 0.5″ x 4.3″
• Display : 3.2″ 320 x 240 resolution
• Hard drive : Built-in 120GB
• PC interface : USB, Wi-Fi
• Radio tuner : Built-in
• Audio formats supported : WMA, WMAPro, Audible, MP3, AAC
• Photo playback : JPEG supported
• Video Playback : MPEG-4 supported
• Battery : Lithium-ion rechargeable
• Battery life : 30 hours(music), 4 hours(video)
• Games : Built-in
• Approx. price : $250

The design has remained unchanged from second generation Zune except for the color scheme. The back side has been changed colors from silver to black.  The overall finishing of the phone is glossy plastic compared to metallic, which is more prone to fingerprints. The controls, headphone jack, connectors, hold switch.

Unchanged hardware has left a lot of people puzzled and a software update could have been pushed also to the older device. Cosmetic changes solely can not guarantee the success of the player especially when it has a low market share. The software upgrade though has enhanced the capability of the player. Marketplace and Games are the two new additions to the main menu. Marketplace lets your purchase songs or preview them. Subscription to Microsoft’s Zune Pass enables you to download unlimited number of songs for a flat fee of $15 per month. Wi-Fi is used for connecting to the Marketplace.

FM tuner is one thing that is absent from all Apple devices but finds place in Microsoft Zune. And to top it up, the quality of the FM is great that you will find on other MP3 players. FM player supports Radio Broadcast Data System (RBDS) which lets your view detailed station and song information. Games have found their way to Zune and it comes preinstalled with two games called Hexic and Texas Hold’em. New games will be added to Marketplace in due course of time.

The audio, video and photo playback is similar to the previous generation which was already great. WMA Lossless music format is now supported on the device. The device’s screen can be mirrored onto an external display using the video output feature.

Social feature has got a boost and not integrates nicely with Wi-Fi. You can have a look at your friend’s listenening habits by befrending him. Zune automatically detects device in its proximity. You can also exchange messages between friends using this service. Podcasts can also be downloaded onto the device and old ones deleted.

The battery performance of the device remains unchanged as compared to its previous iteration. With the price cut on the player and higher capacity, you have to let go of the good quality earphones and now Micosoft bundles average sounding earphones.  Overall it offers good competition to the iPod Classic which now comes at a maximum space similar to the Zune.

Pros :

• Increased storage
• Enhanced Wi-Fi
• Social feature gets boost
• Unlimited music at $15/month
• Games support added
• Great FM Radio with RBDS
• Good battery life
• Great video playback

Cons :

• Average earbuds bundled
• Prone to fingerprints
• unimproved hardware

Final Thoughts

The Zune 120GB has a few cosmetic changes and a much improved software which supports games and marketplace. Wi-Fi has been enhanced and now integrates better with the services. Its social service is great for those who are on constant lookout for music recommendations. Overall a good alternative to the iPod Classic.

My Rating : 4/5

Samsung YP S2 Pebble Specifications:

• Dimensions: 1.7 x 1.6 x 0.7 inches
• Weight: 20 grams
• Display: None
• PC Interface: USB
• Audio: MP3, OGG, WMA
• Battery Life: 10 hours
• Memory: 1GB Flash Memory
• Price: $39

Design:

The Samsung YP S2 Pebble sports a very innovative but stylish round design. It is totally rounded on top with a smooth finish. It comes in many colors – black, green, purple and red. With dimensions of just 1.7 x 1.6 x 0.7 inches and a weight of 20 grams, it is super compact. It has good build quality and can easily withstand minor shocks and falls. On the back of the player there is a basic control mechanism that allows you to play / pause and change tracks, skip forward or backward and adjust volume easily. There is also a ‘Smart’ button which allows you to change audio settings.

The Samsung YP S2 lacks a display but you can have a rough idea of what the player is doing by checking out the LED lighting. The LED lights differently depending on the function the player is performing. This coupled with the interface controls, improve the usability of the Pebble YP S2 greatly making it a much better option than the iPod Shuffle.

Sound Quality:

The sound quality of the Samsung YP S2 is very impressive and improves quite a lot when you use the ‘Smart’ button to enable Samsung’s proprietary DNSe (Digital Nature Sound engine) . The volume levels are quite good too. When coupled with audiophile quality headphones, the Samsung YP S2 can easily deliver. The audio jack on the top can be used to either connect the bundled earbuds or the USB dongle for music transfers through PC. The YP S2 supports the MP3, OGG and WMA audio formats.

Other Features:

The YP S2 Pebble comes with Samsung’s Media Studio software which can be used to transfer songs and other audio files to the YP S2 from your PC. The transfer procedure is quite easy. It is compatible only with Windows Vista and XP though, a letdown for Mac and Linux users.

The Samsung YP S2 can play music continuously for about 10 hours on a single charge which is more than enough for most users.

Pros:

Inexpensive
Stylish Lightweight Design
Superb Sound Quality

Cons:

No Display

Final Words:

The Samsung YP S2 Pebble is a cute little audio player which is a superb alternative to the iPod Shuffle if you can do with the rather feminine looks. It is very inexpensive and has great sound quality which makes it a great buy.

Our Rating: 3.5 / 5.