A Fair mp3 player Review

[Artie Owl]

I have had a few devices in my time, starting with the classic yellow sony "Walkman" for cassettes, "Discman" for the cd's then Mini-Disc players which didn't take off here like they did in Europe, and then finally with mp3 players and cell phones/smartphones that have the mp3 built in.

 

Recently I purchased a Macbook, and while I like certain things about it, I find its lack of compatibility with 3rd party devices frustrating.

 

They have all had their own pros and cons. The Walkman claimed to be water resistant and had a locking clasp on the side to prevent moisture from getting in for a great portable excercise partner;

 

It stopped working anytime a drop of water even came near it, but it was still my first beloved device to hear music on my own.

 

Next obviously the Discman swept consumers who still had cassette players with a horrible stigma;

 

Skipping and short battery lives were rampant but it was still way super cool, and a great way to sell you the same records and cassettes you already bought (See VHS, BETA, DVD, Blu-Ray, Q-Ray, BETA-Ray, BETA X-RAY (Future))

 

The NEXT evolution was the Mini Disc, not common in the U.S or Canada, it looked like this;

The format looked like this, a propritary disc only Sony made, and most likely the formats eventual downfall;

 

However, This format was remarkably durable and lasted me a few years, the format could hold a decent amount of songs, and it lasted longer on a single AA battery than discmans did with double that.

 

After that, mp3 sensation took over, and I got one of these;

 

This was cool, it was my first lithium battery music device that recharged via trickle charge through a USB cable, and since there was no moving parts internally and the display was utilizing a bio-luminisence style of lighting the battery lasted forever, however it was only 2 gigs, and with no removable memory you were stuck rotating songs on Sony's aweful "SonicStage" software.

 

Which brings me to the point of my article, this little guy;

I was looking for an inexpensive mp3 player to take running with me to help motivate me to get out more to exercise. Since I got my Macbook, I figured a simple iPod shuffle would do me, but I was set on not spending more than 40-50$ for something I planned to use in a rough and tumble setting. Lo-and-behold, the iPod shuffles started at 64.99$ and were nothing but a flash drive with a pause/play and volume button, no screen, no nothing.

 

I figured there HAD to be a better option out there, and instead of buying second hand from kijiji or Craig's List or whatnot I snooped around.

 

Well, Bestbuy had a sale on that little guy up there, and I ordered one, in fact between the time I saw the sale while at work and when I got home to place the order with my Visa they had became back ordered.

 

Here's the specifications;

approx 15 hour lithium battery life

small vibrant display in soft blue and orange tones

on screen classic equalizer

2 gig internal memory, WITH expandable Micro SD slot

FM Tuner, with the ability to record live radio on the device

Voice recorder (Which I have totally recorded myself playing chords then soloing over while practicing)

total price 45.19$ AFTER taxes, (free shipping on orders 39.99 or more boo-yah)

 

Also, it weighs nothing, and is the size of about a small handful of guitar pics. Previous devices all had elements of this little guy in them, but none had the whole package like this one does.

 

This device is a solid purchase for any music lover, or health nut, etc.

[Artie Owl]

Bah, I put lots of love into this one, so I'll comment on it me'self.

Interesting write up Art!

[Corrosion of conformity]

Hey, interesting write-up Art!

[Artie Owl]

Ha! It's the thought that counts! Thanks