Packard Bell Audio key: The best 128 MB Mp3 player for under E 100?
I
decided to write this review because i did a fair amount of research to
buy one of
these players and i thought my findings and experience might save
others the hassle.
So
far i am very happy with my player, i've experienced no problems or
weirdness.
According to the Dutch PCM magazine the Audio Key is the best buy, they
reviewed quite a lot and all the other players were either more
expensive or lacking in quality/features. I've only been using it for a
shortish while but i find the player to be very good. I continually
keep a few very small but essential data files (e-mail addresses, web
page links and such) backed up on it and the other 127 Megabytes or so
i use for music. That's more than enough music for a cycling trip or
any other daily activity unless you commute for hours.
Pros
-Very
Good price for all the features you get: Voice Recording, display, data
storage, 128 MB.
-Long
battery life
-Looks
good, nice and small
-Control
keys are sensible and there is a lock function
Cons (these are mostly small and insignificant gripes)
-
The Display is small/has small letters and is fairly vulnerable, i
recommend putting scotch tape over it.
-The
headphones are of the -in your ear- variety, quite loud and clear but
will not stay in there if you do sports. In the latter case you may
need to invest in different ones.
-Of
course buying rechargeable batteries
and a charger will be an an additional expense, i recommend buying the
heavy duty rechargeables at the HEMA and their slightly more expensive
charger, this charger has been tested by the Consumentenbond and found
to be the best even though it is relatively cheap.
Overall
i would say the player gets a 8.5 out of 10 from me. Until I-Pods are a
lot cheaper this one seems to do me just fine. Of course don't just
take my word for it, check reviews and the like as new players are
coming out often.
Below is some additional info on the player, i got it off the net:
A USB memory disk for data, play MP3 or WMA music and record voice notes.
No software necessary, just drag and drop your files on it.
- Dimensions: 27 x 91 x 17 mm
- Weight: Only 30 g !
- Internal memory: 128 MB
- Interface: USB Rev. 1.1
- Audio playback: MPEG Audio Layer 3 (MP3) decode Windows® Media Audio (WMA)
- Voice Recorder: IMA-ADPCM encoding
- Recording +/- 8h Voice that is, not Mp3 music
- Ports: USB, Phone out
- Battery: 1xAAA battery (plays about 12h) Bullshit, but it does play very long
Microsoft Windows 98, Me, 2000, XP