By BHAVANA VANGARA, SAM GOODMAN, JAMIE SHERMAN, ALEC EWIG, DANIELLE ROSSBACH, XENIA RUIZ
Published June 7, 2004
IPod Mini
Gmini 220
Rio Cali
iRiver
iFP-390T
Dell Digital Jukebox
Rio Nitrus
Listen up!
MP3 players are letting music lovers take their collections anywhere they want.
A music sampler
Music and teens go together like . . . music and teens always do.
Buying an MP3 player? Consider this...
The iPod may be the best-known digital music player, but it is not alone in the market. And for people who are looking to buy a player, the choices can be daunting.
Music and teens go together like . . . music and teens always do. So we asked members of the X-Team, area students ages 9-18 who contribute to the weekly Xpress section in the Floridian, to put a variety of MP3 players through their paces to get an idea of what's hot and what's not. Here are their reviews:
The neatest thing about this MP3 player is that it's little - a 2.5-inch black and white square that weighs only 6 ounces. It's ideal for your pocket, purse or bag.
Simplicity: 9
As long as you have all the wires laid out and the diagram, you can easily figure everything out.
Music machine: 10
The player has a 20-gigabyte hard drive, which can hold up to 5,000 songs. There's one wire that you use to plug the MP3 player into the computer. From there, you just drag music or photo files onto the drive and wait for them to download into the device. You can browse by title, artist, album or genre. Playlists are easy to set up. The Double Browser allows you to create folders yourself.
Sound quality: 8
The Gmini comes with ear buds that actually stay in your ear. The sound quality is great, but it's a matter of whether you're comfortable with ear buds.
Battery: 7
The Li-on battery will run three or four hours without being recharged. It's best to leave it plugged in at night.
Overall: 9
The Gmini 220 has the capability of voice recording. This can be a lot of fun and it's easy to transfer onto your computer. The MP3 player also can hold black and white JPEG photos. It costs around $300, but it is worth the money if you're a digital music lover.
- BHAVANA VANGARA, Times X-Team. Vangara, 15, will be in 10th grade at Palm Harbor University High School.
The Rio Cali is a cool MP3 player - it's small, light; the shape is cool; it's circular and fits in your hand easier - and the yellow and black mix is awesome.
Simplicity: 6
This particular MP3 player was a bit too technical for me. I had to get some help setting it up, but once I got the first song downloaded, it got easier.
Music Machine: 9
The Cali stored more than enough songs. The battery was average, but the display screen was a great idea, giving users the song title and artist.
Sound Quality: 9
The song quality was one of the best I have heard. The ear buds are okay, but I prefer headphones that cover your entire ear.
Overall: 8
The Rio Cali is an excellent MP3 player. Though it is a little hard to set up, the amazing sound quality, display screen, good battery life and awesome looks make up for it. If you were looking for a great, long-lasting, good quality MP3 player, then the Rio Cali is the MP3 of your dreams.
- SAM GOODMAN, Times X-Team. Goodman, 12, will be in seventh grade in the fall at Berkeley Preparatory School in Tampa.
The Dell Digital Jukebox is very good for any teen to carry around. The neutral color, light weight and strong case work together to make it a piece of equipment that can fit into any teen's lifestyle.
Simplicity: 7
Setting up the player was very easy. Coming from someone who isn't a tech wizard, I figured it out (with a little help from my Dad) in just 10 minutes. Once the program for the player was loaded into the computer, it was a bit tricky figuring out how to transfer songs from the download software to the MP3 player, but after I learned how, it was easy.
Music Machine: 8
The player has plenty of space for songs. I never had to delete a song to fit another into the system. The playlists are hard to set up. I had the player for a month and still had no playlists because it was so confusing. But once I got the hang of transferring individual songs, the process became easier and more enjoyable. Also, the information given with each song is amazing. It gives the title, the album, and occasionally, where it was performed. It truly felt like I had a jukebox in my hands.
Sound Quality: 10
Usually, headsets that come with music players are included just to be replaced, but the ear buds that came with the Jukebox were different. Although they were small and sometimes hard to keep in the ear, they had perfect sound. They make the songs sound as though they are being performed right in front of you. It's almost like having surround sound headsets.
Battery: 10
The battery life on the Jukebox was very good. I charged it twice in the month I used it. I used it constantly, turning it on and off a lot, which proved that the battery was strong and long-lasting.
Overall: 8
The Dell Digital Jukebox is a piece of equipment that I would recommend anyone purchase. It's easy to work, convenient to carry and low maintenance. The only downside is trying to find a music download service that isn't illegal or expensive. Before buying this, I would consider making a plan on how you choose to download music. Some music programs charge a dollar a song.
- JAMIE SHERMAN, Times X-Team. Sherman, 17, is a graduate of Clearwater Central Catholic High and will attend the University of Maryland.
The iPod mini looks cool. It's very small and easy to carry around.
Simplicity: 6
The player has a few mechanical quirks. In order to move your cursor, you must spin your fingers along an inconsistent "click wheel." It would be easier if the iPod Mini had normal buttons for moving up and down. Also, when I tried to download songs to the iPod Mini, every few seconds I had to disconnect and reconnect it to the computer for the download to work. I don't know why I had to do this, but it was extremely annoying.
Music Machine: 5
You can store 1,000 songs on your iPod Mini. That is a decent amount of songs. Playlists are pretty easy to set up, and the player tells you enough about the artist, song and album.
Sound quality: 7
The headphones have a very clear sound. The only problem with the earphones is that they are a little uncomfortable and fall out of your ears.
Battery: 8
The battery can last up to eight hours before it needs recharging. Unfortunately, it takes four hours to completely recharge it.
Overall: 7
Although the iPod Mini has problems, it will probably be a popular music system if the creators can solve them.
- ALEC EWIG, Times X-Team. Ewig, 13, will be in ninth grade in the fall at Shorecrest Preparatory School in St. Petersburg.
The Rio Nitrus is a small black MP3 player that a teen can easily use without wondering if it's cool or not. However, one of the disadvantages of the Nitrus is that it only comes in black. The Nitrus has two buttons (On/Off and Menu) but also has a scrolling wheel and a small joystick, which makes it look really neat and easy to use.
Simple Stuff: 7
For people who aren't tech experts (like me), the Nitrus is a bit confusing to initially set up. The handbook that came with the Rio helped a little bit, but the directions included lots of tech-speak. With a little help from my brother, I figured out how to use it in about 20 minutes.
Music Machine: 9
It has a 1.5-gigabyte hard drive and can hold more than 300 songs. The playlists are difficult to set up, and I never figured out how to make one in the month that I had it. Transferring music from the computer to the player is incredibly simple. Once the music is on the Nitrus, the screen gives you a lot of information about the song: title, artist, album, genre, running time, etc.
Sound Quality: 9
The ear buds that came with the Nitrus have the best sound quality that I have ever heard through earphones. However, they don't stay in your ears very well. If you prefer sound to comfort, then I would definitely keep the ear buds.
Battery: 10
The Nitrus battery life is very good. I charged it about every week to keep the battery level up, but I used the Rio a lot. The battery charger is very simple and you can use it while you listen to songs.
Overall: 8
Although the Rio Nitrus is a great MP3 player, it is fairly expensive. I had a very difficult time trying to find good quality, free and legal downloads. I ended up mostly transferring songs from CDs to the player because of the cost of downloads. Overall, I think buying a CD player and CDs is a better deal. However, if you don't mind the cost and have money to spend, I would definitely recommend the Rio Nitrus.
- DANIELLE ROSSBACH, Times X-Team. Rossbach, 13, will be in eighth grade in the fall and is home-schooled in St. Petersburg.
Next to the new iPod Mini, the iRiver is among the coolest looking MP3s. The only thing that would make it better is if it came with changeable color covers. It fits easily into anyone's lifestyle, even those constantly on the go.
Simplicity: 9
The iRiver is surprisingly easy to use. It has detailed, simple instructions that don't exceed five steps. For someone as technologically impaired as me, it was a piece of cake.
Music Machine: 7.5
This MP3 player stores up to eight hours of music, which comes in handy when you're in school trying to find something to keep you awake or in the car with the family trying to escape the unbearable singing of your sister. It's a cinch to transfer songs from the computer to the player with just a few clicks. The only thing I would want is more information on each song.
Sound quality: 8
The ear buds included with the device are fine for on-the-go listening, but I prefer bigger, comfier headphones at home. As far as sound quality, it's crisp and clear and helps tune out the rest of the world.
Battery: 8.5
This MP3 player runs about 24 hours on a single AA battery before needing to be replaced. That is pretty good considering everything you can do with the player.
Overall: 8.5
The iRiver is a great choice for people on the go who don't like reading a lot of instructions. It's simple to set up and stores a good amount of music in a short period of time. It's nifty-looking and easy to carry everywhere.
- XENIA RUIZ, Times X-Team. Ruiz, 16, will be in 11th grade in August at Seminole High.
