Portable CD MP3 Player

Due to hit the shelves in March, Samsung Electronics’ new YP-Z5 MP3 player is causing a stir because it was designed by Paul Mercer - the very same programming genius who created the interface for Apple’s runaway success, the iPod.

The veteran Mac software designer led a team of programmers at Iventor Inc to create a user interface to match the iPod’s well regarded touch-sensitive scroll wheel approach.

Get a latest price for Philips HDD1630 6GB GoGear Digital Music Jukebox at Amazon.com

Philips GoGear Jukebox HDD1630 (6GB) Preview

CNET editors’ rates Philips GoGear Jukebox HDD1630 (6GB) as very good and give 7 out of 10.

The good: The attractively priced Philips GoGear HDD1630 boasts a sharp, full-color display, and it’s loaded with features such as an FM radio and a voice recorder. The included earbuds are surprisingly decent.

The bad: The Philips GoGear HDD1630’s glossy, black surface is highly smudge prone, and the touch-sensitive controls are ultrasensitive. The player’s processor isn’t always up to speed.

The bottom line: The Philips GoGear Jukebox 6GB (HDD1630) will please penny-pinchers and patient power users alike, but if you demand a speedy processor in your MP3 player, look elsewhere.

SanDisk Sansa e270 (6GB) Preview

Memory goliath SanDisk continues its assault on the flash-based MP3 player market with the CES launch of the flagship Sansa e200 series and the budget-class Sansa c100 series. The e200 series represents a departure from previous Sansa players, thanks to a higher-quality form factor and a bushel of cutting-edge features. The SanDisk Sansa e200 comes in 4GB ($250) and 2GB ($200) varieties, as well as the flagship 6GB version, which is notable, as it’s the highest-capacity flash-based player in the world. The players, which are physically much more polished than SanDisk models of the past but come with price tags to match, will be available in March.

LAS VEGAS, NV – Jan. 5, 2006 – SanDisk® Corporation (NASDAQ:SNDK) introduced today its top-of-the-line SanDisk Sansa™ e200 MP3 player with a large color screen and 6-gigabytes  (GB) of storage capacity that makes it ideal for listening to music or viewing photos and personal videos. The company also introduced the Sansa c100, a value-conscious MP3 player with a color screen and compact size. Both families were unveiled at a press conference at the Consumer Electronics Show where SanDisk is demonstrating products in Booth #30329, South Hall Level 3, Las Vegas Convention Center.

“Music is an incredibly important part of the digital lifestyle, where the emphasis is on accessibility of music, styling and ruggedness on the go,” said Eric Bone, director of audio/video product marketing at SanDisk. “These new players have a rich set of features, a high-strength industrial design and a friendly price tag that we believe will appeal to anyone who appreciates music on the go.”

Sansa e200—SanDisk’s Flagship MP3 Player
The Sansa e200 series features a slim new design and a 1.8-inch (4.572 cm) TFT color screen (QCIF+) along with high-quality audio, photo viewing and video playback capabilities. It offers an industry-leading, 6GB capacity that holds more than 1,400 MP3 songs2. It is also available in 2 and 4GB models. Its large color screen is ideal for easily viewing playlists, photos and personal videos.

Philips Active PSA612 (4GB, blue) Review

CNET editors’ review has given Philips Active PSA612 a good rating of 6 out of 10

The good: The Philips PSA612 packs 4GB into an attractive, fitness-friendly design that features a unique rocking-face control and an antishock option that decreases risk of damage to the hard drive. The simple weatherproof player includes an FM tuner and a talking stopwatch, and it’s compatible with music subscription services. It ships with decent wraparound headphones and a stylish armband.

The bad: The buttons on the Philips PSA612 are too stiff to operate easily, and the back cover must be removed to recharge and transfer music. The device’s antishock feature is limited, and the display can be difficult to read in daylight. The player will lock up if subscription tracks have expired.

The bottom line: The Philips PSA612 is decent as a high-capacity fitness player, but if you can spare some change, the 4GB Apple iPod Nano is a better choice overall.

Check the latest price for Cowon iAudio U3 2 GB MP3 Player at Amazon.com

Cowon iAudio U3 (2GB, black) Reviews

CNET has given Cowon iAudio U3 (2GB, black) 6.7 out of 10 and rated it as ‘Good’

The good: Cowon’s tiny, lightweight iAudio U3 comes packed with features, including video playback, line-in recording, and scheduled FM recordings. Its excellent video-conversion software lets you watch your favorite clips on the go. It also boasts solid sound quality and performance.

The bad: The pricey Cowon iAudio U3 does not yet support DRM-protected tracks, and video playback is limited to 15 frames per second. The interface is difficult to navigate. It has a cheap plastic shell and mediocre FM reception but no carrying case, armband, pendant, AC adapter, or auto-preset option for FM stations. It requires two different desktop utilities. The screen is too tiny for photos and video. For $30 more, you could buy a 30GB video iPod.

The bottom line: The feature-packed and swell-sounding Cowon iAudio U3 may ooze cool as one of the smallest PVPs, but its lack of DRM support, its somewhat tricky controls, and its high price tag spoil the party.