Portable CD MP3 Player

CNET has posted a review for the Apple iPod 5G (39GB, video) on its website. The player managed to grab an excellent rating. 8.0 out of 10.   The good: Incredibly thin and intuitive design; beautiful LCD; supports photo and video playback; seamless integration with iTunes, which boasts the world’s biggest music catalog and a new video store; smooth video; lots of extra features, such as a world clock, a stopwatch, and PIM applications; a galaxy of accessories designed for the iPod; great overall value.   The bad: No extras included, such as a dock, A/V cables, or a power adapter; poor battery life for video; slight delay when playing video; no guarantee that your non-iTunes Music Store video will play on an iPod, even after using converted third-party software.   The bottom line: Get the affordable, sleek, and sexy 5G Apple iPod for its audio virtues. Although video looks great, poor video battery life and a relatively small screen hamper its appeal to video heads.

Windows A to Z! has also posted a review for the Apple iPod 5G (Video 30GB, white). They concludes - ‘In review, the Apple iPod Video is another excellent addition to the Apple iPod family. It’s perfect for anyone who wants to upgrade from their non-color 4th gen or earlier iPod, you’ll really be pleased with the difference. If you’re primarily looking for a portable video player, however, you’ll want to buy a dedicated portable video player because of the poor video battery life and other limitations. If you’re primarily looking for an audio player and the occasional video playback, then the Apple iPod 5th gen is without a doubt for you.

Designtechnica has got this to say about Apple iPod 5G ( Video, 30GB) - ‘Regardless of the players shortcomings, content is the name of the game, and Apple is covering their tracks. A closed system between the iPod product line and iTunes Music Store helps keep the whole experience simple to the end-user, and now with the addition of video downloads in the iTunes Music Store library, there is even more reason to switch to the Apple brand. There may be better video players on the market, but if there is not a lot of easy to purchase content, it defeats the purpose for the average user. Consider Apple’s latest product as an iPod that just happens to play video rather than a true “iPod Video”. For basically the same price as the previous model, you are getting a slimmer player with longer battery life and video capabilities; and if you ask us that’s a pretty sweet deal.’

Kickstartnews.com has also reviewed Apple iPod (30GB, video, 5G) - ‘For several years I have been using a Pocket PC on which I’ve played music, read books, watched movies and TV shows, all this alongside the other tasks that these great little computers allow me to carry out. Okay, it’s not an iPod and does not permit me to carry my whole music library (or at least a huge chunk of it) with me. But with a decent sized SD card in the Pocket PC I can do a lot. In any case, for all my griping I actually like the iPod because of its clean design and easy usage and I will most likely continue to use my new toy alongside my PDA, when, that is, I can carry both. Wait a moment—there’s an idea! Create an iPod-based PDA! Do I hear a phantom uttering the word ‘Newton’?’

Lordpercy.com has reviewed the Apple iPod (30GB, video, 5G) - ‘Choosing an iPod is still the safe bet, no one will ever be upset with one as a gift and it will provide excellent audio quality as well as being simple to drive, the video could be dismissed as a gimmick but we’d have money on it being improved over time much as the battery life for audio playback has been increased.’

Full specifications

for Apple iPod 5G (30GB, video) Manufacturer: Apple Computer, Inc.
Part number: MA002LL/A

General

• Product type - Digital player

• PC interface(s) supported - Hi-Speed USB

• Width - 2.4 in

• Depth - 0.4 in

• Digital storage - Built-in 30 GB Hard disk drive

• Height - 4.1 in

• Weight - 4.8 oz

• Color - White

• Included accessories - USB cable

• Software type - Apple iTunes for Mac, Apple iTunes for Windows

Connectivity

• Cable(s) included - 1 x USB cable - External

• Connector type - 1 x Docking station Mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm, 1 x

Battery

• Battery required qty - 1

• Rechargeable battery - Rechargeable

• Battery Enclosure Type - Integrated

• Battery technology - Lithium ion

• Recharge time - 4 hour(s)

Manufacturer warranty

• Service & support type - 1 year warranty

Digital Player / Recorder

• Digital player supported digital audio standards - AAC, MP3, WAV, AIFF, Audible, Apple Lossless

• Digital player playback modes - Playlist, Random play, One track repeat, All tracks repeat

• Digital player edit functions - Erase

• Digital player response bandwidth - 20 - 20000 Hz

• Digital player supported bit rate - 16 - 320

• Digital player ID3 tags support - Yes

• External hard drive function - Yes

• Digital player additional features - Variable bit-rate compatible

Built-in Display

• Audio system built-in display - LCD

• Diagonal size - 2.5 in

• Resolution - 320 x 240

• Backlight display - Yes

• Display illumination color
• White

• Display menu language - Dutch, Danish, French, German, Korean, English, Finnish, Italian, Spanish, Swedish, Japanese, Norwegian, Chinese (simplified), Chinese (traditional)

Audio Features

• Sound output mode - Stereo

• Timer - Wake, Sleep

• Built-in clock - Timer, Digital clock

• Alarm wake-up modes - Playlist

• Additional features - Notes, Calendar, Phone book, Hold button, Date display, Photo wallet, Built-in games, JPEG photo playback, Upgradeable firmware, USB 2.0 compatibility, Playback speed control, Rechargeable capability, Battery level indication

CD System

• Playback modes - Program play, Skip playback, Random play, Repeat one/all

• Digital audio standards supported - MP3, WMA, AAC

Equalizer

• Equalizer factory preset qty - 20

Headphones

• Headphones type - Binaural Ear-bud

• Sound output mode - Stereo

• Response bandwidth - 20 - 20000 Hz

• Impedance - 32 Ohm

• Connectivity technology - Wired

Battery / Power

• Battery - Lithium ion Rechargeable Player batteryIntegrated

• Mfr estimated battery life - 14 hour(s)

System Requirements

• Peripheral / Interface devices - USB port

• Operating system - Microsoft Windows 2000 SP4 or later, Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition SP2 or later, Microsoft Windows XP Professional SP2 or later