MP3 players have long since stopped being a luxury and become an essential. As more manufacturers have started competing with Apple’s dominent iPod clan, we’ve seen players so small you could accidentally inhale them and a raft of new features, from the sensible (internet capability and audio enhancement) to features with a more niche appeal (waterproof players*).
Another advantage of the current ubiquitousness of MP3 players is a sharp drop in prices. While the first iPod would have set you back around £240 for the 5GB model, you can pick up a 4GB model for as little as £25 these days.
Best in class goes to the Sansa Clip 8GB. Although these can be bought for as little as £35, they don’t scrimp on features, with a microphone and FM radio - unlike even top of the range iPods. Four colours are available and each has a built-in clip, like the popular iPod Shuffle. 8GB will hold around 2000 songs in MP3 format.
The Philips GoGear Vibe 4GB gives you a colour screen for photo viewing, a microphone and FM radio. Very conveniently, this player charges through a USB connection to your computer. From £38, the 4GB model will hold 1000 songs.
You can even get your hands on an iPod or under £50: the 2GB model of the newest generation of Shuffle is being sold at £40-45 by a range of shops. Apple claims this is the world’s smallest MP3 player - an achievment made possible by moving the controls from the player to the headphone cord and replacing a screen with a voice-over telling you the artist and title information.
*(If the mention of a waterproof player at the start of this article grabbed your attention, take a look at the Nu Dolphin: 1GB storage, waterproof heaphones and special straps to hold it to your goggles for £49)
In a move sure to infuriate the Daily Mail, the EU is proposing a limit on the maximum volume of portable music players.
While Disgruntled from Tunbridge Wells and their like are probably already sharpening their pencils to write to the editor, it is worth pointing out that this is only a proposal at the moment and what is proposed is only an overide-able default. So if you love your music really loud, you’ll can just switch the upper limit off.
The idea behind this new setting is a good one. Research has shown that as many as 1 in 10 people are risking hearing damage. Listening to your ipod at 80 decibels can cause this kind of damage when you listen for over 40 hours a week, but notch the volume just a little higher (to 89 decibels) and the damage begins after as little as four hours.
Younger people are particularly at risk of this kind of damage, according to Meglena Kuneva, EU Consumer Affairs Commissioner. This isn’t just because they tend to listen to more music at louder volumes, but also because they are generally unaware of the risks. By the time hearing damage starts to show, it is years too late to do anything to stop it.
A step ahead of the game, later this month Griffin are releasing MyPhones, headphones specially designed for children with a fixed upper volume limit of 80 decibels.
So what is a safe volume limit? Decibels are a bit of an abstract measure unless you’re an audio specialist, but this chart from Floorscan Acoustics, sound-proofing experts, should help you get a handle on different volume levels.
The iPod in all its various forms is the indisputable king of the portable media player market: more than 200 million have been sold since they first launched in 2001, and it’s estimated that over 70% of the mp3 players sold in the USA are iPods. (Source: The Guardian Technology blog 1 & 2)
But the tide might be beginning to turn: for the very first time Apple has seen a fall in iPod sales. There are certainly plenty of competitors for the iPod’s crown, many of them offering features not available on Apple’s player. Let’s take a look at the 5 coolest features on offer.
1. Radio
It may sound prosaic, but having a radio in your player opens up a whole new range of listening possibilities, whether it’s following the progress of the cricket or discovering new music from your favourite DJ. FM radio MP3 players have long been common outside the Apple fold, but now you can also get mp3 players with DAB radio for a better quality radio signal.
2. Waterproof Work-out music doesn’t have to be just for dry land. Aquatic expert Speedo makes the sturdy 1GB Aquabeat player, while New Universe makes the Dolphin Touch, a tiny waterproof mp3 player with a touchscreen, 4GB storage and FM radio.
3. Sonic search
Sony’s iPod Shuffle competitor, the NWZ-W202, boasts ‘Zappin’ technology that allows you to to search through the songs on your device by listening to the first few seconds of the chorus. If that isn’t enough to sway you, the design of the NWZ-W202 is pretty nifty too. Sony have miniaturised the workings of the player enough so that the whole device is incorporated into the headphones.
4. Wind-up battery Not just for the eco-conscious, the Revolution Eco media player means you’ll never be stuck with a dead battery and no music. One minute of winding gives you enough power for 45 minutes of music - and the generator can also act as an emergency mobile charger. The Eco also plays videos and FM radio and can record radio for later listening.
5. Dancing light-show
Perhaps not the most useful feature, but certainly a lot of fun. The Sony Rolly twists, moves and flashes different coloured lights in time to the beat of the music playing out of its in-built speakers. If nothing else, it’s inspired a massive (and often very funny) YouTube following.
And if none of these features grab you, be assured that more conventional PMPs are catching Apple up in offering iPod-style features. The Sonix 7 incorporates an ebook reader, the Sony S series walkmen and E series walkmen let you watch downloaded iPlayer content, and the premium Archos media tablet range do pretty much everything the iPod Touch can.
With the sun at last seeming to be showing signs of being here to stay, we thought it would be a good time to highlight some MP3 players that you’ll be able to take with you as you enjoy various sporty activities.
To be a truely go-anywhere MP3 player, the most vital feature is that the memory - where the songs are stored - is a solid state flash drive, rather than than a hard disk. If you’ve ever tried to go jogging with a hard drive-based MP3 player, like an iPod Classic, you’ll know that it doesn’t take long before skipping becomes a problem. Flash-based memory is a lot more durable, but the disadvantage is that it costs more per megabyte, so storage sizes tend to be between 2 and 32 GB. For the active listener that’s a trade-off that’s worth making. Check out the Sony NWZS639F or Apple’s new iPod Nano.
Another key item for allowing you to get on with your run without worrying about your MP3 player is a clip so you don’t need to bother having the device knocking around in your pocket. And of course the smaller the better. The Apple iPod Shuffle is very compact, with a durable clip built into the aluminium body. The latest model is voice activated too, making it easier to control on the go.
Or for true comfort on the go, take a look at this wearable MP3 player/headphones combination from Sony:
Depending on what your favourite activities are, you might also want to look out for a waterproof model. You probably wouldn’t want to go swimming, but from mountain biking to waterfights, it’s as well to be prepared. Swimsuit specialists Speedo have entered into the MP3 player market with their Aquabeat Waterproof MP3 player, or you could try SwiMP3 player (geddit?).
Whatever you’re up to this summer, there’s no reason you won’t be able to bring your favourite music with you!
Here at Reevoo we keep an eye on what’s happening in market so we can make sure we’re helping you make the right decisions when you’re buying something. Here’s what’s crossed my desk in the past month or so:
* 3D TV - Manufacturers and broadcasters seem to be serious about pursuing 3D TV technology in the next few years. Panasonic, Philips, and LG all have prototype consumer 3DTVs, while Sky have hinted at launching a sports-only 3DTV service in the next few months. Panasonic and Sky’s version would require special spectacles, but the Philips and LG versions are goggle free.
Here’s a sample of the Philips 3DTV - of course it won’t look 3D on your monitor!
* New iPod Shuffle - Apple suprised us on Wednesday with the launch of a new iPod Shuffle. The Shuffle claims to be the world’s smallest MP3 Player, and the first one that speaks. Critics have noted that it’s now even harder to replace Apple’s notoriously bad headphones, as Apple have moved all the controls to a bud on the headphones. The speech effect allows you to select a playlist after hearing it read out to you by a computerised voice. It is a potentially nice trick, but it remains to be seen if it can make up for the Shuffle’s lack of a screen. Apple iPod reviews.
* Green entertainment - MEPs are voting this month on whether to extend energy ratings like those found on white goods to all consumer electronics products in the EU. This would effectively ban some energy guzzling products, potentially including plasma televisions.
Last week we looked at the top digital cameras of 2008 and this week we bring you MP3 players. There are plenty of them around but which ones are any good?
We’ve looked at the most popular ones - the ones that get the most attention on the web and the highest rated to see how they fare when people get them home.
At the moment, everyone’s after the New 16 GB Apple iPod Nano. It gets great reviews for its design and size but, as with most Apple products, consumers would like more battery life.
Here are the MP3 players getting the most attention at the moment:
The Creative Zen 8GB MP3 Player gets great reviews. Consumers hardly have a bad word to say about it and praise its design, battery life and sound quality.
Here are some of the things reviewers had to say:
“excellent all rounder sound, vision, size and value for money” Debs, Co. Durham
“i absolutely love it, the sound and vision quality is exceptional” Nicola, Whitley Bay
If you’re strapped for cash but want to invest in something decent, the Samsung YP-T10J is an absolute bargain at £30. It’s rated 9/10 and seriously impresses reviewers:
“this MP3 player has just about everything you could possibly want and very user friendly. The sound is clear and crisp and the photo/video mode is excellent.” Denise, Norwich
“its awesome, looks good, good sound and battery life, cute, not too common like an ipod” Anonymous
“This MP3 player is capable of superb sound reproduction (though not perhaps with the supplied headphones). It’s easy to find your way around the menu and I think it must be one of the slimest MP3 players around.” Eric, Perthshire
If you’re not impressed with any of these, there are loads of other MP3 players to choose from.
It’s time for another installment in our What to buy series. We looked at What to buy Dads last week and this week it’s the turn of another tricky customer…the teenage boy.
If you need inspiration, just take a look at these:
For the music lover - Everyone loves music. Get them an MP3 player and they can take music with them wherever they go. The top rated MP3 player on Reevoo at the moment is the 8GB iPod Touch. It’s currently around £100. If you were looking to spend a little less than that, the second highest rated player is the £70 Sony NWZA816 4GB. And for a complete bargain buy, grab some CDs. Prices start from as little at £2.
For the gamer - Why not go for a games console like the PlayStation 3 (£289)? If they already have a console, they might like a gaming chair (£100). It’s comfortable for extended gaming sessions and you can feel the action through it. It can also be used to listen to music and watch films. There are also lots of console accessories, like this PS3 charging station for £15. For smaller gifts, you could go for a video game (prices start at £2).
For Mr Sociable - A mobile phone so that they can keep in contact with all their mates. For a phone packed full of features, how about the Nokia N95 or N96? Or for a more classy option, how about the Samsung Tocco or the new iPhone? (All phone prices vary according to contract)
For the sporty ones - Some tickets to a football or rugby match will make a great gift. For something more original, why not try this Garmin Forerunner 405 (£169) GPS-enabled sport watch, which tracks your training and sends the data to your computer or for trips to the coast this fishing starter kit (£32)?
We?ve been looking into design here at Reevoo. Good product design is becoming more and more important and clever and innovative designs are what consumers look for to save time and make their lives a little easier.
So we looked into which brands were coming up with the best designs. When a shopper buys something from one of Reevoo?s 55 retail partners, they are sent an email asking them to rate it. One of the categories they rate is the design of the product.
Looking at 22,000 products, with over 15 reviews, we took these design scores and ranked all of the products in terms of their score for design ? the product with the highest score at the top.
What we found was pretty impressive for one brand in particular. In the top 100 products for design, a whopping 51 of them are from Samsung! It?s a real result for the brand that has put a strong focus on design in recent years.
LG in second place and Sony and Apple in joint third made up the top 3.
If you?re a regular reader of Decide What to Buy, I?m sure you can guess at which product Numatic had in the top 100? Hetty! She?s had a stonking 2008, already topping the best vacuum cleaner list back in June and in March.
But we wanted to look deeper into the data so we split the products up into categories. We looked at Home Entertainment, Mobile Phones, White Goods, Computing and Home and DIY in more detail to see which brand?s products performed the best for design in each category.
It’s official. Women may like to spend money on expensive handbags and shoes but when it comes to the living room, boys shell out the most cash.
According to the latest research from Reevoo, kitting out a bachelor pad with huge plasma TVs, top of the range laptops, games consoles, high-end stereos and other gadgets puts the bill up to £4,678.97.
Reevoo looked at the highest rated products with over 30 reviews to compile the research. According to shoppers, the best wide screen plasma HD ready TV is the Panasonic TH50PZ70B which can be nicely accompanied by the top DVD recorder, the Sony RDR-HX510. Just these two cost over £1,500.
Every man’s need and desire to put as little effort into living as possible has been accounted for. There’s the Proline TTR 65 P mini beer fridge which can be plugged in right next to your sofa so that cold beer is only a short stretch away, the Hewlett Packard Pavilion DV9605 laptop, so you can check up on your stocks and shares while you’re watching the footie and an Xbox 360 Elite for when you run out of DVDs.
Seeing as it’s April and the weather still consists of snow, gales and floods, I bet a load of you can’t wait to get into hotter climates and have already planned your escape. Looking for a nice, new, shiny mp3 player to while away the hours on planes and sunny beaches? Look no further. We’ve been ploughing through the reviews from shoppers at Reevoo to find out which mp3 players have made it into the top 5. We have to admit that what we did find was a little surprising - no iPods until fifth place and no Creatives in sight. Check it out for yourselves…
Top with a score of 9.8/10 is the Sony NWE016BC Black with top marks for value for money, design and sound quality. Funnily enough, this system beat the Apple hands down in the design stakes with shoppers rating it’s design 10/10 compared to the iPod’s 9.2/10!
Coming in a close second is Sony’s 3GB NWZA816 with 9.7/10. One shopper comments “The sound is brilliant…The size is perfect”
Middle of the pack is the Hitachi DMP20 2GB Black. Scoring 9.4/10, people praise its ease of use and battery life.
With a rating of 9.2/10, the Samsung YP-P2JCB 8GB Black wins over customers with its design, extra features and its portability but it loses points on value for money.
In at number five is the first and last Apple appearance. The New Green Apple iPod Nano 8GB scored 9.2/10. One customer sums it up as “nice shape and colour easy to use and sounds good” but comments about the lack of a carry case, the fact that you can only use itunes and scores on battery life push it into fifth place. 96% of shoppers would recommend this product, compared to 100% for the Samsung.
If you still haven’t seen one you fancy, there are a load more here.
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