If you hope to survive against the reigning king of MP3 players, otherwise known as the Apple iPod Nano, you better have some jaw-dropping feature that makes you stand out. Unfortunately, while Haier America's latest offering, the HEC Video MP3 Player, puts a good foot forward with its solid sound quality and a very palatable price tag, its quirky navigation isn't going to do much to tempt prospective iPod buyers. However, if you've been hunting for a music device that actually has a decent shuffle algorithm, the HEC is worth a look.
On Sale Now: $39.89 - $47.69
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The iAudio E2 from Cowon offers an interesting alternative to the iPod Shuffle. Hey, at least it has buttons.
(Credit: Cowon America)Is the iPod Shuffle just a little too boring for you? If you like your MP3 players small, cheap, and stylish, but prefer actual buttons to Apple's odd headphone-clicker voice navigation, the iAudio E2 from Cowon may be just the thing--that is, once someone can explain to us how it works.
On sale for the first time today, the 4GB iAudio E2 is priced at $64.99 from Jetmall. The key-ring-shaped MP3 player is 1 inch wide by 2.5 inches tall by and 0.3 inch thick, and is meant to be worn on a necklace. Like the iPod Shuffle, the E2 is an audio-only device, but tackles a different range of audio formats (MP3, WMA, FLAC, Ogg, WAV).
Like most MP3 players out of Cowon, the real clincher is audio quality. A total of 8 JetEffect audio enhancement presets are included (BBE, BBE VIVA, BBE VIVA2, BBE Mach3Bass, BBE MP, BBE Headphone, BBE Headphone2, BBE Headphone3) to squeeze your music for all its worth. A built-in voice guide is used to browse and select from the sound enhancement presets.
It all sounds great in theory, but there's no telling how well the E2's navigation works until we get our hands on it. At least it looks like there are a few real buttons, which might make up for the confusing hieroglyphics on the front. Right off the bat, though, I have to say that 11.5 hours of battery life isn't exactly dazzling. Also, lack of AAC support is going to be hard to swallow for iPod expats.
On Sale Now: $64.99
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(Credit:
Apple)
Amid the flurry of iTunes and iPod announcements yesterday, Apple quietly retired the 1GB iPod Shuffle. You remember it: that one that actually had buttons on it. Instead, the company is putting full focus on the teeny, tiny buttonless model, which is now available in both 2GB ($59) and 4GB ($79) capacities. The third-generation Shuffle is also newly available with blue, green, or pink paint jobs along with the traditional black and silver. In addition, Apple is offering a special edition version that is encased in super shiny stainless steel, available in 4GB only for $99. Besides the pricing, new color options, and 2GB capacity option, the third-generation iPod Shuffle remains the same. Read the full review.
Apple's dropping bombs all over CNET in the form of brand-new iPods and a freshly updated iTunes. You know what that means: harried editors scrambling to get you all the freshest details. This week's podcast has all you want to know about iTunes 9 and the updates to the iPod Shuffle, Nano, Classic, and Touch. Plus, we have plenty of video demonstrating the fifth-generation Nano's many new features.
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The Archos Clipper gives the iPod Shuffle a run for its money, only four years too late.
(Credit: MyMemory)Mobile phones and Netbooks may be nibbling away at the market for portable media players, but there will always be a demand for dirt-cheap, bare-bones MP3 players. Our grandchildren could be living in a post-apocalyptic waterworld or an off-planet Martian colony--but the cheap MP3 player will endure like some kind of technological cockroach.
It seems fitting, then, that the latest budget MP3 player from Archos bears a resemblance to our favorite end-times-surviving insect. The Archos Clipper is your basic clip-on MP3 player with 2GB of storage, priced at around $30. There's no screen, no frills, no fancy colors--nothing to save you from a robot uprising or nuclear annihilation.
In all fairness to Archos, the company has been on the sidelines of the MP3 player game for a few years now, focusing its efforts on the emerging Netbook and tablet PC markets. Unlike the Clipper, the company's upcoming Archos 9 media tablet is one of the more drool-inspiring products I've seen all year. I guess you've got to put your money where your priorities are.
(Via AnythingButiPod
An MP3 player with buttons? How novel.
(Credit: Scosche Industries)The third-generation Apple iPod Shuffle has a ridiculously small and elegant design, but its lack of buttons can sometimes be a real buzz kill. The Scosche TapStick is a $29 case for the iPod Shuffle that bestows three buttons on the front of the device, mimicking the three controls used on Apple's headphone remote. A 3-foot auxiliary cable is also included with the case.
Frankly, $30 seems like a lot of dough to throw at an iPod that only costs $80. But if you received the Shuffle as a gift and just need a way to adapt the thing for your car stereo's aux input, the TapStick's relatively large buttons and snap-on design should do the trick.
Update: The retail price of the Scosche TapStick is $29, and not $39, as stated in the company's original press release.
On Sale Now: $75.00 - $79.99
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The Iriver S10 was too dated to make the list this time, but it's truly impressive at 0.8-inch.
(Credit: CBS Interactive/Corinne Schulze)Flash-based MP3 players are taking over the marketplace. Unlike their hard-drive-based counterparts, flash MP3 players have no moving parts, affording them entirely skip-free playback and, in most cases, a long battery life. Also, flash chips are tiny, meaning the players that use them can be small to the point of ridiculousness.
Luckily, most (but perhaps not all) manufacturers realize that there is such a thing as too small. We had no trouble finding a collection of manageable MP3 players that won't take up valuable space in a briefcase, a backpack, a purse, or a pocket. And although each measures less than 2 cubic inches, all of them offer at least 2GB of memory, which is enough to hold about 500 songs or 32 hours' worth of music.
You have your iPod Shuffle 3G clipped on your arm when working out and it looks cool. So now, how about making it look yummy, too?
You can start by putting it in a ChocoShuffle, a new protective case for the iPod Shuffle 3G from SwitchEasy.
The first thing that came to mind when I saw the photos of the ChocoShuffle is that I just wanted to take a bite out of it. The case looks exactly like a piece of chocolate. It even comes in three colors, representing different kinds of chocolate: milk, white, and strawberry. It's made out of shock-proof silicon and offers a nonslip thumb grip.
Is it a coincidence that a tasty piece of chocolate happens to have the perfect size and shape to be a protective case for an MP3 player? Probably. But it's still a neat idea.
The ChocoSuffle is available now and costs a little more than a Hershey bar, at $9.
Now the problem is, will the ChocoShuffle make it harder for those who are on a diet? Or will the fact that it's not actually edible help with their willpower? I'll just stick with my iPhone for now.
The third-gen Apple iPod Shuffle and the SanDisk Sansa Clip are two of the smallest, least expensive, and most-talked-about MP3 players on CNET. Both devices share a clip-on design, but otherwise, Apple and SanDisk take very different approaches to their MP3 players, demonstrating a tug of war between form and function.
You may already know which MP3 player you'd choose, but when push comes to shove, which of these minuscule MP3 players is preferred by our CNET editors? Find out in our iPod Shuffle vs. Sansa Clip CNET Prizefight.
(Credit:
CNET)
Donald and Jasmine pick apart the new third-generation Apple iPod Shuffle--the smallest iPod ever made, and the first to go completely without buttons. We also talk about iPhone OS 3.0 announcements, alternatives to the Shuffle, cheap headphones, and play some calls. Yes, someone actually called us!
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