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Portable Audio/Video Player Buying Guide

Rohan Naravane, Nov 01, 2007 1610 hrs IST

Diwali time is just around the corner. How about gifting yourself an MP3 player?

EXPERT REVIEW

Sub-3k Range:

This is the range where one can expect capacities of at least 1 GB (a bare minimum these days) or even expect a little more, include a standard OLED or monochrome LCD display (some may not even have one), and other basic functionalities.

Transcend T.sonic 630 2 GB - Rs. 2730

T.sonic 630 is an updated version of the popular T610 player from Transcend. It is a very versatile MP3 Player that not only plays the usual MP3, WMA, and recorded WAV music files, but also WMA-DRM10 (subscription music). Beside this, it has several impressive additional features. Its body has good build quality and a smooth finish. Its white text (4-Line) OLED Display can be easily viewed in direct sunlight. Navigation is simple and user-friendly. The player has a small body frame and weighs a meager 30 grams.

The player has an FM radio and recording via its built-in microphone and a line-in device. There's a dedicated button for one-touch recording and you can schedule your recordings as well. With respect to sound, it has 6 preset equalizer settings along with a customizable equalizer mode. It's powered using a rechargeable Lithium-ion battery and when fully charged, supports over 15 hours of continuous music playback.

To quote the negative aspects of this player, for one, the maximum volume of the device is not too loud. Also, the data transfer rate is not fast enough for a player that features USB 2.0 support. Plus, the default pair of earphones that Transcend provides in all its players could have been better.

The player currently retails for around Rs. 2700 for the 2GB variant, making it a pretty sweet deal. And my personal recommendation would be to spend a few hundreds extra on a pair of better earphones for a boost in audio quality.

Creative Zen Stone 1 GB - Rs. 2500

The Zen Stone highlights its USP (read: simplicity) in its design very strongly. This tiny, ultra-light (20 grams) player comes in 6 different colors, and has the footprint of a glucose biscuit. The no-screen concept is not really acceptable to me personally, but its absence may not matter to people who like to be surprised while they're listening to music. But I appreciate the presence of its multicolored LED located on the face of the player that provides the user with vital information like battery level, song incompatibility, player status, and more.

The Stone has the usual navigation buttons on its face and sides. It supports USB Mass Storage mode for convenient drag-and-drop of songs into the player. The uploading transfer rates weren't that great. The sound quality is comparable to that of an iPod Shuffle or the Mobiblu players. FM Tuner is absent. In real life situations, the player lasted for just over 9 hours, giving you around 3 hours of daily listening.

The player's price has now come down to an acceptable Rs. 2500. Simplicity and good sound quality is what constitutes this one -- so the choice is up to the buyer.

USER COMMENTS

you didnt even hint at players from iaudio & iriver

by amrit, noida, on Nov 01, 2007 10:35 PM, Report abuse Reply

yea dude..where are the Cowon/iAudio players?? I was thinking of either getting a Cowon or iriver..can anyone suggest a good piece for around 10-12k? I just contacted them and they were offering D2-4gb for much less now...

by sid, bombay, on Nov 03, 2007 10:55 AM, Report abuse

iRiver E10 is great sounding HDD player with 6 GB and all the features in the world. Must be less than 10K. Not sure if it's available in India. Pls check www.iRiverindia.com

by Madan, Pune, on Nov 06, 2007 02:29 PM, Report abuse

How about Microsoft Zune 30 GB ?available for 100$ on buy.com

by shriniket, mumbai, on Nov 06, 2007 08:44 AM, Report abuse Reply

IT is time demand.

by Javed Usmani, Bilaspur, on Nov 05, 2007 12:28 AM, Report abuse Reply

IPhone 8GB avlbl for 17k in Grey market Blr

by Minhaj, Bangalore, on Nov 03, 2007 08:52 AM, Report abuse Reply

howz it possible!?!? iPod 4 GB sells at $ 399 = Rs. 16000 if we do the simple conversion, besides, its smuggled, so price increases drastically upto 20000-25000. and u are saying that 8 GB model sells at 17000, not possible

by pa1, mumbai, on Nov 03, 2007 02:27 PM, Report abuse

Same price in Mumbai too.... With software locked removed too.

by Ranjit, Pune, on Nov 04, 2007 07:01 AM, Report abuse

pa1, you probably don't know that apple has reduced the price of 8GB model to $399 recently and they also have stopped manufacturing 4GB model.

by Subhajit, Kolkata, on Nov 04, 2007 08:01 AM, Report abuse

wow! What a Guide of MP3 it is , go ahead, we are behind U!

by Rajesh Kumar, Shimla, on Nov 03, 2007 10:13 AM, Report abuse Reply

u have the specs for creative zen vision M and put the picture for zen vision W ??? wtf ?

by Tarun, Pune, on Nov 02, 2007 06:01 PM, Report abuse Reply

Is the YES PMP available in India? Its the one with touchscreen at good price. Why is the ZUNE not in the list? What about the Creative Zen Plus mentioned as "available" in one of the TT articles recently..?

by Chandra, Chennai, on Nov 02, 2007 05:33 PM, Report abuse Reply

sansa kahan hain , it doesnt have anything except that overhyped buiscuit of apple

by humano, noida, on Nov 02, 2007 03:49 PM, Report abuse Reply

Are the prices inclusive of all taxes in Mumbai? Are they available from authorized Apple resellers at this price?

by Ramanadhan, Mumbai, on Nov 02, 2007 09:34 AM, Report abuse Reply

Excellent guide!

by Satheesh, Bengaluru, on Nov 02, 2007 08:51 AM, Report abuse Reply

Great guide on what to buy according to your requirements. But i want to ask one thing - is this guide based on what is available in India? if not then you missed out Archos 605 wifi, great PMP. one more thing, many of these gadgets are overpriced in India and lack cust. support, for instance, a creative Q5 costs $350 in US and 26,000/- in India.

by su30mki, Delhi, on Nov 01, 2007 09:53 PM, Report abuse Reply

Yes, this guide is particularly created with the Indian consumer in mind. And that is the same reason we've not mentioned the Archos 605 since it is not yet officially available in india. And yes many gadgets are overpriced but then it is due to the fact that they are imported and have to bear the import duties and other taxes which increases the final selling price in India. Thus, there's no point in comparing US prices to Indian ones.

by Rohan Naravane, TechTree Test Labs, on Nov 01, 2007 10:04 PM, Report abuse

nice guide Rohan!! keep it up.

by sachin, goa, on Nov 01, 2007 09:44 PM, Report abuse Reply