An MP3 player can serve lots of purposes apart from just playing your music. Some people use to carry their songs in the pocket and then plug it in to a high end audio system. Apart from that, there have been some players with compact sizes made for working out in the gym. We previously got to review the Sony Ericsson player which was a built in device in to the ear buds. The player is located between your ears. Apart from that, there also have been compact players like Sandisk which are tiny and hence easy to carry in the pocket. Haier America Trainer is the first player in our labs to have a small size and yet comes packed with some fitness features. This player will put you back by $60 and we think that it is fully worth the price for the features that it is offering. You normally don't expect such a compact player to have so many buttons and hence we were quite overwhelmed. Initially we thought that the player would be a bit difficult to use because  [...]

Before we got this gadget in our labs for testing, we saw a few advertisements of it in local newspapers and were quite intrigued by the heart shaped design of the player. We aren’t fans of such compact music players but this design did draw our attention quite easily. The player is also extremely light weight at just 35 grams. You will barely feel it in your hands. This player has been made especially for people who like to work out a lot at the gym. There will be no cable mess and you won’t be bothered much because of the lightweight. This is not the only player we have seen in our labs to sport this design. We have had a couple like iRiver N12. Sony NWZ-W202 W-Series Walkman’s controls are hidden under the right ear module. They are all easy to reach and press but you cannot see the controls when the player cuddles up in your ears. On the bright side, you will get used to this easily as you will remember  [...]

Sony made millions with the S-Series Walkman when it was released in 2008 and for its successor; the manufacturer has made the player more compact and sleek. There are plenty of useful features including a big battery life and awesome sound quality. When it comes to newer generation devices, I usually assume that it is better than the previous iteration but this is not true for the second generation Sony S-Series Walkman. The great battery life and stellar audio quality is still there but the feature set is shrunk. On the bright side, the price has been brought down. This player costs $130 for 16 GB model and the 8 GB version will cost you $110. The price along with battery life and audio quality saves the day for this player. Sony S-Series Walkman, second generation is bigger than the previous iteration. A bigger device might come in the way of portability but you get a bigger screen. This player has a 2.4 inch QVGA screen which gives bright, color  [...]

When we saw the ‘water resistant’ label on this player, we instantly realized that this is a player made for people who work out in the gym. Sony first gave us such headphones in 2009 and their success in the market has instigated a new model with the same design. The player is made for fitness freaks and it comes with two GB internal memory which should suffice for your gym sessions. The manufacturer has also knocked off $10 from the MSRP (as compared to its predecessor), the price is now down to $59.99 and we have no reason not to recommend this player to you. You will also love this design if you are sick of headphone cords dangling out of full fledged MP3 players. We were concerned if this player would fit well in our ears. Fortunately, it had no problems regarding this and the Sony W-Series Walkman got a secure fit in our ears. We jumped, jogged, walked and still this player refused to budge out of our ears. But we were then concerned about  [...]

You can easily find the speakers for your MP3 player or iPod. The companies have manufactured the pocket-size speakers to large one. In contrast, it was a bit difficult to find tiny speaker with inbuilt MP3 playe. Now you can find such a gadget - X-Mini Happy Speaker MP3 player. It is a portable stereo speaker with inbuilt music player that easily fits in pants pocket. $74.99 priced X-Mini Happy also has some impressive features and definitely worth your consideration. You can pop the X-Mini Happy Speaker MP3 player to reveal the subwoofer that increases the bass. There are several ports and controls on the base of each speaker. You will find an integrated patch stereo cable on the bottom that can connect with any audio source having 3.5mm standard headset jack. The LED light glows static red when speakers are powered on and blue while charging. It will flash red while playing songs via internal memory. The X-Mini Happy Speaker MP3 player has inbuilt  [...]

Microsoft Zune was a good alternative to the Apple iPod. Now, Microsoft launched new – Zune HD, which is only one alternative to Apple iPod Touch in terms of pricing and beauty. The 16GB model of the Zune HD costs $219 and 32GB Zune HD costs $289. If you have continuously used the Apple iPod then you might need some time to become familiar with Zune HD. The HD has totally different user interface from iPod. There is main menu that shows Quickplay menu, album art and screen. We are disappointed to know that there is no dedicated physical volume control button on the Zune HD. We agree that onscreen volume icons are easier to use than virtual volume slider at first-generation iPod Touch. However, it is difficult to adjust the volume while listening music, especially when the Zune HD is in your pocket. 3.3 inches glass-covered capacitive touch screen is located on the front of Zune HD. You can swipe your finger or press your fingertip to control  [...]

Archos 5 Internet tablet is better than Apple iPod Touch on paper. It features FM transmitter, Bluetooth, integrated GPS, 4.8 inches screen and 720p high-definition video playback. The interesting factor is that it comes in different specifications starting from $249 for 8GB model with micro-SD card slot and thin body. Its hard-drive version of 500GB costs around $489. Our test model of 32GB costs $362.99. Every aspect of Archos 5 Internet tablet is so made to attract the die-hard digital media fans and stay away them from Apple iPod Touch and Microsoft Zune HD. If you ever wished to have GPS in Apple iPod Touch, then go for Archos 5. If you ever think about small screen and limited support for video codec in Zune HD, then go for Archos 5. This tablet device uses Google Android platform and provides Archos Download Store. This store has limited variety of applications; still it is comparable to iPhone App Store. Archos 5 was also launched earlier  [...]

Sony has always been known to bring out the best MP3 players at rock bottom price. With this one Sony has launched the latest 16 GB player at a price of $100 and the 80GB version is being offered at $80. It has compromised a bit on the styling and the design but it has retained the same battery life and audio quality. A look at the player and I was like “ nothings really new or innovative in this one.. atleast as far as the looks are concerned. Below the 2 inch screen there is a five way control pad, a menu button and a back/home button. At times the up arrow key is a bit difficult to press. Its got a standard 3.5mm headphone jack below it and the volume rocker has been placed on the right spine. Also the USB port is below the player next to the headphone jack. At 3.2 inches tall by 1.7 inches wide by 0.3 inch deep this one easily slips into the pocket and can easily be strapped to the waist band or to your armband. Along with the black version this one comes along in a blazing  [...]