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Having trouble getting some of your mp3's to play
on your portable player?
The sound on this player was great but, at first I became highly
frustrated at what seemed to be random, but far to frequent cases, where
mp3's that played just fine on my computer would stop midsong or not
play at all. In contacting RIO customer service, I was told that new
firmware should fix this - but it didn't help. I almost gave up on
being able to enjoy this player but then I discovered a fantastic bit
of free software called
MP3Utility. After checking my mp3's with this software, I found
that simply not using the problem mp3's uncovered allowed me to enjoy
the RIO with NO files stopping mid-song!
In any case, if you run into a similar problem when trying to use
your mp3 player, you may want to try MP3Utility
and see if that doesn't help out!
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| Listening to MP3's when
away from your computer |
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| I currently
use an MP3/CD player. These players differ from regular CD players
in that you can play play CD-Rs and CD-RWs burned with MP3s on them.
This allows you to have roughly 100 to 200 songs (over 20 hours)
on a single CD! While there are less expensive players, the
one that I wholeheartedly recommend based on my experience is the
iRiver Slim-X! |
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iRiver 'Slim-X' IMP-350 CD / MP3 Player
Check
prices and read user reviews!
 Read
Alfmeister's
review to learn more about this great new and very THIN
mp3 CD player from iRiver - the people who brought you the Rio
Volt CD players!
Key Features:
- Slim Profile Width: 5.3 inches x 5.7 inches x 0.6 inches
- weight: 6.6 ounces
- Plays standard audio CDs, Enhanced CD, CD Plus, home-made
CD-R and CD-RW discs
- Supports popular music formats, including MP3, WMA and ASF
- Built in FM Tuner
- Firmware Up-gradability : emerging standards &
enhanced features
- Compressed Audio Shock Protection up to 480 seconds
- CD Audio Shock Protection up to 180 seconds
- Rechargeable batteries that last about 16 hours (including
auxiliary battery pack)
- Easy navigation via Graphic LCD on Remote Control
- Adjustable equalizer (7 prefix & 1 user defined), repeat
and shuffle play modes and programmable playlists
- Supports ID3 tags and audio CD text, title display
*** Personal comment. After
first trying Panasonic's SL-MP35 mp3/CD player and finding it
to be less than satisfactory, I decided to buy the Slim-X IMP-350.
I am SOOO glad I did. Why?
- First of all the sound on
this player is terrific and can be easily customized to your
tastes with it's adjustable equalizer.
- Having a remote makes a
huge difference. You can keep the player in tucked away in a
carrying case and not have to pull it out to see the song information.
(BTW... the supplied carrying "bag" is a joke. I bought
a nice CD player case at WalMart for about $10.)
- Not having to buy batteries
for this unit is more convenient than I realized. I tend to
use rechargeable batteries on most of my electronics devices
but the extra advantage here is that you don't have to remove
batteries from the player in order to recharge.
- It's just plain fun! Get
one for yourself and you WON'T be disappointed!
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| If
a CD full of mp3's isn't enough for you and you'd also like
an extremely portable player, then you'll want to look into
getting an Apple iPod. iPods are mp3 hard drive players
and, while they hold more songs than the above players,
the iPods are actually smaller and lighter! I don't own
an iPod - yet! However, based on reviews I've seen and now
that iPods are compatible with Windows Me, Windows 2000
and Windows XP, I definitely want one. It's just a matter
of time for me. |
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Apple iPod Players Check
prices for the various models and see user reviews!
- Available with 10 GB, 15 GB, 20 GB or 30 GB Drive
- Take your entire music collection with you! The smallest
current version is 10 GB and holds up to 2,500 songs.
30 GB model holds up to 7,500 songs!
- FireWire and USB 2.0 interface for fastest digital
transfer; load an entire album in as little as 10 seconds!
- SMALL! Fits comfortably in the palm of your hand and
slips easily into your pocket.
- VERY LIGHT! Weighs less than 2 compact discs.
- Many other fun and helpful features!
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These
Cowon iAudio Players look REALLY nice. I'm probably
going to did buy the Cowon
iAudio X5 30 GB Portable Multimedia Player one
of these very soon and I highly recommend
it. |
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Cowon
iAudio X5 20 GB Portable Multimedia Player |
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Cowon
iAudio X5 30 GB Portable Multimedia Player
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| Neuros
- Neuros makes some very interesting looking mp3 players and portable
digital media players/recorders. |
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Reviews of MP3 Players
& MiniDisc Players
The best sites I've been able to find for reviews of these players are:
CNET.com's
mp3 and digital audio page My favorite place for reviews of mp3 and
minidisc players. Products are reviewed by CNET and supplemented by user
opinions.
Alfmeister's MP3 CD Player
Reviews Very thorough reviews of three great portable mp3 CD players:
the Rio Volt SP250, the iRiver2 IMP-250, and the iRiver 'Slim-X' IMP-350.
dmusic.com's
Hardware News & Reviews Page
mp3newswire.net
mp3.com's
Hardware Page (be sure to check out the
Hardware Message Boards!) |
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