Philips GoGear Key011 128 MB > Reviews (2)

If you have read any of my other reviews, you'll probably have guessed that I like technology - a lot.
So when I noticed people on the train to work listening to music on what appeared to be a slim piece of plastic, I simply had to investigate.

~~ What is MP3 ? ~~
MP3 is a file format which can store music in a compressed format without losing any of the sound quality - none that is noticeable anyway.
Because the files are so small you can store lots of songs in a very small amount of space.

An MP3 player is simply a compact device which stores music (or other data) in a similar way to your computer's hard drive, except there are no moving parts to worry about.

You just plug the MP3 player into the USB slot on your PC and drag and drop music files into it.
If you have Windows XP as your operating system then you don't even need "drivers" (special files which tell the computer how to communicate with the MP3 player) - just plug it in and away you go.
Older operating systems (Windows 98 or earlier) will need you to install the drivers first but the Philips MP3 player supplies these on disc.

~~ What is in the box ? ~~
The Philips GoGear MP3 player comes with :-
- MP3 player (thankfully)
- plug-in ear phones
- lanyard to carry it around with
- external battery pack
- instruction manual and disc

~~ Features ~~
The MP3 player I bought was a 256mb version which I managed to fit 3 albums onto as some of the songs were quite long, otherwise I could probably have got another 5 songs or more.

The player displays the track that is playing which is handy if you want to skip to your favourite tracks.

The player recharges via your computer's USB port and takes 4 to 5 hours to fully charge and lasts for up yo 8 hours.
There is also a battery pack which takes 1 x AAA battery and gives a further 8 hours of listening pleasure apparently (I've not used this yet).

The controls are part of the ear-phone strap and allow you to alter volume, skip tracks, pause the player or turn it off/on.

The ear-phones are the sort which you push into your ears and I'm not sure if there are other types available as of yet.

The unit recognizes either MP3 or WMA file types.

The MP3 player weighs in at a meagre 35g and is ideal for using when running (the wife) or cycling (me) - there's even a clip to attach it to the neckline of your clothing so that it doesn't bounce around like the rest of my wife if whe forgets her sports bra.

~~ What I like the most ~~
The simplicity of this MP3 player is it's best feature - no need to digest a tree's worth of instruction booklet to find out how to work it.
The light weight design is also a big bonus compared to say, an apple ipod - especially if you plan to use it on the move.

~~ Dislikes ~~
This isn't really a dislike - more of an observation for people less technically minded - but you need 2 things to make this MP3 player useful :-
1) a computer
2) some music files

Number 1 may seem fairly obvious but worth mentioning as the obvious things are often overlooked (like our plane tickets last year when we went on holiday).

It doesn't have to be a PC - the model is compatible with apple macintosh computers too although the file transfer speed is supposed to be slower than a PC.

Number 2 is a little more tricky.
You can go to iTunes or a similar website and pay for your music files or you can use a Peer2Peer file-sharing tool such as eMule or Shareazza to download tracks for free (non-copyrighted of course).

~~ Price ~~
I paid £69.99 from ARGOS - it was reduced by £20 compared to the catalogue price and I reckon that in 6 months or so, the market wil be flooded with better offers than this.

I would recommend that you go for a reliable name though - I bought a brandless MP3 player over the internet and it doesn't work (I suspect the USB connection is faulty).
I paid £50 for that one but it was 512mb - but as it doesn't work it's kind of irrelevant.

You should go for the model you can afford - a 128mb unit is around £40 but stores less music of course.
A 512mb unit is anywhere up to £100 or more.

~~ Summary ~~
An MP3 player is going to be this year's fashion accessory - and as I'm well into my 30s and don't like flares, it's the only way I'm going to be fashionable ever again.