had us sold at the word “record” (www.pogoproducts.com; $129.99).
Creative Nomad MuVo
Capacity: 128MB
Pros: Easy to setup and use; doubles as a USB storage device; Tiny
Cons: No equalizer or play settings
The MuVo is a study in the art of simplicity. It needs no cables, no drivers, and no set-up disk. It is a cleverly designed player that plugs directly into the USB port of your PC. Once attached it appears as a removable drive in your windows explorer. From there you’re just a drag and drop away from dancing in the streets. There is a setup disk and even a booklet, but there’s hardly a need for either.
However, you do pay a price for all this convenience. There are no advanced volume settings such as treble or bass. The beauty of this device lies in its ability to strip all of the complexity out of getting music files into your hip pocket (www .creativelabs.com; $129).
HARD DRIVE-BASED PLAYERS
Archos Jukebox Recorder
Capacity: 20GB
Pros: Can record MP3s directly from analog or digital source; good sound quality
Cons: Unattractive design; huge
Carrying 20GB of music around in your pocket is no mean feat, but it shouldn’t be quite this hard. Size is this device’s biggest drawback. Not only is it too heavy to fit in the pocket of anyone but Shaquille O’Neal, but four huge black rubber bumpers on each corner add extra bulk. Still it’s what’s inside that counts, right?
For starters, the Archos Jukebox recorder has plenty of space and great sound quality, which will let you tune out naysayers. Like most other hard drive players, the files can be browsed by artist, title, or play list (which can be created either on the PC or on the device itself). You can also add MP3s on the fly through its real-time MP3 encoding capabilities from either an analog or digital source. So you can finally convert those old scratchy albums into old scratchy MP3s.
Unfortunately, this device started exhibiting problems after only two hours of testing. First, the unit froze during play and could be restarted only by turning the device off and on again. After several tries the unit cut off completely during play. Once the unit recharged the problem disappeared; but we were still wary. All in all it’s a functional MP3 player; just don’t expect any bells or whistles (www.archos.com; $269).
Creative Nomad Jukebox Zen
Capacity: 20GB
Pros: Well designed, sleek, excellent sound quality and options
Cons: Occasionally clunky interface
The Jukebox Zen is well designed and well appointed. The unit can handle both MP3s and WMAs and lets you hunt down music by artist, song, playlist, album, or genre. The Zen also lets you edit tracks on the fly. You can even create multiple playlists directly on the device. Alas, it is a more complicated process than would seem necessary, but it does work. But you’ll forget about the occasionally clumsy interface when you hear the sound; it’s truly zen.
Creative has relied on its considerable experience in the sound processing arena to provide excellent sound options. There are numerous