With the headline: 'The MP3 player we've been waiting for?', Cnet attracts you to their review of the PoGo Products RipFlash flash-based MP3 recorder/player.
The RipFlash has 128 MB flash memory and you can connect it to a CD player and will start ripping the CD to MP3. The player connect to your computer using the USB interface:
Once the songs are on the RipFlash, other problems arise. The player doesn't read ID3 tags, so no album, song, or artist information is displayed--just a number. Also, we were disappointed to discover that the Random mode repeats songs before cycling through the entire playlist. And if you fast-forward while in Random mode, you get the next song numerically, not whatever's next in the random sequence. At least the sound quality was good, though some listeners might wish for a bit more volume and user-definable EQ settings. As is the case with many players, you get five preset EQs: Classic, Rock, Jazz, Pop, and flat. |
We had a few bones to pick with the design as well, although the device is small enough (2.32 by 3.46 by 0.67 inches) and lightweight (2.3 ounces without batteries). There's a rubber flap over the player's USB port that's hard to peel back and seems as if it might tear off after extended use.
Since the RipFlash lacks a belt clip or a pouch, we opted to carry it in our pocket rather than use the bundled hand strap, the inclusion of which didn't make a lot of sense. Interestingly, this is the only MP3 player we've ever seen with an internal speaker. It doesn't put out a great deal of sound, but it's perfect for playing back music snippets or voice recordings for friends and colleagues.
There are no rechargeable batteries; two alkaline AAA cells allow for only eight hours of recording time or nine hours of playback time. The nice button layout makes the RipFlash easy to use for all functions, but we wish the screen were larger and backlit.
While the specification really sound promising and with the price of 198$ is not even that expensive it seems that this device will not be a good compagnon in daily use.
Source: Cnet.com
