Philips GoGear 16 GB Aria MP3 Video Player with 2-Inch Color Screen

The Philips GoGear 16 GB Aria MP3 Video Player offers a lot of features for its price: 14.8GB storage, 25-hour battery life, high quality earphones, FM radio, voice recorder, etc. However, it seems to be poorly received by most reviewers so far. Frankly, my first impression was not entirely positive. But after most initial problems and confusions were resolved, this device turns out to be a very good value as a MP3 player.

Some problems and how to resolve them:

1. Documentation:
The enclosed "Quick Start Guide" is quite useless. It is very brief, and printed in tiny fonts. Luckily, there is an "User Manual" found on the mini-CD, which is a lot more comprehensive. You can also go to Philips web site support section, and download the latest documentation/software for "GoGear Aria 16GB" (SA1ARA16K/17)...Read more

This is a really nice player. The sound quality is very good (even using the standard earphones, (although the first reviewer was correct about having to insert them somewhat deeply to get the best sound); and the 16 gigs of memory leaves plenty of room for all the music I want.

The control buttons are easy to maneuver, and they work pretty intuitively. Overall, I love the smooth, sleek, shiny design EXCEPT for the placement of the headphone jack. Why on earth did they decide to put it on the bottom right side of the unit, directly underneath the control buttons? Because of where it's located, my thumb rubs against the jack when trying to use the control buttons. I often end up accidentally interrupting a song when I'm actually trying to adjust the volume (because you can't put your thumb under the unit--the headphone jack is in the way!). It's so annoying! If you ask me, the headphone jack should be on the LEFT side of the unit. Then it wouldn't be in the way of...Read more

I bought this at a membership store a few days ago. The store offered a $10 off coupon. This is my first MP3 player, so I can't compare it to others, but I find the sound excellent, and I haven't upgraded the headphones. In fact, I didn't think I'd like them, but so far, they're fine. I've been able to read everything on the screen with my old eyes, also a plus. The last review mentioned the instruction manual, and he's right, it's useless. It seems to be meant for someone who already is familiar with the product. I discovered on my own, out of sheer frustration, that sometimes a double click of the select button works. I also haven't been able to find a case for it. The best I could find so far is a cell phone case from Radio Shack. It has a gap in the right place for the headphone jack and has a belt clip, but I still have to take the player out to access any buttons. Everything else I looked at is too small or too large.