Philips GoGear 4 GB Mix MP3 Player with Sport Headphones

Comment: Physically, the device is very solid, and the design looks styley for a small player with a silver trim. The buttons and switches are all solid and surprising quality. Having the headphone jack on the side seems slightly odd, but it's not a problem. Of note is the fact that you can slide a switch, and the USB connector pokes out at one end. Fantastic! No more worrying about yet another pc-to-device cable. This also means you can plug it in wherever you're around a PC, and use it as a normal flash drive if you want (the flash memory seems to be very fast).

Plugging it in to a computer gets the device charging, and you can also choose to play music or transfer files while it is charging.

The screen is great. It's small, but the excellent interface ensures everything is clear and easy to read. The menus are well laid out and intuitive to navigate, and it has a couple of "theme" settings (dark, blue, or pink). The device is very easy to use.

In terms of features, I was pleasantly surprised. There are a few settings such as equalizer adjustment (presets or custom) and being able to set custom radio stations, and record from the radio are all things I didn't expect to see on this device. It's handy as a voice recorder too. Of course, if you're looking for a gaming/internet-browsing/sandwich-making device, look elsewhere.

The software that comes with the device is ON the device (as it's a flash drive) and allows for updating the firmware of the device, easily.

The sound quality is great, and can be made quite loud. The headphones that come with it are perfectly fine, but people with higher standards might want to switch to a higher quality pair depending on their tastes.

The CONS I have:
- Playlists. This seems to be a little odd. There is a pre-defined playlist, to which you can add and remove tracks ON the device, but there seems to be little knowledge of how to create your own via the computer (as a technically competent person, it's not as straight forward as I'd have liked).

- Some reviewers have suggested that the USB connector is "flimsy" or might "break off" if you're not careful. It is a half-plug, in that it's not surrounded by a metal casing like most USB connectors, but it's very firm and not flimsy, and will not break unless you're very clumsy or have an accident - this is no fault of the device.

Really, that's all I can think of. I have yet to see how long the battery lasts first-hand.

Honestly, at the price-point, this little device is a steal. It's main purpose is to just play music, and it achieves this very well. The only cons are minor. If you're looking for something to simply hold and play a few MP3s comfortably, at a great price, you've found it. Very satisfied.

- EDIT: You CAN rewind and fast-forward through tracks, by holding down the up/down buttons while a track is playing. I didn't notice this at first. Great!

Comment: I purchased this as a workout mp3 player and it's really been great! Here's my review on it..

PROS:
-internal USB plug - just slide the control on the side and it pops out
-excellent battery life
-great sound (I use my ipod earphones though)
-size is perfect for clipping onto workout clothes
-plug into your pc and simply click and drag songs to it - NO iTUNES! nothing to install
-charges easily when plugged into your pc
-you can listen while it's charging

CONS:
-Organizing songs is a bit confusing
-USB plug is a little flimsy but ease of use overrides this (no cords to keep up with)

Comment: Two important things to get out of the way up front: the picture is WRONG. The headphones included with this player have the ear hooks, and the player itself has a clip on the back so you can affix it to your clothing.

With that said, this beats the ipod shuffle in almost every respect. The earbuds that come with the player were, to my pleasant surprise, great! The battery life is ridiculous at 25 hours, and adding music to the player is a snap if you're used to using USB drives. You don't have to fool with a silly cable--you just plug the player right into the PC and you're off to the races. It charges very quickly as well--about three hours is all you need for a full charge, but even a 15-minute charge will last you through any workout.

When you get the player, you'll want to go through and delete some unnecessary files that take up a lot of space. After you install the software, you might as well delete it off the player because you can always download it. The player contains manuals in several different languages--the manual is worthless anyway so you can delete all of those. This will free up space for a few more songs.

The radio function works great and it a welcome change from the ipod. Sometimes I don't want to listen to the same old stuff while I'm working out. I want a little news and local flavor. This makes it easy to have the best of both worlds.

Now for the bad parts: the clip is NOT tenacious. I tried to secure the player to my clothing during a 5K and it came off in the first minute. I was fortunately able to catch it mid-stride as the headphone plug kept it from falling to the ground. If you're a light jogger or you're taking the player to the gym, you'll probably be ok relying on the clip. Otherwise, you'll want to find a more reliable method of securing the player.

The other annoyance is that it's very difficult to create playlists. Neither the manual nor the website gives any help on getting a playlist on your player. A few helpful souls have tried to help by posting articles on eHow and the like, but in the end the only way I could make a playlist was to add songs one-by-one using the player itself--very clunky!

If you're looking for a quality, no-frills player that will last through several workouts without needing a charge, this is it!

Comment: compared to other Generic mp3 player this is sent from heaven. simple interface, good audio quality ...
The head phone are excellent quality and cheap when compared to JB hifi.

Comment: i love it,well my girlfriend brought it for me an christmas present. i have an ipod and i don't feel safe having it at work!!!!!! 900 songs or more,for me just "gangsta rap" . love the mp3 and love my girlfriend............u want something easy to use= here it is,i promise u. price=cheap.