Philips GoGear Ariaz 16 GB MP3 Player (Gunmetal Silver)

This is actually a review of a GoGear Aria. This is my first MP3 player so all comparisons will be to other kinds of devices.

1) The radio reception is terrific: so much better than any of the other armband-type radios I've had that there's really no comparison.

2) Charges fast with 8 or more hours battery time.

3) Sound with the earbuds that come with it is kind of flat, but I never use earbuds anyway. Sound with my own (I'm currently using JVC hanger-style) is great.

4) Obviously, there's plenty of memory.

5) The "buttons" don't work well, or at all, if the player gets too cold or goes unused for any period of time. This is easily remedied by carrying it close to your skin. This is a fairly minor annoyance and the reason I gave it a 4 star rating.

6) Images on the screen are bright and clear.

7) There is a 4- minute voice recording feature which works quite well.

8) My...Read more

I can remember back to my parent's stereo cabinet. It was a lovely piece of furniture a little smaller than a writing desk. The sleek polished wood concealed a turntable with settings and needles that allowed it to play any type of vinyl record. Dial forward half a century: the modern music player fits easily in the curve of a hand.

Although small, the PHILIPS GoGear ARIAZ SONGBIRD is as beautiful as the old music cabinet. Its sleek case of brushed metal has a silky feel. I've only had it a couple of days and because of a torturous installation process I'm just beginning to discover its capacities, however I can testify that the sound is fabulous.

I've played both classical favorites and rock classics on it and the sound was perfectly delivered throughout the dynamic ranges and up and down the tone scale.

The device automatically searched out and compiled a list of all the FM stations in my area. Even on stations with a notoriously weak signal in...Read more

To put it in extremely blunt, layman's terms, the Aria is the iPod's trailer-trash cousin. I'll list the good qualities first and foremost, because, frankly, the good qualities last all of one extended descriptive sentence: The Aria features attractive packaging, a nice product name, a very good, bass-friendly sound system, ease of use, and quality picture/video viewing. That's literally the end of the good.

Now, let's start with the bad: This is the worst MP3 player I've *ever* owned, and as a self-professed audiophile I've owned everything from my trusty iPod to a cheap Wal-Mart brand 50 song shuffle. Nothing has ever given me as much of a headache as the Aria.

Firstly, the Aria comes with its own program - the SongBird. Let me issue a one-time only warning: DO NOT *EVER* INSTALL THIS ON YOUR COMPUTER. The SongBird system is an enormous, consuming program that is extremely difficult to use, often causing your computer to freeze/crash at times unknown. It is...Read more