Philips SA32 4 GB Flash Video MP3 Player with FM Radio and 1.8-Inch Color Screen (Black)

First of all, bear in mind that I got this player for $30 in Staples (May 09) so that sweetened the deal for me. And also, I am looking to get a larger unit in the future.

Pros:

1- Nice size player. Small and fits in your hand and pocket.

2- Very responsive when I connect it to my PC.

3- Very fast transfers of files.

4- Good video conversion software. But it converts the files only to an SMV format. Nothing else plays on the unit but .smv. Not mp4 or 3gp. But the software produces a nice product. The video is crisp. Surprisingly so for such a small screen (1.8 inch). I have another mp3 video player made by another company and their conversion software creates a 3gp that is mono and scratchy sounding . This one converts your videos into .smv format with a decent sound also in stereo. But the file sizes are very large.

5- Customer care, so far, has been great.

6- You can create folders and sub...Read more

I am VERY happy with the product. PERFECT for LINUX. I have found this device amazingly good for the price, for sound, audio, pics, text and more. I am using with Linux (Ubuntu) and it is totally compatible with and usable in Linux. I also used this product and its SW in Windows, but like most things, it is faster in Linux. Even conversion of videos to SMV format is easy with the enclosed SW for Windows, OR the superior smv_encode for Linux which is available online. Might not be as perfect as an iPod (which I have as well) but tremendous for the size and price (1/3 an iPod's).

I decided to check out the reviews for this while shopping for a replacement MP3 player. I purchased this player at Walmart soon after its release. I paid about $70, which at the time I thought was a good price. I had paid about that for my brothers 2g Sony the year before, by the way the Sony is still going strong and has better battery life than his Samsung P2 8g. My Philips would shut off during songs , it would shut off if you left it in play mode without changing songs, it would shut off when removed from the cable. When it shut off, I would have to find some tiny little pointed object to stick in the tiny hole in order to reach the reset button. If I was lucky I could then turn it back on, if not then I would have to hook it back up and let it charge. It would do this even when showing a full charge. Finally it died, it shut off just after charging and never would turn back on. Also, there is no real shuffle mode. It would only play a short list of songs and never play others...Read more