Features:
*Gigabeat Room Management software is required for transfer of photo images; **16 hours battery life is approximate and varies depending on individual usage
A major feature of the player is its bright, crystal-clear, 2.2-inch LCD with 240 x 320 resolution and the ability to render over 65,000 colors. It's there so you can experience the visual as well as the aural component of your entertainment. The Gigabeat lets you download and view album covers, search for your favorite tracks by scrolling through those album covers, or even set a favorite album cover as your background image. You can download any digital still picture from your PC and create custom slideshows, too--and set them to music.
Gigabeat may be versatile, but it's also easy to operate. Its PlusTouch sensor control lets you scroll through its intuitive menus using only a soft touch or pass of your fingertip.
The PC-only Gigabeat is "Plays for Sure"-certified by Microsoft, which means that it will operate with any "Plays for Sure" download site or management software when connected to your PC. Gigabeat is automatically recognized by Windows Media Player 10, so there's no need to install new drivers of any kind. Toshiba has also partnered with Napster to provide Napster's "Napster To Go" software, giving you the option of using Napster To Go, Windows Media Player, and/or the supplied Gigabeat Room management software (Gigabeat Room is required for transfer of photo images).
So what about your CD collection? After all, you'll likely be able to stash the entire thing in here, one way or another. Thanks to a unique feature called CD RipRec, all you have to do is place a CD in your PC and press the CD RipRec button while the Gigabeat is docked in its cradle. CD RipRec will launch the software and transfer compressed audio to your Gigabeat quickly and with no further effort on your part. Using a USB 2.0 connection (cable supplied), CD RipRec can transfer the contents of an entire CD to the Gigabeat in as little as 5 minutes.
If Gigabeat's battery life (up to 16 hours) isn't enough to satisfy your entertainment needs, fret not. Rather than carrying your AC adapter everywhere, simply connect the Gigabeat to any PC with a USB cable and the battery will charge itself again.
Other features include a choice of 10- or 60-second intro scan to help you find a desired song, multilingual support (Japanese, English, French, Chinese, Spanish, and German), and 28 user selectable equalizer settings, and SRS WOW, which simulates surround sound from any two speakers (including headphones).
What's in the Box
Digital music player, an AC power adapter, a power-supply, a docking cradle, a USB cable, headphones, a software CD-ROM (Gigabeat Room management software, CD RipRec, Napster To Go), a user's manual, and warranty information.
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42 of 43 people found the following review helpful: This review is from: Toshiba Gigabeat MEG-F20K 20 GB Digital Audio Player Black (Electronics) PROS: Great screen, lots of included accessories, easy to use, low price, and stylish
CONS: Bad software (will hopefully be fixed in future) I've had this player for a few weeks now, it is my fourth hard drive based mp3 player (previous: iRiver H120, Dell 20GB Gen 1, Creative Zen NX) and I can easily say that it is the best one. I looked at the iPod photo but found its lack of accessories and it being very common (I don't want something the same as everyone else, I want my mp3 player to stand out) deal killers. So I decided on the Gigabeat. The player uses a plus-touch system to navigate, mainly this functions as if it were 5 buttons, 4 at the corners and one in the middle with a handy grid at the bottom showing you what each point will do at that certain menu position etc. This makes it much easier to use at first, without the grid you would find yourself having to read the manual for some help. However, there are times when you can use more than just...Read more 10 of 10 people found the following review helpful: This review is from: Toshiba Gigabeat MEG-F20K 20 GB Digital Audio Player Black (Electronics) Overall I'm extremely happy with buying the toshiba gigabeat. The toshiba gigabeat takes a while to learn how to use, but the flexibility of the device is great and allows a high level of customization.
The player has an amazing amount of flexibility and settings, being able to chooose different screen settings (horizontal/vertical), different wallpaper settings, power up settings/battery settings, play settings, goes on and on. I really enjoy the amount of customization that can go into setting up the device, and being able to show photos is handy as well. I also found the button and menu system easy to use... after learning and messing around with how the system works. Battery life is fine... once I learned how to set the player to automatically turn off the screen after 40 seconds of non use. The main problem is simply learning the ins and outs of the device. Once you spend some time with the software guide book and device instruction...Read more 7 of 7 people found the following review helpful: By This review is from: Toshiba Gigabeat MEG-F20K 20 GB Digital Audio Player Black (Electronics) Overall this is a pretty good mp3 player. It has nice quality sound, the delay between songs is very short, and the picture quality of the screen is great. The player, although small, is also built very though with a strong chassis.
Downsides, the headphones that come with the player are horrible and uncomfortable. The software is a little difficult to use at first, and it could use some features to be able to apply album covers to multiple songs. You also can only get USB 2 speeds with the Toshiba software, and not Windows Media Player. And for some reason, some of my albums that I put on the player with Windows Media Player don't show up in the Toshiba software. Also when I first received my player, it would freeze up often. The customer service was great, after trying a format they told me to send it in for repair. I got my player back 3 days after their tech support received it. Since then the player no longer freezes. This is a great...Read more |