4 February 2006

Gadget Show 27/1/06 - The Critical List

This time: What is the best media device?
Report transcript as follows:
<-- Incredibly, 7 out of every 10 MP3 players sold, are made by Apple. In fact, the iPod, is the gadget success story of the 21st century. And it’s not hard to see why, the 60GB iPod video, and slinky Nano are revolutionary products. But the rivals are just starting to catch up.
--> Sony invented the personal stereo back in the 1980’s. And the latest edition to the walkman range is this slinky hard drive number. This one, is a 6GB version (Sony Walkman £140), but it’s also available as a 20GB. And they both share some really cool features. For example, this is the button at the side, is the Artists Link feature. What that will do is, go away and find all the artists of a similar genre, to the one that you’re listening to. You can also use a time machine function, which randomly selects a year, and then plays all the songs from that year.
<-- This is the 20GB version of the Toshiba Gigabeat (£180), and the best feature about this, is that it can store and show your photos. Cause it’s got this huge colour screen that’s really crisp, and makes it a worthy iPod rival. Of course, it does all the music stuff as well, although the menu system is a little bit complicated. And this touch sensitive cross shaped controller looks really cool, but is actually a little bit difficult to use.
Philips HDD6230 (£190): This is Philips 30GB hard drive player, and in terms of looks alone, it’s a real match for the iPod. This back click touch sensitive display really adds a touch of class to it all. You can also use the Philips to store your photos, although the 2 inch display is a little bit small to see them in their full glory. Its best feature though, has to be the 20 hour battery life, which puts it well ahead of many rivals.
--> This is the 6GB version of the I-River H10 (£150), and it does just about everything. It will play music of course, but it will also display your photos on the colour screen. It’s got an FM radio built in, it’s even got a voice recorder, it also has a removable battery, so you can always carry a spare with you. But my favourite feature of the H10 has to be its ability to record direct from a CD player or any other audio source.
<-- But if I had to swap my iPod for one other player on the market, I’d go for this. The Creative Zen Vision M (£239). This is a 30GB player, you’ll store your music, your photos, and your movies. In fact, its got a better screen than the iPod video, and it supports more movie formats. You can even use it to store your home movies. There’s plenty of other things too: its got an FM radio, a voice recorder, and a removable battery. In fact, this really is the player that does it all.