MP3 player Tests (P. 13/27)

"MP3s get all touchy-feely"

Issue: 12/2007

On test: Sony NWZ-A815, Apple iPod nano 3G (8GB), Samsung Yepp YP-P2, LG Electronics Touch ME MFFM37

Smaller, lighter, cheaper, bigger capacity for music, plus better video abilities and sexy touch controls: what's not to like about the latest MP3 players? → More

"Touched by the hand of ..."

Issue: 12/2007

On test: Apple iPod touch (16 GB)

Few products have created as much of a buzz around the office recently as the iPod touch. Its iPhone-style, multi-touch interface is superb, letting you flick through music, video and photos with ease, and its built-in Wi-Fi makes web-browsing a breeze. → More

"SanDisk Sansa View"

Published on: 11/2007

On test: SanDisk Sansa View

You may recognise the name Sansa View, but that's about all SanDisk's new video MP3 player has in common with the original View that SanDisk was planning on releasing. SanDisk essentially went back to the drawing board, which is why it's taken so long for the official View to surface. Rather than a screen-dominated PVP, you get a sleeker design, a beefed-up screen and a larger body. It's a smart move, since more users are inclined towards compact players than dedicated PVPs. Even smarter is the price. → More

"The agony and the ecstasy: a review of the Zune Flash"

Published on: 11/2007

On test: Microsoft Zune second generation (8GB)

Personal media players aren't often compared to misshapen men sewn up from the bodies of dead criminals, but Microsoft's first Zune was a true Frankenstein's monster. Cobbled together from bits of the Urge music store, the Toshiba Gigabeat player, Windows Media Player, and an ad campaign ripped right from the Abercrombie & Fitch playbook, the Zune was bolted together in a hurry, and some of the rivets showed. The software application, for instance, was a pig, and a prize-winner at that. While functionally it was fine, the software's load time could be measured in geologic eras. The Marketplace clunked along. Auto-syncing would simply stop partway through the list. Oh, and did I mention that it had install issues? "It worked, mostly," was about the highest compliment it could be paid. → More

"Sony Walkman NWZ-A818 digital media player"

Published on: 11/2007

On test: Sony NWZ-A818

Sony managed to impress us with the video quality of the first video-enabled portable music player it launched almost six months ago. Now the NWZ-A810s (also known as the A series), which range from 2GB to 8GB in capacity and include this model – the Sony Walkman NWZ-A818 – are equally impressive, but don't really add much to the mix. → More