Nike's Musical Undertaking
Written: Jul 19 '03 (Updated Jul 24 '03)
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Pros: Battery, Charger, Handstrap, Looks
Cons: Memory
The Bottom Line: The new player is one of the newest but not the best. There are many other better ones out there.
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| king_sal's Full Review: Philips Nike ACT21017 128 MB MP3 Player |
Nike is the most respected brand name in sports. This MP3 player is actually manufactured by Philips under the Nike brand name. The Nike ACT21017 MP3 Player is not meant for die-hard fans of music but rather for athletes who enjoy music. I liked this MP3 player but I thought the price was unfair. There are a lot of good things but even more bad things about this player. I would recommend that you go for another MP3 player. Let me explain my reasoning for what I said.
Let me start off with some facts relating to the player. I holds 128 MB of songs -- which comes to about two hours of music at "near-CD" quality. It cannot be expanded either so you are stuck with 128 MB forever. It supports both WMA and MP3 formats so you will be able to play those Windows Media Player audio files. It comes with the free version MusicMatch Jukebox software which can be used to manage songs on your computer. The software is not bad but it isn't anything special. It comes with a remote control and terrible headphones. The headphones maybe the worst headphones I have ever put to my ears. Remember when I said this was made with athletes in mind? It can be strapped to your hand and it stays very stable. This is by far the best feature of this little MP3 player. Speaking of little, the player is quite small and doesn't weigh much. It comes with a battery and a charger which are a huge plus. Not many of the MP3 players come with this feature. The battery is supposed to last for 10 hours but I haven't had a chance to try that out. The user manual for this is not a big help. You can tell this player isn't big on features. I can't believe Nike thought people would like this.
I told you my main thoughts about the player above. There isn't much else to say. The good part is that is a portable music player that will keep you entertained for quite some time. Running with it (especially with the handstrap) is a breeze. The 128 MB should be enough for the casual listener but music lovers who want hours of music need something like the Apple iPod. It come with the usual USB cable so you can connect it to the computer and manage your songs with the included software. Not everybody will like the headphones (or should I say earphones?) and I would have expected better ones for the price tag. Did I mention that that there is no shuffle? This was another surprise to me -- I didn't pay attention to it in the store. This player is not for the tech crazy people. It is not a state-of-the-art digital music player by any stretch of the imagination. Now let's talk about its looks. It looks awesome! This is certainly a good-looking player that will impress your friends. The player itself will last you a while but don't expect any miracles.
The Royal Verdict
This compact MP3 player is a great gift for anybody who likes to listen to music occasionally. It comes with lots of features that you wouldn't have predicted but it also doesn't come with some important features. It looks great and the colors are spectacular. If you are buying this for someone who listens to music quite often -- don't even think about it. It will be more of a hassle than a blessing. Nike should stick with T-shirts and shoes-- what they are best at. If you do decide to buy it though make sure you know the store's return policy because you might need it.
Recommended:
No
Amount Paid (US$): 179.99 Tax
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Epinions.com ID:
king_sal
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Location: Arlington, VA
Reviews written: 25
Trusted by: 5 members
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