Great alternative to SmartMedia
Written: Dec 17 '00
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Pros: Cheap disks, also a hard drive, lots of extras, lots of fun!!
Cons: The Headphones suck, and it may be a little big, but nothing major
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| priggy's Full Review: Iomega Hipzip 31311 40 MB MP3 Player |
I've had an old Rio 300 for a long time. That's the old-school one with 32 MB of memory. I wanted more space so I tried to expand it, but I didn't think it was worth it to buy a $100+ SmartMedia card. So I looked around for a new player but I couldn't find one that didn't use SmartMedia. Then I saw the HipZip. I fell in love instantly. First of all, the 40MB disks cost about 10 each (when you but them 10 at a time it's like $80, $8 a disk). That's more than 500MB for the price of a 64MB SmartMedia card. Also the disks are about 2 inches across. This way I can carry a ton of them around, they're cheap and light. I was already sold, but as I read deeper into the product's description, I found out that not only does it store and play back MP3s, but it stores all files and serves as a portable hard drive. This is perfect for me because now I can take files too big for a floppy back and forth with ease.
It's also got some other great features. A rechargeable Lithium Ion battery saves a TON of money (I used to change the batteries every week on my old player) and has enough life to last through the day. It plugs in via USB for really fast transfers, and also includes a cool Body Glove case that, while protecting the screen, also allows easy access to all the buttons. The design is cool, with blue rubber sides and a silvery front. The menus are intuitive and allow you to program your own equalizer settings as well as use the preset ones.
Some other reviewers complain about its large size, but it's not too big and it fits well in my pocket. Also, the case has a belt clip that holds pretty securely, if you like that. The other major concern is that it has moving parts. When you start to listen to a song, there is a little whir, but then it stores the whole song in a small built in memory so it doesn't skip. The disk doesn't even turn for most of the time. The final concern, and my only real problem, is that the included headphones are horrible. They don't stay on your ears, and they don't make a lot of sound, especially in the base range. I went out and got myself a $15 pair of Sony headphones and the clarity is astounding.
Overall, this player is great for anyone who doesn't want to spend outrageous amounts of money on memory and who also wants to be able to use it as a portable hard drive. It lists for a little much ($299), but I found it for $225 ($255 - a $30 coupon) on buy.com. It really makes sense, at least for me.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 225
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Epinions.com ID:
priggy
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Member: Jon Prigoff
Reviews written: 13
Trusted by: 3 members
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