smartone86's Full Review: Dell DJ (20 GB) MP3 Player
So how did I decide that it was worth it for me, a poor college student, to spend this much money on a device to play music? My story is simple. I am in love. I am in love with music, and now in love with this gadget.
Last year was my senior year of high school. I sat next to this kid in homeroom. After Christmas, he came back with the coolest thing: the Dell Digital Jukebox. He let me play around with it for a little while, and I decided I wanted one. So I started saving.
Not long later, I decided this was not an essential, until, that is, I got to college. Everyone had an iPod, and the iPod makes the Dell DJ look like a deal. So I watched the Dell site. Do this if you are thinking about buying something there, prices vacillate like crazy. I ended up getting the 20 GB model, with free shipping, and a Belkin desktop stand for $229. I also got a slip case and an in line remote.
Why 20 GB? 20 GB is more than I will ever need. It holds around 6,000 songs depending on length and other technical factors I do not understand. I got the 20 GB model because with the sell it was a better deal, since I did want the slip cover and the remote (even though I could care less about the stand).
My order was shipped in two boxes. The first contained the desktop stand along with some cords that allow me to hook it up to my stereo to play through its speakers. The second had my DJ, a black fake leather slip case, the remote, directions, the cd, earbud headphones, and a USB cord.
The DJ may not be as stylish as the iPod, but it is still pretty darn cool looking. It is a little heavier and bulkier than the iPod and has a metallic look to it. It has a blue back lit screen that lights up, along with the buttons, when ever any action is taken. It has a wide, clear, easy to read screen, and a scroll wheel for navigating. Two buttons on either side take you back, or to your home screen. Below are buttons for rewind/previous song, play/pause, and fast forward/next song. Overall, the interface is very user friendly.
I wasn't too sure how easy this thing would be to use. Well let me tell you, it is insanely easy. You first install one single cd that comes with it. Next you plug in the device. You can record cds you have onto your computer (rip) to put them on the device (sync). Unfortunately, there is no way to go straight from cd to device, so there are added steps right there. You can also sync any songs you currently have on your computer to the device. You can even download songs for 99 cents off the MusicMatch website, though I haven't done that yet. Other sights have paid downloads too, like Wal-mart and iTunes. Of course I don't have to tell you that there are illegal means as well.
Two programs can be used to manage your music: Windows Media Player and MusicMatch. I prefer Media Player, but have been using MusicMatch lately because Media Player is doing funny things. MusicMatch has some weird quarks, but they aren't as bad as in previous editions. I don't like that you have to add songs to a play list before playing or that all unknown albums are put together. Windows Media Player does not do these things. With either program it is fairly easy to sync your device. I thought it would be much harder, but after only about 2 weeks of adding songs in my free time I have about 600 songs on my device. This thing makes me realize how small my collection is. All data transfer is done through an included USB cord. The ripping is slow, but the syncing goes incredible fast (maybe 15 seconds for a whole cd on my computer). I had some problems for a little while, but when I hit the reset button on the DJ they resolved.
Sound quality is great, but I do not like the included earbud headphones. This is nothing against Dell, because these are good as far as earbuds come, but they fall out so easily. The DJ does not skip like cd players can, and there is no chance of scratching anything like a cd.
Dell has many great features. There are a variety of modes to pick from. You can play an album, a song, an artist, or even a genre. Not only can you pick what you play, but you can also pick whether it goes it order, repeats a track, or goes in random order. I love all the choice! You can name and make playlists as well, but it is very involved. Dell updates the software occasionally, and updates can be downloaded for free off the site. With the DJ Explorer program you can see what songs are on your DJ and work with them on your computer.
I have a tendency to throw my DJ in my pocket on the go. When I do this I can lock the keys with a single button, so I do not change something by accident. I can do this on the remote also.
The remote is pretty straight forward, but I do not use it often because adding it makes the wire unbearably long. You can also lock the remote, just like the DJ. The remote has a clip to hook it onto your waist or something.
Battery life is great at around 16 hours. I love the rechargable battery so I do not have to keep shelling out money. Saves me big time since my DJ is now my constant companion.
Here is an unexpected surprise I had. The DJ does voice recording. I knew it had those capabilities, but I didn't realize I could do it with the internal microphone right out of the box. It is easy. There is a button to press to begin, then press it again to end. I recorded my whole calculus class. It didn't even use that much memory. I got a good quality sound, but I had to turn it up all the way to hear it. Carefully with that, because if you don't turn it down you will blast your ear drums out next time you play music. I know there is a way to get voice recordings off the DJ and onto the computer, but I haven't had much luck with it.
There are a ton of accessories that can be bought, especially from Belkin. These include cases, car chargers, cd or radio adaptors, and stand.
Overall, my experience was even better than expected for a music lover like myself.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 229 Recommended for: Music Lovers - High Capacity Storage for an Entire Album Collection
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