TV Out. Samsung P2 In!

I've had a great collection of music for a long time. I started buying portable media players a few years back. Despite ripping all my music to a hard drive and as such being able to put it onto any of these media players, music did not have an easy way to get to my home theater stereo speakers.

That was, until I bought the BlueTooth enabled Samsung P2. I have since added another BlueTooth player to my collection, the Philips SA5243BT. It is the great implementation of BlueTooth on the P2 that has won the day, though.

The secret to owning a BlueTooth enabled media device is in getting the right BlueTooth enabled accessories to compliment it. Yes, you can buy inexpensive (and really crappy sounding) bluetooth speakers at BestBuy to use with it. These are not right, though. The fact that BestBuy often gives them away "free" with the purchase of their Insignia bluetooth players should be a clue. You get what you pay for in this case.

So what do you really need? If you've got a great home theater or stereo amplifier with great speakers, you need a bluetooth receiver or transceiver.

If you already own a decent iPod speaker dock, like the Griffin Evolve, you need a Bluetooth iPod Dock adapter.

A great set of bluetooth headphones finish out the requirements. Not a cheap pair. Not that in-ear bluetooth phone headset. Get a full featured ear covering and sound cancelling bluetooth set if you can find one.

Today the music on my P2 won out over TV. The home theater amp has a bluetooth transceiver hooked up to it's MD/Tape input. That amp drives a 12" subwoofer as well as six 4"/1" 2-way (mid range and tweeter) drivers (speakers). My Griffin Evolve speakers have an iPod Dock bluetooth Adapter on them. I woke up before my wife, and had P2 music playing softy on the home theater system.

My wife wakes up, gets coffee, and usually wants to have the TV on while she reads the morning paper. I'm usually conceeding to give her the remote control then take my P2 with me somewhere else to continue listening. This morning the music was just too good. I asked if she needed the remote and she said "No, I like the music!".

It is great weather here, getting just into the 70's in the afternoon. We have a nice balcony deck outside, and decided to sit out there for awhile. My wife steps onto the deck, and realizes she won't be able to hear the music as well out there. "Just a sec", I said. I paired the P2 with the dock adapter on the Evolves' base, then picked the speakers up and carried them out onto the deck with us.

Here is where the P2 beats other bluetooth devices. The sound was too loud for the deck. The Evolves have their own remote, but I'd left it inside. I pulled out the P2, swiped down on the screen to lower the volume. Perfect! The Philips player does NOT control volume when paired to headphones or speakers. Volume control has to be handled at the headphones or speakers.

P2 in hand, I could skip a song we didn't like. If I found one my wife liked particularly well I could repeat it.

Today, P2 won out over TV. I still have it playing through the Evolves. TV is off.

Someday, the P2 may win out over the PC. Not today, though.

4D

Philips MP3 Player Review: SA5245BT. BT is for BlueTooth!

I just added the Philips SA5245BT to my media player collection. It was a 4GB model for $129 that was just added to what Target sells. The package includes a CD with a Rapsody music organizer and the Philips Device Manager.

I discovered that the device manager software needs updated. You can find the latest version on Philips support site. Once you have that manager updated, it will be able to find the firmware update (highly recommeded) for the Philips SA5245BT and install it. There is no need to download the firmware file itself. The updated device manager will do that for you.

The Philips SA5245BT includes:

- Bluetooth AD2P and
- FM radio.
- Voice recording with built-in mic.
- A great set of earbuds, comparible to the ones that came with my Zune 80.
- Music or FM radio will keep playing in the background while looking at photos.
- Audible book support.
- Recording of FM (although for some reason not enabled on US version. Looking for how to change country code).
- Standard USB cable, not proprietary.
- NOT a touchsceen.
- 4:3 video. 320x240 Resolution
- About the same size as my iPod Touch, bigger than the P2.
- Brushed texture on plastic back doesn't show fingerprints.
- Comes with (cheap) leather pouch.
- Reads MP3, WAV, WMA, AAC, and JPEG + BMP image formats
- Also plays WMV and AVI videos at 320x240 resolution.
- A great set of earbuds. I like them better than the ones that came with my Zune 80.

What intrigues me about this player is it's Bluetooth capability. This player has Philip's patented FullSound audio processing on board, as well as several equalizer presets. All work over headphones and Bluetooth, unlike the Samsung P2. The first time I listened to it I was amazed. That feeling didn't stop when I switched to Bluetooth headphones.

I've only had it for a few hours, and have not had a chance to test all the features. I'll write a more complete review, and probably a feature to feature comparison with the Samsung P2 once I've had it awhile. At the moment it is my best sounding player among the Zune 80, iPod Touch, Samsung P2, and several older lesser players.

5/24/08 Update:
- The Fullsound/equalizer options work with headphones, but have no effect and make no difference when listening via bluetooth.
- Bluetooth on the Philips is not fully formed. I was not able to connect it to any other device for file sharing or transfer. It works fine with all my bluetooth headphones or receivers, but does not support control via bluetooth. The volume controls are inactive over bluetooth, meaning any volume control you need must be available on the bluetooth headset or receiver.

4D

ASUS EEE 901 Review and Unboxing

My ASUS 901 arrived yesterday. I've had a little while to play with it, and though I'd share my thoughts about it with you. To start with, although I had ordered a black one, I was afraid I'd gotten a white one when I saw the box. ;-)
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The EEE promised to be Easy, Excellent, and Exciting. It promises this in several languages, just to make sure you believe it.

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Before I get much deeper into this review, you need to know I didn't buy the EEE 901 to be a work machine. Although it may be possible to get some work done on one, I bought mine to use as a media player and portable web browser. For both these tasks, this little PC seems exceptionally well suited. Unlike lesser EEEs, the 901 has 802.11 b/g/and n for fast wifi network connectivity, and Bluetooth wireless for connecting with almost every Bluetooth device out there including wireless headphones and Bluetooth speakers/stereo transceivers. Those just scratch the surface, as the EEE's Bluetooth features include:

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- Audio Gateway

- Bluetooth Serial Port

- Bluetooth Imaging

- Bluetooth Dial-up Networking

- File Transfer

- Headset Pairing

- PIM item transfer

- PIM synchronization

- Bluetooth Network Access

- Bluetooth Fax/Printer connection.

- Support for Bluetooth mice and keyboards.

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EASY? The EEE is certainly Easy. With no hard drive, the little 901 boots up quickly. My 901 came with Windows XP. I suspect the Linux versions may be "simpler" to use from an interface point of view. The 8.9" widescreen with 1024 x 600 pixel resolution is easy to read, sufficiently bright (indoors at least), and evenly lit. The keyboard is small, yet my average sized man-hands seem to handle hunt & peck typing with few errors. You touch typists will find it a challenge. For those of you with a "need" to type a novel on your EEE I suggest getting a larger and Bluetooth wireless keyboard. The Bluetooth keyboard from my iMac works well with the 901. If Bluetooth is too pricey for you, there are three USB ports on the 901, any of which could handle a USB keyboard. The 901's touchpad is reasonably sensitive, although it's right/left buttons are a little stiff. This touchpad supports the use of two fingers for scrolling up and down on web pages or within any long list. There may be more functionality in there. It would be nice if this multi-touchpad could be used for resizing photos and web pages.

Excellent? More specifically the claim is that the 901 is an Excellent mobile internet device. I have to agree! At 2.8lbs (with battery) and only 9" x 7", the little 901 is VERY mobile. As an internet device it works wonderfully. I've got seven other wifi devices in my house (2 iPod Touch, 2 Zune, one iMac, one TIVO, and one Kodak Picture Frame) and none was as easy to connect to my wireless router as this little 901 was. With 802.11n support, the 901 took less time to find and download 1400 songs from my network server than my iMac. Using VLC media player I can play DVDs off that server with no stutter or delay. Wide screen movies look GREAT on the 901's wide format LCD.

Exciting? The more I play with my 901 the more excited I get. It took me awhile to figure out how to turn on Bluetooth, but once that was accomplished my smile has crept upward each hour. The EEE came with Windows Media Player 9, which I quickly upgraded to Version 11. Skype is included as well, and I'm looking forward to getting it set up. The EEE is well configured for use with VoIP applications. It includes a 1.3mp web cam, two microphones (with noise cancelling) as well as an external microphone jack. It supports Bluetooth headsets, and pairing with a cell phone. With no hard drive the EEE is absolutely quiet. No machine noises to distract from music enjoyment or your VoIP phone call.

The 901 came well-packaged. Inside the box I found:

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- The EEE 901.

- A soft slip-case for the 901.

- A cleaning cloth.
- The AC adapter.

- User Guide

- XP Support DVD

- A Microsoft Product Identification card for Microsoft Works.

- Warranty Card

- Quick Use Guide (for Windows XP)

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The right side of the 901 includes an SD/MMC slot, Two USB ports, a VGA Video Port, and the AC adapter port.

The left side of the 901 includes earphone and microphone jacks, another USB port, and Ethernet jack, and the lock socket.

The underside view reveals many vents for passive heat control, two tabs allow releasing the battery, and there is a removeable panel behind which I presume memory socket(s) might be found.

I fully charged the 901 last night. It includes a 6-cell battery, and having had it on for more than 3 hours already with wifi and Bluetooth active, it reports that I've got 3:08 hours remaining. It looks like battery life will be amazing on this little PC. The 901 features ASUS' Super Hybrid Engine, a power management utility. It allows you to select between Super Performance, High Performance, Power Saving, and Auto Modes.

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At this point, I'm extremely impressed with the 901. It feels solid, looks great. The keys have a nice travel. The touchpad needs some refinement, but that may be something I can accomplish with settings I haven't found yet. The bottom of the 901 can get pretty warm, but no more than any laptop I've had experience with. I don't recommend setting it on your bed or anywhere else it may be "insulated" and as such not cool itself easily. Vents on the bottom should not be blocked. There is no active fan.

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My advice? If you're interested in a VERY mobile, small and lightweight netbook the ASUS EEE 901 may fill the bill. With limited internal storage (12gb in the XP version) you won't want to keep your entire media collection on it. Adding an external DVD/CD burner and an external hard drive should be easy. Personally I use the 901's great wifi to access my media off my home server, and will rely on that same server for future program and data storage.

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Grade? B+. ASUS is working on a touchscreen model. I've grown to love the touchscreen interface of my iPod Touch, and believe a touchscreen version of the 901 with a screen that could fold back over the keyboard would be the ideal netbook. B+ is above average and certainly passing though. Well done, ASUS.

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4D

Archos 43 with Android. My Review!



Image from Archos.com



Hints of the new Archos 43 media player caught my attention the last month or so. From the early press releases it seemed like the one to get.   It is now available, so I ordered one to see if it would live up to the specifications.  The name gives away the display size, as it has a 4.3" (diagonal) screen with 480 x 854 pixels and 16 million color support.  All the basic underhood technology seems there with WiFi and Bluetooth, Accelerometer, Camera, a graphic accelerator, and Android Froyo 2.2 (soon) as the operating system. I've been tricked by specs from Archos before.  Will the 43 be any different?  It is a beautiful beast with a mirror-finish back to compliment the big glass front.  Very sturdy, with an overmoulded stainless steel interior structure.

Archos didn't leave much out when they built the 43. The missing GPS and 3G (phone) chip are the only things that keep the 43 from being a smartphone.  Some hardware specifics below.

 

- External Controls:  You get a volume level rocker and a power/sleep/reset button.  That's it.

- Ports:  MicroUSB for syncing and charging, a mini-HDMI  port, and the expected 3.5mm headphone jack. You'll need a mini-HDMI to HDMI cable to connect to a TV.  About $10 if you shop around.

- RAM:  16gb internal (roughly 14.3gb for your use).  A MicroSD-HC slot on the side for up to 32gb more.  Media on the microSD card is merged with any internal media, and shows up together in the media apps. The Files program lets you browse content on both the internal an microSD memory.  

- Wireless:  WiFi (802.11 b/g/n) and Bluetooth (2.1 EDR)

- Display:  Single touch (not multi-touch) screen, resistive (pressure sensitive), 480x854 pixels (FWVGA), 4.3'' TFT LCD, 16 million colors

- Dimensions:  135 x 65 x 9 mm – 5.3” x 2.6” x 0.4”

- Weight: 132 grams (4.65 ounces).  For comparison my new iPod Touch weighs 103 grams (3.63 ounces)

- Kickstand (Fold out leg stand)

- Speakers: Above and below the screen. Mono output however.  Sound good. Better than most phone speakers.  Not as good as most headphones. 

- Microphone: Should do fine when shooting video. There is also an included voice recording app.

- Camera:  2 MP - recording format: 720p H264 / AAC .MP4.

Sample taken from the 43.

The camera is best used holding the 43 upside down IMO.  I can confirm that it isn't good enough to use with barcode scanning apps. I tried three different barcode scanning apps, and none could focus well enough on any barcode I tried to decode it.  No autofocus or macro mode.  This isn't as good as most cheap pocket cameras.  Video would be best take outdoor and on a tripod if the 43 had such a tripod mount.

This is at best a token feature. It may come in handy when no other camera is available, but I wouldn't buy the 43 just for the camera feature.  You'll be disappointed.  Camera gets a C from me.

- G-Sensor: Works as expected. Detects screen orientation. The Whole UI will re-orient quickly unless turned off.  You can turn it off in Settings.

- Bluetooth: I've had a chance to check out the Bluetooth capabilities now. I succeeded in pairing with and using my Freedom Pro keyboard with the 43. I had an initial conflict when both WiFi and Bluetooth were turned on, but a reboot cleared it up and the keyboard was usable entering text in any app that required it, including the web browser, email, and the trial document editor that came with the 43.  I also was able to pair three different Bluetooth headsets and one Bluetooth speaker dock with no difficulty.  There was the occasional signal glitch. I believe it relates to WiFi being on and email notices distracting the 43's attention. I couldn't get it to reliably repeat though, and I was able to use the bluetooth keyboard, listen to music over bluetooth headset, all while browsing the web or sending emails.  I have no doubt a bluetooth mouse would also work, but don't have one to test. I was able to do a file transfer over bluetooth using a dedicated app for that purpose, as well as "bump" a contact to my cell phone using the Bump apps on both devices via bluetooth. I give bluetooth on the 43 an A.

From Archos you can expect complete Music, Video and Photo Players.  These are NOT the standard android media applications.

- Music: Supported formats include Stereo MP3 CBR & VBR,  WMA, WAV (PCM/ADPCM), AAC3, AAC+ stereo audio files, OGG Vorbis,  and FLAC. It will also play consecutive song with no audible gap in between.  The display rotates with the device, and you'll get larger album art playing vertically, or the now playing song can fill a screen with it's art.  You can sort by albums, artists, songs, playlists, or by folders.  Sorting a large collection of songs brings up a thumb tab that when used displays the alphabet as you pan up and down through the list. Songs from the microSD card are integrated with any songs that are on internal memory.  You also get a nice cover roll of the recently played album songs. You can add to playlists or favorites.  There is a Party Shuffle option.  Very detailed Info is available about any song, album, or folder.  As far as I can tell the only shortcoming of the Music app is the lack of sorting by genre. As such, Music gets an A from me.

Music playback time: up to 36 hours.

- Video: AVI (480 x 272)(720 x 404) (320 x 240), WMV (1280 x 720)(720 x 416)(540 x 360), MP4 (1280 x 720)(640 x 480) are the resolution and codec I was able to play with no trouble on the 43. Nothing larger than 720p would play. The video player gives you all the info that matters. Simply listing the files there are options for All Videos, Recently Played, Not Player Yet, and Folder Search. You can browse for and play videos on locally accessible network shared folders as well as media servers.  Fast-Forward/Rewind and relative positioning within a file are both supported. You can call up detailed file info, set bookmarks, resize video to fit the screen or not, and adjust brightness. A Settings sub menu also provides Play mode, Sound, and volume/title display toggles. Play mode lets you choose Single, Folder, Repeat Single, or Repeat Folder options. Choosing Folder lets you play in sequence all the videos the same folder.   Sound options include setting the EQ Presets, Bass, Treble, 3D, and L/R Balance of the audio output.  You can send video out through the (optional) HDMI cable to a big TV too!  Video playback get an A+ from me.

Video playback time: Up to 10 hours.

- Photo Gallery: JPEG, BMP, PNG, and GIF files can be displayed. You get a panning array or sorted group view of the available photos, both using the creation date of each photo to sort by. In the arrayed view the entire collection is show by date from left to right, with the dates appearing as you use the slider bar to move over the group. Once you've selected a photo, zooming is great. Zoom in to what appears to be one-to-one pixels displayed on the screen. Smooth Pan and Zoom is easily handled by the graphic processor. You can zoom in five steps to full resolution, or double-tap the screen to zoom all the way in/out instantly. You can slide show with transitions and music in the background. All the basic features seem to be there.  You can crop, rotate, Set as (contact icon or wallpaper), You also get a SHARE option with sharing via Bluetooth, Email, Touiteur (Twitter), Facebook, or Gmail, shown as well as any other choice related to apps you may have installed.   I'll give Photo viewing an A.

- Web Browser: Web surfing: up to 12 hours on a battery charge. A double-tap on any web page paragraph enlarges it to fill the screen. There are several "Favorites" already stored for you, and you can add your own page to the favorites/bookmarks page.  Not quite as nice as the Safari browser on the latest iPhone or iPod Touch, but easily second best.  I've seen far worse browsers. This web browser gets a B+.

- App Store:  There is a decent selection of applications already on the 43. They include Webbrowser, Email, Contacts, Appslib, Twitter, Wikipedia, Weather Channel, Ebuddy, Deezer, Mewbox (UK), Napster (US), Racing Thunderlight, Weather Channel, World Newspaper, and more.  The Appslib program gives you access to hundreds of other applications.  A search on the web will find you can also add the Google/android market app as well, which gives access to almost every other android app out there.  A+

UI: The screen reacts quickly to the touch of your finger or a stylus.  Graphics flow smoothly, and there are five home pages to layout anyway you want.  Add widgets or shortcuts.  Arrange them anyway that makes sense to you.  Delete apps you don't have a need for.  I found that using my thumb isn't the best at controlling the screen, but any other finger works fine.  This may be peculiar to just me and not you. I love that the whole UI and most apps will re-orient themselves as you rotate the 43.  You can change screen brightness. You can turn on or off any audible alerts or notices.  This is as good as any other android device I've used, and better than many. I give the UI an A.

Conclusion?   Archos has a winner here. I highly recommend this to anyone who want a better media player than an iPod, yet doesn't want to give up the apps store or web browsing that come with WiFi. Now to find a case for mine.

4D

Samsung P2+ 8gb Touchscreen Now at BestBuy!

Samsung seems to be a little stingy with it's top-of-the-line media player in the USA. You used to be only able to find this great touchscreen player in a 4gb version at Best Buy stores, and to get your money's worth out of it had to update the firmware. Now you can buy the 8gb P2+ at Best Buy stores, although you may have to have a clerk look in a locked cabinet below the display to find one. Don't be fooled by that immature 4gb model they have on display. The 8gb P2+ has version 5.09 (BestBuy) firmware on it, and is ready to take on the world. At $179, the 8gb model is a little more expensive than the 8gb iPod Nano and Zune, but it's touchscreen and bluetooth capabilities make it easily worth the difference. The P2+ throws FM radio with recording, voice recording, cell phone syncing, and much more into the mix. Included in the box you'll find earbud style headphones, a charging/sync cable, a small stand, the P2, an installation CD, a screen protector, earbud covers, and an array of paperwork that includes a quick start guide.

The P2's main menu includes icons for Videos, Music, Pictures, FM Radio, Datacasts (Podcasts), Prime Pack (extras), Rhapsody Channels, Bluetooth, and Settings. Within Settings there is a Menu Style option that lets you
change the system Font, reset your skin (background photo), and delve further into menu design. Selecting Menu Design lets you choose from 13 different menus in 3 different styles. The styles include:



a Matrix array of icons, a Cosmos 3D spinning menu style, and a My Skin option with icons in a sliding row at the bottom so you can show off your background image (skin). There are hundreds of other very creative Matrix style menus (UCIs) you can download for free from emodio.com once you've installed the included software.

- Video can be WMV or Mpeg4.
- Music can be MP3, WMA, OGG, or AAC.
- Photos must be JPGs.
- FM radio includes 30 presets or manual tuning, recording radio into MP3 files, reception sensitivity changing, and region setting (Korea/US, Japan, Other).
- Within the Prime Pack there is an excellent Text reader that supports TXT files. The included software can also turn text files into audible MP3 files you can then put onto the P2 so you can "listen" to text when you're too distracted (driving, maybe?) to read it. Prime Pack also includes a file browser, 5 games, an alarm, calendar, address book, world clock, calculator, Voice Recorder, and subway route maps.

Bluetooth is what sets the P2 apart and above every other pocket media player out there. The P2's Bluetooth options include:
- Pairing with up to two bluetooth headsets.
- Pairing with a mobile (cell) phone.
- File transfer between other bluetooth enabled devices.
- You can also rename your device's P2's bluetooth identification.
- One to one wireless gameplay between P2s.

I'll stress the value of these features. By pairing with two headsets or bluetooth receivers of any type, TWO people can share the music wirelessly off the P2 at the same time. A third can listen with wired headphones. Own a cell phone? Once you've paired it with the P2 you can leave it in a purse or backpack while listening to your P2. When your phone receives a call the P2's music will pause and then allow you to answer the call FROM THE P2. You can also initiate calls from the P2 via your bluetooth cell phone, without touching that cell phone. I've also been able to use the mobile phone mode to pair with my PC and iMac and use the P2 as a wireless headset for Skype (Voice Over IP).

The P2 is slightly larger than the Zune or iPod Nano, yet still easily pocketable. Full specifications are HERE. You can see the cable connection and headphone jack on the bottom edge. The left edge has a Hold slider and a Power/Play/Pause button. The right edge has volume + and - buttons. The top edge has a slot through which a lanyard or wrist strap (not included) can be connected.

The P2 and P2+ win points with how well thought out the User Interface (UI) is. A simple tap on any icon will select it. A second tap will move you one step down into the menu structure. Yet a slightly longer touch will move you straight to the last played media for that icon. There is a back button at the bottom left. One tap moves you one step back in the menu structure. A touch will take you all the way back to the Home screen. I've got an iPod Touch, and find the P2's UI more efficient. Settings for each player are available within each player. Each player (music/video/photo/text) has far more settings you can adjust than any iPod player app does. Additionally, the external buttons mean you can control play and volume without looking at or touching the screen.

I can (and have) gone on and on about how great the Samsung P2 is. It is now $50 less expensive than when it first came out, and with the latest firmware has three times the features. There are plenty of accessories available for it. A few accessory sites of interest are:

eforcity.com, Noreveusa.com, Amazon.com

In addition the bluetooth in the P2 means all bluetooth headphone/headsets will work. You can buy bluetooth receivers for ipod docks to make any iPod dock work wirelessly with your P2. You can also find bluetooth transceivers to make your home stereo play the music off your P2 wirelessly.

Audio quality is superb. Of course you don't want to trust the included headphones for accurate music reproduction. With a good set of over-ear headphones or through your stereo your music will sound full and rich with no static or noise.

The 3" screen makes watching videos a joy. A great way to pass the time waiting for a plane or ON the plane. The P2 comes with three sample videos so you won't have to wait to appreciate how much better the P2 is at playing videos than any smaller screen device is. You've got direct control of screen brightness and video playback speed. You can bookmark locations in a video to return to. Lastly videos can be expanded, stretched or cropped to fill the screen.

Should you buy a Samsung P2 or P2 Plus? Absolutely! Get one for each family member since using bluetooth a few of the games can be played wirelessly against other P2s. You can also transfer files from one to the other.

4D

The Best MP3 Players To Buy Your Kids This Christmas!

Kids. Plural. More than one. Twins maybe? Parents with more than one child who are looking for "equal" gifts to get each of your children are the target of this post. There are a few hundred MP3 players to choose from out there. These are the ones you should consider for siblings. Why? Each of the players mentioned in this post have a sharing feature. When these players are in close proximity they can share files including music and photos, and the Samsung P2 or T10 can play games one-to-one wirelessly between devices! All these players do a fine job of playing music, podcasts, FM radio and videos, and displaying photos. The two Samsung models can even display text files including ebooks in the .TXT format. The players I recommend are:

Samsung YP-T10 4GB

Samsung YP-P2 8GB

Microsoft Zune 8GB or 16GB or 120GB

The Samsung YP-T10 is the only one of the bunch that I haven't personally played with. It's the little brother of the Samsung P2, yet has most of it's features and a few tricks of its own. Generally available for around $100, this 4gb player features Bluetooth 2.0 for use with wireless headphones, file transfer, and potential* pairing with your Bluetooth enabled cell phone. The built-in microphone allows voice recording, and for two friendly siblings this means easy sending of recorded messages to each other via Bluetooth. The kids can even be in separate rooms, so long as they are within about 30ft of each other. The FM radio included allows recording of songs heard playing on your favorite local channels. Should one child capture a great song he/she thinks the other should know about, it can be sent wirelessly to the other T10 using Bluetooth again. The T10 comes in at least three colors.

The Samsung P2 is my personal favorite. It's a touchscreen player with a 3" 480 x 272 pixel widescreen. Available now at BestBuy for $179.99, it is exceptional for video playback. Large enough to make reading text files easy. Both the P2 and the T10 feature Samsung's DNSe 2.0 audio enhancement feature for optimizing the sound of music you're listening to through headphones. The P2 has a touchscreen interface which is user customizable. Clever use of touch, tap, double taps, arcs, and swipes on the screen allow very efficient access to all your media. It's Bluetooth allows simultaneous listening with two bluetooth headsets at once. You can pair the P2 with your bluetooth capable cell phone and use the P2 to receive or initiate phone calls. Transfer your cell phone's contact list to the P2 using bluetooth. Transfer any file on the P2 between it and your computer (assuming it has bluetooth), any other P2 or a T10. I use my P2 as a wireless headset for Skype phone calls on my iMac. The P2 includes 5 games, and two of them can be played one-to-one with another P2 or eventually* the T10 using bluetooth! Your children can be in separate rooms, or front and back seats of your crossover, so long as they are within 30 feet playing games against each other on their P2s. The P2 comes in Black, White, and a Burgundy Red.

Last there is Microsoft's Zune. You can get an 8gb model for $149.99, a 16gb model for $199.99, and a 120gb (larger) model for $249.99. All feature WiFi wireless networking. What I love about the Zune is the ability to "squirt" files wirelessly using wifi to other Zunes. Kids can send photos or music files to each other. The music files can be played on the other Zune for three days before they will self-delete. The Zune's wifi can also be used to synchronise media files on your PC with itself. You can access the online Zune marketplace for music purchase from the Zune, and download songs you purchase directly to the Zune. If the built-in FM radio plays a song you would like to own, you can mark it for subsequent purchase using info (RDS) the radio station has broadcast along with the song.

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All three players can play MP3 music files purchased or made from your own CDs. For kids just starting a music collection, all players work with subscription music services so an unlimited number of songs can be downloaded for a flat fee per month. The Samsungs work with Rhapsody, and Zunes work directly with the Zune Marketplace. It is not required to subscribe to these services, but they are a great legal way for kids to grow their personal music collections. Both brands have great PC-Based software to organize your media collection. You can download and try them out for free at:

Zune.NET

Samsung's Emodio

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Yes, your kids may have asked for iPods. While the iPods come in a rainbow of colors, and are seen being worn by 70%+ of the U.S. population, they are NOT the best sounding or most feature packed players out there. iTunes does not offer a subscription model for buying music. No iPod has an FM radio, which in addition to music would give your kids access to local news, weather, and event reports. No kid can follow the local radio broadcast of the high school football game on their iPod.

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IF you've got more than one child, and you treat them equally at Christmas and other gift-giving times, then you owe them the smartest MP3 players out there. With a Samsung T10 or P2, or the Microsoft Zune, they will be unique among their friends and the envy of all of them.

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4D

* The Samsung T10 is expecting a firmware update to enable gameplay between devices as well as "maybe" cell phone pairing with it's Bluetooth feature.

Headphones Compared. My Top 10 list.

Always on the lookout for a better audio experience, I've been collecting headphones to see how they differ. Published specifications for headphones don't always reveal how well they reproduce the highs and lows in your music. I've got at least 10 sets of earbuds that came with the media players I've evaluated. I can't find them all. The best in this bunch are the ones that came with my Zune 80. They're the in-ear type with braided cord shown below. The second best came with my Philips player, and are also in-ear. Both are passive noise cancellers, meaning they naturally shut out external sounds that distract from the music. I've got two different wrap around bluetooth headsets. Insignia's from Best Buy, and Wireless Gear from Target (possibly discontinued). Both $50. Very convenient, yet neither do low frequencies very well. Both are better sounding than any of the earbuds. My wired headphones include Sony CD30, Sony MDR-V150, JVC HA-NC80 Noise Cancelling, Maxell NC-11 Noise Cancelling, Philips SBC HN110/37, and Sennheiser 595s.Three are noise cancelling. Of these the Philips HN110s are the best. Second comes the Maxell NC-11s, and the weakest is the JVC NC-80s. The Sony CD30s are my oldest pair and also the worst of the bunch. Sony's V150s are next. Both suffer from very poor bass reproduction. My top three are the Philips, Sennheiser, and the Maxell in that order. Sound reproduction is amazing in both the Philips and Senns. Two reasons I rated the Philips higher is because they were 1/3 the price of the Sennheisers and include noise cancelling that does an excellent job of cancelling background noise.

The last of my collection is the Sony DR-BT50 Bluetooth headphones. Smaller than they appear in photos you'll find on the web, the BT50s don't quite surround my ears. Sound quality from my Samsung P2 is easily as good as from the Philips wired headphones. The Sennheisers completely cover my ears, and are more comfortable, but the Sonys are far more convenient. With no apparent loss in sound quality over the best of my wired headphones, no wires to contend with, and remote control of the player directly from the headphone, the Sony DR-BT50s win my vote as the best headphones in my collection. Just like all my bluetooth headphones they have volume control, FF/RW, Play/Pause, and will also pair with any bluetooth cell phone. Sony throws in an additional Folder +/- command, although none of my bluetooth players utilize it.

My top ten list, beginning with the best:
1. Sony DR-BT50
2. (tie) Sennheiser 595 and Philips SBC HN110/37
4. Maxell NC-11
5. JVC NC-80
6. Sony MDR-V150
7. Sony CD30
8. Insignia NS-BTHDP
9. Wireless Gear 4PR918
10. Zune 80 earbuds.

The Best value in a wired headphone goes to the Philips SBC HN110/37. With noise cancelling, a comfortable fit, and a low price they win hands down.

The Best value in a Bluetooth headset goes to the Sony DR-BT50. Yes, it's 3 times more expensive than the other two contenders. Far superior sound quality and comfort makes it a better bargain, though.

There are hundreds if not thousands of other headphones out there to choose from. My list is only from the headphones I've actually listened to and compared. I'd love to hear what headphones you prefer. Please leave a comment.

4D

wiREVO A100 Review. A Bluetooth Stereo Adapter for your iPod.

I'm a big fan of Bluetooth technology. When I see a good value on something I can use I find it hard to resist. There is not much to say about this little Bluetooth adapter except that it works well, is inexpensive, and will eliminate the wires from your iPod. Apple doesn't seem to know the value of Bluetooth, but fortunately a small investment will overcome that shortfall. The wiREVO A100 is small, but is a holdover from earlier iPod design trends. It works just fine with my iPod Touch and Nano, but isn't the most stylish compliment to either. At 3/8" thick by 1.o625" by 1.5625" and only 12 grams in weight, you'll notice but not feel much addition to your iPod.
The A100 has it's own lithium battery and will charge from your iPod cable. You can charge it alone or charge both the iPod and A100 at the same time. Pairing is easy. The first time it is plugged into an iPod it will go immediately into pairing mode with it's led flashing blue and red. I had a little more trouble pairing it a second time to a different device, but it just took more careful timing. Once connected your Bluetooth headset will have control over the iPod. You can toggle between Play and Pause, and also go forward or backward one track at a time. Your headset will have volume control as well. Instructions are complete and easy to understand. It was well packaged.

I found mine at Buy.com. No tax and free shipping kept the final price below $20. MSRP was originally $99. I'll just warn you that free shipping wasn't the default choice, so make sure you look for it when checking out.

Sound quality is great. I challenge anyone to tell the difference between this adapter's wireless audio and the same source through a cable to similar headphones. Signal strength is typical. I could walk about 40ft away from my iPod outdoors with no obstructions before the signal dropped out. Indoors this adapter is the same as all others I've tested. The number of walls and your orientation to the source device will affect the signal distance. When signal is lost there is a quiet break, and the audio resumes once you move back into range.

I recommend the wiREVO (wireless Revolution) A100. It's a tremendous value at $20. You won't be disappointed.

4D