Reviews, Articles, Ratings and Comparisonsen-usMon, 05 Jan 2009 20:46:20 CSTMon, 05 Jan 2009 20:46:20 CSThttp://www.mediaplayerinfo.comIn a zombie-less adaptation of Stephen King\'s Cell, 30GB Zunes everywhere have simultaneously malfunctioned for no apparent reason. Users will find their device simply won\'t boot up, freezing once the gray progress bar reaches its end. As of now there\'s only speculation as to why the Zunes are committing ritualistic suicide. Is it due to the onset of 2009? Is it Apple-funded terrorism? A PMP EMP? Are Zunes like canaries in a mine, and this mass-freeze is simply a portent of some imminent evil? Time will tell. In the meanwhile, if your Zune is locked up, there is one solution: surgery. We\'ve stolen the following method off onlydarksets: WARNING: A hard reset will delete everything on your Zune. Press and hold the back button Press and hold up until it reboots Depending on which Zune you have, immediately do one of the following: If you have a Zune 4 GB, Zune 8BG, or Zune 80GB, immediately press and hold the Back button Back at the same time as you press the right side of the Zune pad and the Play/Pause button. Continue to hold these buttons until the Zune device restarts and you receive the following message: "Clearing contents. Please wait." If you have a Zune 30GB, immediately press and hold the Back button Back at the same time that you press the right side of the Zune pad and the center of the Zune pad. Continue to hold these buttons until the Zune device restarts and you receive the following message: "Clearing contents. Please wait." [Story via Gizmodo, solution via onlydarksets]    http://www.mediaplayerinfo.com/content/30GB-Zunes-suffering-from---Y2K9---bug-657.htm The Archos 7 is currently the largest offering from Archos, with a screen that\'s nearly 7-inches wide (it\'s slightly smaller than a full 7). While this makes the Archos 7 a great device for watching videos, it makes it the least-portable media players we\'ve seen so far.http://www.mediaplayerinfo.com/content/Archos-7-160GB-MP3-Player-Review-648.htm Black Friday is a time for saving money on all those iPods and Walkmans and whatever else those kids are listening to these days. We\'ve got our eyes peeled for Black Friday deals, and we\'ll be updating this article throughout the countdown to Dealsday.http://www.mediaplayerinfo.com/content/Black-Friday-MP3-Player-Deals-2008-635.htmZune has made some changes to their "all-you-can-eat" music subscription service, as long as you\'re a Zune Pass subscriber. It\'s the same deal with the $14.99/month for unlimited streaming and downloads, only now you get to keep 10 songs for forever as MP3s. There are also bringing Universal Music Group into the fold, which will pad out their MP3 library considerably. Also, this Zune Pass deal is not just for Zune users; if you like this plan you can download and manage your music from your PC. This is actually an intriguing plan. You can try out tons of songs and then choose the ten you like best to keep and cherish for all of time. Songs nowadays are $1, so that means you\'re paying $5 for the unlimited streaming and temporary downloads. While this sounds like it\'ll be a great plan for some, we\'re not sure it\'ll convince those pirates out there to stop tape recordering their FM radio. You can read more about this new plan in their press release, here.http://www.mediaplayerinfo.com/content/Zune-changes-their-Zune-Pass-plan-634.htmThe Zune 3.1 software update is apparently out now. We went on Zune.net to check it out, but Zune.net is still hawking the 3.0 update. The main improvements are to the Zune Social feature. We have yet to get a Zune into our office for review, but we picture the Zune Social feature will allow the dozens of Zune users out there to join together in sighing in disgust at the iPod users they see. The Zune Social rehaul will fix the interface to make it more user-friendly. It will also add a new feature that lets you compare your music tastes with others, offically making the Zune a must-buy for hipsters.  You\'ll also get a few free games (sudoku, Texas Hold\'em, checkers, and a top-scrolling space ship shoot-em-up).  [Via Engadget and Zune Insider]http://www.mediaplayerinfo.com/content/Zune-3-1-update-is-out-632.htmChinese manufacturer Hacha has announced the PF02, which is an audio player that should retail for $14.40 USD (99 yuan). Compare this device to the Shuffle, which offers nowhere near as much control, but has a similar storage capacity. Really, if you want to listen to your MP3s cheaply, we\'re not sure you can do much better than $14.40. One thing we will point out, however, is that all the buttons are identical, which might make the player a bit hard to operate when it\'s in your pocket. Here\'s some stats we\'ve been able to figure out: The device will play MP3, WMA, and OGG files. It uses an SRS audio system Measures 2.79 x 0.97 x 0.39 inches (70.9 x 24.6 x 9.8mm) Weighs 18.5 grams Uses a USB 2.0 connection Has a lithium-ion battery with a stated time of 14 hours. PMP Today states there are other models that have up to 8GB of storage, but we can\'t find out exactly where they\'re getting that number from. In any case, providing the thing works, $15 for a DAP is not bad. [Via PMP Today]http://www.mediaplayerinfo.com/content/Hacha-produces-DAP-for--15-626.htmThe Archos 5 is the latest offering from Archos, and has quite an impressive list of capabilities. Out of the box it\'s a music / video / photo playback device with wifi. One of the Archos 5\'s best assets, however, is the huge array of upgrade options. Unlike the Apple Store, which only provides software extensibility, if you decide you really want GPS on your Archos 5, you can go out and buy an add-on. The same goes for DVR and a lot of other options. It should be available soon for $350http://www.mediaplayerinfo.com/content/Archos-5-MP3-Player-Review-617.htmJust in case your Halo Zune isn\'t doing it for you, you can now pick up one that\'s branded with the Gears of War insignia. In our opinion, the smartest move for Microsoft would be to get Nintendo\'s permission to use Little Mac from Punch-Out!!, and photoshop a picture of an iPod onto King Hippo\'s face. Not only is it nostalgiac, but it\'s an appropriate analogy. Is Microsoft working its way down the list of possible game franchise brands? Will we see a Fable-branded Zune? Really, the only Microsoft game branding that would spur us towards a purchase would be the Microsoft Entertainment Center Zune. We want our case blinged out with a mural that includes Chip from Chip\'s Challenge high-fiving the rat from Rodent\'s Revenge, while the yeti from SkiFree sneaks up behind them throwing JezzBalls. We\'d buy that. [Via Gizmodo]http://www.mediaplayerinfo.com/content/Gears-of-War-Zune-the-latest-MS-franchise-to-get-Zune--d-614.htmHello and welcome to MediaPlayerInfo.com! The media player market is one that\'s dominated by marketing. It\'s hard to look somewhere and not catch an iPod ad in your line of sight. Our job is to help readers sift through the hype and advertising and figure out which media player actually best suits them. Our goal is to offer the best, most objective media player reviews. To do this, we\'ll break down all media players we review into different components, then review each component using the same criteria. This way we can provide comprehensive reviews that allow users to directly compare media players based on any given criteria. We also test the audio quality of each media player, using a standardized scientific testing process. This process uses professional-grade hardware and software to provide accurate results. Think of MediaPlayerInfo.com as your source for unbiased information about media players. Hopefully you\'ll use our resources next time you\'re shopping around for an iPod or looking for a media player that specifically isn\'t an iPod. If you have any questions, feedback, or ideas that would help our site be the best source for media player info, please use our comments system or email us here.http://www.mediaplayerinfo.com/content/Welcome-to-MediaPlayerInfo-com--608.htmWell, the 3.0 Zune update came out today and so far, it\'s just what we expected. But, lo, what is this we hear? We can get free Wi-Fi access on our Zune? At McDonald\'s? Unfortunately, this courageous new partnership will only offer this opportunity at approximately 9,800 McDonald\'s restaurants and we can\'t be sure how exactly these select locations will be chosen. There\'s a McDonald\'s down the street from us and we\'re keeping our fingers crossed. There\'s something strikingly peculiar about the juxtaposition of Apple\'s iPod pairing with Starbucks and Zune teaming up with McDonald\'s. Isn\'t McDonald\'s supposed to be a fast food establishment? Isn\'t the whole point to enter the premises, get your food quickly, scarf it down, and leave? By contrast, Starbucks seems to be all about savoring your cup of coffee and relaxing in the corporate-approved atmosphere. We don\'t expect Zune owners to rejoice over this exciting new collaboration... it\'s likely to get the lukewarm reception of the short-lived McDonald\'s Wi-Fi for Nintendo DS users. Unfortunately for McDonald\'s, their establishments simply aren\'t places for lingering. And they\'ll need something more than Zune Wi-Fi to change that. Fortunately for Zune, their partnership is really with Wayport, who could probably get Zune users a little more Wi-Fi access than browsing for tunes between Big Macs. [Via Wi-Fi Net News]http://www.mediaplayerinfo.com/content/Like-Starbucks--But-Different-569.htm Just look at these slick new Kenwood "Media Keg" PMPs! Just like the previous generation, they\'ve only been confirmed for Japan, but at least there are hints that they might eventually reach a global audience... the menu can be set to display in Japanese, but also English, German, Spanish, French, Dutch and Italian. Why would we want another media player flooding the U.S. market? Well, we\'ve always been fans of Japanese gadgets, but the Media Keg seems like a nice little player, if not exactly remarkable. It supports a plethora of audio file types and despite having just 4GB of internal memory, there\'s a convenient micro-SD slot for expanding your capacity or looking at pictures from your digital camera. It looks like the Media Keg is only Windows-compatible, but it\'s a fair bet that no matter what your country of residence, if you\'re using a Macintosh computer, you\'ll buy an iPod before you buy a Media Keg. Then again, there\'s something to be said for a PMP that is a keg... for your media. [Via CrunchGear]http://www.mediaplayerinfo.com/content/The-Media-Player-for-Japanese-Frat-Boys-566.htmNostalgia freaks will remember the Walkman brand; Sony launched one of the first portable tape players under the brand in the 1980s. They pretty much owned the portable audio market for years, but that all changed when portable audio went digital a few years ago. The company has been struggling to catch up since, and the Sony Walkman NWZ-A729 represents their attempt to carve back some of the space taken by small players like the iPod Nano. It does a pretty decent job; the screen is big and bright, and the device is easy to use. But there are a number of quirks that give us pause in recommending it over the Nano, such as the low audio output power and appallingly bad syncing software.http://www.mediaplayerinfo.com/content/Sony-Walkman-16GB-MP3-Player-Review-556.htmLike all manufacturers, Creative are living in the shadow of the iPod. The X-Fi represents their attempt to try and break new ground by creating a device that can play music and video in a small, portable package. But the result is mixed; we found problems in sound quality, and it wasn\'t easy to use.http://www.mediaplayerinfo.com/content/Creative-X-Fi-WLAN-16GB-MP3-Player-Review-555.htmCasting the rules of grammar aside, Apple describes the new 2nd generation iPod Touch as "the funnest iPod ever". But while copy editors everywhere are grunting in disgust, this upgrade to the 1st generation Touch does much to live up to its hype, with a number of improvements that round out an already attractive package. These include volume buttons and a sleek new design that makes it even smaller. And we were impressed by the audio quality, the screen and the overall usability of the device; it sounds great, looks great and is easy to use. http://www.mediaplayerinfo.com/content/Apple-iPod-Touch-16GB-MP3-Player-Review-551.htmThe iPod Shuffle is an interesting study in extremes. First of all, the device is extremely small: it\'s a shirt clip with a media control buttons and a wee Gigabyte for storage. Secondly, the Shuffle only has two settings: randomly play a song that was, before hand, randomly placed on the device, or repeat one song for all eternity. Really, the Shuffle sounds more like the grounds for a philosophical discussion than a media player. The Shuffle is not for the faint of heart. If you like your media player to give you information about what song is playing, or you like to be able to choose what you listen to, the Shuffle isn\'t for you. Also, since it doesn\'t have a screen, there isn\'t much option for the Shuffle to do anything but play your music. This is both limiting and utilitarian, which is refreshing in the age of modern media players.http://www.mediaplayerinfo.com/content/Apple-iPod-Shuffle-1GB-MP3-Player-Review-549.htmThe iPod Classic has the face that launched the MP3 Player industry. Years later and it has a bit of a different look, but still retains its old charm. This newest iteration comes in 80GB and 120GB models, and we\'ve reviewed the 80GB in this very review for your reading pleasure. he Classic is still equipped with its old scroll wheel, which, unfortunately, hasn\'t improved much. The control it provides is a bit spotty. If this were a cell phone, we would laud the Classic for the ability to quickly scroll through menus. On a media player, where playlists can have thousands of songs, the scroll wheel feels a bit inadequate. The software for playing back music and videos is great, aside from the above issue of scrolling through huge lists. The Classic, in conjunction with iTunes, also manages podcasts well. The photo album, on the other hand, is a bit lackluster.http://www.mediaplayerinfo.com/content/Apple-iPod-Classic-80GB-MP3-Player-Review-534.htmWell, the upcoming XM Radio portable player (previously codenamed "Phoenix") is making its official media debut... in Popular Science magazine. We still don\'t have an official price, but speculation suspects a release date around October 5, 2008. XM is pushing the new XMp3\'s ability to record five XM Radio stations at once. It never occurred to us that anyone would want to do this, but now that we can, how can we not? The XMp3 is smaller and looks a lot slicker than XM\'s last player, the Inno. Plus, with an SD card slot for transferring mp3 files, it looks like the XMp3 is shaping up as an interesting contender. In a market that seems flooded with media players trying to take a slice out of Apple\'s share of the pie, at least the XMp3 is offering something different. Unfortunately, we doubt anyone but the most avid XM listeners will be thrilled about the five-broadcast simultaneous recording. Radio in general is still a niche audience and the XMp3 would have to be one heck of a media player to tempt new XM subscribers. Meanwhile, we\'re trying to pick out our four favorite decades to record while we\'re listening to the next Red Sox game. [Via Engadget]http://www.mediaplayerinfo.com/content/Phoenix-Landing-564.htmThe iPod Nano has undergone quite a transformation since it was first released. The last iteration was short, squat, and obliterated the iPod Mini from existence. The new Nano is ridiculously small and thin, and somehow manages to fit an accelerometer in as well. If you\'re familiar with iPods, you\'re familiar with the Nano. The tiny device can play music well, has a screen that\'s a bit too small for frequent video watchers, and doesn\'t have that many fluorishes included out of box. But don\'t even bother plugging the packed-in headphones into this thing, because you\'ll just be wasting its nearly flawless output. Invest in some nice headphones and enjoy. The Nano is currently available in nine different colors, each of which are $150.http://www.mediaplayerinfo.com/content/Apple-iPod-Nano-8GB-MP3-Player-Review-530.htm Thank goodness that cell phone cameras have enabled us as a civilization to capture these critical moments in consumer electronics history. Like the (accidental?) early release of the 120GB and 16GB Zunes and the subsequent re-pricing of the old 80GB model. The Zune 3.0 software and the new Zune models were expected to be released on September 16th, but it looks like some employees are getting a little overzealous with their product displays. If you don\'t happen to live near the Fry\'s in Atlanta (top image) or the Walmart in Harborcreek, PA (bottom image), you\'ll just have to wait with the rest of America. [Via Engadget]http://www.mediaplayerinfo.com/content/Earth-Shattering-Early-Zune-Release-562.htmIf you have 25 extra dollars sitting around and you would rather buy a gadget than light your cash on fire (which is illegal) consider this nifty lighter-socket-powered combination LED flashlight and device charger. Finally, we can charge our iPods and have something a little brighter than our cell phone LCD for lighting up a dark room. Gadgets that combine two great functions into one don\'t always make it into our blog, but this one was hard to resist. It\'s not that this little contraption can charge our plethora of portable electronics... or that it can serve as a handy flashlight... it\'s the quaint simplicity of the maker\'s website, which features 4 or 5 spelling/grammar mistakes. And there\'s the wonderful play on words that brought about the genius title of The Flashlight-erTM.Now if only our iPods could be charged with UBS... [Via CrunchGear]http://www.mediaplayerinfo.com/content/There-are-worse-ways-to-charge-your-iPod-561.htm