An Mp3/Ipod is a personal item, since it gives you the soothing music that lifts your spirits and that you want to hear it at just at a press of a button. It happened to be the Tirupati Trip that I was looking for a player which will be my companion on the tiring journey by Indian Railways.
Was strolling in my favorite place - Pune Central and came across this piece - Philips Mp3 - 2 GB @ 2500 on display at Planet M outlet - 3 floor. (Got it @ 2200) My previous exp on these gadgets was limited to Apple Nano (Cousin’s) and Sony pen Drive (Friend’s). I personally believe that no one can beat Apple in its voice and sound quality. But the same are highly priced and have very minimum features as compared to any of their competitors. About Sony - they are very good and are very competitive too, and as a matter of fact was also biased towards this brand, since have used them previously. But the problem with these is that they need different software to transfer the songs or music files. It means that you need to have a computer which is loaded with a special Sonic software so as to make you enable to transfer the music. This feature is irritating indeed. I am not sure whether Sony has removed this feature from their latest versions, but the previous ones had this and I didn’t liked it a bit. Mind you, that even Apple has the same headache - the itunes software to transfer music. So these two brands were already loosing the grip on my wish list.
Now comes the Philips Go Gear. Some of the best features that I fell for are :
- 2 GB space:
We all are music hungry people. We need as much as space to store with as much as little to pay for the same. This gadget is loaded with 2 GB storage space i.e. around 400-500 songs very easily. (Isn’t it enough by any standards?) Here, Sony comes with 1 GB memory space @ 2400
2.No specific software:
There is no specific software required to transfer the music to this gadget! Just attach it to the PC with the jack available and zuppppp goes the files. This means it can accept music files from any computer without any hassle. (Now that’s we want our gadget to work like)
- Features:
A) Radio: It has inbuilt Radio and it can play up to 20 different bands. Again the FM songs that you hear can be recorded LIVE! With FM recording feature you can record the latest songs and can play them back instantly. This is a great feature. I recorded Masakalli - Delhi 6 while on journey. Another thing, the radio reception is JUST AWESOME! I have never heard a radio sooooo clearrrrr. Was completely astonished to hear that lovely, sweet and crystal clear sound in my ears and couldn’t believe that I was listening to Radio. Superb!
B) Voice recording is added advantage of this gadget. You can store your voice into this piece and hear it later. You might think " Arre voice record karke kya karna hai, gaane sun ne kee machine hai Gaane suno, who cares for this feature" Wait a minute. My sister was very happy to know this feature. She once recorded her instructions about the things to do in this machine and sent me an SMS to listen to it and act accordingly. That was fun actually! Using this feature and getting the work done.
Here too, the quality of the Mic (inbuilt) is great and the recording is very clear. I have recorded so many songs from MTV and V TV.
C)Battery life: Who doesn’t want that extra battery to play music? The battery life of this gadget is very very high. While Sony used to get down in 6 hours flat, this one is quite capable of more than 16-18 hours of non stop usage. I put this thing to test and it came out victorious. Tested it by having a rally of use by me (1.5 hours) , sister (2 hours), Dad (1 hour), Mother (.5 hour) , brother (2.5 hours) Bhabhi (1 hour ) even the co- passengers used it for more than 2 hours on average. At that point it read on the last brim. Never have I seen any MP3 playing so long continuously. Full marks on this aspect.
E) Sound Quality: In one word - AWESOME! Can bet that it is the next after Apple. Sony, too is also good, but this one is a bit ahead by a whisker. The equalizers there in can upgrade the listening experience manifold. The headset is so great that it negates any sound coming between your music and your ears. You will actually feel the plucking the guitar strings by the guitarist, the drumming by the drummist - crystal clear.
D) It has a sleek and compact design - suitable to carry in the pockets. Has small display to navigate (Apple Nano doesn’t have this at all) It has only two buttons to operate and it’s very easy to handle. Even my Dad started to operate it within minutes.
Now, let me give you something as to why you should not buy this one:
There is no pin/socket which can be used as a supporter to attach or mount it on the shirt/trouser. So you have to keep it in the pockets all the time. Recharging is through Computer only, so the AA batteries are ruled out. Here, you can buy an adapter (Rs.150) to charge it directly through AC current.
There is no Auto off feature available. It means you have to shut it off manually just before going to sleep, else it will be on till the morning too (Has a good battery life)
Though there are few negative points, but the positives are always there. What else can we get @2200? I am not against Sony or Apple, but have just highlighted the product that is equally best in the same range and better features.
The choice is your........ Go Gear!
Leave your comments and thanks for reading the review.
Dinesh