Toshiba Gigabeat MEG-F20K 20 GB Digital Audio Player Black Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)PROS: Great screen, lots of included accessories, easy to use, low price, and stylish
CONS: Bad software (will hopefully be fixed in future)

I've had this player for a few weeks now, it is my fourth hard drive based mp3 player (previous: iRiver H120, Dell 20GB Gen 1, Creative Zen NX) and I can easily say that it is the best one. I looked at the iPod photo but found its lack of accessories and it being very common (I don't want something the same as everyone else, I want my mp3 player to stand out) deal killers. So I decided on the Gigabeat.

The player uses a plus-touch system to navigate, mainly this functions as if it were 5 buttons, 4 at the corners and one in the middle with a handy grid at the bottom showing you what each point will do at that certain menu position etc. This makes it much easier to use at first, without the grid you would find yourself having to read the manual for some help. However, there are times when you can use more than just the button functions. For example when you are playing a song, sliding your finger from right to left will get you to the part of your library that you are currently listening to making it easy to select another song from the same album or selecting a different album from the same artist. Also, at any point, if you slide you finger from left to right you return to the now playing screen, bottom to top returns you to the main menu. These added functions of the plus touch sensor make the player very easy to use once you know them.

The one feature I am most surprised about of this player is the photo viewer. I bought this player just wanting the nice and easy to read display, I had no intention to try the photo viewing features out. I was pleasantly surprised when I did try them as the quality of the display with photos is fantastic. The photos are very sharp and looking through them is easy as even the thumbnails are very easy to see. Also, the speed at which the player will scroll through the photos is very fast making looking through vast collections of photos a breeze.

The screen is what makes this player so great, the now playing screen can be customized in many different ways from showing vibrating speakers to simply showing album art, of course this is in addition to track and album info. To really appreciate the screen though you have to see it for yourself.

Navigating the library is very simple, organized by artist>album, album, genre, or playlists. Playlist can be created on the fly by using the bookmark feature and then when connected to the computer you can convert these bookmarks to playlists.

This gets me onto the software, Gigabeat Room. The software is a pain to use, it consistently hangs when doing anything more than scrolling through songs but once you have everything sorted on it all you have to do in future is connect the player to the included dock and press the syncronize button, this will transfer any new songs or photos from your designated folders. Getting album art organized is also difficult as it will take any image from the folder, using a separate album art program I found on the internet I got all of this sorted out.

The value for money with this player is good. It is cheaper than the iPod with all of the same functions except for a bigger screen and lots more included accessories. This player comes with a dock, AC adapter (yes a way of charging your player without a computer which iPod owners now have to pay extra for), USB 2.0 cable and some earbud headphones.

Overall this player is great, it is very stylish, the buttons on the side light up a nice blue, and of course, the large bright screen sets the player apart from others. Only a few problems with the software (you can use WMP10 but Toshiba have limited it to USB 1.1 speeds) which can be fixed if Toshiba work on it a little stop the player from being perfect. Great battery life, fantastic screen, very good sound quality and lots of accessories, what more could you want from a player??

Click Here to see more reviews about: Toshiba Gigabeat MEG-F20K 20 GB Digital Audio Player Black

Product Description:
Images and music combine in this easy-to-use portable digital audio player. Toshiba's snazzy, black Gigabeat MEG-F20K packs a 1.8-inch Toshiba hard drive capable of holding 20 GB of digital media: MP3 and WMA compressed audio and even uncompressed, full-resolution WAV files. That's about 5,000 songs (more than 300 complete albums) at 128 kbps MP3, 10,000 songs at 64 kbps WMA, and a still-impressive 550 or so songs (or 38 hours) of CD-resolution WAV files.
A major feature of the player is its bright, crystal-clear, 2.2-inch LCD with 240 x 320 resolution and the ability to render over 65,000 colors. It's there so you can experience the visual as well as the aural component of your entertainment. The Gigabeat lets you download and view album covers, search for your favorite tracks by scrolling through those album covers, or even set a favorite album cover as your background image. You can download any digital still picture from your PC and create custom slideshows, too--and set them to music.
Gigabeat may be versatile, but it's also easy to operate. Its PlusTouch sensor control lets you scroll through its intuitive menus using only a soft touch or pass of your fingertip.
The PC-only Gigabeat is "Plays for Sure"-certified by Microsoft, which means that it will operate with any "Plays for Sure" download site or management software when connected to your PC. Gigabeat is automatically recognized by Windows Media Player 10, so there's no need to install new drivers of any kind. Toshiba has also partnered with Napster to provide Napster's "Napster To Go" software, giving you the option of using Napster To Go, Windows Media Player, and/or the supplied Gigabeat Room management software (Gigabeat Room is required for transfer of photo images).
So what about your CD collection? After all, you'll likely be able to stash the entire thing in here, one way or another. Thanks to a unique feature called CD RipRec, all you have to do is place a CD in your PC and press the CD RipRec button while the Gigabeat is docked in its cradle. CD RipRec will launch the software and transfer compressed audio to your Gigabeat quickly and with no further effort on your part. Using a USB 2.0 connection (cable supplied), CD RipRec can transfer the contents of an entire CD to the Gigabeat in as little as 5 minutes.
If Gigabeat's battery life (up to 16 hours) isn't enough to satisfy your entertainment needs, fret not. Rather than carrying your AC adapter everywhere, simply connect the Gigabeat to any PC with a USB cable and the battery will charge itself again.
Other features include a choice of 10- or 60-second intro scan to help you find a desired song, multilingual support (Japanese, English, French, Chinese, Spanish, and German), and 28 user selectable equalizer settings, and SRS WOW, which simulates surround sound from any two speakers (including headphones).
What's in the Box
Digital music player, an AC power adapter, a power-supply, a docking cradle, a USB cable, headphones, a software CD-ROM (Gigabeat Room management software, CD RipRec, Napster To Go), a user's manual, and warranty information.