Digital Trends

I like the design of the Gigabeat S series better than the iPod. You have to compare the two because Gigabeat looks too much like the iPod not to. The 30-gigabyte version, which I test-drove, comes in white and the 60-gig version is black. Gigabeat is also better proportioned than my iPod—at least for me. Gigabeat is slightly narrower, which fits my palm better. The sides are a brushed aluminum and the screen measures 2.4 inches (the fatter iPod is 2.5 inches, with the screen is positioned in landscape mode).

Gigabeat’s controls are straightforward and uncluttered. The front panel has a back button and “Windows” button just below the screen. Directional controls surround a center “Enter” button, all of which are in a clear plastic material with a solid, responsive feel. A small power button, volume toggle switch, and track advance/reverse and play buttons line the right side of the player, and there’s a hold switch on top. It’s a clean and attractive design, and the player is surprisingly lightweight. Dimensions are a compact 2.36 x 3.93 x 0.58 inches and weight is 4.8 ounces.

Under the hood, the 30-GB version managed to store all the tunes in my music library, several photo folders and 1 ½ hours worth of video with plenty of room to spare. If I were buying a Gigabeat I’d probably buy the 60-GB version just because, but 30-GB was more than adequate for my current needs.

The DRM-compliant Gigabeat S supports WMA, MP3 and WAV music files, including Microsoft PlaysForSure files from compatible media websites. The resident video decoder supports WMV files, and the photo viewer supports JPEG digital imaging files. An FM tuner is included.

In the box with the player are a quick start guide, USB cable, AV cable, USB conversion cable, AC adapter, AC adapter cable, software CD-ROM and earbuds that were surprisingly comfortable and impressive sounding for standard earphones.

 

 
Image Courtesy of Toshiba