Digital Trends

Slim Devices SLIMP3 Player November 11th, 2003 | by Jeff Fila

Likes and Dislikes

We liked most everything about this device. It is easy to setup and control, sounds and looks great, and is actively supported by its developers and fans. There is an extensive FAQ and a popular support mailing list.

There are, however, a few things we would like to see. First, the device is wired only. You can hook it up to a wireless bridge to make it “virtually wireless” but that's not an out-of-the-box solution. With many competitors releasing wireless solutions, we imagine SlimDevices is developing their own. The device also does not have an optical audio output. An optical connection would make the sound quality even better, however, most users would not notice a difference.

The last issue we had was with the display. While it is bright and easy to read, it is still rather small. The two-line display is hard to read from across a room. However, most competing products display via a TV, meaning you'd have to be near a TV to select the music you want. The SLIMP3 doesn't require a TV and looks at home in your home theater system.

The functionality and expandablity of the SLIMP3 makes it worth the $239 price in our opinion. If you have a wired network and a lot of mp3s, this just may be the device for you.

About the Company

The SLIMP3 has been around for over two years now and was one of the first devices on the block. It originally started out as an open-source project by founder Sean Adams who assembled the units by hand. 

The server software is still open source and benefits from an active group of users and developers. Server software upgrades occur at the rate of almost one per month. They back the player with a one-year hardware warranty and a 30-day return policy.

SlimDevices is the company that grew from this original idea. Their only product to date is the SLIMP3 and they won't comment on future plans, but a recent email from SlimDevices, said “we take seriously the fact that our corporate name is plural.”  We're looking forward to future releases from SlimDevices.