The Cheap, Practical MP3 Player
Pros:
Affordable, Simple, Easy to Use, Decent Battery Life
Cons:
Not-Very-Good FM Radio Tuner, Mediocre Audio
The Bottom Line:
If you need a cheap MP3 player that will get the job done, I recommend this one.
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Overall Rating:
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Author's Review
I got my Centon 256 MB MP3 Player just over a year ago. I did not have an MP3 player before I got this one, and it satisfied me.
The size is just right. It's small enough to not get in the way, but it's also big enough to know it's still there and know you haven't lost it. The design looks nice, and while it's not overly flashy and eye-catching, it is still appealing. But who says an MP3 player needs to look good anyway? If it plays music, that's what counts.
The display and menus are easy enough to understand and use. It features a small, simple black-text LCD display that measures about ½ x 1 inches, but it still displays all the necessary information. It has a blue backlight, which makes it very easy to read even in the dark. When playing a song, the track name and artist scroll across the bottom of the screen, while the song length and time elapsed are displayed in the top.
The playing options include some various types of "repeat", like repeat song, repeat folder of songs, etc. It has pre-configured equalizer options that include things like "rock", "jazz", "pop", etc. The volume control works nicely, and it has a wide range from very quite to very loud.
The audio quality is enough to satisfy most people. The included headphones aren't the greatest, but they are enough to be happy with. You won’t get crisp, amazing audio, but it’s good enough to listen to your tunes.
Adding songs to the MP3 player is as simple as dragging and dropping them into the folder while it is plugged into the computer, and it doesn't require any special file types or software. MP3, WMA, Wave, etc. are all supported, so there's no hassle in getting your music ready to listen too for a trip.
The MP3 player also features an FM radio tuner with an optional "scan". The reception isn't usually that great, but it's suitable for listening.
The battery needed is a AAA. With a rechargeable NiMH battery, you can get quite a few hours of constant music playback, but I'd still bring extra batteries for a long car trip.
Overall, this is a decent MP3 player suitable for someone who doesn't need all the special features and graphics that more advanced players have, but just wants to be able to listen to their music.
