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Mediocre
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Product summary
The good: The DigiArmor DMS-S20 offers above-average sound quality, a durable exterior design, and a CompactFlash expansion slot. It also acts as a USB host for off-loading pictures from digital cameras.
The bad: Unfortunately, the DigiArmor DMS-S20 is overpriced--especially considering it includes no headphones or power adapter--and it maxes out at 20GB. Its buttons are cumbersome, the screen is small for video viewing, and the firmware is poorly designed.
The bottom line: The DigiArmor DMS-S20 is a rip-off in every respect, from its price to its firmware to its hardware design--we don't recommend it. Get a Creative Zen Vision:M instead.
Specifications: Device type: Hard drive ; Digital storage media capacity: 20 GB ; Battery: 1 x Lithium ion Rechargeable See full specs
CNET editors' review
- Reviewed on: 04/21/2006
Physically speaking, the DigiArmor DMS-S20 is the disfigured love child of the iPod Mini and the Motorola Razr, with an oversize (4.0 by 2.5 by 0.8 inches) aluminum shell and cramped brushed-steel buttons. It is offered in four colors--black, green, blue, and red--and has a 1.8-inch-diagonal, 280x220-pixel 262,000-color screen. The LCD is fine for music navigation, but we weren't inclined to watch much video on the thing. The device does boast a couple of positives, such as an On-The-Go USB 2.0 host port for off-loading pictures without a computer and above-average sound quality when paired with a good set of headphones, which you'll need to provide anyway, as the DigiArmor doesn't come with a set. However, these attributes are completely overshadowed by the unattractive, unresponsive firmware, as well as by the derivative, poorly executed navigation system.
The DigiArmor DMS-S20 plays back a variety of music, photo, and video formats (audio: MP4, MP3, and WMA; video: AVI; picture: JPEG, GIF, and BMP; other: TXT), but it doesn't support protected files or MPEG-4 video, both of which we have come to expect in these devices. The manufacturer includes only a USB cable and a vinyl carrying sack, and it has neither headphones (as mentioned before) nor a power adapter. Other features include a CompactFlash expansion slot, an FM radio with presets, voice and line-in recording, and onboard gaming capability.
The DigiArmor DMS-S20's rated battery life of 10 hours of video is certainly above average, but the 15 hours for audio isn't all that exciting. Sound quality, however, was good, probably thanks to the device's integrated high-performance Texas Instruments TLV320AIC23 audio chip. Voice-recording quality was merely average, though. If you're looking for a video-supporting MP3 player with a decent array of features, get the Creative Zen Vision:M instead.
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"Better than the published reviews make out . Cheaper than Ipod ! Owner 10Mnths"
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