The Best of Both Phone, and Tablet
Entered CNET Catalog: 10/28/2004
SKU: GCM-4
Manufacturer: Gateway Inc.
Manufacturer description
Store. Look. Listen. With the new Gateway MP3 Photo Jukebox, you get all the functionality of traditional MP3 players and more. Weighing in at just 3.4 ounces, the Photo Jukebox offers music and photo capabilities - in a light, portable player about the size of a deck of cards. Want music? The 4GB hard drive stores up to 1, 000 songs so you can listen at home, at the gym, in the car or wherever else life takes you. Plus, the removable, rechargeable battery gives you added flexibility and up to eight hours of continuous music playback. The MP3 Photo Jukebox even comes equipped with one month of Napster To Go service right out of the box, so you have unlimited access to thousands of portable music downloads (with one-month Napster To Go offer). Not sure which music formats work with which players? The MP3 Photo Jukebox makes it easy. It comes with Windows Media Player 10 and works with most PC-based music to support multiple file formats - including MP3, WMA, JPEG, BMP and ACC. And it also features the Microsoft PlaysForSure software. PlaysForSure is a new way to ensure compatibility between your MP3 player and the music services you use. Just look for the PlaysForSure logo when you download music, and you'll know your music will play for sure. Love photos? With its camera-connect capabilities, the MP3 Photo Jukebox can also store your favorite digital pictures. Just plug in your camera to download images to the player. It even features a 1.6" color screen, perfect for sharing pictures with family and friends.Product summary
The good: Affordable way to display pictures, listen to digital audio, and download pictures from compatible cameras or via a USB memory-card adapter; compatible with subscription-based downloads and protected WMA files; compact and easy to use; removable battery.
The bad: No belt clip or holster included; hollow-sounding earbuds; some details missing from step-by-step instructions, despite massive manual in the box; mediocre battery life.
The bottom line: Gateway's latest digital audio player offers solid audio playback along with some nifty features for photo buffs on the go, but check out others in its class before you buy.
Editors' review
- Editors' Choice: No
- Reviewed on: 01/27/2005
Editor's note: We have changed the rating in this review to reflect recent changes in our rating scale. Click here to find out more. In terms of dimensions, weight, and screen size, Gateway's MP3 Photo Jukebox (3.8 by 2.3 by 0.7 inches; 3.4 ounces; 1.6-inch screen) is almost indistinguishable from Apple's iPod Mini (3.6 by 2.0 by 0.5 inches; 3.6 ounces; 1.6-inch screen). We'd like a bigger display on the MP3 Photo Jukebox, as any kind of fine picture detail is just about impossible to make out at the Gateway's 128x128 resolution; it's like looking at a thumbnail of your digital photo. We still enjoyed viewing pictures on it, especially while we were trapped on a plane. The MP3 Photo Jukebox is noticeably lightweight, and its curved silver body is attractive. However, we noted that the plastic shell feels a bit fragile.
While the four-way thumb-control button on the Photo Jukebox isn't nearly as elegant as an iPod Mini's Click Wheel, we found it just about as painless to use. Around the big thumb button (which navigates all your menus, launches your songs or playlists, and selects your pictures to display) is the usual collection of buttons: fast-forward/skip, reverse/skip, and play/pause, the last of which also powers up the unit. Additionally, there's a fourth button that launches the menus available for whatever section of the interface you're in. The volume control is on the right side of the unit, while the Hold switch and the headphone jack are on top. We found all the buttons quite easy to use with one hand.
Another nice touch is the removable battery, which has a rated life span of 8 hours. An extra battery will cost you $30. The Photo Jukebox comes with a soft faux-suede pouch, but if you want the belt/armband clip, you'll have to pony up $20 to purchase it.
As far as features go, the MP3 Photo Jukebox is a lot like the iPod Photo: neither has much to offer besides digital audio and photo playback. Although we enjoy being able to listen to music while browsing our pictures, it's a shame that you can't create photo slide shows on the device itself. We had to arrange photos into folders on our system, then copy them to the MP3 Photo Jukebox to get the slide shows that we wanted.
The MP3 Photo Jukebox doesn't require drivers to interface with a computer, so it's a good candidate for keeping files with you on the go. You'll want to take the USB cable on trips because it's the only way to use the 120V charger; it plugs into the USB cable, not the player itself. You could also carry extra batteries, as it's easy to swap in a fresh one.
If you plan on saving files from your camera, you'll need the MP3 Photo Jukebox's second USB cable to connect with the camera's USB cord. Don't fret if your camera isn't compatible; just pack a USB media-card adapter and plug it into the USB dongle.
The MP3 Photo Jukebox is fully compatible with Windows Media Player (WMP) 10.0. It will autosync audio content with your WMP 10.0 library but not photos. In addition, the portable requires WMP 10.0 to play DRM-protected WMA files purchased online.
If you don't have WMP 10.0 loaded, you can manually drag MP3s or unprotected WMA files onto the Music folder inside the MP3 Photo Jukebox when it's connected to your computer. Use the same procedure for photos, unless you're uploading them from a camera. Finally, the Jukebox is compatible with subscription-based downloads and comes with one month of Napster To Go service right out of the box.
There is a software install CD in the box with the Gateway, but it's more a utility than a necessity. It can help load firmware updates, attempt to recover a lost music library on the portable's hard drive, or format the hard drive in the portable.
Our biggest complaint with Gateway's MP3 Photo Jukebox arose when we tried out the various preset EQ settings; instead of enhancing the audio, they left it sounding overprocessed and weak. Perhaps it's a matter of taste, but listening to the EQ set to flat sounded the best for our mixture of punk, Johnny Cash, sundry pop hits, and Sinatra.Our only other problem surfaced nearly every time we connected the MP3 Photo Jukebox to our test bed. Almost invariably, the screen read "busy" long after any files had been transferred to the portable and it should have been safe to disconnect. It's a minor problem (we just waited until Windows or WMP was done copying files before we yanked the cable), but we'd like to see it go away.
As we mentioned earlier, a larger screen would be an excellent addition to the MP3 Photo Jukebox, even at the cost of moving up to a larger case. That said, we were surprised at how well received the tiny 1.6-inch screen was when we passed around the unit. We were also surprised at how fast the JPEG files from our 5-megapixel camera loaded up onscreen.
The removable battery lasted an average of 8 hours, right in line with Gateway's rating but certainly below our standards for good battery life. Transfer times over USB 2.0 were speedy, at about 2.5MB per second.
User opinions
Select a User Opinion to view: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21out of 21 user reviews
Overall Opinion
Pros: Inexpensive MP3 Player
Cons: No accessories available
out of 21 user reviews
Deffently think twice before buying this product ! Please READ !
Pros: It worked for a little while. Ear buds are nice.
Cons: Only works with WMP10. A lot of times will not let me safely disconect from PC(saying its still connected to PC program). Feels very cheaply made. Color screen is quite useless.
P.S. It turns itself off every time you barely shake it/kind of like the first CD players did about ten years ago.
out of 21 user reviews
Great little Ipod killer for the price!!
Pros: 1. Light weight 2. Color Screen 3. Setup was very easy 4. Nice looking color screen 5. At 199.99 shipped this can't be beat!! 6. Very easy to move photos from camera to Photo Jukebox 7. Works w/ nap!
Cons: The only con I would have to say would be ear buds and that is about all.
out of 21 user reviews
made by creative!
Pros: just a all around good player
Cons: nothing i have found yet
out of 21 user reviews
good color player
Pros: good around mp3 player
Cons: the arrow pad sticks
out of 21 user reviews
got it today!wonderful jukebox
Pros: Installation was a snap.Uploading pics was a snap.Loading songs was a snap. Earbuds always suck,so I put on my Sennheisers and the sound is terrific.EQ settings abound.Good bass. Lightweight.Looks cool.I opted for the armband/belt clip purchase,which shou
Cons:
out of 21 user reviews
Hard drive failure, too slow with Naps
Pros: Great to have my Napster playlist available in the car.
Cons: The hard drive failed on my first machine. The battery life is really short - like 4 hours. Fully loaded with Napster subscription songs, it slows to a crawl.
out of 21 user reviews
Nice, but not an iPod killer...
Pros: Has alot of features, color screen, same price as iPod mini but with a color screen...
Cons: Doesn't have the brand recognition of an iPod. Design is a bit clunky. Gateway branding is a turn off for some.
out of 21 user reviews
Better than the ipod photo...
Pros: awsome, awsome.... the words i can use will be to little of how good this mp3 player is..... omg... nasty all around
Cons: 4 GB needs to be more than 15 gb
out of 21 user reviews
Must have for those constantly on the run.
Pros: Color screen, small and light weight, photo capable, easy to use, able to hook directly to a digital camera, ready with Napster: To Go, sleek design and good look, good audio quality, and Play for Sure compatible
Cons: programs hard to use on the computer, not for a beginning computer person, not as many features as the iPod (but almost there)
out of 21 user reviews
When it works it's great
Pros: Simple interface, easy to use, great color screen
Cons: Songs are slow to start. Had my unit for only 6 days before the hard drive died. It began to read HDD failed to init. Six days...give me a break. I called support and they quickly said they would ship out a new unit to arrive on 01/03/05. I hope I do not
out of 21 user reviews
Great MP3 Player, nice color screen
Pros: Screen, easily syncs with windows media 10, nice attractive design, great interface, arrived before xmas,
Cons: battery life is only 8 hrs but you can buy an additional battery. Buy a good pair of earphones
out of 21 user reviews
gfhbf
Pros: is best ting i eva ound maan! buy one now! betta thn an ipod and betta thn an ipod! also tis product is betta thn an ipod!
Cons:
out of 21 user reviews
... Just OK
Pros: Color Screen, autosync, small size. Nice screen but they dont take advantage of the screen and make everything scroll. It is small and lite !!
Cons: lack of features, bad use of screen space. You can not even see the entire name of the song, album, artist or anything, it is scrolling. Only song name is displayed when playing. you can not resume play where you left off you must restart the playlist
out of 21 user reviews
its colored =)
Pros: its colored and its lighter than mini ipod. it has windows media player.. and cool design
Cons: still a bit begger than mini ipod
out of 21 user reviews
Grat Screen and Features for the $$$
Pros: Great sound, color and size.
Cons: No support for iTunes, and can not play back Media Player files converted in bit rate. AND gateway tech support--The worst!
out of 21 user reviews
ipod is OUT
Pros: color viewer and pics. Windows media player 10, napster for a month , looks way better. 4G is plenty.
Cons: A little tough at first to navigate but once you get there it is way cool.
out of 21 user reviews
just as good if not better than the ipod
Pros: very sleek, light, and easy to use, has organization down....only takes a few minute to get it up and running, actually has 4 GB of space like advertised
Cons: headphones are cheap, i recommend some sony ones........the defaults dont get bass very well...thought not a problem for me, you must have winxp SP1 to use with your pc...
out of 21 user reviews
Better than ipod mini
Pros: Beautiful sleek design with a 1.6 inch color display also has removeable battery, napster to go and charges in just 3 hours for 8-10 hours of music in your palm.
Cons: Insted of 5GB it only has 4GB and the battery does'nt last very long.
out of 21 user reviews
Photo+Music at a very attractive price
Pros: Photo capability and excellent price. Much improved user interface
Cons: smallish color screen
out of 21 user reviews
great christmas buy
Pros: color screen w/ photo capability, Removable Battery, USB Host Support(camera connection),plays for Sure Compatible, less than 3.5 oz and napter to go ready
Cons: it is not apple ipod compatable
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