Toshiba Gigabeat S MES30VW
Earlier this year Toshiba America Consumer Products introduced its new line of hard disk drive (HDD) gigabeat digital audio and video players. The new S Series features a 1.8″ HDs (30GB/ 60GB) designed to store audio, video, photos and even recorded television programs. The Gigabeat’s content management is made even simpler with Microsoft’s Windows Mobile-based Portable Media Center software. “Our new S Series gigabeat players offer consumers superb multimedia capabilities and flexibility in an easy to use product that seamlessly integrates a wide variety of media,” said Toshiba. ” With the new S Series consumers now have a multitude of entertainment choices helping them to effortlessly select, download, manage and enjoy their multimedia content from anywhere at anytime.”
Fast-forward to present. How does the Gigabeat fare in the hands of critics? Not bad! Not bad at all! CNET gave it a an excellent rating of 8.7 (out of 10).
They raved about its super compact size and portability, versatility (in supporting a number of media file formats, digicam transfer, and subscription services) and its built-in FM tuner. The completely intuitive device navigation was a big plus. Oh, and yes, its sound performance is a standout.
“You can even take your gigabeat MES60VK to a friend’s house and plug it into thier Xbox360 video game and entertainment system, listening to your favorite tunes as you compete. Xbox360 shows the albums and songs automatically when you connect it and integrates playback control seamlessly inside the Xbox360 console.“
The downside of the Gigabeat S is that it does not record audio or video unlike other portable devices. There is no voice or FM recording, and the two-cable AC adapter is quite cumbersome. Also, as an MTP device, it requires Windows XP. Finally, the battery isn’t as robust as Toshiba had originally suggested.
Still, as far as CNET is concerned the Toshiba Gigabeat S is worth its $299 price tag (for the 30GB unit).
Earlier this year Toshiba America Consumer Products introduced its new line of hard disk drive (HDD) gigabeat digital audio and video players. The new S Series features a 1.8″ HDs (30GB/ 60GB) designed to store audio, video, photos and even recorded television programs. The Gigabeat’s content management is made even simpler with Microsoft’s Windows Mobile-based Portable Media Center software. “Our new S Series gigabeat players offer consumers superb multimedia capabilities and flexibility in an easy to use product that seamlessly integrates a wide variety of media,” said Toshiba. ” With the new S Series consumers now have a multitude of entertainment choices helping them to effortlessly select, download, manage and enjoy their multimedia content from anywhere at anytime.”
Fast-forward to present. How does the Gigabeat fare in the hands of critics? Not bad! Not bad at all! CNET gave it a an excellent rating of 8.7 (out of 10).
They raved about its super compact size and portability, versatility (in supporting a number of media file formats, digicam transfer, and subscription services) and its built-in FM tuner. The completely intuitive device navigation was a big plus. Oh, and yes, its sound performance is a standout.
“You can even take your gigabeat MES60VK to a friend’s house and plug it into thier Xbox360 video game and entertainment system, listening to your favorite tunes as you compete. Xbox360 shows the albums and songs automatically when you connect it and integrates playback control seamlessly inside the Xbox360 console.“
The downside of the Gigabeat S is that it does not record audio or video unlike other portable devices. There is no voice or FM recording, and the two-cable AC adapter is quite cumbersome. Also, as an MTP device, it requires Windows XP. Finally, the battery isn’t as robust as Toshiba had originally suggested.
Still, as far as CNET is concerned the Toshiba Gigabeat S is worth its $299 price tag (for the 30GB unit).
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