eGo MP3 player rocks!
Dec 16 '00
The eGo MP3 player rocks! For performance, flexibility, upgrade ability and value, the eGo can't be beat.
WHAT IS IT?
The eGo is a digital MP3 player that is equally at home in your hand or in your car. It is about the size and shape of a radar detector, and is available in 3 colors (clear, black or -- my choice -- translucent blue).
PERFORMANCE
My MP3s sound great when played through the eGo. I've used it with headphones and through the car cassette adapter. Hint: When using the car adapter, be sure to set the volume on the eGo to 10, and then use your car radio's volume control to adjust. If you set the volume too high on the eGo (which I did initially), you'll find the sound quality is very poor.
The eGo also includes an integrated speaker, which sounds about like what you would expect for a tiny built-in speaker. However, this is a nice touch when you want to share some music with someone and don't have external speakers handy.
FLEXIBILITY
This is one of the eGo's strong points. Like most MP3 players available today, it will accept standard CF (compact flash) cards of varying sizes. Standard configurations are 32MB, 64MB and 96MB.
You'll find 64MB is what the competition typically offers, and they'll claim up to two hours of music with that amount of storage. I "rip" my MP3s at 128Kbps (near CD quality) variable bit rate, and the average size is about 4MB per song. Do the math: you'll only fit 16 songs or about an hour of music at this rate. Of course, you can lower the bit rate and fit more, but then the quality of your music will suffer.
The eGo, however, has slots for *two* CF cards. Even better, it will accept the IBM Microdrive, which is available in either 340MB or 1GB versions. Now we're talking some serious storage. I fit about 80 songs on one 340MB drive. Imagine what you could do with two of the 1GB drives! I'm not aware of any other MP3 player that accepts the Microdrive. Yes, you'll pay for this luxury (more on prices later), but it sure is great.
BATTERY LIFE
The manufacturer claims about 4 hours of battery life when you're using CF cards (depending on battery type). However, you'll get the best results with hard-to-find Lithium batteries: about 8 hours. If you're going to frequently use the eGo on batteries, a nice choice is rechargeable NiMH batteries (available at Radio Shack, for example).
Battery life with the Microdrive is a whole other story. I get about an hour with standard Alkaline batteries and my 340MB drive. I understand the 1GB drive performs better, and you should get about 2 hours with Alkaline batteries. I haven't had a chance to try out my 1GB drive yet. Hint: If you order an eGo, tell them up front that you want support for the 1GB Microdrive (not all units ship with support for this drive). Better safe than sorry.
CAR AUDIO
My favorite place to use my eGo is in the car. The unit shipped with a car power adapter and cassette adapter. Just connect it to a cigarette lighter, pop the cassette adapter into the radio, and start playing MP3s through your car's audio system. I was pleasantly surprised by the sound quality. It may be my imagination, but I think MP3s play even louder than my CDs.
The eGo also shipped with a direct power adapter to install a "permanent" power source, rather than having to use the cigarette adapter. If you're going this route, you'll also want to explore installing an FM Modulator. Note: you'll *have* to go this route if your car system doesn't have a tape player (not unusual these days) or an auxiliary input. The recommended FM Modulator will cost you about $70. However, I also saw a $20 device at Best Buy that apparently serves the same function.
A nice thing about using the eGo in the car is its small size. You can mount to your windshield with the included suction cups, but this might not always be practical. I've found that the eGo also fits nicely in one of the cup holders. ;-)
UPGRADEABILITY
We've already discussed the two CF slots, which will accept larger storage devices as they become available. Additionally, the eGo firmware is easily upgradeable via software. The eGo also includes a real operating system meaning other applications can expand the unit's features. For example, included software lets you customize audio programming -- such as news, weather and even e-mail -- for listening while on the road.
PRICING
The eGo is very competitively priced. At the time of this posting, prices were:
* eGo with no included memory: $99
* with 64MB: $169
* with 340MB: $399 (less than the cost of a Microdrive alone!)
Most other MP3 players I've seen are in the $199+ range for 64MB.
As you can see, the eGo is an excellent value.
COMPETITION
Like any new technology, MP3 players continue to advance. The upgradeability of the eGo makes me think I have some longevity with this device. At this time, the most serious competition is coming from the Nomad Jukebox. The Nomad, about the size and shape of a portable CD player, has a 6GB hard drive and costs about $430. I think the main drawback with the Nomad is its lack of upgradeability (you'll always be stuck at 6GB) and larger physical size. With the eGo, you can start with a cheaper configuration and add memory later. I already had some Microdrives, so going with the eGo was a no-brainer. However, if you're thinking of getting the eGo with a Microdrive, you should also think hard about the NOMAD.
The other drawback with the eGo is lack of support in popular MP3 software players, such as Realjukebox (which I use). You'll find support included for more popular products such as the Rio and the Lyra. This makes it easier to add songs to your device. There are other ways to do this (such as the software that ships with the eGo), but it would be more convenient if I could do it more easily from within Realjukebox.
CUSTOMER SERVICE
I also had a great experience purchasing my eGo (through Yahoo!). I received immediate confirmation of my purchase and was told it would ship within 5 days, and then received an e-mail stating the same information. A few hours later I received an e-mail from i2Go stating they would try to ship my eGo out that day. A little later, another e-mail indicating it DID ship out (tracking info included). Even better, they upgraded me to "next day" at no extra charge.
The i2Go web site also includes a nice online community, where people can exchange messages about the hardware and software. The i2Go staff seems to be very responsive.
All-in-all, I've been very pleased with my purchase and would definitely recommend it to others.
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Epinions.com ID:
hherbzilla
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Location: Raleigh, NC
Reviews written: 3
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