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(More customer reviews)I've been using one of these players for nearly eight years now, starting with the 500Mb player I got in 2002 (which still works, BTW). Over the years I've acquired a couple more; a 1Gb and a 4Gb, and both have worked well for me (with reservations, which I'll get to). I finally managed to kill the 1Gb by dumping a chocolate shake on it (not advised), and I gave the 4Gb to a friend who still uses it.
From this point of view, I'd have to say that they're finally starting to get it together with these little players with this new 8Gb model. While the user interface lever does require a little bit of a learning curve, after using it a few times it becomes second nature, and I can easily perform quite a few functions on the player without even looking at it, just by using the handy little lever. And the software has been updated so that more functions are preformed using just the lever, rather than having to use both lever and button, as on the older models. This makes it handier still.
Speaking of the software, updates also include a much tighter package vis a vis the GUI. A much clearer interface, with artist, title and album scrolling during play. One nice touch is that all of the separate menus have been pared down and combined into one, so there is no more swapping menus to get to what you need. And they got rid of the FM radio, which never worked well and was a huge battery drainer, even with the player turned off.
I find this little device to be especially good for listening to audio books, as it does a great job of remembering where you left off when you shut it down, and it very accurately tracks many different types of file numbering systems. Folders are limited to 99 files per folder, with a virtually limitless number of folders.
And I especially like the fact that it uses regular "AAA" batteries so that, if my rechargables go dead at a bad time, I can pick up a battery on nearly any corner in town that will get me back on my way. Can't do that with proprietary batteries in some devices.
The "earbuds" included in the package are there for padding purposes only (as far as I can tell; they certainly aren't useful as headphones) and should be thrown away with the rest of the packaging debris. Get some decent earbuds or headphones to truly appreciate the tone of this player.
With all of that said, it sounds like I like this little MP3 player, and I do; I'd like to give it five stars. But I can't because of two primary defects that have haunted these devices since the beginning (the interface dificulties suffered by the prior posters are most likely more due to lack of insite among the posters than with defects in the device itself). First (and worst) is the headphone jack. It has been cheaply made and has an awkward location on the side of the body that leaves the phone plug jutting out from the player. After a while the plug being jostled around can cause the solder holding the jack to the circuit board to crack, and the headphones can lose a channel or cease to function altogether. While it's a relatively simple matter to pop the case open and re-solder these joints, not everyone is prepared to do this and most just toss theirs away when this happens.
The 8 Gb model definitely has a much more robust jack than the earlier models did; it holds the headphone securely and gives a clear signal. Even so, I've already had to re solder mine, after having had it for only six months or so. Part of this stems from the fact that I use this player a lot, and use a straight-stemmed headphone plug. A 90-degree angled plug might alleviate some of the stress on the jack. A re-design of the case to add support for the jack could easily be done; another thing that would help would be some kind of belt clip as it can be hard to carry without a shirt pocket.
The second irritation is the battery connection which is poor and can cause the unit to shut down at the slightest touch. This is caused by weak battery springs and too large a battery compartment. By stretching the springs and adding a small pad of adhesive-backed weatherstripping foam to the bottom of the battery compartment, I can now bounce the player off the floor without it skipping a beat. This is a simple fix that the engineers can't seem to be able to figure out, but should have long ago.
So, the bottom line is this: while this has the potential to be a first class mp3 player, you have to be aware of its deficits. As I said, I've had these for many years and they've worked for me, albeit with some fiddling. Wish I could give it five stars, but I'm forced to give it only three...
EDIT: I have, since this review was published, purchased another of these for my wife and was greatly disappointed. Not the same software as in the unit I reviewed, and in fact, there is a media management program on the drive that is a real P.O.S and difficult to get around. In addition, it lasted exactly one month and a day before it lost its programming, and Centon does not provide any sort of support for these things, so no firmware updates or even backup versions of the software are available.
The unit I reviewed was purchased through Comp USA, and the players now available are through another company, so I'm forced to conclude there were different versions sold through different companies. If you can get the Comp USA version, I'd say go for it. Otherwise, don't waste your money.
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