Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I know, you are thinking: How can there be such a disparity of opinions (?) - Some say this was their worse purchase... ever; others love it. For my own part (my own opinion), when you read other comments/reviews - including mine - (1) you should look at the date of the comment, and (2) know the needs or intent of the reviewer.
First, it's obvious Haier had some real issues at the end of 2007 and the beginning of 2008. Any critical comment made in that time period needs to be carefully scrutinized. There have been 'fixes'. I personally ignore any review that is a year old.
Second, if you are not already a Rhapsody fan, You need to think seriously about purchasing a Rbiza Rhapsody - and spending the premium for the Rhaposdy features. Note the word Rhapsody in the name? If you are not a Rhapsody fan or have not heard about it, you owe it to yourself to at least know what you are missing. In my mind, there is iTunes and Rhapsody. There is no contest if you are a PC guy - Rhapsody is a better service (thus my need and intent).
So, yes, I am a Rhapsody fan. Not a power user by any means - I have a job and children, so I don't sit around with ear buds in my head all day. How anyone can conceivibly put 1000+ songs on anything is beyond me (much less 5000+?). If you need or want to load that many - on any device - don't be an idiot and try to do it wirelessly; connect the thing to your computer and drag them... then go to bed. (Is there some status associated with having the most songs on your MP3? Something I don't know about?).
Two features made me spend the money for the 8G version. The obvious one is the wireless link to Rhapsody. The second is the podcast feature. When I workout in the gym (which has WIFI), I hope to listen to my fav podcast while running. Too often I forget to pull them off the desktop and drag them to my old MP3; half the time I don't have the receiver running, so I don't even have the latest versions on the PC.
And, in the event you want to see the device in action before you buy, there are help videos on the Haier site. These are not produced by Steven Speilburg; they are short, to the point and show exactly what the unit does without any marketing noise. I don't know what that says, or if you like that (I do), but, if nothing else, they are 'helpful'. There is also a 74 page user manual that is in PDF format you can download, view, print. The manual does NOT come with the unit. I like that too.
So, down to the brass-tax.
The device seems solid to hold. It's metal and not heavey but substancial. There's obviously a lot of 'stuff' packed into the little box - which maybe bigger than most, but I like that - being over 50 years old, my eyes prefer this size as opposed to something you might loose in your pocket.
Navigation is straight forward. The touchpad is also a clicker. Not being one to read directions, I started out tapping the touchpad to select an item and it wouldn't select. After a few minutes, I figured out you have to Press on the touch pad to select. (duh). Note the help video called short cuts. Like I said before, very helpful.
The manual switches on the outside of the box work. You can turn it on/off; adjust the volume and there's a lock switch to keep accidental fumblings from doing anything unintentional. Nuf Said.
WIRELESS CONNECTION
So, back to the real reason for the purchase. I have a Linksys Router (provided by a cell phone provider - My Land Line goes through the internet). Attached - either directly or wireless - are 5 computers, an eBook reader and a PlayStation 3. I say this because (1) there's a lot of potential traffic going out of my house on the broadband, and (2) something, I'm not sure what, can knock my desktop computer off the network: Probably my wireless phone or cell phone. Or neighbor's? Whatever it is, I'll come home from work and the PC will be off line (a Repair doesn't always work). Your network maybe more reliable and traffic free. Point is, the world is still not a perfect place.
Also, to be considered is the amount of traffic Rhapsody has to deal with. You would think that it's most busy in the evening; not so much in the morning... My experience with the Rhapsody connection has been very good - considering.
For example, I have been listening to a Rhapsody channel since 8:30 this morning and currently it is 10:42 AM. I've not had one hic-up. The battery was fully charged and still has a lot of juice left (if you can believe the little icon). Granted, this time of day, there is no traffic on my home network and presumably the traffic to the Rhapsody site is minimal.
I have a two story house - with 9 foot ceilings and a basement. The router is on the top floor. I can walk anywhere in the house and not lose the connection. When I'm in the basement, I still have 3 Bars (of of 4).
During what I would call high volume times (evening), the stream does skip at times. In the hour of being connect last night, it dropped the signal (or whatever) about 5 times. It reconnects after a short time (less than a minute) and picks up with the next song. So, if you are in the middle of a song you like (streaming to a channel) and it drops the signal, you won't be listening to that song when it comes back. Course, my 16 year old daughter was on her laptop, and my wife was on her laptop, and it was evening, so something just wasn't able to keep up entirely - either my internet connection or Rhapsody - or one of all those components between me and Rhapsody. Still not perfect.
I got the 8G version because (1) I don't watch video on this thing - remember my eye issue, (2) I won't load 5000+ songs on it - remember the status issue and (3) the 30G device has moving parts (a disk drive). I don't like moving parts. They use up more energy (shorter battery life) and there's more that can go wrong. I don't go with the lesser (4G) of anything. That's just who I am. The 8G is JUUUUUSSSSST RIGHT (said Goldielocks).
And, I did not even open the package of ear buds that came with it. I use what I have. If you don't like the ones that come with it, break down and go buy a new pair. You just spend 200+ USD on a box that essentially just plays music, you can go spend a few extra bucks on good buds.
I've not messed with the BlueTooth feature and I'm not sure I ever will. Maybe one day when I get tried of dealing with wires coming out of my ears, and there are BlueTooth earbuds (?), maybe then I'll crack that shell.
One last consideration. I don't know how technically savey you are, but in my case I was already a Rhapody To Go member. I was carefull to do things in a specific order when I first got the device. First, I charged it up - it comes with a wall charger - which I also like.
Then - the order is very important - I got online with Rhapsody on the Desktop. I GOT ONLINE. Then, with the unit off, I hooked up the Ibiza. Then I turned it on.
The desktop Rhapsody software recognized it - listed it in the window pane on the left. I right clicked on the player icon and selected the menu item to Authorize the Player. It did.
I they clicked the button to disconnect the unit; it said I could and I then disconnected the player.
I then, on the device, selected the Settings menu and then Wireless. I setup the device to connect to my home network - which, by the way, you only need do once. Once connected, it checked for updates - which it found. I let the updates download. It then said for the updates to be applied, I had to connect the unit to the wall power outlet - which I did - and it then loaded the update and rebooted itself. (Sometimes, you just don't ask why; you Just Do It).
I then connected to Rhapsody. It did NOT ask me for my User ID. I thought that was a bit strange, but then I recalled I did 'authorize' the device on the PC - it was then that it figured out who I was. It did ask for a Password, which I gave it and it connected without any problems.
I've only connected to Rhapsody from home (so far), but in each case I was NOT asked for the Rhapsody password again... it just connects.
It's now 11:24 AM - almost 3 hours of non-stop, uninterrupted channel listening - wirelessly. The battery indicator now says it's half used up... so, I figure 6 hours of wireless connection. It would last longer if I wasn't connected to Rhapsody real time...
But then, I don't walk around with earbuds stuck in my ears...
Or do I?
Scott
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The ibiza Rhapsody keeps you connected no matter where you go. Boasting PC-free, wireless operation, this compact MP3 player offers 8GB of storage and a "hot button" that instantly connects you to millions of songs, podcasts, and videos. Easy to operate, with simple navigation and selection you can manage with one hand, the Rhapsody is slim, light, and ultra-portable with a long battery life. And its intuitive, user-friendly design helps you fit more fun into your busy life.Stay Connected On the Go Whether you're traveling to work or school, or hanging out at the local coffee shop, take advantage of the Rhapsody's Wi-Fi capability to access the Internet. Browsing is a snap with the easy-to-read 2.5-inch color LCD, and the 320 x 240 resolution lets you enjoy vivid videos and photos. Need to find something right away? The content menus are streamlined and straightforward, so you never have to hunt for what you want to see or hear.Personalize and Share Let your Rhapsody showcase your individual style. Airskins let you automatically personalize your player with styles, graphics, pictures, and colors of your own choosing. Have you found a cool picture or song you can't wait to show off? No problem. The included Rhapsody software quickly loads on your computer so you can transfer your favorite images and songs, making everything easy to share with friends and family. Or you can save data from your PC to the Rhapsody, organize pictures into portable digital photo albums, and enjoy click-and-drag access while you're out and about.Entertainment Anywhere and Everywhere With the Rhapsody, you'll never run out of entertainment options. Instantly tune to a host of your favorite, preset FM radio stations; enjoy free AOL videos on demand; and bring with you nearly 1,000 categorized podcasts, including free up-to-the-minute news and sports. Over-the-air updates mean you'll never miss the newest available information or services.Free Trial to Rhapsody To Go Never run out of new music again. The Rhapsody comes with a free 30-day trial (credit card not required) for Rhapsody To Go, a four-million song library. Play or save your favorites in seconds. You also can listen to free, nonstop Rhapsody channels in any genre, completely free of advertisements. At the end of the trial period, your membership will be automatically canceled, with no cost to you. Or, you can choose to extend your membership and listen to up to 25 new songs a month, or play 25 Rhapsody channels without any monthly fee.What's in the Box Device, headphones, wall charger, CD, and gel skin covering.
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