Review of Samsung TicToc MP3 player

GH Institute

MP3 players

Features

2GB of storage (4GB model available, price to follow). No display. Integrated clip. Accelerometer (motion sensor) built in. Variety of cases and sleeves available

Comments

Good points: This is an endearingly good fun player: tiny, preposterously light and designed to appeal to young women, Samsung says, though we think it's appealing to all. There's one button on the end but thanks to a motion sensor inside it reacts differently according to how it's held. Shake it and it'll find all the slow tracks, or fast ones. Shake again and a voice will name the track. Tip it up one way and pressing the button increases the volume, hold it the other way to lower the volume. Comes in funky colours and patterned cases. The sound quality doesn't match the Sony's but overall, the TicToc is highly delightful.

Drawbacks: Controls can be fiddly.

Rating: 93/100

Price Range: £35 - 40

Stockist: 0800 521652 - http://www.samsung.co.uk

GHI Test Report - November 2010

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Review of Apple iPod Nano MP3 player

Features
8GB of storage for 2,000 songs or 8 hours of video (16GB version available for £138). 2.2-inch LCD screen. FM radio with Live Pause. Video camera. Polished anodised aluminium casing. Free laser engraved message if you buy online from Apple. Battery lasts up to 24 hours between charges. Available in nine colours.
Comments
Good points: This is a great-looking player with a superb user interface and lots of extras. Sound quality is strong, though the supplied headphones aren't the best. Video camera is great for casual recording and has gimmicky extras like film grain or motion blur. The FM radio can pause what's playing and rewind up to 15 minutes. The Genius function lets you choose one track and the software finds other songs in your library that go well with it. Very cool, extraordinarily easy to use and great fun. Compatible with Apple's iTunes music store to download albums and video.
Drawbacks: Distinctly average headphones. Video camera doesn't shoot stills, only video.

Rating: 95/100

Price Range: £106 - 118

Stockist: 0800 048 0408 - http://www.apple.com/uk

GHI Test Report - November 2010
Review of Sony NWZA845B MP3 player

Features
16GB of storage. 2.8-inch OLED screen. FM radio. Digital noise-cancelling. TV out connector to play back video on compatible TV. Battery lasts up to 30 hours between charges.
Comments
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Drawbacks: Lacks the nano's microphone and video camera extras.

Rating: 94/100

Price Range: £139 - 150

Stockist: 08705 111999 - http://www.sony.co.uk

GHI Test Report - November 2010
Review of Samsung TicToc MP3 player

Features
2GB of storage (4GB model available, price to follow). No display. Integrated clip. Accelerometer (motion sensor) built in. Variety of cases and sleeves available
Comments
Good points: This is an endearingly good fun player: tiny, preposterously light and designed to appeal to young women, Samsung says, though we think it's appealing to all. There's one button on the end but thanks to a motion sensor inside it reacts differently according to how it's held. Shake it and it'll find all the slow tracks, or fast ones. Shake again and a voice will name the track. Tip it up one way and pressing the button increases the volume, hold it the other way to lower the volume. Comes in funky colours and patterned cases. The sound quality doesn't match the Sony's but overall, the TicToc is highly delightful.
Drawbacks: Controls can be fiddly.

Rating: 93/100

Price Range: £35 - 40

Stockist: 0800 521652 - http://www.samsung.co.uk

GHI Test Report - November 2010
Review of Apple iPod Shuffle MP3 player

Features
2GB for 1,000 songs (4GB version available for £60). No display. Headphones with playback controls. Integrated clip. Battery lasts up to 10 hours between charges. Available in pink, green, blue, silver and black.
Comments
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Drawbacks: Lack of screen can be disappointing.

Rating: 87/100

Price Range: £43 - 46

Stockist: 0800 048 0408 - http://www.apple.com/uk

GHI Test Report - November 2010
Review of Creative Zen MX MP3 player

Features
16GB of storage, with expandable memory through card slot (8GB version available for £70). 2.5-inch LCD screen. FM radio. Microphone. Alarm function.
Comments
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Rating: 80/100

Price Range: £70 - 80

Stockist: 0800 376 7954 - http://www.uk.store.creative.com

GHI Test Report - November 2010
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Features
8GB expandable memory through card slot. 1-inch LCD screen. FM radio. Microphone. Compatible with PCs, not Macs.
Comments
Good points: Small size but big sound are the stand-out features here. The attached clip means its good for use at the gym or on the move.
Drawbacks: Limited features and lack of full compatibility with Apple Mac computers. Clip could be more substantial. Tiny screen and no video playback.

Rating: 70/100

Price Range: £41 - 120

Stockist: 020 7365 4193 - http://www.sandisk.co.uk

GHI Test Report - November 2010
Review of Apple iPod Touch 8Gb MP3 player

Good Housekeeping Top Scorer
Features
Capacity: 8 Gb (also 16, 32). 2,000 MP3s. Weight 120g. Dimensions H110xW61 xD8mm. Rechargeable batteries. 22h music. Features: photos, video, internet via WiFi, touch screen, organizer, Mac and PC compatible
Comments
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Rating: 91/100

Price Range: £169.99 - 187.99

Stockist: 0800 048 0408 - http://www.apple.com/uk

GHI Test Report - November 2008
Review of Creative Zen 32Gb MP3 player

Features
Capacity: 32 Gb (also 4, 8, 16). 8,000 MP3s/16,000 WMAs. Weight 64g. Dimensions H55xW83xD12mm. Rechargeable batteries. 25h music. Features: photos, video, organizer, radio, SD memory, PC compatible only
Comments
Looks good and amazingly small (like a thick credit card) for the capacity. Good, clear screen. The controls work fine and are easy to use, but aren't inspired. It's possible to add extra memory, but the capacity is huge anyway.

Rating: 80/100

Price Range: £149.99 - 245

Stockist: 0800 376 7954 - http://www.uk.europe.creative.com

GHI Test Report - November 2008
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Features
Capacity: 30 Gb (also 4, 40,160). 7,500 MP3s/15,000 WMAs. Weight 190g. Dimensions H82xW122xD15mm. Rechargeable batteries, 17h music. Features: photos, video, touch screen, internet via WiFi, Mac and PC compatible
Comments
Superb screen and sound make it a great multimedia player - and it uses wireless networking both to access the internet and music from your computer. It's too big and heavy to be a realistic MP3 player: this is really a portable video player. It has a hard disc, rather than flash memory - which may be more fragile.

Rating: 79/100

Price Range: £169.99 - 249.99

Stockist: 0870 609 1263 - http://www.archos.com

GHI Test Report - November 2008