Coby MP-C582 (1GB, black)

Summary: I LOVE my Coby player! It's super small and fits in a pocket with ease, though it has a built-in clip to attatch to pants, sleeves, lappeles, backpacks, and ...

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Summary: I LOVE my Coby player! It's super small and fits in a pocket with ease, though it has a built-in clip to attatch to pants, sleeves, lappeles, backpacks, and more! 1GB size holds the full 250 songs depending on your compression rate. The headphones that come with it fit well and sound pretty good. Definetely a great player for walking, casual use, or kids. The battery charges with an included usb adapter jack and lasts me 6+ hours.

This layer is NOT for music buffs who need to see whats playing. There is NO screen and it's only 1GB. There is a switch that toggles between standard and shuffle playback, but the standard playback has a mind of its own when choosing the 'standard' order, so I leave mine on shuffle.

There are also only 3 face buttons; >|| is play/pause, and will power unit on or off if held for 5 seconds; + will go to the next track, and increase volume if held; - will to to the previous track, and decrease volume if held. Because of this duality with the +/- buttons, THERE IS NO OPTION TO REWIND OR FASTFORWARD.

The only real problem I have with the unit is the durability. It's cheap for a reason, and is made from a very lightweight plastic that probably wont hold up well to impact (I'm not about to test mine). Also, the face buttons are on one side of the clip while the drive and battery are on the other. So if you have it clipped to your belt, then your headphone wire catches on something and the clip rips in half, the unit is destroyed, unlike on an iPod shuffle or newer Coby player, where the clip is simply cosmetic.

Another thing that strikes me as strange, sometimes I will get limited audio out of the left earbud, and can correct the problem by opening and closing the clip a few times. Probably a faulty wiring connection inside the unit, but it really doesn't bother me much.

This player is great for a Back-to-School gift for all ages. Only $20, so if a small child breaks it, you're not out the $50 it would cost to buy an iPod shuffle. I use it everyday walking between classes on my college campus. It's also great for working out or taking to the gym. Since it's so cheap, having it ruined from perspiration or getting stolen isn't that big of a deal. Also beats lugging around a huge hard-drive based player

Perfect synch with Windows media PlayForSure, and is just as easy to use by clicking and dragging. NOTE: Will NOT play any AACs or MP4s, so will not work with iTunes. Also will not play any DRM tracks AT ALL.

All in all, a great little player for simple everyday use, great gift, HIGHLY reccomended!

Updated on Aug 28, 2008

In response to the other user's review, the Hold switch is actually on the same side as the SHUFFLE?STANDARD switch. There is a picture of a little padlock, and if the switch is pressed toward the lock, the unit it locked up. This locks the buttons, and prevents files from being written/erased. The units come locked, so make sure you check it when you buy it.

Also, some of the MP-C582's have a standard 3.5mm jack, while some have a 2.5mm jack. The models that have a 2.5mm jack include 2.5mm headphones, as well as a small 2.5mm-3.5mm adapter if you want to use your own headphones. Mine has a 3.5mm, I guess I lucked out!

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Summary: This is not a full featured player, but if you are looking for something that will do the basic functions in a tiny package, this is it.

The cons: the

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Summary: This is not a full featured player, but if you are looking for something that will do the basic functions in a tiny package, this is it.

The cons: the product description lists "hold to prevent accident key press" but it's not in the user guide, and I havent stumbled on it yet. And, you cant FF or RW within a track, so the only option is to pause. Not a big deal if listening to music, but inconvenient when listening to lengthy podcasts.

The USB adapter in not integrated, inconvenient for traveling, but ok if you will usually charge it in the same place.

User guide says its plays about 5 hours on a charge, which is about what it's doing.

Overall, a nifty little payer for cheap, and not painful if it gets lost.

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