December 24th, 2007Review ibiza Rhapsody MP3 (30GB)
Category: Hard Drive Player
Battery life: 10
Audio formats: MP3, WMA, AAC, WAV, WMA (secure)
Works with: Hard Drive 3 RealRhapsody, RealPlayer
Storage Capacity: 30 GB
Storage Type: Hard Drive
Weight: 5 oz
Review
Home piece of equipment and electronics manufacturer Haier America is positively not the first company to come to mind when thinking about MP3 players and portable media, but there’s nothing wrong with a little fresh blood in the market. In fact, a newcomer can bring certain freshness for consumers–Haier does so with the 30GB ibiza Rhapsody (our review model). It’s a jack-of-all-trades media player that encompasses rising wireless technologies, counting Wi-Fi music downloading and stereo audio streaming via A2DP Bluetooth. The device, which sells for a none-to-cheap and is obtainable in a assortment of colors (black, blue, pink, gray, or white), handle its multitude of features astonishingly well, but not everyone will be happy with its standard looks, lack of audio-enhancement options, and subpar rated battery life.
bearing in mind the lack of choice in this category at the moment, we’re stoked that Haier is offering the ibiza Rhapsody in a hard-drive model (flash versions with either 4GB or 8GB are also available). At 4.1 inch by 2.4 inch by 0.5 inch, the device isn’t overly bulky–an in particular inspiring trait given the built-in wireless antennae (Wi-Fi and Bluetooth). Plus, it has a nice, substantial experience to it, with plenty of tactile controls toward harmonize the square touchpad on the front. The touchpad–which is surrounded by Play/Pause, Track Shuttle, and Back buttons–is responsive and can be clicked in the core to make selections. A dedicated Volume toggle and a Power key are imbedded into the right spine; the latter can be a bit difficult to press as it rests flush with the edge. The top side of the actor contains the normal 3.5mm headphone jack, a Hold switch, and the attach input which allows you to activate the Wi-Fi by means of one press. Oddly, the bottom border of the Ibiza houses both a standard mini USB port and a proprietary dock connector. The former handle syncing and charging, so we assume the latter is meant to provide somewhere to stay future dock trimmings.
The Wi-Fi antenna juts about 1/16th of an inch out of the back of the player, so it’s beautiful low-profile.
The ibiza’s QVGA screen isn’t the largest we’ve seen, but at 2.5 inches, it competes directly with the iPod Classic. However, the ibiza’s resolution is only half as good at 320×240 pixels. The boundary in all-purpose is evocative of the iPod’s, because of its blue-white tinge and simple, hierarchical society. The main menu includes direct relations to Rhapsody Channels and the Rhapsody catalog, which is handy for subscribers. Also helpful is the look for field that shows up along the top of the screen once you look into down into artist, albums, and songs. And we’re eager on the way the Ibiza handles album art: There’s a full-screen, faded-out image behind the thumbnail on the main playback screen. It’s a cool effect.
If you’re listening to Rhapsody Channels, you can click the center of the control pad to save the currently playing track to the player.
Now, the overall design of the ibiza Rhapsody is fine, though nothing shockingly new or stylish. However, the array and implementation of features is truly arresting. There’s support for MP3, WMA (DRM 10 included), WAV, AAC audio and MPEG4, WMV, M4V, AVI, H.264, and MPG video. (PNG and JPEG are the supported photo formats). You get an FM radio with RDS and integrated podcast support–with a separate menu selection and the ability to update podcasts on the go from any Wi-Fi hot spot. Much like the Sansa Connect does with Yahoo, the ibiza can access the Rhapsody catalog and Channels from anywhere with wireless access (if you have a subscription: a 30-day trial is provided).
Our ibiza came with the player, a basic silicone skin, some V-Moda-esque earbuds, a USB cable, and a power adapter.
As yet another added bonus, the ibiza lets you access video on the go through AOL Video–for free. (Some videos offer better results than others.) The ibiza has the useful ability to set and save wireless keys as well as get past terms and conditions pages for public hot spots. You can even pull in content through Wi-Fi while simultaneously streaming it out to a Bluetooth speaker, though I noticed hiccups in the connection during testing–unsurprisingly, the two antennae appear to compete with each other at intervals. Additional features include an airplane mode that shuts off all wireless, and the ability to download new themes (called Airskins) for the player on the fly–and they are sweet (images to come). There’s even a basic Web browser, though entering in new addresses is time consuming. In short, there appears to be little this player can’t do–except allow you to tweak your music. Unfortunately, the ibiza doesn’t include any EQ settings, which may be a deal breaker for some.
The ibiza Rhapsody is an impressive performer in some respects, but not in others. The processor is definitely up to the task; we were able to download Airskins while listening to our music uninterrupted. And we got the same result while browsing Web pages and the AOL Video library. At no point did we experience any crashing. However, the player’s rated battery life of just 10 hours for audio is pretty appalling.
Using a pair of Shure SE310s, we found that audio quality was neither stellar nor subpar. The low-end response is nice and tight in bass-heavy tracks, but is tough to detect where it is more subtle. High-end clarity is definitely acceptable and the mids are well-represented, but music is not as quite as rich or encompassing as we like. We’d give audio quality a solid “good” rating, nothing more or less. Video quality is solid, as well. The screen offers good viewing angles from side to side and nice color saturation.
