The Toshiba Gigabeat MEG-F40S digital audio player combines a cool design with a great 40GB of storage space. But, this player gives you a whole new twist on music listening.
The screen on this model makes it a real rival to Apple players; it’s a high quality color LCD screen (with 264,000 colors). This Toshiba looks great too and it comes in a funky champagne aluminum.
This player gives you the chance to put around 10,000 songs in your pocket in MP3, WMA or WAV audio file formats. Battery life here averages at around 16 hours. Toshiba has a world class reputation in the hard drive sector and their expertise is put to excellent use here.
The Gigabeat range has also been designed for simple and intuitive use. You navigate the player via a "plus" button on the front of the player which is extremely touch sensitive. It won’t take you long at all to learn how to use the player and make the most of your music collection. You are also given 28 selectable equalizers so you really can decide how your music should sound.
One big bonus with this player is the fact that you can also use it as a photo/digital image viewer; the 2.2 QVGA TFT LCD screen really makes this feature work to great effect and you’ll get all the necessary software in the box. This includes the Toshiba Room Management Software package and the CD RipRep package as well. So, you’ll have no problems managing and loading your music.
Standard accessories include:
- Adapter
- USB Cable
- Remote Control Headphones
- Power Supply
- Cradle
- Software
If you do a little comparison shopping on the Internet you’ll be able to pick up a Toshiba Gigabeat MEG-F40S for around $330 or less. Amazon often has good prices on this range.
Pros:
- Design - These are well-designed funky looking players.
- Color - The color screen is high quality and adds life to the player.
- Compatibility - This range is automatically compatible with Windows Media Player 10, Napster To Go (the software comes with the box) and it supports Windows Media PlaysForSure.
- Remote - This Gigabeat model comes with an inline remote control.
- Cradle - Unlike with other players such as the iPod Toshiba throw in the cradle dock with the player; you don’t have to buy it separately.
Cons:
- Color - If you don’t use the picture viewer much then there may be little point paying for a color screen.
- Cost - You may be able to buy a similar type of player with a higher storage capacity for less with many manufacturers.
- Navigation - Some users feel that the navigation system is overly complicated.
Usage Tips and Tricks
You don’t need to use an AC adapter to charge your Gigabeat player. You can charge it by connecting it to the USB port of a computer. So, if you’re on the road and you have a laptop with you, you can use that as a charger instead!