Jwin Jx-Mp264 4Gb 1.8 Color Lcd Video Mp3 Player With Fm Radio Top Quality

So I didn't have very high expectations when I ordered my jWIN Jx-Mp264 4GB for about $25 (J&R via Amazon.com); at least it had decent storage size and Mac compatibility, which is increasingly harder to find in non-iPod mp3 players. I didn't need the player for video - really, watching anything other than the song info on the nicely clear but small screen would be enough to send me back to the eye doctor for another exam.

For basic - really basic - needs, the jWIN Jx-Mp264 4GB mostly delivers. The unit is fairly small - about the size of the first generation iPod nano - and nicely finished with a silver metal back and simple glossy black plastic front. It feels solid enough in the hand, too. Controls are an on-off switch on top, and on the front a vertical slide for function and volume selection, with right and left touch arrows for advancing tracks. Sound quality is very good for the price, with several equalization options. Battery life on a full charge is above average. Display is crisp and bright, with nice color.

That's the good. The bad is that there are no menu options for artist, album, playlists - the "Functions 101" of a good mp3 player. My 2GB cheapo Cobys have those options, which are no brainers to include for logical media navigation. The jWIN's tracks must be selected by forwarding through every one of them - not fun if all 4GBs are loaded with hundreds of tunes. The touch controls are quite sensitive and easy to jostle, but the center slider also locks within seconds and requires a swipe to free it. There are no options for changing the sensitivity, either, which would have been welcome. A first grade-level user's manual comes on a small CD-ROM; don't expect detailed help from it.

Again, by not expecting a whole lot of much from it, the jWIN Jx-Mp264 is a good sounding, acceptable but not stellar player. The lack of basic music navigation controls is a serious bummer (since jWIN's Web site doesn't even list this player at all, I don't hold out hope of a firmware upgrade to correct that glaring oversight). I just let the player go along like one mega playlist or very patiently scroll through the songs until I find the artist or tune I want. For the paltry amount that I paid for the jWIN, I can live with it - it sure beat shelling out another $100 for a similar Apple product. With better navigation, though, this jWIN would have been a budget-class winner, hands down.Get more detail about Jwin Jx-Mp264 4Gb 1.8 Color Lcd Video Mp3 Player With Fm Radio.