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Dell Digital Jukebox (20gb)

Dell Digital Jukebox ( DJ ) Review Information Reviewer: Chris Leckness Written: October 25, 2003 Overall Rating: 8/10 Where to Buy: With the success of the Dell Axim and its price point many of us, including myself, are very excited to see what Dell could do in the MP3 Player arena. Well, its here and I am not disapointed. This unit is small, attractive, and very well built. I have never owned an iPod, but from what I read, the iPod is a great MP3 player. Apple has been quoted for saying that the Dell Digital Jukebox is going to be a rebranded creative player, which fueled many rumors. I do not know if Dell rebranded another machine or not, but if they did, they did a great job of it. In this review, I will make some comparisons to the iPod, but since I do not own one, I am only using information that I have learned in researching the iPod. Costing $329 for the 20 GB model ( [b]$299[/b] with instant $30 rebate on the 20gb model ) and $249 for the 15 GB model, the Dell DJ costs $100 less than the iPod’s 20 GB model and $50 less than the 10 GB iPod. There are differences between the iPod and the Dell DJ, but I believe the cost outweigh many of them. The Specs Hardware Display LCD 160x140 Resolution Blue EL Back Lighting Storage Media 15 or 20 GB HDD Battery Non-Replaceable embedded lithium-ion polymer DC-in Power 5vdc +/- 5%, 1.5A PC Connection USB 2.0/1.1 Voice Recording Intergrated Microphone Performance Parameters Audio Quality ( Specifications based on a 32-ohm load with 1KHZ tone ) Signal-to-noise Ratio up to 94db Channel Separation up to 65db Frequency Response 20hz - 20khz (line out) 24hz - 20khz (headphones) Harmonic Distortion <0.1% Playtime Up to 16 hours (based on 128kbps MP3 songs with continous playback) Battery Charging DC Power in - Full Charge in 6 Hours USB Charging - Full Charge in 7.5 Hours ( note: battery must have at least 25% charge to use USB charging) These specs are from the preliminary user’s guide. The Box The Dell Digital Jukebox does not come in a fancy box, but it did arrive in a sturdy box with all the components unscathed. The iPod comes in an elaborate box that matches its high scale price. What is in the Box? Dell Digital Jukebox Unit (20GB) Power Supply Leather Case USB 2.0/1.1 Sync Cable Standard Earphones Wired Remote Manuals and Software CD Note: 15 GB Model does not come with Remote and Case.     How big is this thing? Below you will see some pictures of the Dell Digital Jukebox in comparison with some other items such as the Dell Axim and a typical business card. The Dell DJ is solid and feels heavy. This is a comfortable heavy though. The chassis is metal and there are black rubber grips on the sides of the unit. It is very comfortable to hold and like I mentioned earlier, it fits in pockets well. The Dell DJ is just a tad over 7.5 ounces and has a Depth of 0.86 inches. The DJ is 4.1 x 2.7 inches, making it only slightly larger than the iPod. Product Overview The Dell Digital Jukebox (DJ) is a digital music player that can hold thousands of CD-Quality songs. The DJ is a sleek, portable MP3 player that fits perfectly into the palm of your hand. The DJ has superior battery life and sounds very good at all volumes. The Dell DJ will interact with the Dell Music Store (Powered by MusicMatch) to offer thousands of songs that can be downloaded for only .99 cents. Using the latest USB technology (USB 2.0), downloads are super fast. The Dell DJ (20 GB) comes with above average earbud headphones. The software CD contains MusicMatch Jukebox 8.1 and the Dell File Manager. Installation of the software takes minutes and is all automated to make the process easier. Putting music on the Digital Jukebox! “Musicmatch Jukebox software is quite simply the world's best digital music player / CD burner and ripper / music organizer / playlist creator and much more.” The MusicMatch Jukebox software that comes with the Dell DJ is a great piece of software in my opinion. I have been using it for years, well until Windows Media Player 9 came out. You can rip you CDs into MP3s super fast and easy, you can repair your ID3 tags, buy music online, and transfer MP3s and WMA files to you Dell DJ all in this one program. Once you get the hang of this simple program, it is a breeze to add music to your DJ. You can manage 1000’s of songs with the software and then connect the DJ with the provided USB cable and hit sync. BAM.... You have all the songs on your Dell DJ. You can select the Dell DJ from this menu to manipulate the songs and playlists Showing the list of songs that are on my Dell DJ   How do I play music on this thing? There is a users manual for this thing, but I don’t believe it is needed. This unit is strait foward and my 10 year old daughter figured out how to play songs in 3 minutes without any direction. The Dell DJ has a scroll wheel that also serves as the enter button directly in the center of the unit. It controls all the up and down action in the menus and the settings. When the item you want to click on is highlighted, simple click the same scroll wheel to select. You can move through menus to select what songs or playlists you want to listen to using this method. You can sort songs by album, artist, or genre and select songs to play invidually.         Home Music Library List by Album Now Playing         Settings Device Info Song Options   From the main menu, you can view your music library, look at your now playing screen, Set up the Play mode, check out your voice recordings, adjust your settings, and view info on your unit.. When you chose to browse, you can browse by artist, album, song, or genre. When you decide how you want to view songs, you will be presented with other option for the individual song. You can add the song to a selected songs list, you can play it on the spot, view info about the song, and more. If you want to create a playlist on your DJ, simply add the songs you prefer to the selected songs list then select, “Create Playlist”, name it and your have yourself a playlist.( I find it more effecient to create playlists in MusicMatch though) When you select a song or playlist or album to be played, it shows up on the Now Playing Screen. Here you can monitor the progress of the song. Of you are listing to an album or playlist, you can use the FF and RWD buttons to move back and forth through the list of songs. There is also a built-in equalizer that you can turn on or leave off. The EQ has numerous different profiles that you can chose from depending on the type of music that you want to play. There are 10 or so different preset profiles and 1 customizable profile for you to choose from. Sounds The headphone that come with the the Dell DJ are basic earbuds with a fairly crisp sound. At full volume there was little distortion and between 3/4 and 7/8 volume the sound was amazing. The bass response is not super, but hey, how many free headphones have booming bass? Using the DJ with a set of Boston Accoustic Powered PC Speakers really rocked the house. The sound reproduction allowed the high end speakers and their subwoofer really scream. Now I can not wait to get my hands on the optional FM transmitter so I can play all these songs in my booming minivan. Yes, I have more Kenwood and Infinity equipment in my van than the van is worth. WHOA THERE !!! Dell is publishing some bogus battery numbers! They claim that the battery will last 16 hours of continous play. Well, I decided to see if that number would hold true. It did not ! I took the DJ, loaded it up half full of MP3s, charged the battery overnight. Then at 11pm I cued up 1000 songs to play continously with the repeat function. I set the display contrast to 50% and set the volume at 50% (13 out of 25). I plugged in headphones and headed for bed. I woke up the next morning, it was still playing. Great. I estimated that it would cut off at 2-3PM. Starting at about noon (12PM), I started keeping a closer eye on the unit. 3PM past by... 4PM past by... 7PM past by... It was still running and sounded as good as when it started. Dell lied. This thing has been running for 20 hours already. I want my money back. Wait... That is a good thing. Well at 9:37PM the darn thing finally popped up a message that said, “Shutting Down”, followed by a pretty little pixel graphic that says Low Battery. 22 hours and 37 minutes. Not bad! The DellDJsite.com questions answered I have gathered most of the questions that I could find in this sites forums and tried to answer them the best that I could. Will the DJ come in just the one color? Yes. Only one color Will Dell be selling accessories (cases)? Yes. There will be cases available for purchase on Dell’s site. I am also quite sure that there will be a nice assortment of aftermarket cases produced also. Will you be able to somehow plug this into your car's stereo? Yes, A car cassette adapter will be available on Dell’s site also. You can also buy a standard tape adapter from Radio Shack and other retail outlets too. Price? Hard disk size? Availability in Holland? USB 2.0 compatible? Supported file types? All of these are answered in the review. Does the screen have lights? Yes, Backlighting is blue. IEEE 1394 interface (firewire)? Nope. Length of battery life? 14 Hours from Dell. My results are posted in the review. Removable battery? Nope What software is it packaged with? MusicMatch Jukebox Will it have a remote control on the headphones line? Yep FM transmitter Yes as an optional accessory. Case (something similar to iSkin... it looks like the DJ doesn't have 'bumpers') The DJ has rubber bumpers on the sides, but a great case is still a focal point for me. My Dell DJ being used to store some Word and Excel Documents.   Value? Based on the selling price of other MP3 players on the market with similar features, Dell has themselves a definite winner. With the Dell Axim in the Pocket PC arena, Dell made a big splash with their pricing. The MP3 player market is not as drastic. The “overpriced” iPod has a few extra features, but the $100 additional price tag is not worth the features in my own opinion. Other companies like Creative Labs have already set out to try to take a piece of the “BIG APPLE”. With Dell’s reputation and support, this product should sell quite well. I can not speak for Apple, but judging by their recent boost in advertising, they are fearing the DJ. Model Dell Digital Juke Box Apple iPod Creative Jukebox Zen Price $299 $399 $299 Storage Size 20GB HDD 20GB HDD 20GB HDD Use as external HD Yes1 Yes Yes Screen Size 2 in Diag 2 in Diag 2 in Diag Size Depth 0.86 in Height 4.1 in Width 2.7 in Depth 0.62 in Height 4.1 in Width 2.4 in Depth 1.00 in Height 4.4 in Width 3.0 in Weight 7.61 oz 5.6 oz 9.5 oz Battery Life Est. 16 hours Est. 8 hours Est. 14 hours Full Recharge Time Est. 6 Hours Est. 3 Hours Est. 4 Hours File Support MP3,WMA, WAV,IMA AAC,MP3, WAV,AIFF MP3,WAV, WMA USB USB 2.0 Firewire & USB2.0(with cradle) USB 2.0 Audio Recording Built In Yes2 No   1. Dell DJ can be used as an External HD, but files stored on the unit can not be viewed as playable music unless it the files are transfered through supplied software. 2. Must purchase additional hardware. 3. Chart info provided by Creative.com Cnet.com, Apple.com, and Dell provided paperwork. Conclusion Small and beautiful, the Dell Digital Jukebox should be a hit. I fear that many people that have been waiting on the DJ’s release will be a little disappointed in the price. I think that many Dell Axim X5 owners were looking for a DRASTIC price point. Throwing that small detail aside, Dell has done a great job putting together a top notch product. The heavy duty construction and sleek looks may not look as elegant as the iPod, but the features and price will rival the iPod just fine. If you love music and have been researching buying a hard drive based MP3 player, for the price, this one is great. If you are in the mood for certain types of music, create playlists for different moods and you will be able to change tempo as your moods change.     Pros: Price. Can be used as a 20g External HD if you want. Superb Sound. Built in Sound Recording. Cons: No firewire connection. Lack of Mac support. Hard to determine battery level. Overall Score 8/10

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