Compact Media Players.com

The holiday season is upon us, and we are all looking for that perfect gift. How about this year you give them something that they really want, like one of the many MP4 Players out on the market. Now you may be wondering what are MP4 Players, and the answer is simple. These are great hand held devices that take MP3 players to the next level. MP4 Players allow you to not only take music on the go, but movies and TV as well. There is really no end to what we can do in this day and age. This is that perfect gift for anyone on your list.

Although most MP4 Players are made in China, the United States has really grown to love them. Many MP3 players on the market have tried to add video to their list of things they are capable of, however, it usually does not look good. After all, the MP3 Players are made to play music, not so much to watch movies. With MP4 Players you are able to watch movies on the go from a lot of different formats. Actually, most MP4 Players can play files that are MTV, MPV, AMV, and even DMV, however, now-a-days you can even see some that play MPEG-4 files. It really just depends on the type of MP4 Players you choose to get. Make no mistake, however, this is what your family wants for Christmas. One thing that I love about them so much is the fact that they make great gifts for just about anyone. The next time you find yourself waiting with nothing to do, all you have to do is pull out your MP4 Players. Hours of movies and TV shows can be stored right on the MP4 Players. Not only that, whenever you want to change what’s on there, you simple delete the shows that are on it and download new ones. It is really that simple, and most MP4 Players come with everything you need to get started.

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It’s not that the iLuv i199 iPod Speaker System doesn’t work, it simply tries to do too much. The result is a frustrating user experience exacerbated by a clunky remote and unintuitive controls. Sure, it has two programmable alarms that can use your Apple iPod. It can also play MP3s directly off a USB thumb drive. It plays your CDs (including data CDs), too, and it has a radio tuner. The speaker is even Bluetooth-capable. Trying to navigate these features via the remote, however, is a lost cause. That’s because the membrane buttons rarely work, and it is often hard to figure out what button is in charge of a specific function. In short, there are plenty of iPod docks available that are much better, even if they have fewer features.

The iLuv i199 has a striking, polished black contour, but it is probably too bulky to win any design awards. At roughly 15 by 7.8 by 5 inches and with a substantial weight, you’ll need a sturdy bookshelf or a lot of space on your desktop for this one. iLuv also covers the i199 in stickers that are hard to peel off. I sincerely hope that my review unit is an anomaly. If not, be prepared for “sticker shock”—and to use Goo Gone to get rid of it all.

The front face of the i199 has a 5- by 1-inch LCD display with a CD slot below it. This LCD displays the time and date, as well as whatever information it can about the music or radio station you’re listening to. Sometimes this means artist name and song title, other times you get only a track number and countdown clock. Most of the controls are on the top of the device. Open the lid to reveal the iPod dock, USB drive dock, and the BluePin connection (BluePin is the company’s proprietary Bluetooth technology).

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