D-Link DMP 100

This
is a relatively low-cost hardware MP3 player with a neat set of features. It
comes with 32 MB memory, which can be upgraded to 64 MB. Controls are easy to
figure out and can be learnt easily. In addition to playing MP3 files, you can
use it for voice recording. You can also use it for data storage–store any
type of file and carry it around with you.

Loading MP3 files is simple and the sound quality is very
good. It has all the conventional buttons like play, pause, stop, fast-forward,
rewind, volume control, etc. The overall placement of buttons makes them
conveniently accessible.

The quality of recording is also good. You can easily switch
between MP3 and voice files. Voice files can also be transferred to your PC and
saved as WAV files. You’ll have to install a Voice Driver–that comes with
the player–to replay these files.

A 10-minute file took up 2.4 MB of space in the player, and
took around 20 seconds to get transferred to the PC. You can store two hours of
voice on 32 MB memory, and more than one hour of MP3 music.

It has its own proprietary port for transferring data, and
uses the LPT port on the computer. Its communication software is similar to
Windows Explorer, so all you need to do is drag-n-drop files to and from the
player.

One hitch we found was that for the software to communicate
with the PC, the player needs to be awake, else you’ll get an error message.
And it goes to sleep pretty fast!

The player runs on two 1.5 V (AAA) batteries. One drawback is
that it doesn’t have a backlit display, unlike others in the market. However,
at Rs 9,800, it does come at an enticing price.