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We ran a simple setup program to install all of the Pocket Concert's drivers and software applications. The player connects to the PC's USB port for a fast transfer of files, and it is compatible with Windows 98, Windows ME, and Windows 2000. We appreciated the Intel Audio Manager's simple interface for transferring files to the player, as well as the powerful MusicMatch Jukebox Plus software that let us rip music from CDs and create playlists as well as transfer files.
With a sleek, rounded, polished-aluminum body, this lightweight player fit comfortably in our hand or fastened onto our belt or bag with the removable clip. The player's solid-state flash memory makes it completely impervious to shocks and jolts, so it's ideal for using while jogging or working out at the gym.
We had no trouble reading the large, backlit LCD, which shows song titles and playback options, including the status of the unit's two AA batteries. The scroll wheel on the side of the unit made it easy to select tracks and set bookmarks as well as control random and repeat modes, bass, and treble. Simply press the button on the other side of the unit to turn on the built-in FM radio, and then use the scroll wheel to tune to your favorite station or manage the 10 preset stations.
The unit's 128 MB of flash memory storage translates into two to four hours of music, depending on the compression ratio and file type. (The Concert supports both MP3 and the more highly compressed WMA files.) The unit's memory capacity isn't upgradable, but to anyone who's used 64 or 32 MB players, 128 MB will feel like decadent luxury.
The Pocket Concert plays its crystal-clear digital audio through a pair of "neckphone" headphones, which have a dark blue headband that clips over your ears and swings around the back of your head. Though they're considerably bulkier than the ear-bud style headphones found with most MP3 players, we were impressed by the full, rich sound and found the secure fit good for exercising.
Intel got practically everything right with the Pocket Concert Player. A large display and well-designed controls make it a pleasure to use, the neckphone headphones provide excellent sound, and the included software is easy-to-use and powerful. And, most important, they've broken the memory barrier, offering a 128 MB unit for the same price as comparable 64 MB units. --Ken Feinstein
Pros:
Cons:
Special Note: The optional Intel Pocket Concert Audio Accessory Kit comes with two rechargeable NiMH batteries and a docking station for recharging the batteries as well as for hooking the unit up to your stereo system. It also includes a carrying case and car cassette adapter.
The Pocket Concert supports both MP3 and Windows Media Audio (WMA) out of the box, and is firmware-upgradeable to support future digital audio standards. Firmware is the program code within the player that instructs the microprocessor how to interact with the controls and the digital audio files. Upgrading the firmware makes it possible to add new music formats, security protection software, and other operating features that enhance the player.
The player features such functions as equalizer presets, bookmarking, and a large LCD screen that displays title, artist, and track-list information. Jump from track to track, or move forward or backward within a song.
The Pocket Concert comes with software for your desktop PC to help you create, organize, and enjoy your own digital audio library. The Intel Audio Manager quickly and easily transfers audio files from your PC to the Pocket Concert. The Intel Audio Sampler software offers a diverse collection of digital audio files that can be loaded onto your computer. The Plus Version of MusicMatch Jukebox is also included (with upgrade key number), enabling you to rip and encode your personal CD collection for use on the Pocket Concert, as well as to burn CDs with a CD-R drive.
The Pocket Concert is designed for use with alkaline or NiMH (Nickel Metal Hydride) batteries. The use of other battery types is not recommended and may damage the player or cause risk of overheating. When the USB cable is attached to the computer and portable player, either directly or through the optional Audio Stereo Dock, the player will receive power through the USB connection. This power will operate the player but will not recharge the batteries.
The Intel Pocket Concert Audio Player also comes with a belt clip, neckphones, two AAA alkaline batteries, and a USB cable. With the optional Intel Audio Accessory Kit, you can use rechargeable NiMH batteries, which are charged via an Audio Stereo Dock cradle. The accessory kit includes a car cassette adapter and a carrying case.
The flimsy earphone jack has broken on 2 units I have owned - rendering the player completely useless. The sealed case makes repair impossible.
Finally, I dropped it out of my gym locker, and the headphone jack came loose (which seems to be a common issue). Although Intel has discontinued the product, they were quick to offer me a full refund (full refund!). If I hadn't already thrown away the recharging cradle, I would pick up another one in a heartbeat. I haven't yet seen a player that can match it on both features and price. My only serious gripe might be that the power switch has three settings, and it is very hard to switch from HOLD to ON without jumping straight to OFF.
128 megs will store 35-40 songs at average mp3 compression, and up to 65-70 at lowest wma compression. The memory is plenty big unless you're one of those folks who needs more than three hours at a time. There are also new XP drivers on Intel's website. Overall, you should really spend the extra cash to get this baby! It's worth it!
I only use the product while running and it seems that it can't hold up to being jostled around at all. It works for a few runs, but eventually the program freezes. Once you get the "Player error" screen of death, there's no hope and the player has to be returned.
Luckily, Intel has fessed up to the problem and is refunding me in full despite the lag since I purchased it. I just wanted to let any unsuspecting consumers out there know that while it's great if you want to listen while you're sitting still, it's not a product for active users.
I will say that the headphones are slightly uncomfortable, but they are among the best I've ever heard...it was a thrill to listen to my favorite CD-quality songs. And 128MB built-in holds all the music I need for a week of work-outs. I also purchased the accessory kit and love the docking cradle that recharges the batteries and connects the unit to a pair of amplified bookshelf speakers. The cassette adaptor works well in the car.
Bottom line...although it is a fine unit, I would have much rather purchased the more rugged, and less-expensive, RipFlash (PogoProducts.com)player. It has built-in mic and speaker, records voice memos and has a line-in feature so you can record an MP3 file directly from an analog source, etc. You can rip a CD direct with no need to even come near a computer! Easy way to rip CDs and old vinyl records, etc. It comes with 128MB on board with an expansion slot for more memory.
But wait! I've saved the best for last...I just read on Intel's website that they are discontinuing their Pocket Concert line and will provide support for it for just one more year. Nice to know you can really trust the big-name companies to back their product! LOL
Im from little Rock arkansas, and the hillbilly stereotype doesn't apply to my area. The Pocket Concert is the greatest thing since sliced bread. It is plenty loud for plane trips, i dont think it lasts for 10 hours of batttery, more like 7 or 8. It holds plenty of songs, especially on WMA format. The software is easy to use, installation is simple, especially if you have front USB ports...works with all head phones. just install software, plug USB cable to computer and player, and click on intel music manager(mmjb [is not good]-dont use it) find the location of your songs, double click on them, and it sends them to the player in about 4 seconds each. takes 2 AAA batteries, duracell ultra work best. only con- cant change playlist away from a computer. Dont rreally have to read the instructions, its just a brochure with the key code(...).go get it!
Ultimately, this is a very sad product. Technically, it is wonderfully designed with first rate sound. Alas, poor build quality and a customer service department manned by people woefully inadequate for the task, doom this product. Intel is not ready to deal directly with consumers yet.
THE BAD:For [the cost] Intel should fire the people that let this product hit the market with that crap radio. It is garbage, it doesnt work- Here in NYC you can tape a battery to a coat hanger and get a station, but come on- who let this out of the factory? Radio has been around for centuries, how does a major company like Intel in the year 2002 do this to their customers? A basic radio shack...radio kills this thing, they might as well have said that it has a T.V also-yes its their..seee?? Dont charge [high prices] for an MP3 only! Next year they will improve the radio(cause they KNOW its [bad]) and do nothing for those who got dooped-its now seeling for much less-thts probably why-
Also-this thing eats more battery than...I can deal w/ that, but that radio!!
Overall, this is a great little player, and I am very impressed with the size and the weight. If you are not sure if this is the time to buy a player, I might almost wait for Intel to make a few improvements before purchasing (especially to the headphone connection--that should not happen on a new unit). But if you are determined to get one, this is a nice player. I recommend it.
Seeing I constantly add and remove music on the player and don't really store cd collections, I don't really need a HUGE on board memory.
The simple, yet sleek design (though my brother insists it looks like a bar of soap) was another plus.
* A large, powerlit lcd display, complete with scrolling titles, batt. Health, song-progress bar, and the usual `mode' icons (repeat, random etc.)
* 3 front panel buttons: previous track/rewind, next track/fast-forward, and one big PLAY/PAUSE button
* sleek aluminum casing with blue trims..nice:)
* And the usual standard buttons, switches, knobs a player should have such as volume, scroll, mode/enter button...and an additional FM radio button.
* The thing is downright LOUD! My volume is always halfway and its still too loud!
* I think the FM tuner performance depends on which region of the world your in...some people say its decent, some say its horrible, I say it works just fine. 10 presets!
The included headphones are nice, but reading the other reviews and seeing that a lot of people were disappointed with the product because of them, I decided not to let them become a determining factor..seeing that you can easily unplug them and use other headsets!
The included software is decent. Not the greatest, there are a lot of other great third party software, but the included ones work just fine for beginners who wish to just lock and load. However, I recommend you get the updated software and firmware on Intel's site (you will be able to use windows media player to transfer music). Also another useful recommendation is, forget the audio manager that comes with the pocket concert..you can get a better one that comes with the Intel audio player 3000 on their site (although you still can't reorder tracks WITHIN the player). It also supports the pocket concert! The support for this product is great and shouldn't be neglected...make sure your software and firmware is up to date, especially since new audio compressions are constantly being created (MP3pro).
Now, I do have a few gripes about the product. First off, the volume buttons aren't that user friendly. It would have been easier to assign the scroll as the volume. Using your thumb to increase/decrease volume on the side of the player is much easier than using your index fingers on stiff volume buttons on top of the player. Also, the `set/mode' button and scroll/button are sometimes to confusing, I still don't remember what combination of buttons to press to bookmark a track or set the equalizers. The `power on/off/lock knob' is quite tricky to master. Turning it on without locking it at the same time, or unlocking it without turning it off at the same time!
The earphone jacks are fine..although I did experience its unstableness much like many reviewers in the beginning, I realized I simply didn't push it in hard enough! It should go in all the way till you don't see the gold contact anymore..its solid. Also, some reviewers claim that the included software (musicmatch) must be installed and could interfere with existing audio software..well, just simply uninstall it! And your back with your existing apps!
There are some particular files the player won't play. The player will not recognize sample rates of 48KHz at 196, 160, 128 kbps (and a few others). Although, that's the beauty of firmware..we just have to wait till Intel releases one.
Overall, this a a great product considering it's Intel's first stab at a portable digital audio player..I highly recommend it for people who just love listening to music on the go with no worries. Most of the above gripes are minor design flaws and don't really degrade the enjoyment of music to your ears!! GO GET IT!
Dislikes:
-Windows Media tracks (.wma) played with an annoying popping crackle similar to an old vinyl record that had been played too many times.
-MusicMatch software is not the most intuitive.
I have an extensive collection of music in WMA format as I like Windows Media Player for creating CDs from my playlists. When I saw the Intel Pocket Concert supported .wma files, I bought it. Media Player recognized the device and exported my playlists easily, but when playing the wma files on the Pocket Concert, the songs 'crackled and popped' even though they were ripped at the highest bit rate. Intel's Audio Manager software didn't support the transfer of .wma files with digital rights technology so Media Player was my only option for wma transfer to the unit.
I went to Intel's website (they say that wma with digital rights tech. is supported) and upgraded the unit's firmware - but that didn't help with my .wma problem, but did give the unit better Fast Forward/Reverse functionality.
I used the included MusicMatch software to rip my CDs into MP3 format and they sound great. The player does achieve very high volume levels and does have bass and treble control that is adequate. MusicMatch took me a little while to get proficient at transferring my CD tracks to MP3, but I finally got the hang of it.
I do love the way the thing sounds when playing MP3 files, but I cannot reccomend it for wma files. The docking station is handy and I recommend getting the accessory pack. The current $... mail in rebate has brought the price down to a reasonable level for a 128 MB player.
There is only one CON, out of this whole product, and it is this hiss. It isnt loud, but when there is quiet music goin on or no music at all it is there. So I decided to write the Intel people, and give them my beef. Within 1 day I recieved a reply from one of their techinicians. He told me to send in my mp3 to an address he sent me via email, and he will replace it with a fixed, brandnew Pocket Concert via overnight delivery. After one day!
What he told me was there was a glitch in the software installed into the Pocket Concert itself which makes it read the music weird. He will, within days, send me a fixed un glitchified one! It will only cost me an extra $5 (Sending it there). Which isnt a big deal sense I'm in love with this player. So there is a hiss, but easily fixable and passable.
Next I've heard several complaints on how the headphones are uncomfortable. This isnt the case for me either. I'm guessing they put them on pulled to far back, thus putting pressure and/or discomfort on the ears. If "you" just simple place them on the ears without pulling them back, there will be no problems. Put'em on like they r suppossed to be... :-)
The sound quality is as good, if not better than CD quality with 128kbs... and with the extra Treble and Bass boosts, it's the most beautiful thing in the world...
The cost is a tad bit steep, but it is better to spend 300$ on the best available mp3 player than wasting 100$ on an mp3 player which will be about as much quality as a duck...
Get it, and Get it now.
I have used the Pocket Concert almost daily for a couple months now, and I really like it, but yesterday it finally broke. It just started exhibiting the same problem another reviewer mentioned, the headphone plug had to be positioned in just the right way to work. Unfortunately by the end of the day, the jack was actually loose inside the case, and would not work at all. Being adventurous, I thought I might be able to fix it. I bought a precision Philips screwdriver at the local Radio Shack, removed the back, and removed a circuit board. It appears the jack was held in place by (insufficient) glue and solder. I epoxyed the jack back in place, resoldered the four pins back (just reheated the pins. I didn't _add_ solder!), and miraculously it seems to work again. It did reset itself to the original 1.00 firmware, so I had to download the 1.10 firmware again. Once I did that, all the tracks I had stored played just fine.
On the plus side, the Windows software for managing the audio tracks is easy to use. This player can play LOUD. I never need to go over 50% volume. The display is bright and clear, at night and in daylight.
On the minus side, besides the headphone jack problem, there is constant white noise in the background. It is especially noticeable during quiet passages of music. For me it is tolerable, but if they can make portable CD players that don't have noise, you'd think they could make solid-state devices without noise. I have some other minor gripes: Tracks always get added to the end of the list. They cannot be reordered without deleting them all and adding them one at a time again. The FM tuner is virtually useless. It picks up only a handful of stations, and what it picks up is very noisy. I use bookmarking a lot, and I wish it were a one-button click, instead of a click-and-dial-and-click.
So I have used this player a lot, and now I plan to continue using it a lot. If it did not break, I would have given it 4 stars, maybe even 5 since it may be the best of what is available, but for the average consumer, having a ... device break after only two months is unacceptable.
(Note that this experience was the exact opposite of my experience with the SonicBlue Rio. That product was flimsy, the software didn't install, and the player was "DOA", not even able to turn on. The Rio is easily one of the worst electronics products... ever!)
The Intel Pocket Concert is a great product. Put it at the top of your list.
After having a miserable experience with the Rio 800 128 Meg player (completely dead -- and later returned -- after less than a half hour's use), I was on the hunt for a replacement. I had looked at (and dismissed) the Intel previously, but decided to give it a whirl. I wasn't disappointed.
Compared to other similar products, the Pocket Concert is perhaps not as full featured. The Rio 800, for example, has greater depth and breadth to its menu-based configuration system, with various bells and whistles. But those extras (like multiple, canned EQ profiles) are of questionable value anyway.
Where Intel did seem to get it right is with the user interface, and placement of the controls. Unlike the Rio's "fat finger unfriendly" approach, the Intel Pocket Concert has nicely spaced front panel buttons that prevent missteps. And the side-mounted switches, "spin and push" wheel, and volume controls make one-handed operation not only possible, but easy.
The "zero/zero" EQ (treble and bass both zero) seems slanted toward headphone users, where it sounds quite good with the supplied headphones, or others I've tried. When hooked-up to the cassette adapter (from the optional Accessory Kit), however, the EQ is bland, for reasons that aren't clear (perhaps my car audio system is responsible). Either way, most people are going to use this with a headset, and the fidelity, volume, and signal-to-noise ratio are all quite good, living-up to the claims on the box.
Bear in mind that 128 Meg of memory will buy you roughly 2 hours of 128 kbps encoded music (roughly CD quality). To get 4 hours, you'll need to downsample clear to 64 kbps, which has a noticeable impact on audio quality and fidelity, rendering about FM or "worn cassette tape" fidelity. You may want to tinker to see what works best for you and your ears.
While the lack of memory expansion (proprietary or otherwise) is a drawback for some, this unit is strong on plusses to offset that:
1. For a start, it uses standard AAA batteries. If you get the optional Accessory Kit with rechargeables, you can always put in regular batteries if the rechargeables die during your morning jog.
2. The headphones that come with the unit are quite good, with the newer-style, around-the-back-of-the-head design.
3. You have a wide choice of software to load your music... Windows Media Player, Musicmatch Jukebox (included), or Intel's own Audio Manager software all can be used interchangeably.
4. The LCD display is quite readable, with a novel scrolling artist and title feature, along with a blue electroluminescent backlight for nighttime use.
All in all, I love my Pocket Concert. Now if it only looked a little cooler...
Pros:
Good sound quality
Good audio capacity
FM tuner
Long battery life
Internal amplifier
Easy to use
Durable (Still try not to drop it)
Cons:
Neckphones are uncomfortable
Volume control is difficult to use
I recommend buying these items to use with this player:
Headphones (I bought the Nova 71 made by Optimus which is inexpensive and works great)
AAA Nickel Metal Hydride Rechargeable batteries and charger or the Pocket Concert Accessory Kit (the batteries and charger you can find at Radio Shack or on Amazon)
Kazza is a useful program that allows you to download music, videos and a lot more. (In the review guidelines I cannot include URLs) It is free. To get it just go to a search engine and search for kazaa.
I found out these things using the player:
Use the belt clip on you belt NOT on your pockets. The player
will fall if you use it on your pockets.
Keep it in one place. It is easy to loose it (I keep it on my computer).
Pros:
Good sound quality
Good audio capacity
FM tuner
Long battery life
Internal amplifier
Easy to use
Durable (Still try not to drop it)
Cons:
Neckphones are uncomfortable
Volume control is difficult to use
I recommend buying these items to use with this player:
Headphones (I bought the Nova 71 made by Optimus which is inexpensive and works great)
AAA Nickel Metal Hydride Rechargeable batteries and charger or the Pocket Concert Accessory Kit (the batteries and charger you can find (...) on Amazon)
Kazza is a useful program that allows you to download music, videos and a lot more. (In the review guidelines I cannot include URLs) It is free. To get it just go to a search engine and search for kazaa.
I found out these things using the player:
Use the belt clip on you belt NOT on your pockets. The player
will fall if you use it on your pockets.
Keep it in one place. It is easy to loose it (I keep it on my computer).
The Good:
- rock solid construction (the unit is moderately heavier compared to other mp3 players), lots of storage capacity, straight-forward and well-placed controls, +/- 9 step bass/treble controls, automatic backlit screen for night use (turns on when selecting a song from the play list, adjusting play properties, and changing the volume), random playback and loop functions
Bottom Line:
If light hiss in songs is not important (i.e. you commonly listen to mainstream popular music), I'd recommend this system hands-down for the comparatively higher storage capacity and relatively lower price as compared to other MP3 units on the market.
My only complaint is that it doesn't integrate with Windows Media Player. I really don't want to go to a different place to manage my playlists. (And usability of the playlists in MusicMatch is pretty low.)
I do have a couple of gripes. I am not comfortable wearing the headphones. They seem like a nice idea, but at least for me the phones themselves don't go over my ears with much comfort. Hard to explain -- the wrap arounds just catch my ears wrong. Maybe the head unit isn't in the optimum position. I'm a size 8 hat size and the headphones have to wrap around pretty low on my neck.
Another problem I have is the fast forward and reverse features. If you want to jump from one song to the next, they're fine, but scanning through a track is slow and even painful as you hold down the button for what seems like an age. I listen to old time radio dramas on my player, which are 30 minutes per track, so fast scanning can take more than five minutes! I'm left with a nice red arrow imprint on my finger.
In general I'm happy and I think you will be too, but I guess I expect pretty close to perfection after paying almost twice what some other units cost.
Here are my pros and cons: Pros: plenty of memory for hours of music, small size, 1 yr warranty, overall performance
Cons: unable to expand the memory, headphones aren't very comfortable (I'm using another pair I have), FM reception (you won't use this feature once you hear the static).
The pros were definitely more important than any of the cons.
Well, if your computer is running Windows XP don't waste your time--Intel doesn't have drivers for it at this time, and Intel support said they wouldn't until after October 2001. So I got a Roxio 800 instead.
While it's that true that the Intel is louder, the sound quality of the Intel isn't head-and-shoulders above the competition like I've read in other reviews.
The Roxio has a voice recorder, the Intel has an FM tuner. I don't think I'd ever use either. The main difference I noticed is that the Roxio's fast-forward is better--the Intel ff's at 5-sec intervals, playing a bite of the song in between. Very irritating--the Rio behaves like any other ff.
Roxio definitely has the better value, and worked out of the box with Windows XP.
Second, the software that mounts it on your computer is pretty rudimentary, and lacks a lot of the features you see on other cheaper devices software.
(also it is not Mac compatible, which being as it is an Intel product, is unfortunately not very surprising...)
But beyond those quibbles, it is a solid device that has stood up to abuse very well, and its design is well thought out.
Most important if you're buying the Intel is to get the accessory pack. For another $60, it adds some key items like car and stereo connections, a padded case, and rechargeable batteries (which will pay for themselves in just months if you use the player often).
The player itself is great. The four line screen makes it really easy to choose songs and see what is playing. File transfers were also quick and easy. And the 128MB is more than enough memory to hold about two hours of music. It also comes with an FM radio, although I really never use it. On the downside, I'm not crazy about the street style headphones. They're big and cover the entire ear, so when you use them to workout you'll find that it makes your ears hot and sweaty. Fortunately, the earphones are easy and cheap to replace with something more comfortable. Second, once you transfer music to the Intel player, there doesn't appear to be a way to change the order of the songs, so you have to make sure you have it right before you transfer. That seems like it should be an easy improvement for Intel to make in a future release.
Finally, the player could use some better software. It comes with Musicmatch Jukebox, but the outdated 5.0 version. I found it really confusing and hard to use. I finally noticed that a new version of Musicmatch was available online for a free download; it's a big improvement and made life a lot easier, so make sure to upgrade if you buy this player. I would still have prefered to use Real's Jukebox, but Real doesn't offer support for the Intel player (I wonder why?).
I'll make it quick and simple---
PROS:
Small- Not the smallest, but easily fits in my pocket.
Easy installation- I was listening to music off of it in no time at all.
Great sound- I haven't heard that hiss that some users have reported, and the headphones, IMO, have a great sound, although they do take a while to get use to their fit.
Easy/fast transfer- So easy to add/delete files, and it takes almost no time at all (except finding enough songs to fill the ample 128 MB).
FM receiver- Some have said it was horrendous, others good, and I'm putting my vote for good. I live in a not so great radio reception area, and the PC gets about the same reception as my car!
CONS:
Ugly Intel logo- Its not much, but really, its asthetically not the greatest thing. It'd be nice if it had interchangable face plates.
Software- Almost too easy. Can't save playlists, no way to sort files differently (i.e. by artist name, song name) A well trained monkey (even a poorly trained monkey) can use it, which makes it a little too easy.
Other players may have more storage, but they are huge. This is a great combination of price, storage and size.
I was weary of purchasing this, but now, I wouldn't buy anything else!
I've since replaced this with an iPod which *can* be used with Windows, if one downloads the Xplay software. For only [money]more, the iPod has a 10 hour battery life and 5 GB of storage!! This Intel player is now dated and obsolete, especially for the price.
[Old Review]
Strong Points: 128 MB of RAM Good battery life Nice form factor and design Much better headphone amp than average
Weak Points: VERY POOR Radio reception. RAM is non-expandable. Intel Audio Manager does not include file compression capabilities, so your 128 MB doesn't give you as many songs as the equivalent RAM on a Rio if you use Rio Audio Manager's file compression capabilities when transferring to the portable.
I'm very glad I did. The IPC is a superior product, delivering excellent sound quality and portability with fewer hassles than any piece of electronic equipment I've ever owned. I especially like these features:
* full-bodied, rich tone
* wide range of sound levels, from barely-there to ear-blasting
* comfortable, high-quality headphones that don't leak sound
* large built-in memory
* tiny enough to fit into a purse pocket
* supplied Musicmaker software easy to use
* aluminum case sturdier than cheap plastic
The only real quibble I have about the IPC is that its FM reception is abysmal. Purchasers in desperate need of a good FM receiver should look elsewhere.
It's also not easy to find the accessory pack in Canada (even at shops selling the IPC) - and retailers who sell the accessory pack online (including amazon.com, oddly) won't ship it to Canada. Outback.com will ship the accessory pack along with the IPC, but not separately! Lord knows why this is the case, but fill yer boots, there it is. Canadians should either buy the accessory pack separately at Amazon and have it shipped to a US address, or buy the IPC bundled with the pack from an online retailer like outback.com. (The accessory pack includes rechargable batteries and a dock/recharger, as well as a car converter and a carrying case.)
But these are quibbles. The Intel Pocket Concert delivers superior sound (superior to most home stereo units, in my opinion) and a large memory with small size and durability. I highly recommend it.
Enter Intel Pocket Concert. This product fits the bill nearly perfectly. Took me little more than 1 hour to "burn" MP3's from my favorite CD's and transfer them to the Pocket Concert on my 1.5GZ Pentium 4. The software is incredibly easy and intuitive and the USB transfer rate from your computer to your player is astounding.
I even like the headphones despite a number of complaints from other reviewers. I think they sound great and, if your put them on your ears properly, fit snugly against your head for those hard workouts and long runs.
Only complaint is FM reception. It is pretty terrible and makes using the radio feature of Pocket Concert in anything but open areas with strong reception pretty impossible. This is a pretty big dissapointment since FM was a big part of the selling point for me. Seems like it should have been easy for Intel to get good reception since even $14 walkman style radios seem to be able to do it.
Notwithstanding, all in all this is a fantastic product that I'm really pleased with and would recommend it highly to anyone looking for an MP3 player. Just be sure to hang on to your old radio when your tire of listening to your pre-recorded music!
Sound is good, although bass tends to sound a little rough. I suspect that this is as much to do with the mp3 quality as the capabilities of the player. The supplied headphones are reasonable, but again some people may be put off having an "Intel" logo stuck on the side of their heads. I use my own top-of-the-line Sony in-ear type, the same as for my CD player.
The player is functionally very good, with the usual start/stop/pause, FF, rewind controls. Browsing tracks is straightfoward, but only the first 18 characters of each song name are shown, with no way (that I can find) to scroll across the rest of the name. This might be a problem for those people who prefix the name of all their songs with the name of the artist. My only real gripe with the controls is that the volume is on the top of the unit, and is a digital press-button type. There is a 'normal' analogue wheel on the side, but this is for navigating the simple menus. I would have prefered this to be the volume control.
Being a UK user, there are two other minor issues. Firstly the FM tuner, which works well and has both auto and manual tuning mode (including 10 presets), comes configured for the US by default. This means it tunes to odd-number frequencies only. I could therefore get 95.7 and 95.9, but not 95.8. The unit has to be configured by the supplied full-featured Music Match software bundle. Second, there is no rechaging unit available in Europe so we are currently stuck with using two AAA size batteries.
Highs: Function, simplicity, build quality, radio and 128 MB RAM, mp3 and WMA support (both upgradeable), lightweight. Lows: No docking cradle, annoying volume control, no battery recharger, cannot see full title of songs.
I have several songs that were downloaded and they can be successfully transfered to the Pocket Concert Player, but it will skip to the next song in the track list that the Player is "coded" to recognize. Even though MusicMatch will play the song on your computer, it will not play on the Pocket Concert.
After several hours talking with Intel technicians, I learned that the palyer will not recognize songs that were ripped, or recorded at sample rates of 48KHz @ 196, 160, 128 kbps (and a few others). Now, everytime I download a song I make certain it is 128 kbps & 44KHz, since I've never had a problem with this rate (it seems to be a standard rate, however, newer software is increasing the quality of songs that are getting ripped from CDs).
It is not possible to "recode" these songs before transferring to Player. I'll just have to hope Intel releases a firmware upgrade. MM does have a bit rate transfer mode on the "options", but it was unsuccessful in recoding my downloaded songs.
2. The MusicMatch version that comes with the Player is at least 2 editions old - but adequate for ripping CD's.
Be careful when upgrading to a revised version of MusicMatch; I think it was the 6.01 version that the Player would not recognize "ripped" CD's. I believe MM has since upgraded to a later version. If you use the version of MM Intel provided, it will rip and play songs fine.
3. I can store almost 40 songs (128 kbps quality) on my Player - wonderful!
4. The sound quality is as good, or better, than any tape Walkman; I never owned a portable CD player to compare.
5. Get new headphones - the ones that come with the player are a little weak. With my new Headphones, the person on the plane next to me complained that my Player was too loud; volume is fine - could be a little more!
6. The player is small and compact; easily fits in your hand. Great for jogging / walking. I hope my sweaty palms don't hurt the Player.
7. The FM tuner is OK; I'm happy with the reception and quite glad I have this option; 10 pre-sets! It was another important option in my decision.
8. Once you laid out the track list on the software, you can't rearrange the songs; they will play in the order you select from the library.
9.The battery life is fine. It can last at least three plane trips - with room to spare - no problem (The pair that came with the player must have en old).
10. Get rid of your tape Walkman; digital MP3 palyers are awesome!
1. The FM radio only works on even frequencies (eg. 98.0FM) and is therefore useless in the UK, NZ or any other country using even frequency FM (of which there are many many countries)
2. The headphones although great sounding, look stupid (personal opinion)
3. The slider switch that locks the buttons, is also the on/off switch - try unlocking the buttons to skip a track while running without turning the unit off!
4. You can't plug-in a charger without buying the base unit - there is not seperate DC plug.
5. Whiling playing - you have to press the roller dial twice, then role, then press again to select a new track (thats for a track more than one away). This requires you to look at the screen & coordinate. It would be much better to just roll through to another track.
Apart from these wee things (which i hope Intel will fix in a software upgrade where possible) this is a truely fantastic device. Well worth the money.
However, there are a few issues that would prevent me from recommending this. First of all, Intel seems to have a quality control problem. Just like the folks who reviewed it at CNET, the outlet that the headphones plug into on my player broke within in matter of hours of purchasing it - rendering it useless.
Secondly, the MP3 transfer software it comes with has some major flaws. Neither Music Match nor Intel Audio Manager have the ablity to load MP3 files at reduced bit rates. By this I mean being able to load a 256kbs track onto the player as a 96kbs track in order to extend playing time (with most headphones you will not notice the drop in quality). This may not sound like a big deal, but if you have a lot of tunes encoded at high bit rates or want to take your Intel Pocket Concert on vacation you will be needing this feature. Even Sonicblue's terrible transfer software has this feature. Another problem is that Music Match ignores the directory structure of your MP3 collection and lumps all your MP3s into one impossible to manage list. The fact that Music Match is so "popular" is certainly a testiment to the power of advertising.
I would be singing praises of this product if did not break so quickly and have such bad transfer software. Sadly, I have nothing to recommend instead. Some of the micro drive players look very promising, but I have doubts about the durabilty MP3 players with moving parts (keep in mind I have never actually owned a micro drive type player). Perhaps some smaller manufacturer will build what MP3 freaks have wanted for years: A DURABLE player with LOTS of memory and good transfer software.
My biggest problem is that there is only one bookmark for the entire playlist. I use mine almost exclusively for learning languages and I could really use a bookmark for each file. Audiobook lovers will probably find this anoying also. I'm hoping that they can fix this in a (near) future software update.
Also, the belt clip is basically useless. I dropped mine while hiking so many times that now I just always wear cargo shorts and I put the unit in a big pocket. As a side note, it sure can take a lot of abuse.
All in all, I'm very impressed with the Pocket Concert. If I had to get another MP3 player, I would definately consider this one. The overall quality of this unit almost makes up for the fact that it's missing multiple bookmarks. If you don't need the bookmarks, then get it. Especially if you plan on dropping it.
The Pocket Concert is sleek, the headphone are comfortable (wrap around the ears across the neck style or street style) and it's lightweight and Small. With so much space you can put a large variety of songs and the transfer is quick so you aren't spending too much time down loading and filling up 128 megs. A trick to fit more than 30 songs is by getting lower kbps mp3's like 96kbps than 128kbps.
The radio works well, but that depends on your area and the software is a breeze. Some people complain about how 3 megs are taken up by the firmware installed on the mp3 player, but you have 125 megs of mp3 space...
1. The Quick Fix: Purchase a headphone set with a volume control. Play a track on your PC at the PC's second lowest volume setting. Now set your headphone's volume control at a level which reduces the amount of hiss to an acceptable level. (For me, this was the mid-way setting of the headphone's volume control, which reduced the PC's output by half.) That's it. Now just increase your PC's volume's setting to whatever level you like to listen to. The hiss will be drowned out. This method works because, critically, the level of hiss does not vary with the volume setting on the PC.
2. The Slow Fix: Contact Intel's Technical Support Service (telephone number available on Intel's website). Explain that your PC has a hiss problem. Based on my conversations with Intel, it appears that some, but not all, PCs have a manufacturing or design defect that causes a high level of hiss. Although a bit of perseverance may be required, they will send you a replacement. The replacement I received had less hiss, but still enough to justify keeping my headphone's volume control at the mid-way setting.
Using these two methods should result in the elimination of all audible hiss.
Pros:
- Very light, great for working out, outdoor, anything
- Easy to use interface (both PC and player)
- Great sound and volume
- FM radio
- Best value
Cons:
- Cannot upgrade. 128Mb is all you will get
- Radio signal is not good, lots of interference
- Back light comes on any time you press a button. Cannot disable (eats more batteries)
- Interface should allow rearranging tracks
Overall it is a great product that will make users very happy. My suggestion is to sell you walkman and discmans and buy this product right away. This is the only portable audio that you will need for along time
1) Excellent Sound Quality- This player sounds great. Most of my songs are encoded at 64kbs WMA these sound almost as good as cds. When I recorded at 128kbs it sounded just like a cd. Some people mentioned hearing a hiss. I heard no such sound even on a quiet track at the lowest volume.
2) Space- With its 128 megabytes you have space to spare. So far I have loaded on 24 songs and I have just over 50 megabytes left.
3) Controls- Overall its a well laid out player. Buttons are easy to reach and the player can easily be operated with one hand.
4) Features- The bass boost, hold function and random or repeat play are all very usefull.
5) Upgradable Firmware- This is good because you can upgrade your player to play new audio types as they come out.
The Cons
1) The FM tuner is awful.
2) Software- I had many files from cds that I had ripped using Windows Media Player. These files transfered over to Music Match Jukebox but the program would not transfer them to the Intel Pocket Concert. In order to get these files over I had to re-rip the cds using Music Match Jukebox. This was a pain and prevented me from giving the product 5 stars. If you are using MP3 files that you have downloaded over the internet this will not be a problem for you.
3) Compatibility- A few of the songs I had downloaded did not work with the player because of some "digital rights managment" thing. I hope that Intel will release a firmware upgrade to solve this problem.
4) Headphones- You're going to need a new pair!
In conclusion I found that the Intel Pocket Concert was an overall good player. Once you get it to work it works extreamly well. Getting it to work can be a little tricky but it didn't take too long to figure out. If you are looking for an MP3 player, this is the one to get.
PROS:
1. Compact size. This isn't the smallest player on the market and may be a pain to carry in your hand on long runs, but it comes with a belt clip and is light enough to clip to your shorts and not notice it bouncing up and down.
2. Price. Let's face it, the cost/benefit just doesn't get any better. I'm living in Japan and have seen all of the new products by Sony and Panasonic. Sony's NW-E5 (not yet released in the U.S.) Network Walkman has 96MB and the price? ... Sure, the NW-E5 is about 1/3 the size of the Intel PC, but for 25% more memory and a marginally bigger unit, I'll take [$] any day.
3. Functionality. The bass/treble functions are a much better alternative to Sony's "MegaBass" adjustment. The software is also very easy to use especially with the MusicMatch Jukebox. The range on the volume control is wide and able to accomodate the most demanding headbanger.
4. Ergonomics. If you're a righty or lefty this unit fits perfectly in your hand. All of the buttons are accessible and easy to use. No more calisthenics for your fingers - the buttons are perfectly positioned.
5. USB download speed. I'm using a 733MHz P-III, and I was getting about 1MB/5 seconds. That's a full playlist in 10 minutes. Not bad. It takes over 45 minutes to get 96MB onto my Sony NW-E5 because of mandatory conversion to Sony's ATRAC format. Sony, get over yourself, you can't control *everything* in the music industry.
6. Sound quality. Excellent. Crisp highs and deep lows. The hissing noise is negligible. Unless you're a dog with perfect hearing, you can ignore the other comments about an unbearable hissing sound.
CONS:
1. LCD display. The font is a bit hard to read and certainly could have been modernized for the 21st century. Sure, the people at Intel can create the P4 chip, but they can't choose a font to save their lives.
2. Headphones. While the comfort depends on your head shape, the sound quality leaves something to be desired. I also agree with another reviewer, I'm not sure how I feel about wearing around headphones with the Intel logo on the side. "Yo man, those are sweet Intel headphones you're wearing!" As if.
3. USB port. Without a cap/cover, this port is exposed to dust/air. This may be a concern for people intent on keeping this unit around for several years.
4. No rechargeable batteries, no charger. This is where Sony gets it right - they always include these items in their MD/CD/Network Walkman devices. I would have paid the extra [$] for these in order to avoid having to place a separate order. After all the consumer surveying that went into this product, I'm surprised Intel couldn't come up with "rechargeable batteries INCLUDED" in their brainstorming sessions.
5. Only 125MB available memory. Is the advertised memory size ever what you get? Not usually. Intel is no exception. After deleting the 6 songs that came on the unit, I only had 125MB and change. I realize that's only 3MB less than advertised, but that's another song.
6. Silver aluminum casing. While this looks nice now, unless I treat this unit like a 3 month old baby, it isn't going to look this nice in 6 months.
CONCLUSION:
Is any electronics device ever perfect? Not to the opinionated consumer in search of the ultimate perfection. There is always room for improvement. However, unless you want to wait until the year 2020 to buy, this is your best bet for an exhilarating MP3 experience. This is the best portable music device I have ever purchased. Thanks, Intel.
Ok, I was going to bare the noise. But that's until I tried to upload the player up to the rim. After I unpluged the USB and turn the thing on, it says
"PLAYER ERROR Unable to Load Firmware"
Then I was wondering why the hell??!! Then I found out that Intel uses about 2.5meg of space out of the 128 megs to store it's firmware. So the thing here is, you never know when you're going to screw up with this thing, try to fill it up too much may kill it. Plus, there is no re-downloading for the firmware what so ever, even Intel's website doesn't provide you with the backup firmware. So the only thing is I have to return this thing.
I can't believe how people say this thing has good sound quality, the next that after the Intel Pocket Concert crashed, I ordered the Rio 800 128Meg ram, and this new player blows away the Intel in every aspect except for it has a radio, but the Rio has voice recording...and also (multiple)play list making/song deleting in the player, it also includes a casing/charger,NiMH batteries.... and it's also expendable. Oh haha, it's also cheaper than Intels by like 10 bucks. Oh and no hissing. Oh I'am finished :) So there you have it, my short and sweet story on this so called excelent player.
Intel Pocket Concert comes with 128 MB of memory, which provide you with 2 hours of quality music or 4 hours using Windows media files. The memory is not expandable but 2 hours is more than enough. Considering memory prices you are far better of going with Nomad Jukebox if you need something bigger than 128 MB. Pocket Concert is quite easy to use. It took me only 5 minutes to set up everything and start transferring files from my computer. Supplied software, Intel Audio Manager has "real" user friendly type interface. You do not need to scan you hard drive or search for files. It works just like Windows explorer, select the folder from drop-down menu and select files to transfer. Transferring files is quick and painless. It takes an average between 5-10 minutes to transfer 2 hours of music.
I have only been using alkaline batteries with Pocket Concert, on average batteries last between 8-10 hours. Pocket Concert also comes with neckphones and very useful belt clip.
Anyway, if you are in market for MP3 player, Intel pocket Concert is definitely something to consider.
1) Look/handling: I'm not one for flashy looking things, but the Intel unit is a good size and easy to handle. The belt clip is handy (Rio did not have one) but I do miss having a case for it, which I understand I have to purchase separately from Intel.
2) Plug and Play Ability: The set-up and installation of the unit was flawless. I was listening to the unit as soon as I pulled it out of the box (it comes pre-installed with a few mp3s and a walking tour of the unit). The Intel file transfer software is several thousand times easier to use than Rio's. My one complaint is that you cannot reorder the songs once they are on the unit. I haven't used MusicMatch Jukebox, which came packaged with the player, to upload files to the unit, but for now the Intel software is more than adequate.
3) Sound quality and usage: The volume on the Pocket Concert is incredible. I had problems with the Rio in that I couldn't get it loud enough to hear well over a train or city traffic noise, which is a problem, since I use it to commute to work. The Bass/Treble controls are adequate, although I miss having pre-sets, which the Rio had. The bookmark, random and repeat features are fine. The volume control is at the top of the unit, and separate from the scroll wheel which controls settings; I appreciate having it set up this way. It is much more functional than combining them all on the side of the unit, which Rio did.
4) Storage: I am getting 23-30 songs on the 128 meg internal storage. This is pretty much what I expected, since I was getting 9-13 on the Rio with mp3s encoded at the same rate (128 or 160). This is more than adequate for my commuting and exercising needs.
5) FM Tuner: I'm not getting tremendous reception on the Pocket Concert, even in and around downtown Boston where the signal is the strongest on any other walkman type unit. But I didn't buy this for the radio!
6) Battery life: This is the one downfall to this unit. It is eating batteries like crazy. I think that if the scrolling info on the face of the unit could be controlled, it would cut down on the battery drain. The Rio upgraded its firmware to be able to cut down on scrolling and the amount of data shown, and even on the amount of time the backlight was lit, and I found I could extend battery life quite a bit if I cut down these settings. I think this is definitely one area Intel needs to look at. I get on average about 6-7 hours on a battery, whereas on the Rio, it was over 10 and close to 12 or 13 hours on a regular basis.
7) That annoying hiss: Yes, I do notice it, but only between tracks and in a quiet room. If you're using this to work out, jog or commute (which I do) then you'll never know it's there. I would assume that it's fixable with a firmware upgrade, since several people on the internet have complained about and returned the product without a noticeable improvement.
I look forward to firmware upgrades which I would assume are coming. As an Intel shareholder, I'm proud of this product, and haven't gone anywhere without it for the last 10 days!
This was a great purchase. I'm more then satisfied. The lack of expadablity is not a problem for me. 2-4 hours of music is more then enough for me for the times when I use a portable music player and then there is always the radio which has decent reception. If you are intersted in more music hours then this, I'd recommend you look at the portable jukeboxes that are available with up to 6Gb of memory.
The only reason I don't give this player a 5 is because I haven't tried out the other 128mb player by sonicblue...the rio 800. But honestly, after reading those reviews, I'm still more then happy to have this one and plan to get the accessory kit when it comes out. I want to play my mp3 in my car.:)
[Note, it seems the first review I wrote never appeared. If it does, pardon the redundancy.]
1. The player is smaller that it may seem from on-line images. It's the size of a pager or small playing cards. Don't worry about it not being the smallest on the market. Anything smaller might get difficult to handle.
2. There is volume to spare. I like it loud, and I generally listen at 1/2 max volume.
3. The controls are very easy to operate. The scroll wheel is a nice feature and it's sturdier than I thought it would be. The volume control, however, doesn't allow for rapid setting changes.
4. Overall the sound it wonderful, BUT the hiss others have mentioned is a problem. (Actually, there is a hiss when a track is selected and then a purr or buzz when it is engaged.) During quiet portions of a track, it is very audible and likely annoying, depending how fussy you are about audio quality. It would be a big drawback for spoken word, or classical mudic, IMHO. I'd say that 95% of the time (listening to rock) the hiss/purr is undetectable. But boy, it's a real shame that they couldn't have gotten it right.... Based on it, I will likely at least try out other players.
5. The music management software is also dissapointing. There are two pieces: an Audia Manager and a MusicMatch Jukebox. the Audio Manager is not powerful enough. You cannot create playlists on it. It does not display enough file name info. The Jukebox is a general player (as if you ned another one) and is not well-designed for transfering files to an MP3 player. It was not designed by Intel and doesn't even mention the Intel player among the players it works with! It cannot read what's on your player nor delete files. It can't organize based on file names. In short, neither program can do the whole job, and they do not work well together.
6. The headphones are a waste. They are uncomfortable, ugly, and poorly designed. Fortunately, you can use any other favorite set you've accumulated over the years.
7. I found getting started very frustrating. If an old-fashioned instruction booklet would have helped a lot.
In sum, the Pocket Concert has a lot going for it. Indeed, all the potential it has just makes its shortcomings that much more dissapointing.
Standards are different for all things, so the standard set by man is by
no means the only 'certain' standard. If you mistake what is relative for
something certain, you have strayed far from the ultimate truth.
-- Chuang Tzu
... though his invention worked superbly -- his theory was a crock of sewage
from beginning to end.
-- Vernor Vinge, "The Peace War"
