I-Jam IJ-100-32YL 32MB MP3 Player Plus (Yellow)
I-Jam IJ-100-32YL 32MB MP3 Player Plus (Yellow)
Product Description
MP3newswire.net
The size of a pager, the I-Jam is the smallest MP3 player presently shipping. What's more, the player turns out to be a pretty darn good unit that showcases the convenience and strengths of the MP3 format over established analog and digital formats. We are impressed overall with the results, though there was one particular shortcoming.
The Hardware
The I-Jam sells for $150 and for that you get a 32MB unit with an FM tuner. Running on two AAA batteries, the player comes in a choice of 5 colors; Black Rhino, Silver Bullet, Lemon Drop, Razz Jazz Red, and Chi-Town Blue. As a bonus, the I-Jam also comes with a $50 gift certificate from Emusic, which, at $0.99 a song, is a great way to start a music library made up of established artists.
The player comes with a parallel port flash card drive for downloading the tunes. This winter, the I-Jam will offer an optional USB cable for the unit that will not only offer speedier downloads, but with added software, make the unit Mac-compatible. With 2.5 million iMac users out there, this helps expand Apple owner's limited MP3 options.
Getting started: A-
The I-Jam uses an external memory card drive that attaches to both the printer and keyboard ports using a pass-through cable. The user downloads MP3 files directly to MultiMedia Flash (MMC) cards, and then inserts the card into the player. It took us only a moment to attach the cables.
The tiny MultiMedia flash cards that the I-Jam uses are 1/4th the size of the CompactFlash cards found in the RCA Lyra and half the size of the SmartMedia cards found in the Rio. MMC flash allows the I-Jam to take on its diminutive dimensions. There is a trade off to using these small cards as they are limited to a capacity that presently tops out at 16MB (in comparison, Delkin just started shipping 224MB CompactFlash cards). Larger capacity MMC's are on the horizon.
The I-Jam comes with two 16MB flash cards for a total of 32MB of memory.
We loaded the drivers for the external card drive and downloaded several MP3 files to one of the flash cards. An icon appears for the drive in Windows Explorer and you download files to the card the same way you transfer files to a floppy disk. You can't get more basic than that and, frankly, there is a virtue to such simplicity, even if it seems a tad crude when compared to some of the elaborate interfaces in competing MP3 units.
Files downloaded quickly, about 15 seconds per track. The I-Jam has no internal memory, using flash chips to store all files. As higher capacity flash chips become available, the unit's storage potential expands, thus avoiding obsolescence due to limited memory.
The I-Jam comes with MusicMatch Jukebox, one of the best programs available for ripping and encoding your favorite CD tracks into the MP3 format.
Controls: A-
The I-Jam has small, but well laid out, controls and we had no problem manipulating the buttons. Considering how petite the unit is, we feel the manufacturer did a good job with the key layout. A hold button is offered to avoid accidental key triggering.
The Display: C -
The small one line display is the I-Jam's weakest link. The text isn't all that clear and we sometimes had to tilt the unit to read it because of side glare. The backlight didn't help all that much either, a further disappointment. The unit does not display the file name or any ID3 info. It just shows track1, track2, etc. when in MP3 mode.
Sound: A
The unit itself gave us excellent sound. The player offers tone and bass control which is better than the 3 or 5 tone presets (Jazz, Pop, Rock, etc.) competing portables offer. The earbuds that came with the I-Jam did an OK job, but we noticed a significant improvement when we shifted over to the Sennheiser MX-4 earbuds, especially in the bass. We recommend upgrading the ear and headphones on almost all of the units we have tested so far, so rather than count against it in the scores, we simply suggest buyers incorporate the cost of a pair of Sony or Sennheiser buds, about $15-$20, when pricing units.
Conclusion
The I-Jam's greatest virtue is it's size and that's what sets this player apart from the competition. The unit offers great sound in a tight, light package, which should make it a favorite of joggers and anyone else big on daily exercise. If the smallest unit obtainable is what you want, look no further than the I-Jam.
There is a cost to these modest dimensions and that comes in the form of a substandard display, which despite the limited acreage on the unit's faceplate, could have been better.
The FM radio is another plus as it allows music to continue to flow after the user runs through all the MP3 tunes. The player's ability to preset three stations is an added convenience. With the I-Jam presently running around $150, it's the least expensive unit to offer this option.
Final Score: B+
-- Richard Menta
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Product Description:
The IJ-100 is one of the first MP3 players that were made available on the market. It has very good sound quality with separate treble and bass controls. It also outputs 60mW of power, as opposed to most players, which only output 5mW, so it can go very loud. It also has an FM radio, and you can preset up to three stations. It is also good for athletic use with its belt clip, neck strap, easy-to-use buttons, and alphanumeric and backlit LCD display. It has a nice curvaceous and ergonomic design and a small size. The model IJ-100 uses a parallel cable connection.
Average customer rating: 
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I-Jam IJ-100-32YL 32MB MP3 Player Plus (Yellow)
Manufacturer: I-Jam ProductGroup: CE Binding: Electronics  CD Players & Recorders
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Up to 64 MB
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MP3 Players
| Portable Audio & Video
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Audio & Video
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I-Jam
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ASIN: B00002CF65 |
Product Description
The IJ-100 is one of the first MP3 players that were made available on the market. It has very good sound quality with separate treble and bass controls. It also outputs 60mW of power, as opposed to most players, which only output 5mW, so it can go very loud. It also has an FM radio, and you can preset up to three stations. It is also good for athletic use with its belt clip, neck strap, easy-to-use buttons, and alphanumeric and backlit LCD display. It has a nice curvaceous and ergonomic design and a small size. The model IJ-100 uses a parallel cable connection.Customer Reviews:
Great player!!.......2000-09-20
The only disadvantages (if you have to purchase it full price, this would probably matter): Two 16 meg MMCards, not a 32 meg card. The display only uses "TR-01, TR-02, etc..." Titles from the ID3 tag would be nice, but it's not neccessary. Also, there's no way to put them in the order you want besides copying the songs in that order.
Other than those little setbacks, this is a GREAT player.
For $30 it's OK.......2000-09-19
Dont buy an mp3 player!.......2000-03-23
Memory is a problem..........2000-02-14
Probably the only MP3 Player with built in FM radio........1999-11-17
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