I-Jam IJ-100-32SL 32MB MP3 Player (Silver)
I-Jam IJ-100-32SL 32MB MP3 Player (Silver)
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.
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
--Copyright ©1999 MP3newswire.net All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of MP3newswire.net is prohibited.
Product Description:
Your I-Jam represents the newest and most advanced way of listening to music, the way that you want it! MP3 technology allows you to conveniently select music from either your own commercial audio compact discs, or from many Internet sites and record it in skip-free, high-quality digital sound. With various compression ratios, you can have your choice of recording rates, therefore increasing or decreasing the number of songs that you would like stored on your multimedia memory card (MMC). As an added convenience, your I-Jam also has a built-in high-quality FM radio.
Average customer rating: 
|
I-Jam IJ-100-32SL 32MB MP3 Player (Silver)
Manufacturer: I-Jam ProductGroup: CE Binding: Electronics  CD Players & Recorders
| Audio & Video
| Categories
| Electronics
| CD Players
| CD Recorders
| DJ CD Players
| Portable CD Players
Up to 64 MB
| Flash Drive-Based
| MP3 Players
| Audio & Video
| Categories
| Electronics
MP3 Players
| Portable Audio & Video
| Refurbished & Used
| Special Features
| Electronics Features
| Electronics
Audio & Video
| Refurbished & Used
| Special Features
| Electronics Features
| Electronics
I-Jam
| Brands
| Electronics Features
| Electronics
Accessories:
Product Features:
ASIN: B00002CF67 |
Product Description
Your I-Jam represents the newest and most advanced way of listening to music, the way that you want it! MP3 technology allows you to conveniently select music from either your own commercial audio compact discs, or from many Internet sites and record it in skip-free, high-quality digital sound. With various compression ratios, you can have your choice of recording rates, therefore increasing or decreasing the number of songs that you would like stored on your multimedia memory card (MMC). As an added convenience, your I-Jam also has a built-in high-quality FM radio.Customer Reviews:
I-Jam IJ-100 MP3/FM Radio Pocket Player.......2002-01-20
When I put the songs on one at a time, everything was fine, but trying to put on a whole pile of mp3's at one time paused up my computer(I had to reformat my MMC Card & start over). The maximum card that the I-Jam can read is 32Meg. I had a 64Meg card that I used. I copied about 40Megs (or 14 songs) onto the card and put it into my I-Jam. I skipped through the tracks while playing & once it got to track 13 (out of 14) The LCD Displayed "Stop". So I guess it read up to 32megs on my 64meg card. Lame, but at least I don't have to go out & buy a new card .
The FM Tuner only picks up like three stations were I am, and it just so happens that's haw many stations you can preset into memory. When the reception is crumby moving the headphones around muffles the signal even worse.
The Mp3 player is fairly simple to use, There isn't much for bells & wistles though. It plays upto 160kb bitrate MP3, but with 32megs of storage your best to stick with 96 or 128kb MP3's. You can adjust bass & Treble, The regular Play, Stop, Skip, but no fast foward/reverse. Random play, Intro play, Repeat one/all, & A-B repeat are included funtions. There are only 9 butons & over 16 functions so holding a button for 3seconds is required to do some things. For example tapping the power button once activates the blue backlight on the screen, but holding power down for 3 sec. shuts the unit off.
Overall I am happy with what I paid for it. If it wasn't for the Shotty MMC card reader, & the limit of 32megs, this would be a decent player.
Just Good,,,.......2002-01-18
The I-Jam Is Fantastic!.......2000-10-27
Only a few problems that are easy to work around.......2000-10-10
-Install software is junk. It's outrageously slow and loaded with bugs, but it should work in the end. Once installed, I had no problems writing/erasing data.
-Unable to fast forward/rewind in tracks, only skip tracks.
-Radio has interference from wide frequency range (while I was listening to 92.1 I could sometimes hear 92.9 FM)
-Earphones don't sound very good and are painful if left in too long.
Other than these few problems, the player works great, is tiny, and is definitely worth it for the price when compared to other similar devices.
Great for the price.......2000-10-06
Electronics:
Recommended Consumer Electronics:
Schneider 145 Scenaro 4:3 Format 50 Hertz Fernseher sgm
Nextel i500/i550/i700 Rugged CLA
Vivitar V3800N Manual SLR Camera with 50mm Lens & Case
link-web.net Electronics: CONTAX T3 35mm Compact Point-and-Shoot Camera
Hi-Val Hotdocking Tray - Storage drive carrying cage - white
Philips Business 105B - Display - CRT - 15'' - 1280 x 1024 / 60 Hz - 0.27 mm - VGA (HD-15) - white
Epson Perfection 1250 Photo Flatbed Scanner
CMS Peripherals MZX-10 4200 RPM 10 GB Hard Drive Upgrade for Micron Transport Zx Series