Philips/Nike 512 MB Digital Audio Player with FM Radio and 10 Presets

by Philips

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 1 x 2.8 x 2.8 inches ; 2.4 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B0001KCV2E
• Item model number: PSA250
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #122,593 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

Designed for keeping you rocking to the beat during jogging or other exercise routines, the Nike/Philips PSA250 digital audio player features everything you need to keep you motivated and in motion. It has a 512 MB internal flash memory, which can store up to eight hours of CD-quality MP3 files or 16 hours of CD-quality WMA. It also provides an FM radio with 10 presets, a dedicated stopwatch, and a five-key remote control waist belt for easy operation and a secure fit. It has an internal Li-Ion rechargable battery that provides up to 12 hours of battery life, and it has a one-hour rapid recharge feature (four hours to fully recharge the device). Other features include a state-of-the-art illumination technology strobe light that enhances visibility in low-light conditions, four EQ presets, and Dynamic Bass Boost.

What's in the Box
PSA250 digital audio player, sport headphone, waist belt remote control, armband, USB cable, AC adapter, CD-ROM with Musicmatch Jukebox and Philips Media Manager software

Product Description

Philips/Nike, MP3, 512 meg, no look buttons, MP3 or WMA, FM Radio, armband/Waistband remote, Music Mgr.

See all Product Description

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It's a great mp3 player - if you know what you are doing..., August 3, 2005

By 

V. Coskun "gadget freak" (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Philips/Nike 512 MB Digital Audio Player with FM Radio and 10 Presets (Electronics)

I've had my eye on this player for ages, but the price was always too high. I was aware of all the negative comments; however, if you read them carefully, the problems people are having stem from the software (99%). Based on this fact, I placed an order for 2 (one for me, one for my partner). Before these mp3 players were shipped, I went to Philips' web page and dowloaded the most recent software which includes a firmware upgrade and a "modified" musicmatch for the player. The manufacturer also knows that the software that was shipped with the initial units was not very useful. They specifically say that "the software that came with your mp3 is now outdated, please download this instead".

So, if you download the software from Philips webpage, it will install a program called "device manager". This program is for "updating" your firware. It also resets your device -if necessary. After the installation of device manager, the installer moves onto "musicmatch". If you dont mind having another multimedia player on your computer, musicmatch should work just fine. However, I've had enough of them and did not want to add another one... so, I stopped the installation at that step without installing musicmatch.

Today I received the units. It's just beautiful!!! I am not going to state everything that has been said here. The accessories are very innovative and well-designed. The sound is great!

Now going back to the issue that everyone is having: the software. First thing that you need to do is to start "device manager" program, then connect your player. The device is recognized and the "update" button is now clickable. Upgrading the firmware takes about 1 min. After that, all you need is windows media player. The device will be listed under windows media player; now you can drag songs to a "sync" area and transfer it to the device. That simple! You just have to be sure that the device you are syncing is named "nike+philips". Because, there will be another one called "flash". That one is for using the unit as a storage device. The sycnronization is not just a "drag and drop". In Windows Media Player, the songs are converted to a format that can be read by the player. Dont panic! It does not take that long... Transferring mp3 files from 1 full CD (192 bitrate) took around 3-4 min. That's it!!!

Bottom line: great mp3 player with wonderful design and accessories. The animation of the text on the screen may bother some people (not me). The price is just great!

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great mp3 player, but not for everyone., August 26, 2005

By 

Breandan (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Philips/Nike 512 MB Digital Audio Player with FM Radio and 10 Presets (Electronics)

I have been using the Philips/Nike PSA250 for about a month. I have had absolutely no problems with the mp3 player, and I am more than happy with my purchase. I love the 512MB capacity, its durability, the no look ability to operate the mp3 player on the run, and the player's easy to follow menu options. I know that there are a lot of complaints regarding the mp3 player, but I found that just by following the onscreen menu, I didn't need to even read the directions.

With that said, this is the point in the review that will let you decide if the PSA250 is really right for you. The PSA250 uses Musicmatch Jukebox as its software for downloading mp3's. Depending upon your perspective of using Musicmatch will pretty much make your decision easy as to buying or not buying the PSA250.

I haved used Musicmatch for 2 years now and I subscribe to its premium service, so for me, buying the mp3 player was a no brainer. I have used other Philps/Nike mp3 players in the past which also utilize Musicmatch and I gave them high ratings too. When the player arrived I had read all of the poor reviews of the PSA250, but I also noticed that the major complaint was with its software, not the player itself. Evidently Philips/Nike read the same reviews because they now ask you to download an updated version of its software and firmware from its web site. My advice, don't download any of their software or firmware for that matter. I stayed far away from their old and new software/firmware. I did not download anything from them. If you are currently using Musicmatch on your computer, simply click the Portable Device button. This will take you to a web site that will list(with pictures if you get confused)the correct device plugin needed to operate the PSA250. THAT IS ALL THAT IS NECESSARY TO OPERATE THE PSA250. Forget about Philips/Nike and utilize Musicmatch's plugin.

If you decide to buy the PSA250 and you are not currently running Musicmatch on your computer, I suggest going to the Musicmatch website and downloading the free version of Musicmatch. I believe 10 is the most up to date version of Musicmatch. DO NOT get or use the Musicmatch version from Philps/Nike. Once you have the free version of Musicmatch up and running, follow the same steps as I outlined above to download the correct device plugin. Musicmatch will allow you to create and download playlists, artists, or even use drag and drop. It is very easy to pickup how to operate Musicmatch.

That's my 2 cents. Take it or leave it, but that's what I did and what worked for me and I have had no trouble with my Nike mp3 player. Oh, by the way, the headphones that come with the player are a joke so I suggest an upgrade there. Booya......


***Important Update*** - Yahoo! has just purchased Musicmatch. Yahoo intends on switching existing and new customers to their own software, Yahoo! Music Unlimited. Therefore, the PSA250 will not be able to continue using Musicmatch for downloading mp3s. Based upon this new revelation, I would recommend not buying the PSA250......

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars user-UNfriendly software ruins ownership experience, March 3, 2005

By 

Roy - See all my reviews

This review is from: Philips/Nike 512 MB Digital Audio Player with FM Radio and 10 Presets (Electronics)

The best thing about the PSA250 is the excellent build quality - durable metallic casing and rubberized buttons - much better than the cheap plastic most other MP3 players are made of. It also has a built in rechargeable battery (lithium, I think), which is nice. FM radio, bass boost and strobe light are all great features as well.

Unfortunately, the software interface is so horrible as to be nearly unusable. Seems like Nike/Philips spent all their R&D money on external construction then slapped together some truly slipshod software as an afterthought. While XP does recognize it as a removable flash drive (meaning you *can* drag and drop MP3's directly onto the unit via Windows Explorer), the PSA250 does not natively read the MP3 format. Ironically, the PSA250 is an MP3 player that does not play MP3's.

You have to load your MP3's using the Nike/Philips Digtal Media Manager (DMM) program that, uninvited, loads itself into the background every time you boot up, hogging system resources and aggravating people like me who hate software bloat slowing down their computer.

DMM starts by creating a database of all the MP3's on your computer (takes a long time if you have gigs of music like I do), then translates your MP3's into a proprietary format that the PSA250 can recognize. Also, the software only reads embedded IDv3 information, not filenames, which means it will probably report many of your MP3's as "No Title Found" if you ripped them from CD's you own. This all turns out to be a very long and frustrating process, especially when all you want to do is add a couple songs to your playlist before going on a morning run. The DMM interface is also ugly, with none of the style of the PSA250 itself.

I'm no engineer, but I do custom system building and am no stranger to working with various electronic devices, from Pocket PC to configuring complex wireless networks. Even for me, using the DMM software has been such an upsetting experience that I simply leave the PSA250 sitting on a shelf gathering dust while I go running in silence. The crazy thing is that if Nike/Philips had just made the PSA250 to read and play MP3's natively, there wouldn't be any need for a separate software interface and you'd have one heck of a product. This seems to be a problem with many other Nike/Philips products.

The PSA250 looks and feels great, but spend your money on something you will actually use.