Customer Reviews

Philips PSS110 GoGear ShoqBox 256 MB Personal MP3 Sound System

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I got this little guy hoping it could be a good alarm clock replacement, but I've found that it doesn't work so well in that regard. That is not to say that it is a bad music player though, it's just not meant to be an alarm clock.

It looks like it would be perfect as a portable speaker set for an iPod or something, due to it's size and rechargeable battery. Or if you didn't have a computer at work and wanted something you could bring in to play music files on. It's very portable.

The good:
1. sound - puts out some pretty decent sound considering the size.
2. size - smaller than I thought it would be. not pocket-sized, but not prohibitively big or heavy either.
3. looks - very polished design.
4. accessories - comes with cord antenna, line-in cord & carry case, all good add-ons that complete the function of the unit.
5. firmware upgradeable, so more (or more improved) features may be yet to come.

The bad:
1. clock displays in 24hr format all the time. I'm guessing Europe is the primary market for this thing.
2. When plugged in and turned off, the LCD backlight is on all the time. Might bother some people who are light sleepers. and when you have the unit on, the backlight has a 5 sec timeout? it would seem to make more sense the other way around to me.
3. alarm snooze is only 10 minutes, and automatic. I prefer it to only go into snooze when you hit a "snooze" button, so I can leave the radio running while I get dressed and stuff in the morning. as it is now, you have to turn it off after the alarm goes off, then turn it back on again, or else it will automatically go into snooze mode after 10 minutes.
4. you have to use musicmatch jukebox to upload music to it. well, you can upload music manually, like it was a flash drive, but the device uses a SQLite database, which needs to be updated or else it won't see any new music in the music folder. there are some third party apps for updating this db for you, but they are flaky at best. I just hate having to use an app to do something as simple as moving files.

The good news about most of these bad things is that because the unit is firmware upgradeable, Philips could release fixes for them eventually, if they are on the ball.

So, I will still say I like this thing, even if I do have to still stick with my older, uglier alarm clock for now.

UPDATE: the latest firmware for this has fixed two issues:

1) it now does 12 hour time display as well as 24 hour.
2) the backlight will dim after a short timeout period when it is plugged in.

Just an FYI.

This little device is adorable and has good feel in the hand, and I was satisfied with the sound it makes if it's just sitting there on a desk or table. However, I bought it hoping that I could carry it in an open-top bike handlebar bag and listen to it while commuting, but it's not quite loud enough for that.

Further, I found the radio reception terrible! It has an automatic scanner, but it could not find a single station in the middle of the San Fernando Valley, which is not exactly a place lacking in signals. Interface-wise, trying to enter a station manually meant clicking a tiny button progressively through every .1 increase in channel numbers -- holding down the button would not automatically progress through them as expected -- so it's a real pain to reach high-numbered channels. And when you do, the PSS110 is not likely to receive them.

My experience with moving files to it was an exercise in patience. It took more than 20 minutes to clear the machine and download a new set of files to it (4 hours music). That's just way too long. The small 256 MB size really wasn't ideal either, but might suffice if it didn't take so long to clean and refill with new files.

Of course I knew this machine was meant for Windows only, but it does run via a SQLite database. Theoretically it ought to be possible to find a Macintosh client to edit the playlist, but several hours of hacking around resulted in no progress on that front. It still might be possible, but otherwise you must use the provided software to manage its playlist. You can drag and drop files into it, but it won't see them for playback.

One final but annoying characteristic: the machine offers a way to randomize playback, however when powered off it forgets that setting, which necessitates navigating a couple menu choices down and around in order to re-set the playback preference every time it's used.

If Philips creates a new model that remembers the playback setting, has greater capacity and file transfer speed, allows non-proprietary access to its playlist, receives radio signals as advertised, and has a bit more volume, I'll buy it. This one was returned for a refund.

I purchased this product because I'm looking for something that I can use while in the bathroom/shower in the morning. Normal shower radios always sound awful and most don't have MP3 capability. Obviously I can't take this unit into the shower, but it takes up very little space and I can set it near the shower without any problem.

First the good:

1. This unit sounds really good for what it is. It's not going to compete with your stereo system, but the sound is clean and crisp. It's also very loud when you turn the volume all the way up. Easily loud enough to accommodate a midsize room. It sounds better by far, than any other speaker I've heard that is a similar size.

2. It has a rechargable battery, with a life of about 10 hours. Some people may see this as a liability, but I hate changing batteries all the time so I like it.

3. This thing makes a very passable alarm clock. Some of the other comments knock this feature, however, after upgrading the firmware many of the problems go away. After upgrading the firmware, you can choose which song the alarm plays. Also hitting any button engages a 10 minute snooze. Hitting a button while it snoozes turns off the alarm. I'd even consider using it as a replacement for my current clock radio, and then taking it with me while I get ready.

4. The unit got great radio reception for me. I know some people had problems with this, but after I attached the included antenna, I was able to receive a lot of different stations. I suppose other's mileage will vary.

Unfortunately, the unit has has some real limitations which as a result caused me to return it.

1. It's only USB 1.1. It takes quite a while to fill the device. I do not understand why they didn't go USB 2.0 on this. Basically, if you add the full 256 MB of music, you might as well go get some coffee while it loads.

2. It only works, officially, with the included musicmatch software. Since I run Linux, this software is no good for me. I was able to get this to work using a third party software package named pyGogear: http://freshmeat.net/projects/pygogear/ This software manipulates the SQLite database which the unit uses to access the playlists and what not. It has no GUI and certainly is not for the faint of heart, however.

I don't understand why they didn't make it so that you can just copy the tracks on. Granted you may not get the ID3 taginfo (this is my guess as to why they didn't do it) and hence song navigation by artist, album, etc; but it could still just play the music and maybe list the filename.

3. It has no expansion capabilities. An included flash reader seems like it'd be a no brainer to me.

4. This one is the biggy...It's only 256 MB. I knew this going in, thought I could make it work, but I couldn't. It simply is not enough capacity. It takes so long to transfer music to the device, making it painful to change the track selection often. I thought maybe I could bear re-encoding my MP3s to 48 or 64 kb/s, to get a larger selection on the unit but I couldn't. They simply sound too horrible at the lower bitrates, particularly through this device which sounds pretty good with higher bitrates. WMA isn't much of an option for me because I run Linux.

In short, I really wanted to like this unit. I do like this unit. It's so close to amazing (you have to hear it)...If Philips releases another one that uses a microdrive (a few gig capacity) with usb 2.0, or uses a flash reader (this would be optimal); I'd totally buy it, keep it, and give it 5 stars.

First of all, i'm not a kid, just too lazy to sign in.

I use my ShoqBox primarily as iPod speakers (via the Aux input) and I LOVE it. The sound is good, with above average bass and treble. This thing won't shake the foundation of your house, but when you see the size of the thing, you will definitely be impressed with the sound. Plus, it's small enough to take to the beach, a BBQ, around the house, etc.

Some of the complaints that other reviewers have are justified - but they don't hurt the product AT ALL if you use it primarily for the Aux input. So keep that in mind when you see people complain about MusicMatch, the alarm clock, USB 1.1, storage space, FM radio, etc. None of those complaints take away from this being a GREAT iPod speaker. Honestly, it's worth the price if you never even hook it up to a computer once.

Quick recap:
+ Surprisingly good sound (especially for size)
+ Extremely portable
+ Rechargable battery w/ good life (8+ hours)
+ Aux Input for ipod
- Ok but not great for other features

For $50 - you're getting a good deal on a nice iPod accessory with extras (where else will you find portalble speakers this good for that price?). But you probably don't want to make this your primary mp3 player or your alarm clock.

You have a _great_ product here. I loved having it. The sound is good, and rechargeable batteries make it so convenient.

You need to do two things with this product:

1) Allow music to come from a SD card

2) Use USB 2.0

Then you will have a winner and I'd definitely get one.

I returned mine.

I just recently bought this at CircuitCity for $79.99.
The sound will knock your socks off. Considering the size of the speakers, you will not believe your ears.
It is perfect for my use on my school bus.
The FM is a little weak, but I use WMA's mostly.
If they would make this with maybe a 1 gig or 2 gig, it would be unbeatable. The 256 is a little lite, but for the price, I LOVE it!

I purchased this player to use in the yoga classes I teach. I was looking for an affordable MP3 unit with built-in speakers, with sound quality better than my old portable CD boombox, and small/light enough that I could carry it around with me when traveling on foot or by bicycle. This was the only player I found that met those requirements.
I like that comes with a semi-hard shell case to protect it, and that it is small enough to slip into my yoga bag along with my mat, tealight candles, and lighter.

The sound is very good, considering the units size, and I get plenty volume for my needs. For most albums, I can leave the volume setting at just halfway for it to fill a large aerobics room with nice ambient sound.
I've also found this unit really helps me to fall asleep and stay asleep through the night. I can set the sleep timer feature so it turns itself off after 15, 30 or 60 minutes. Recently I've been leaving the power plugged in to the wall and letting it play ALL night (using the repeat all feature), which has completely resolved my problems with frequent nightmares.

Unfortunately, the player doesn't remember default settings (sleep time, repeat all, etc) when it is powered off.

Also, the 256MB storage size would have been plenty if it didn't take so long to transfer files. Fortunately, I only need to play an hour's worth of music at a time, so my classes get plenty of variety without me having to change the play list very often (even if *I* have to listen to the same 5-6 albums over and over until I get motivated to transfer in some new music).

I don't use the alarm clock or FM radio features, and the proprietary "MusicMatch JukeBox" doesn't bother me. It was easy to install, and not too bad to use.

Like many have said before me, I'm hoping Philips comes out with a new model that has greater file transfer speed, remembers playback settings, and possibly has greater storage capacity.
In the meantime, it does what I need it to.
It gets 3-1/2 stars for functionality, 1 star for being the only device that meets my needs, and an extra 1/2 star for being super cute!

PS- If you're looking for a good shower radio, I recommend the "Sony ICF-S79V Weather Band Shower Radio". Mine gets soaked every day but it still works wonderfully a year after purchase. If radio is not enough for you, they also have a "ICF-CD73V Shower CD Player/Clock Radio" model, but I don't know if it plays MP3s.

I was almost scared off by the reviews I had read earlier. Some of the comments made by others have been addressed by Philips with an update patch. There is an AM or PM for the clock for example.

I wanted this device to play my PSP movies and music and my Dell Handheld computer music and videos. It does this and more.

The radio works, but an build antenna would be preferable, however.

I received it for my birthday and I carry it everywhere.

This thing is great to download music too, or even better to hook your Ipod up too. Has great sound for such a small device, and its size means you can take it almost anywhere (we take it rock climbing).

The bad: it doesn't get the best radio reception. And lately my device has been locking up for no good reason, and you then must find something small enough to reset it. This can be bad if you use it as an alarm clock, but otherwise it is just really a pain.

Good for a accessory, not a primary device for music listening though.

When I bought this, I bought it because I needed an alarm clock. Out of the box and while testing it, you might get a little scared.

Initial Testing:
When I first played with it, it did feel a little buggy but I looked for a flash update manually and found one much newer than the updater was providing (v3 verses v4.xx). I can't even remember what was strange about it intially because because it works flawlessly now.

The Alarm and Sound:
While testing the alarm I noticed after 2 seconds the volume would drop, almost inaudiable. But that's a good thing! It starts off low and gradually rises in volume. I woke up the house one Friday when I didn't come home. For 2x2 (4 watts total) it's definately loud enough to wake the deadest of sleepers.

Music Capabilities and Organization:
I was surprised to see that it automatically organizes tracks by User Playlists, Artists, Albums, and Genre. It's MP3 and WMA compatitable and it has shuffle and repeat.

Other Features:
Although, it has no recording feature, it does have Line In and Headphone jacks so you can use it with other portable mediums like your IPod or laptop.

Personal Attachment:
What I love is that I can choose from 45+ songs to wake up to and that I can enjoy whatever I'm playing on my computer's music library through the ShoqBox and leave at moments notice to where ever it is I have to go and still have enough music to hold me over until my next activity. IPod's are nice but I don't like the isolation that come along with headphones. Docking stations relieve this but can't be taken everywhere and can't be applied universally to other mediums. It makes crappy stuff better and makes crappy moments where silence prevails into the best time to bust out the ShoqBox. Oh and people who have trouble with the interface probably have trouble with their microwaves too.