Amazon.com Review
Good Technology's SoundsGood AudioPlayer module snaps into the Springboard slot on your Visor and turns it into a full-fledged MP3 player with great sound quality and enough features to put many competing players to shame. The device comes with 64 MB of integrated memory to provide over an hour of MP3 audio, and the fact that it uses the Visor for an interface means the software can be upgraded, and adding new features will be as easy as installing a simple software patch.
The SoundsGood module has an extremely sensible design, fitting flush with the Visor and sporting a headphone jack, volume dial, and control buttons along its top edge. Using the buttons, it's possible to skip tracks and play or pause songs without ever having to mess with the Visor's touch screen (the SoundsGood player will run even if the Visor is turned off). Once started, it will also play in the background as you work with the rest of your Visor's applications.
Of course, if you really want to take control of your music, then you'll want to use the touch screen interface, which offers access to many more controls than are available on the module itself. In addition to a volume slider and buttons that let you access detailed track information, there's a section that lets you adjust the tone controls to get the most out of a particular song or style of music.
Once we had everything set, we were impressed with the volume and audio quality the SoundsGood player can generate. Cranked to maximum volume with a good set of headphones attached, the unit delivered crisp sound with decent bass that remained clear even into painful volume levels. Best of all, the unit can run on the Visor's two AAA batteries for up to 10 hours, so you won't drain your PDA's power by listening to a few hours of music.
We were able to quickly add and remove songs from the device using the Visor's docking cradle and the included Good Desktop software. This software deserves some sort of award for ease of use, as installing or removing MP3 files was as easy as clicking a button. It also automatically scours your hard drive to find all of the MP3 files stored on your system, making it easy to then select them from a list to add the files to the SoundsGood module. Good Desktop reports how much of the module's memory is used and updates it as you edit your playlist. It also gave us an estimated time for the file transfer, and the Visor's USB connection made everything as smooth and fast as possible. On average it took us about 15 seconds to transfer a 3.5 MB file to the device and a little over twice as long to transfer the same file back to our PC.
The SoundsGood player is not without its drawbacks. It's extremely expensive, considering you already have to own a Visor just to use it, and its memory can't be upgraded. The included headphones also leave much to be desired, especially in the bass department. If you can stomach the price and have a good set of headphones though, the sound quality, interface, software, and genuine cool factor of the SoundsGood player are tough to beat. --T. Byrl Baker
Pros:
- Excellent sound quality
- Brilliant interface and MP3 transfer software
- Draws power directly from the Visor's batteries
Cons:
- Included in-ear headphones sound tinny
- Relatively expensive considering it uses the Visor for its interface
- No way to add extra RAM or swap memory cartridges
Product Description
With its sleek, compact design, the Good Technology SoundsGood 64 MB MP3 player snaps flush into the Springboard expansion slot on your Handspring Visor. The module measures in at 2.22 inches high, 2.13 inches wide, and only 0.35 inches deep. But don't let its size fool you - with 64 MB of built-in memory, you'll get a little over an hour of CD-quality digital audio. Reload it as often as you want in just seconds per track (transfer rate is 250 KB per second) via a USB connection. (Because the Visor's serial docking cradle does not readily support the transfer of large digital files, you must use the USB cradle.) The SoundsGood module is powered by the Visor's batteries, which provide up to 10 hours of usage. Use the Good Desktop software to search your hard drive for available MP3 files to transfer to the SoundsGood module. You also get the MusicMatch Jukebox for downloading, recording, and organizing your MP3 collection. Both applications require Windows 98, 2000, or Me (Macintosh is not supported). Earbud headphones, a carrying case, and a quick-start guide are included.
See all Product Description
