Customer Reviews

ibiza Rhapsody H1B004P 4 GB Wi-Fi/MP3 Player by Haier (Pink)

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I received the Flash player yesterday.
And I must say... meez likes.

Very light, big screen, nice graphics, no antennae piece on the back or bluetooth like the harddrive version.

The sound quality is very good. I hooked it to my 'real' Vibes and was most impressed. I have had a few players and this definitely has to be the best of the bunch as far as ease of use. It's definitely a must for any one with Rhapsody. I just can't believe it took this long for something like this to come around!

Unfortunately, the company which developed and made and sold these things (Haier) got out of the business a year ago, and all official support for Ibiza Rhapsody seems to have ceased 12/31/2009. So if you have tech support issues, or the embedded web browser isn't good enough for you, you may not have a good time with this. (For example, mine shipped without the firmware which included the Equalizer and support for Internet Radio stations. I was still able to download the necessary firmware over WiFi on Sept 23 2010, so their home servers are still feeding out firmware updates, but who knows for how long??)

But it's an unbelieveably awesome little toy for $39: portable MP3/AAC/WMA music player; video; WiFi for Internet radio (with the latest firmware upgrade); FM radio; "minimo" web browser for mobile-oriented websites: all of that without even being a Rhapsody subscriber.

If you ARE a Rhapsody subscriber, this thing is a no-brainer. Rhapsody has taken away the ability to download "subscription" songs directly over WiFi, previously offered in their "Rhapsody to Go" service, but Rhapsody "Premier" and "Premier Plus" subscribers can still stuff this portable with subscription downloads by attaching it to a Rhapsody-authorized desktop running Rhapsody Version 4 software, and walk around with 4GB of rented music. And subscribers can also still stream Rhapsody directly over WiFi (but that will probably eat away at battery life).

As long as you can grab that all-important, last-ever firmware update, which includes the (frankly essential) audio equalizer, this is easily worth $39. Might be a little wide if you have tiny hands.

(One note: I ordered the pink from TigerDirect via Amazon marketplace, and got the purple model. Looks like a screwup on Amazon's part with the model numbers, but still... FYI if you have your heart set on pink.)

I love this WiFi/Mp3 player. I use it mostly for WiFi. I am 72 yrs old and do not need 10,000 apps. I visit ESPN, AMAZON, MSN, Facebook, and GMAIL. It is easy to use and never gives me trouble. The "ribbon" keyboard takes a little practice but works fine. I slowed down the touchscreen response to match my slowed down reflexes. I am so pleased with this item that I recently ordered a second one. Get one while you can.

The technical features list describes Bluetooth capabilities and the 4 and 8 GB models do not have bluetooth. I didn't discover this until a month after I purchased the 4 GB model and tried to pair a bluetooth headset. What a disappointment! I purchased it from Radio Shack for $80, should have waited a month cause the price now is $39! Talk about buyer's remorse...

If you buy this for $50 or less you might be satisfied at getting a good quality mp3 player for a knockdown price. However it is an out of production unit. It will not play all internet radio stations - this was a big drawback for me as I wanted to listen to the BBC radio - it will not play BBC. It also seems to only play wmv movies. The photo storage is quirky too. The whole Rhapsody deal is just a nuisance. Get it cheap, be satisfied with mp3s and limited internet radio and you may be satisfied. Don't pay more than $50 - they were being sold at remaindered outlets for $30 at the end of 2010.

I ordered this product hoping that the wi-fi capability would allow my husband to hook up with Pandora, but the browser capability is extremely limited. Basically, you can use Rhapsody and little else. The trial subscription for Rhapsody is also limited to the device--he hasn't been able to use the trial account to listen to music online through his computer.

Worst of all, the battery life isn't even half of what was advertised, even when he's just playing his own uploaded music.

Not sure if we'll be able to return this, since it was a Christmas present I bought a full month before Christmas, but we will be trying. The wi-fi was a small disappointment--the crappy battery is a deal breaker.

Just received this item. Purchased through amazon. $40. I bought it mostly for the internet radio capability. Works great. Can't believe how nice this is for the money.

This gadget is fabulous when it works. The quality of sound is great! In concept, it is a good idea and you have a lot of audio/visual media to choose from.

The problem is that I don't know that I will get to experience enough operation time during the free Rhapsody 30-day trial because....all too often it jams/lockes up. This happened right out of the box...the first time that I tried to use it. If you press a button too long or too hard or too fast (who really knows what ticks it off), the system locks up and you can't get it un-jammed. The "locking" up would not be so bad if you could just cycle the power and have it reboot. I mean, you can't even take the battery out to cycle the power because it is an internal battery. The power button doesn't respond during this lock-up, so the only option is to let it run out of power. That may take hours. When it is in operation, it doesn't stay powered for long, but if it lockes up, it can stay energized for 6 or more hours. How do I know this? It usually jams in the evening which is when I use it. I have to leave it on without the power cord or the USB cord attached. I get up the next day and check it...and what do you know? It will still be locked up. I scanned the manual and haven't found a solution for this, but it is frustating. Once it runs out of power, you have to recharge it. That's a lot of dramma to go through for just 5 minutes of usage. I'm hoping that I just got a defective one. I'll toy with it a few more days (I just put it into use 7 days ago.) Maybe I need to update the software or something. If that is not the case, it will be returned.

I do have rhapsody basic subscription service which allows me an all you can eat playback of their music catalog for 5 bucks a month. I bought this player to use with the service and I'm enjoying it. I streamed a rhapsody indie station and light alternative. I've streamed albums from their music catalog. I've used it in the backyard watering the garden and in the front yard watering the lawn (the wifi radio range in this unit is excellent). You can also stream internet radio and download podcasts directly on the unit using the wifi (they include a media directory to help you make your choice or you can add your own stream or podcast).

The earphones that come with this unit sound muffled, I recommend using better earphones. The unit's battery lasts for about two hours of music streaming.

At this price it is a good value, so get yours while you still can.