10. MSI Mega Player 516: Bells And Whistles

Despite appearances, this elegant audio player doesn't have a hard disk. Yet with its rectangular, brushed-steel looks it could pass for a little brother of the iPod mini. But the MegaPlayer 516 stores its data in Flash memory, though you can increase the total storage capacity from 256 MB to 1 GB by inserting an SD or MMC card into the right side of the unit.

To capture purchasers' imagination, the manufacturer has piled on the innovations. The software for managing your MP3 files provided by MSI includes a little utility for changing the appearance of the player's logo. But aside from that, the software isn't much better than the Windows Explorer for loading files onto the MegaPlayer. Another "innovation" is that, according to the user's manual, the 516 is supposed to be able to serve as a language coach. But don't get your hopes up. It can't correct your bad pronunciation. All this function boils down to is using the repeat function, which all audio players have, to repeat the same sentence over and over again until you've understood it. The only real innovation is in the Bluetooth "handsfree" option. This allows you to transfer calls from a Bluetooth cell phone to the audio player, to answer them or dial a new number via voice recognition. On the other hand, even with a Bluetooth-equipped computer, you won't be able to transfer your files wirelessly. Personally, I find that more than $30 is too much to pay just to add a loudspeaker to my phone.

Aside from these accessory functions, the MegaPlayer also has standard ones like a Dictaphone and FM tuner. The latter is fairly mediocre in quality. Reception of even certain high-powered stations was choppy. And in general, audio isn't this player's strong suit. While its sound quality is well balanced, the earphones that ship with it totally muffle both ends of the audio spectrum (treble and bass). But MSI has provided only a mini-jack and no adapter for using standard earphones. Also, be careful with the volume adjustment. It very quickly goes from inaudible to unbearably loud...