Dell DJ (30 GB) MP3 Player
Out of stock |
Similar in MP3 Players
- Number of Songs: 7500
- Usage: Music
- Interface: USB 2.0
- Screen Size: 1.92 inch
- Main Storage Type: Hard Drive
- Storage Capacity: 30 GB
- Overview
-
Reviews
-
Compare Prices
User ReviewRead All Reviews »
Probably shouldn't be your first choice, unless...
Pros
Price (when on sale), sleek design, compatible with subscription services
Cons
Very poor headphones, somewhat fragile, Dell support is not great
Recommended it?
No
The Bottom Line:
Again, this probably shouldn't be your first choice in an MP3 player. While it is compatible with the subscription services, it is somewhat fragile.
(***See the end of the review for an update***)
(***And a new updated added May '06!***)
I've had my Dell DJ 30 for about 2 weeks now. It's a sleek, nice looking MP3 player...definitely similar to the IPOD in terms of shape and simplicity, but with a shiny mettalic finish which really looks sharp. It's definitely nice to look at, especially if you like simple/no frills design. It's a bit dense and heavy but I personally don't have a problem with it. It's certainly easy to carry around and fit in your pocket. At least for me. Remember that this is a 30GB player and it's only going to be so small.
The library features on the DJ are simple and very easy to use. A scroll wheel on the front of the player allows you to, well, scroll through your list of songs, or artists, or albums or genres. This is well done and a pleasure to use.
To be honest, I purchased the DJ 30 for one reason only--because it is compatible with the Yahoo Music Unlimited service. The Yahoo service allows you to transfer an unlimited amount of music to your MP3 player for just $60 year. The one downside of the Yahoo service is that it is only compatible with a small number of MP3 players, the Dell being one of them. Based on my research, the Dell seemed to be one of the more highly reviewed players that were compatible with Yahoo so I picked it up.
But back to the Dell. It has a few quirks which have me shaking my head a bit but nothing which is too much of a problem. First, it does not have a stop button. I'm not certain if this is true of other MP3 players but I sort of doubt it. The only way to stop the music is to turn it off. I suppose this is ok, but the player then automatically resumes playing where you left off when you turn it back on. Again, this is not a major problem but it is somewhat annoying.
Another quirk is that the player came with no manual at all. It has a fold out poster which instructs you how to set it up, but no manual. I've heard that there is an online manual but I have not yet accessed it. Granted, I can't say that I've needed a manual but this is the first major electronic product I've purchased that did not come with a manual. Strange.
Battery life so far is good. It has not really been an issue yet for me. The USB connection also includes a connection to charge the player, so basically I am charging it every night when I am transferring songs to it. I haven't lost power yet.
The headphones that are provided with the player are poor at best and I'd highly recommend upgrading. I bought a pair for about $40 and I'm really happy with them. With the right headphones the sound that the Dell DJ produces is good, even impressive. But new headphones is definitely something you should factor in to the price of the purchase.
The price--I paid $219 for the 30GB. That's a very good price for a player this large. Based on my research, the 30GB Ipod is $100 more. You likely won't find the Dell listed at $219 but hunt around at coupon sites like Dealcatcher.com or dealhunting.com and you'll probably find a 30% off coupon.
I did experience a freeze up on the player on the first day I had it. It basically stopped working and no buttons were functioning at all. I did an online chat with Dell customer support and they just had me reboot the player, which solved the problem. This has only happened to me the one time but from what I've read it's not an uncommon problem.
If you have a large CD collection that you are looking to transfer to an MP3 player, the Dell is a good choice. 30GB is a huge amount of space. I have about 450 songs and I think I've used 1/10th of the total space I have available. Or, if you like the idea of the Yahoo Music Unlimited Service then the Dell would also be a good choice. Be prepared though--the process of transferring music on a subscription basis is really new and there are many, many kinks to be worked out! As you probably know, if you cancel the subscription service you lose all of the songs which you transferred to your MP3 player! And the actual process of transferring songs is buggy and very complicated--probably not something that you want to be involved with if you're not really computer literate.
UPDATE: I have now had the player for about 5 weeks. Overall, I'm still fairly happy with it. Haven't had any major problems, battery life is still good, etc. No additional freeze ups other than the first day I had it. However, I have had major problems in trying to use the Dell with the Yahoo Music Unlimited subscription service. I get repeated errors whenever I try and transfer more than one song. I've been in touch with Yahoo about this, specifically the developers who actually created the Yahoo service. They say (and I believe them) that the problem has to do with Dell & Microsoft and not Yahoo. I'll spare you the details but in short, if you are thinking about getting this player specifically to use with Yahoo or any of the other subscription services (Napster, Rhapsody) you should probably re-think that decision. I know some people are able to use the Dell without a problem with these services but not me.
UPDATE #2: Ok, here's the latest...first, I've been able to get the Dell to work nicely with Yahoo's Unlimited subscription service. I have to say, it's a real pleasure to be able to load songs at will to the player on an unlimited basis. The process is by no means simple, but it works and it's much easier than it was a few months ago. So that is a plus.
Now, the not so good news. The Dell DJ seems to be fairly fragile. I dropped mine about a month ago at the train station. It wasn't a huge impact on the player and I thought it would be ok, but no, it was dead. The good news was that I was still under warranty (just barely), so Dell sent me a new player no questions asked at no charge. The new player was a refurbished model, but it has worked ok. So just keep it in mind--the DJ doesn't like to be dropped!. I've heard from many other people that it won't handle any sort of impact without frying the hard drive. Dell is no longer selling the DJ but you can probably find one somewhere. If you do get one, I'd strongly suggest you get some type of protective case. When bought new, it will actually come with a leather case which should help protect it. And if you get one with no warranty, well there is a chance you will be stuck with a very expensive paperweight...
(***And a new updated added May '06!***)
I've had my Dell DJ 30 for about 2 weeks now. It's a sleek, nice looking MP3 player...definitely similar to the IPOD in terms of shape and simplicity, but with a shiny mettalic finish which really looks sharp. It's definitely nice to look at, especially if you like simple/no frills design. It's a bit dense and heavy but I personally don't have a problem with it. It's certainly easy to carry around and fit in your pocket. At least for me. Remember that this is a 30GB player and it's only going to be so small.
The library features on the DJ are simple and very easy to use. A scroll wheel on the front of the player allows you to, well, scroll through your list of songs, or artists, or albums or genres. This is well done and a pleasure to use.
To be honest, I purchased the DJ 30 for one reason only--because it is compatible with the Yahoo Music Unlimited service. The Yahoo service allows you to transfer an unlimited amount of music to your MP3 player for just $60 year. The one downside of the Yahoo service is that it is only compatible with a small number of MP3 players, the Dell being one of them. Based on my research, the Dell seemed to be one of the more highly reviewed players that were compatible with Yahoo so I picked it up.
But back to the Dell. It has a few quirks which have me shaking my head a bit but nothing which is too much of a problem. First, it does not have a stop button. I'm not certain if this is true of other MP3 players but I sort of doubt it. The only way to stop the music is to turn it off. I suppose this is ok, but the player then automatically resumes playing where you left off when you turn it back on. Again, this is not a major problem but it is somewhat annoying.
Another quirk is that the player came with no manual at all. It has a fold out poster which instructs you how to set it up, but no manual. I've heard that there is an online manual but I have not yet accessed it. Granted, I can't say that I've needed a manual but this is the first major electronic product I've purchased that did not come with a manual. Strange.
Battery life so far is good. It has not really been an issue yet for me. The USB connection also includes a connection to charge the player, so basically I am charging it every night when I am transferring songs to it. I haven't lost power yet.
The headphones that are provided with the player are poor at best and I'd highly recommend upgrading. I bought a pair for about $40 and I'm really happy with them. With the right headphones the sound that the Dell DJ produces is good, even impressive. But new headphones is definitely something you should factor in to the price of the purchase.
The price--I paid $219 for the 30GB. That's a very good price for a player this large. Based on my research, the 30GB Ipod is $100 more. You likely won't find the Dell listed at $219 but hunt around at coupon sites like Dealcatcher.com or dealhunting.com and you'll probably find a 30% off coupon.
I did experience a freeze up on the player on the first day I had it. It basically stopped working and no buttons were functioning at all. I did an online chat with Dell customer support and they just had me reboot the player, which solved the problem. This has only happened to me the one time but from what I've read it's not an uncommon problem.
If you have a large CD collection that you are looking to transfer to an MP3 player, the Dell is a good choice. 30GB is a huge amount of space. I have about 450 songs and I think I've used 1/10th of the total space I have available. Or, if you like the idea of the Yahoo Music Unlimited Service then the Dell would also be a good choice. Be prepared though--the process of transferring music on a subscription basis is really new and there are many, many kinks to be worked out! As you probably know, if you cancel the subscription service you lose all of the songs which you transferred to your MP3 player! And the actual process of transferring songs is buggy and very complicated--probably not something that you want to be involved with if you're not really computer literate.
UPDATE: I have now had the player for about 5 weeks. Overall, I'm still fairly happy with it. Haven't had any major problems, battery life is still good, etc. No additional freeze ups other than the first day I had it. However, I have had major problems in trying to use the Dell with the Yahoo Music Unlimited subscription service. I get repeated errors whenever I try and transfer more than one song. I've been in touch with Yahoo about this, specifically the developers who actually created the Yahoo service. They say (and I believe them) that the problem has to do with Dell & Microsoft and not Yahoo. I'll spare you the details but in short, if you are thinking about getting this player specifically to use with Yahoo or any of the other subscription services (Napster, Rhapsody) you should probably re-think that decision. I know some people are able to use the Dell without a problem with these services but not me.
UPDATE #2: Ok, here's the latest...first, I've been able to get the Dell to work nicely with Yahoo's Unlimited subscription service. I have to say, it's a real pleasure to be able to load songs at will to the player on an unlimited basis. The process is by no means simple, but it works and it's much easier than it was a few months ago. So that is a plus.
Now, the not so good news. The Dell DJ seems to be fairly fragile. I dropped mine about a month ago at the train station. It wasn't a huge impact on the player and I thought it would be ok, but no, it was dead. The good news was that I was still under warranty (just barely), so Dell sent me a new player no questions asked at no charge. The new player was a refurbished model, but it has worked ok. So just keep it in mind--the DJ doesn't like to be dropped!. I've heard from many other people that it won't handle any sort of impact without frying the hard drive. Dell is no longer selling the DJ but you can probably find one somewhere. If you do get one, I'd strongly suggest you get some type of protective case. When bought new, it will actually come with a leather case which should help protect it. And if you get one with no warranty, well there is a chance you will be stuck with a very expensive paperweight...
