Dell Pocket DJ (5 GB) MP3 Player
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- Number of Songs: 1200
- Usage: Music
- Interface: USB 2.0
- Screen Size: 1.62 inch
- Main Storage Type: Hard Drive
- Storage Capacity: 5 GB
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There's A Dell In My Pocket (And I'm Happy To See You)
Pros
Good small size and excellent sound
Cons
No instructional manual included for installation or usage and existing computer knowledge is needed
Recommended it?
Yes
The Bottom Line:
This is a good MP3 player from a quality company that is ideal for the price (and size) conscious consumer.
While it may surprise many people, I am far from an audiophile. Yes, I love music, but I don't find it necessary to have the top of the line equipment to listen to my cds. I have a solid Techniques sound system while slightly old; can still crank out the tunes pretty well. My car has the standard factory installed stereo/cd player and it works just fine. So, when I decided to jump on the MP3 bandwagon, I wanted something that was good, but relatively inexpensive because price and ease of use was more important than blowout sound quality.
My limited MP3 experience was with iPods. A co-worker got a Mini for Christmas and a couple of friends have the regular iPod. They all said that for as much as I enjoyed music, I should purchase one of the regular size iPods. However, I wanted it for jogging and trip taking (just to clarify, I mean plane flights). This led me to investigate the iPod Mini. I liked what I saw and I probably would have ended up purchasing one until my friend mentioned that Dell makes a "mini" sized MP3. Just for disclosure's sake, he coincidentally works for Dell. I quickly compared the two and decided that the Dell Pocket DJ was the MP3 player for me.
There were two main reasons that I chose the Dell Pocket DJ over the Apple iPod mini: 1) price and 2) storage. The Dell Pocket DJ was $185 versus the iPod's $250 price tag and the device allowed for an additional 1GB of storage. As lame as it sounds, I could also get bonus frequent flyer miles if I purchased a Dell as well.
SPECIFICS
5GB Hard Drive
10 Hour Battery Life
3.5 X 2.1 X .5 Inches And 4.4 Ounces
1.62 Inch LCD With Blue Backlight
MP3, WMA, and Wav support
AC-DC And USB Chargeable
Standard Dell Ear Bud Earphones
INSTALLATION
Upon opening the box, you'll notice the following items are included: Dell Pocket DJ, USB cable, AC-DC power adapter, earphones, quick start guide and the product information guide. The quick start guide is what you'll use to assist you with the installation process and the product information guide can be easily filed in the trashcan, as it doesn't involve any aspect of the product. Sure, it does talk about the warranty and software guidelines, so you might want to keep it. That's up to you.
As the directions from the quick start guide clearly suggest, you'll want to charge your Dell Pocket DJ for 2.5 hours. They also suggest that you use the USB cable. I had it shipped to work, so I wanted it to be ready to go when I got home. So, I used the AC-DC power adapter with no problems. You can monitor the charging process via the upper left corner of the LCD display.
The directions are very clear that you must install the software while the device disconnected. The next step is placing the included cd in the computer's disc drive. Other than that, there really are not any instructions. This is one of the major problems I have with the product. Sure, the installation process happens automatically and all of the appropriate folders and drives are created, however after it's completed virtually no direction is given to the user. As an expert computer user, I was able to find the Pocket DJ folder and the MusicMatch program (the two important items that are installed, along with Adobe Acrobat), but using them was a different story. The quick start guide offered limited help and it was only after several minutes (probably 20-30) that I was able to figure the process of "ripping" and "copying." A person with limited computer skills is going to have a difficult time figuring out the next step after installation. As you will see in the next section, it's not difficult, just not very intuitive.
SOFTWARE USAGE AND SONG TRANSFER
There are three software items that are installed with the Dell Pocket DJ, Dell DJ Explorer, MusicMatch and Adobe Acrobat. MusicMatch is a program used for "ripping" cds onto your computer, where you can then move them to your Dell Pocket DJ. This process is relatively simple. Just insert your cd and MusicMatch will immediately appear. If you are online (which I would suggest), the specifics of the cd appear. You them simply hit the red record button and the computer rips the song(s) onto your hard drive. You are given the option of ripping one, two or any number of songs by simply checking the box located next to the song. An entire cd takes about 5 minutes to rip depending on its length.
Once you have ripped all of the songs, you then need to move them onto your Dell Pocket DJ. This is where some computer navigation skills are needed. The PDF "instructions" that are available after installation really leave a lot to the imagination. Knowledgeable computer users will be able to figure it out; others will have some difficulty. You will need to open both the "My Music" folder and the Dell DJ Explorer. Once those are opened, you simply "click and drag" the music files into the Dell DJ Explorer and in just a few seconds the tune(s) are transferred. That process sounds easy, but to novice computer users that are provided limited instructions, I have no doubt it could be difficult.
While completing the file transfer, you can have the Dell Pocket DJ connected to your computer and the songs will be transferred simultaneously to the device. If it's not connected, just plug it in and the transfer will automatically take place.
POCKET DJ USAGE
Once the songs are installed, you're going to want to listen to them. This is where the Dell Pocket DJ gets it right. The songs are easily identifiable on the LCD screen by both the song title and band/singer name. The majority of the navigation is done via the black "roller" knob located in the center of the device. You can use it to scroll up and down on the menus and you push it to make your selection. There is a small button to the right with a house on it. By pressing that button, you go to the "home" menu. Those boys at Dell are awfully clever. Then, to the left is the back button that sends you to the previous menu. While these buttons are a bit on the small side, they are all quite easy to access and the "roller" button is exceptionally adept at navigating the menus.
Just underneath these buttons are three others that actually control the music. They are very simple and straightforward. You can choose from play/pause, forward (advances to the next tune) and reverse (returns to the previous tune). If you hold either of the later buttons down, you can navigate within an individual song. These too are easy to use.
The most difficult buttons to use are the three located on the top of the device. Those are the power button, the volume up and volume down controls. They are slightly recessed into the player so it does take more of an effort to control those. The volume buttons respond easily to the touch, but the power button requires slightly more force. I suppose that's a good thing so that you don't accidentally turn it on and run down the battery.
The Dell Pocket DJ offers several different play modes that each have their own advantages. You can select from the following:
Normal: Plays all of the songs in order
Repeat all: Continuous play of all songs
Shuffle: Randomly plays the each track once
Shuffle Repeat: Randomly plays tracks with repeats
Track once: Plays the select track once
Artist: Plays all the songs by the selected artist
Genre: Plays all the songs from a selected genre
Single Album: Plays all the songs from a selected album
You can also create specific playlists and within those playlists you can also choose any of the above modes. Creating playlists is easy through the Dell DJ Explorer. You just need to click and drag the appropriate songs into the playlist and reconnect your device. At that point, they are created and you are free to listen to them.
As I previously mentioned, I am not an audiophile so I'm using the included earphones. I have no doubt that upgraded headphones would dramatically improve the sound. However, I find the current sound to be excellent. The earphones fit snuggly into my ears and have yet to fall out while running or working out and I have experienced absolutely no skipping either. The only problem I have found is the earphones connect in a right angle into the Dell Pocket DJ. It honestly hasn't caused any problems, but it seems a "straight" connection would be a better choice.
APPEARANCE
While I personally don't find the appearance to be an important aspect to a MP3 player, it is an issue that needs to be addressed. Is the Dell Pocket DJ as cool looking at the iPod? The answer is probably not. It's not nearly as sleek and with its chrome style looks a little more "industrial." However, it is impressive looking on its own. Sure, there's no knob for navigation, but the buttons work just fine. Also, the LCD display is nearly the same on both devices.
OVERALL THOUGHTS
Overall, I am happy with my purchase of the Dell Pocket DJ. After I got past the initial installation problems and the non-intuitive, if not non-existent, instructions I actually was able to listen to the music and that's where this product works. Sure, it's probably not as hip as some of the other MP3 players out there, but it has more than an adequate amount of storage, a strong battery life of about eight hours and it is by no means ugly. It's also a little bit cheaper than others and it is made by a top-flight brand. For all of these reasons, I would definitely recommend the Dell Pocket DJ to the price conscious music consumer looking for a small and compact MP3 player.
My limited MP3 experience was with iPods. A co-worker got a Mini for Christmas and a couple of friends have the regular iPod. They all said that for as much as I enjoyed music, I should purchase one of the regular size iPods. However, I wanted it for jogging and trip taking (just to clarify, I mean plane flights). This led me to investigate the iPod Mini. I liked what I saw and I probably would have ended up purchasing one until my friend mentioned that Dell makes a "mini" sized MP3. Just for disclosure's sake, he coincidentally works for Dell. I quickly compared the two and decided that the Dell Pocket DJ was the MP3 player for me.
There were two main reasons that I chose the Dell Pocket DJ over the Apple iPod mini: 1) price and 2) storage. The Dell Pocket DJ was $185 versus the iPod's $250 price tag and the device allowed for an additional 1GB of storage. As lame as it sounds, I could also get bonus frequent flyer miles if I purchased a Dell as well.
SPECIFICS
5GB Hard Drive
10 Hour Battery Life
3.5 X 2.1 X .5 Inches And 4.4 Ounces
1.62 Inch LCD With Blue Backlight
MP3, WMA, and Wav support
AC-DC And USB Chargeable
Standard Dell Ear Bud Earphones
INSTALLATION
Upon opening the box, you'll notice the following items are included: Dell Pocket DJ, USB cable, AC-DC power adapter, earphones, quick start guide and the product information guide. The quick start guide is what you'll use to assist you with the installation process and the product information guide can be easily filed in the trashcan, as it doesn't involve any aspect of the product. Sure, it does talk about the warranty and software guidelines, so you might want to keep it. That's up to you.
As the directions from the quick start guide clearly suggest, you'll want to charge your Dell Pocket DJ for 2.5 hours. They also suggest that you use the USB cable. I had it shipped to work, so I wanted it to be ready to go when I got home. So, I used the AC-DC power adapter with no problems. You can monitor the charging process via the upper left corner of the LCD display.
The directions are very clear that you must install the software while the device disconnected. The next step is placing the included cd in the computer's disc drive. Other than that, there really are not any instructions. This is one of the major problems I have with the product. Sure, the installation process happens automatically and all of the appropriate folders and drives are created, however after it's completed virtually no direction is given to the user. As an expert computer user, I was able to find the Pocket DJ folder and the MusicMatch program (the two important items that are installed, along with Adobe Acrobat), but using them was a different story. The quick start guide offered limited help and it was only after several minutes (probably 20-30) that I was able to figure the process of "ripping" and "copying." A person with limited computer skills is going to have a difficult time figuring out the next step after installation. As you will see in the next section, it's not difficult, just not very intuitive.
SOFTWARE USAGE AND SONG TRANSFER
There are three software items that are installed with the Dell Pocket DJ, Dell DJ Explorer, MusicMatch and Adobe Acrobat. MusicMatch is a program used for "ripping" cds onto your computer, where you can then move them to your Dell Pocket DJ. This process is relatively simple. Just insert your cd and MusicMatch will immediately appear. If you are online (which I would suggest), the specifics of the cd appear. You them simply hit the red record button and the computer rips the song(s) onto your hard drive. You are given the option of ripping one, two or any number of songs by simply checking the box located next to the song. An entire cd takes about 5 minutes to rip depending on its length.
Once you have ripped all of the songs, you then need to move them onto your Dell Pocket DJ. This is where some computer navigation skills are needed. The PDF "instructions" that are available after installation really leave a lot to the imagination. Knowledgeable computer users will be able to figure it out; others will have some difficulty. You will need to open both the "My Music" folder and the Dell DJ Explorer. Once those are opened, you simply "click and drag" the music files into the Dell DJ Explorer and in just a few seconds the tune(s) are transferred. That process sounds easy, but to novice computer users that are provided limited instructions, I have no doubt it could be difficult.
While completing the file transfer, you can have the Dell Pocket DJ connected to your computer and the songs will be transferred simultaneously to the device. If it's not connected, just plug it in and the transfer will automatically take place.
POCKET DJ USAGE
Once the songs are installed, you're going to want to listen to them. This is where the Dell Pocket DJ gets it right. The songs are easily identifiable on the LCD screen by both the song title and band/singer name. The majority of the navigation is done via the black "roller" knob located in the center of the device. You can use it to scroll up and down on the menus and you push it to make your selection. There is a small button to the right with a house on it. By pressing that button, you go to the "home" menu. Those boys at Dell are awfully clever. Then, to the left is the back button that sends you to the previous menu. While these buttons are a bit on the small side, they are all quite easy to access and the "roller" button is exceptionally adept at navigating the menus.
Just underneath these buttons are three others that actually control the music. They are very simple and straightforward. You can choose from play/pause, forward (advances to the next tune) and reverse (returns to the previous tune). If you hold either of the later buttons down, you can navigate within an individual song. These too are easy to use.
The most difficult buttons to use are the three located on the top of the device. Those are the power button, the volume up and volume down controls. They are slightly recessed into the player so it does take more of an effort to control those. The volume buttons respond easily to the touch, but the power button requires slightly more force. I suppose that's a good thing so that you don't accidentally turn it on and run down the battery.
The Dell Pocket DJ offers several different play modes that each have their own advantages. You can select from the following:
Normal: Plays all of the songs in order
Repeat all: Continuous play of all songs
Shuffle: Randomly plays the each track once
Shuffle Repeat: Randomly plays tracks with repeats
Track once: Plays the select track once
Artist: Plays all the songs by the selected artist
Genre: Plays all the songs from a selected genre
Single Album: Plays all the songs from a selected album
You can also create specific playlists and within those playlists you can also choose any of the above modes. Creating playlists is easy through the Dell DJ Explorer. You just need to click and drag the appropriate songs into the playlist and reconnect your device. At that point, they are created and you are free to listen to them.
As I previously mentioned, I am not an audiophile so I'm using the included earphones. I have no doubt that upgraded headphones would dramatically improve the sound. However, I find the current sound to be excellent. The earphones fit snuggly into my ears and have yet to fall out while running or working out and I have experienced absolutely no skipping either. The only problem I have found is the earphones connect in a right angle into the Dell Pocket DJ. It honestly hasn't caused any problems, but it seems a "straight" connection would be a better choice.
APPEARANCE
While I personally don't find the appearance to be an important aspect to a MP3 player, it is an issue that needs to be addressed. Is the Dell Pocket DJ as cool looking at the iPod? The answer is probably not. It's not nearly as sleek and with its chrome style looks a little more "industrial." However, it is impressive looking on its own. Sure, there's no knob for navigation, but the buttons work just fine. Also, the LCD display is nearly the same on both devices.
OVERALL THOUGHTS
Overall, I am happy with my purchase of the Dell Pocket DJ. After I got past the initial installation problems and the non-intuitive, if not non-existent, instructions I actually was able to listen to the music and that's where this product works. Sure, it's probably not as hip as some of the other MP3 players out there, but it has more than an adequate amount of storage, a strong battery life of about eight hours and it is by no means ugly. It's also a little bit cheaper than others and it is made by a top-flight brand. For all of these reasons, I would definitely recommend the Dell Pocket DJ to the price conscious music consumer looking for a small and compact MP3 player.
