Bose TriPort Personal CD Player

I bought this player together with the headset for my trip in March 06 to listen to audio books and musicals or operettas. It was actually the headset that hooked me. But I was also looking for an MP3 player for some new audio books. I did not purchase a player earlier because of the very small buttons or the multi-direction buttons of the new players. I gave some of these newer players as gift the previous year and was able to test them somewhat. Otherwise, I owned only one portable player before (Sony Discman); so I can't compare much with others. The buttons on the Bose player are larger than the newer players and the labels are readable(I don't need glasses to determine their function). I also liked the large LCD screen, though I wished I could read it with lights out. I had no skipping problems and the player case is relatively solid. The button lock setting was very convenient during the flight so the battery would not run down. I don't use play lists, so I can't say much about this function. But I noticed that the instruction on how to play the list after you set the track disappears too quickly on the LCD screen. I had to repeatedly push the button to catch all the words. I was fully satisfied with the Bose player until I realized that I could never return to the last track that I listened to after I turned off the player. This issue has become quite annoying to me; and I could not find any instructions telling me whether it was just a matter of a setting. My Sony Discman has no problem with it. I have gone back to using my Sony Discman for my regular audiobook CDs so I don't have to restart my book from the beginning. My Sony Discman also had a power supply included when I bought it. While I was aware that the Bose player did not come with one, I really would have expected a complete set from Bose, headset, player, and power supply, even if it would have cost more. Too bad that the power supplies are not interchangeable. Unless there is a way to get this tracking function, I cannot recommend this player. I'll update my review if I ever come across a solution.