Advanced MP3 Players Pebble-512

The Pebble is singularly striking. Curved with a reflective silver surface, and literally the size of a pebble, it's hard to believe when it's turned off that it packs such a bright OLED screen. Data transfer, charging and audio output are all done via the 3.5mm socket on the top of the player, which helps keeps things simple, although replacing the non-standard cable might prove tricky if the original gets lost.

The Pebble is simple to use, with a total of just seven buttons. In play mode, the screen manages to squeeze on five lines, including the track name, bit-rate, and remaining battery life, but there's a more serious restriction waiting for when you start trying to browse through the track listing. Only three lines of text are available at a time, and just seven characters can be displayed. If your tracks are named artist or album name first, it takes ages to find the track you want.

Getting tracks on to the Pebble is simple. Although the player comes with MusicFriend 4, the Pebble is also compatible with Media Player 10. We were surprised by the excellent sound quality from the Pebble's bundled headphones, although we heard slight hiss at high volumes. Battery life is excellent - we managed to get nine-and-a-half hours' playback from a single charge.

It's not compatible with many formats - MP3, WMA and ASF files are all that you can play. It's also important to note the lack of compatibility with any DRM-protected songs - a deal-breaker for some. There is, however, an FM radio, as well as a voice recorder. Interestingly, the latter can make recordings not only of voices, but also 96Kb/sec stereo recordings of whichever radio station is currently tuned.

This miniaturised MP3 player isn't without its faults - namely the screen, which is too small to be practical, and the fact that it's only compatible with three different audio formats. But as a player for occasional use - for instance, a morning's commute - it's an attractive buy for under £80.

Author: Dave Stevenson