Panasonic SV-MP010, MP020 flash audio players

A couple of years ago, we might have found ourselves getting at least a little excited about Panasonic's two new flash audio players, the 1GB SV-MP010 and 2GB SV-MP020. But in 2006, there's very little to say about a lipstick-shaped (their words) player with a two-line display and fairly bare-bones functionality (MP3, WMA, DRM; no radio or line-in). Sure, the price is right; $149 for a 2GB player is a pretty good deal, and Panny claims 75 hours on a single AA, which isn't too shabby. But just $50 more will get you a nano with the same capacity, a full-color display and a shell you can carve your name into with any sharp (or blunt) object, so we don't exactly see a huge market for this. But somewhere out there, we assume, there are two or three Panny fanboys who have been lying in wait for this, and will snatch it up off of the shelf as soon as it arrives in stores this March. Er, yeah, let's scratch that. This is one for bargain-hunters only.

[bo @ Jan 10th 2006 10:18PM]

first post. SWEET!!!!!!!!!!

[gabe @ Jan 10th 2006 10:50PM]

Ugh, I was so burned by the SV-SD80... never again...

[frank @ Jan 10th 2006 10:59PM]

I expect nothing short of harsh criticism from Engadget editors for such a perfect product. I mean clearly, what good is a gadget that isn't encumbered by a crappy VGA camera and the ability to play videos on a 1.2 inch screen, coupled with a proprietary battery that might get you a couple hours between charges?



Whether it's properly marketed as such is subject to debate but this is a DAP made for true music fanatics. I have more music than will currently fit onto a portable player so getting my entire collection onto one device is out of the question. That being the case, I know I'll be changing up the selections pretty often so 2 or 3 gigs at a time is just fine.



Since nearly all of my digital music was either ripped from my own CD collection or downloaded from a DRM-free P2P like Soulseek, MP3 and WMA is all I need. If a proprietary music file ever found it's way onto one of my boxes, my Naked Raygun MP3's would kick the shit out of it.



Finally, a small LCD capable of showing me what's playing is, again, pretty much all I need. More importantly, an oversized battery-sucking color screen is exactly what I *don't* need to keep the tunes rolling for days at a time. You can Ebay yourself a truckload of AA and AAA batteries for a few bucks, effectively giving you months of play time without ever having to plug it in.



And it's not like Panasonic just pulled this out of their ass; they've been making similar, extremely portable DAP's for a while now:

http://www.dynamism.com/d-snap/

http://www.engadget.com/2005/09/29/panasonics-256mb-svmp710vw-dap/



... and somebody bought 'em.



=frank=

[Melker63 @ Jan 11th 2006 1:51AM]

What I like: Standard AA-battery powered, 75 hours, longlife navigation-button solution, it seems.



What I dont like: The display is too small. I want file-overview; 4 rows or more. And no color; feels like yesterdays tech.

[tekdroid @ Jan 11th 2006 6:16AM]

what I like:

*A simple display that can be seen in the sun

*Removable AA battery

*removable flash media would be ideal, tho.



If this thing doesn't require software to "manage music", and allows simple drag-n-drop, it would be nice. Does it require software? If so, not interested.



Ipod? I wouldn't even dream of buying anything with a non user-replaceable battery. Rechargeable batteries of all types expire after several hundred charge cycles. When it dies, you have a nice dead device that needs its battery removed and replaced (often at great cost). But at quoted 75 hours playtime, this one should last some time.



Another benefit: carrying a spare battery or three means you never have to go back to home base to recharge when you're out and about on long trips.



An iPod, at least for some part of the population, is not in the running because it simply cannot satisfy these requirements, despite all the glitz (and hype). I'm surprised at the blanket suggestion of "get an iPod for $50 more". The iPod does more in some areas, but some people want stuff it can't do. Simple.



It's not always about budget. It's about buying according to your needs.

[Ian Jardine @ Jan 11th 2006 8:15AM]

If this player sells for below MSRP then it becomes a viable replacement for my TDK gym machine. 75 hours. Great!

[717 @ Jan 11th 2006 8:26AM]

Why does it look like a radio alarm clock?

[Lenny @ Jan 11th 2006 8:59AM]

first of all it's soo bad that Engadget said bad comments about this produc. THIS IS A MP3 PLAYER! and it's much better then nano and let me try to prove that:

What are the most important specs that one wants from an mp3 player?

1. Good sound - both nano and this do have it

2. Small - nano is not smaller then this .. u can't put nano in your pocket (jeans pocket or whatever) because it's too big for that and also you're always afraid that the screen can get damaged.

3. Battery Life - nano has like 15-16 hours of battery life and that's it you have to come home/office to recharge it ... while with this you have 50-70 hours of battery life on one AA battery and u can always have 3 extras with you in your bag (4 pack battery is very cheap and together with the recharger you can get them for 25 dollars and use them up to 1000 times) that you can change immediatelly (something you can't do with nano), which means 4x50,70 or 200-280 hours of battery life ;)

LCD - Nano does have better LCD but why do you need a color LCD for your mp3 player - to watch photos YEAH RIGHT .. i have a digital camera with 2.5 inches lcd and I dont watch photos in that witout putting them in my computer ... and the nano has smaller lcd then that !!!!

etc.etc.



so clearly this product is better and more useful and is soo small and light .... it's just that Apple has better marketing and has the market conqured because unaware american's keep buying their products :(

[sdsdv10 @ Jan 11th 2006 11:09AM]

#4 & #9,



You are both absolutely right. Yet regardless of what you write and how correct you are, the nano will still out sell this thing 10:1 (or more)....



go figure ;)