Philips GoGear SA3125

Media players these days, come in all shapes and sizes with features coming out the wazoo. Although we could say that players like the Zunes or iPods of this world are at the top, let's be realistic, not everyone can afford those can they? So what’s out there for the guys who have comparatively much smaller budgets? Who’d also like to watch a few videos and listen to music while scrolling through images of fond memories? Philips has just launched their GoGear series of media players that look like they just might live up to that very sentiment. That’s provided they can prove themselves worthy of being in the same class as the Wespros, or Sony’s or iRiver’s that are already out there—with a similar price tag that is.

Design
The SA3125 is a slim player and it’s really light, weighing in at just 0.048Kgs. I’m not going to say that it’s the slimmest or lightest but with dimensions like 79.6 x 42 x 11.9 mm, it’s right up there with a few others.

It’s not a high-end player so I’m sure the 1.8-inch QQVGA 65K LCD display that sports a 160 x 128 pixel resolution is perfect for all your visual needs. I’ve always preferred the 5 way navigation pad a real boon when it comes to maneuvering through the menus and files so this one suites me just fine. With the play pause key in the center it doubles up as the power switch. There are two dedicated keys on either side of the navigation pad—the menu key that allows you to move back through the menus and the playlist key that allows you to save a file you’re playing in to a playlist.

On one side you’ll find the volume keys and on the other is the hold or key-guard switch. The problem with this switch is, it’s a little sensitive and it could easily slide off the lock setting if it’s in your pocket. Then again it could be a problem with just this particular piece (I hope so). At the bottom is the 3.5mm earphone socket so you can hook this baby up to an amp or speakers directly. There’s also the reset button right beside the strap loop and the mini USB port.

The black and silver finish gives it a quite a stylish feel and it’s mere size and weight makes it extremely convenient to haul around in your pocket.