Updated 28 May, 2012, 7:02 pm IST

REVIEWS / PMPS / ZEBRONICS (TOP NOTCH INFOTRONIX INDIA PVT LTD)

Zebronics MP3 DJ Gamma and Uno

02 Feb, 2008, 7:22 pm IST | by Shayne Rana | PMPs PMPs

Zebronics recently launched a couple of low-end, really cheap MP3 players called Gamma and Uno that are listed on its website as well. The lack of any details, however, could cause a bit of a problem if you're keen on a purchase. We managed to get these bare-bones players for testing, and here's what we found...

MP3 DJ Gamma
It looks as if Zebronics actually beat Creative to the punch – the Gamma, with an integrated speaker, was released before the Stone Plus (with speaker) put in an appearance. Of course I wasn’t able to pit the two against each other as we haven’t got the latter for review yet.

Form Factor
Even with the minimal information at hand, I can tell you that while the Gamma is as heavy as the Zen Stone Plus, it's smaller, though not slimmer. It has a 1-inch OLED dual color display encased in a very scratch-prone plastic screen. At the side of the screen is the integrated speaker and below that is the Play/Pause key, which also functions as a Power key.

On the top you’ll find a Power switch (real one this time!) followed by volume control keys and a Menu key. On the bottom are the navigation keys that let you skip tracks and adjust the volume. Beside them is a 3.5mm earphone socket. One side has a MiniUSB port and the other has a clasp to attach a neck strap or keychain.

Performance
The Gamma, which is compatible with MP3 and WMA formats, doesn't offer too many features. It has no radio or voice recorder. There's an external speaker, true, but it's not loud enough to entertain an audience. I wasn’t too happy with the bundled earphones. They were comfy in my ears but didn’t handle the volume very well when peaked. For some reason this seems to be a problem with a lot of the smaller companies and their players. I recommend that you get your own set of earphones. Even iPod earphones.

Navigation is a cinch once you get a hang of the controls. For additional control of music quality, you have the option to use the available EQ presets. Thankfully they do make a difference. Unfortunately the lack of a manually customizable EQ is a bit of a downer. Transferring files is easy since it’s a matter of a simple copy-paste, and the transfer itself is quick. Poor battery life is a major drawback – I was able to get only 8-9 hours of nonstop music and that just doesn’t cut it.

The Bottomline
Though the player is decently priced at around Rs 2,000 for 1GB, the poor battery life fouls up things. On the plus side it makes an affordable gift since the music output and quality aren't so bad. It’s small and lightweight and has a provision for a neck strap. So, on the whole, it’s an okay product.

Would you buy it?

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