Alienware AW8835DAP 1 GB MP3 Player

Received the CE-IV for Christmas and I was so glad to see it. I couldn't wait to play with it. I have found several things that I thought everyone should know before purchasing this player and returning it like I had too.PROS: Great sound. The SRS WOW HD is wonderful to hear through any headset. The display is clear and crisp whit a smooth scrolling of two easy to read lines of ID3 text. The SD/MMC memory slot is located in the battery compartment under the back cover. The supplied headphone sounds equally as good in the earphone port or the line-out port. Two different outputs for the earphones located in different places is a big plus for me; especially because they both can be used simultaneously for two people to enjoy the great sounding music.CONS: The case face and back are PLASTIC with an aluminum band around the circumference of the player, which is misleading because the product description details the player as aluminum. I am returning the player for this next simple but important reason, which is USB 1.1 compatibility ONLY and NOT the 2.0 as advertised. It takes a full 30 minutes to upload songs to this player. Yes, I have a USB 2.0 PC and read/write rate is painfully slow. I could burn a CD and play it on another device before this thing is ready to go. I tried to find a new firmware version for this player to update the v2.521 file transfer software on the player but the Alienware support site is a NIGHTMARE for anyone who did not buy something directly from them (i.e. Amazon). I cannot even view what my firmware is supposed to be on the Alienware site. I'm not counting on them to come to my rescue any time soon. There is NO support for folders or play lists, which would really help search through 500 songs one by one. There is no capability to add or delete FM radio station programmed channels. The only method to add a preset channel is to use the auto program function then go back and reassign those channels to the stations you want manually. The big bummer for me is that the upgradeable SD/MMC memory slot only recognizes up to 512 MB cards. Now I cannot add my 1 GB SD card and double my available memory but without folder support I guess this keeps me from going insane trying to find one song in a thousand.Alienware has really disappointed me and let me down with this player. I hope that they can fix these issues soon because they are still the only high-end manufacturer that makes an MP3 player with extendable memory capabilities (even though its only 512 MB).

I listen to a lot of audio books, and I recently signed up for an audible account. I used my $100 promotion coupon to purchase this player. the sound quality is good, and the equalizer is a cool feature. I also like the dual out phono jacks (the line-out is just another phono, not line-level) as my wife can easily jack in to listen with me.It does well with audible files. It'll play the highest quality books. And the audible file format has chapter stops and remembers where you left off on a per file basis.however, it's an absolutely horrid device for trying to listen to extended length Mp3s (Ripped CD audio books or recorded radio shows). The problem comes when you want to pick up where you left off in the middle of a 4 hour program. In order to fast forward, you must firmly press on the 4-way switch in the exact position and hold it at a rate of 1.5 seconds per 1 minute. That means that you must hold the button for a minute and a half for each hour you want to fast forward. I could only hold the button for 30 seconds before my thumb started hurting.then, if you shift your thumb ever so slightly (say because you're watching TV and not paying total attention,) the 4-way switch will toggle and advance to the next track, and you'll have to start all over again. You have to sit still and hold exact position pressure on the button until the player advances to were you need it to be. I've never had an electronic device make me so angry.Also, the FM radio started picking up nothing but static after day 28. Luckily, it didn't wait until day 31, [...]

I bought this awesome little gadget many years ago. The pros and cons listed in the other reviews are fairly accurate. It had its issues and uploading songs took forever but when paired with the Alienware Hub this device was a beast. I used it for many years before it gave out. I wish I could find one for sale somewhere.

Player looks really good, is nice and small. headphones are really comfortable they sound great. FM is good. Recordings with Mic sound really good. The one thing that really disppointed me about this player is that according to the manual that comes with it, it only support SD cards of up to 512MB, which they don't specify in the description of the player. I really liked the idea of being able to use SD cards, but 512MB is pretty disappointing!!, when other similar players support up to 2Gb. SD slot is under battery compartment which would add unnecessary wear on the battery cover and it will probably break easily.This player comes with Headphones only(white with some silver), and nothing else, no software, there is a charger available for it you have to purchase separately.

I just picked one up from Fry's, the 1 GB model for $100.The pros:Long battery life, ability to use an SD card to increase capacity (1 GB built-in and plus I am using a 1 GB SD card), good price, because it uses a single "AAA" battery I don't worry about having to recharge it, SRS sound, great headphones, light weight, easy to use buttons, two headphone jacks, no problems uploading via a standard USB cable, good display, built-in FM radio tuner, built-in mic.The cons:Feels cheap, fingerprints really show, no rechargeble battery, no handle, no case, no way to attach a lanyard, gray-scale display, much buckier than a Nano, and because of the way it is built, it is susceptible to lint and dust.I like it but I am not sure that I want to keep it. I think it is a lot of bang for the buck but I really looks and feels cheap!