Page 1 of 256Mb MP3 player - just £4.97 !!!

At the moment Tesco are selling a 256Mb MP3 player made by Technika.
Spec reads :

256MB Flash memory
Stores up to 80 tracks (based on average file size 2.9mb)
Up to 8 hours music playback
High quality MP3/WMA playback
Supports DRM encoded tracks
Battery included
Includes earphones
Instructions & Windows drivers available on www.tesco.com/technika

OK so it doesn`t have LCD readouts etc - it is just a bog standard player with volume control and next/previous tracks. the casing has a lovely tactile feel to it and download couldn`t be easier by a USB under it`s cover.
Couldn`t believe the price, so bought one with a pair of speakers for £9.94 the pair.
Haven`t listened to the speakers yet, but downloaded a number of tracks onto the MP3 player - and it is amazingly good quality ! :)

i got the last technika one this time last year, for £9. i used it most of last year, and only stopped when i got a phone with mp3. but i used it a lot, and still do occasionally if i havent got my phone. i got a battery charger at the same time, and some better earphones, and to be honest its very good, although ive no real experience of mp3 players as it was my first and only one. but at this price its a great buy.

If you can find one thats still advertising them, you can get this MP3 player in store for 9.97. Buy the speakers for 9.97 at the same time and you get £10 knocked off.

Mike J T

Hi
I`m a total newcomer to mp3, and bought this MP3 player (Technika MP-906), yesterday. Can I ask what everyone else probably knows already :/ do batteries on mp3 players only last a couple of hours?

Only my battery has gone after a small amout of use. If you use re-chargeable batteries can you recommend which battery-charger to buy, or are they all much the same? Thanks!

Hi Joanna - the answer to your question generally lies with the charge that is in the battery you are using (measured in mAh).

Alkaline batteries have a high mAh and can therefore last longer than other batteries including rechargable batteries - bu t they are disposable.

I tend to use rechargable batteries where I can and have found that using NiMh rechargable batteries the best in my Technika MP3 player - I usually get 8 hours play from mine.

Basically you can get two types of rechargables - NiCd and NiMh. Briefly and crudely :

NiCd are great for low power, long use, low drain items (eg TV remote controls, smoke alarms etc) because although they lose power from the word GO, it is over a long time scale and the drop in power isn`t critcial to the unit. Think of NiCd as a long drawn out death.

On the other hand NiMh hold their full power very well ....but only for a few days. They will deliver full charge and then die instantly (digital cameras, MP3, torches etc). So these are high stamina but only have short lives.

So I would recommend NiMh for MP3 players as you want full-on power during use (you don`t want to turn the volume up incrementally every couple of tracks) but the NiMh battery will need recharging even if not used after a few days.

Make sure you get an NiMh with a high amperage (measured as mAh) - 900mAh or higher. The higher the mAh the longer your MP3 will play.

BTW you will need an NiMh battery charger if you don`t have one; or buy a charger that does both NiMh and NiCd then you can buy both types of batteries for different uses.

Hope that helps. :)

This item was edited on Friday, 26th January 2007, 11:43

Hi ra2000
Many many thanks for your really excellent explanation, I`m going to keep it in a safe place (will be able to educate my younger son, too, but you will get the glory!) I wouldn`t have got the right battery charger without this knowledge.
I couldn`t have asked for a better reply and am so glad I did, and I appreciate it lots.
Joanna :)

Glad to be of service, Joanna.
God Bless :x