Rating: 
Summary: Lil' MP3, big music quality.
Review: I really wanted an MP3 that wasn't too pricey, but a good quality MP3. My friend had the Compaq PA-1 iPaq and I listened to it. I liked it quite alot and looked it up here but was disappointed at the price (...). I later saw it (for less) and bought it. Was it worth the price?The headphones aren't really good. The bass doesn't work with the headphones they give but they do work with others. I tried to use a very cheap headphone and reliazed that when I put the volume on max, and the bass on max, I would hear a rattling noise. I then changed headphones and it was all okay. The quality is quite good, and it is very durable. One thing that it could use is a carring case. Unlike other MP3 players and CD players, the belt clip doesn't loosen when you were it too much, and the screw to tighten and loosen it is quite impressive. It doesn't get loosen by itself and it is openable without a screw driver. The Compaqers, were smart by making the on/off button small so that it wouldn't start by itself. After owning a CD Player that starts just by slightly touching the huge on/off button would start, I was very pleased by this 'genius'. However, the software that comes with this lil' MP3 is very, very dissapointing. First of all, RioPort Audio Manager takes a long time to download files to the MP3 even with the USB cable and only allows the user to download so many files to it's playlist. When you can't download anymore files to it's playlist, you have to uninstall and reinstall or buy the full version. Reinstalling is annoying and bad. If I was to rate the player itself, I would give it a 4.75 stars but I would give the software 2 stars. If I am going to pay (...) (which I didn't :-) ), I would expect better software. But, since I got it (...) for less, I am quite happy. I do wish that the Compaq PA-1 iPaq allowed you to arrange the songs in the order you wish so that you wouldn't have delete all the files before a certain file to put it in the place you want. Lastly, you are allowed to put two different memory cards into the slots. This is a good MP3 for its price, but it isn't the best MP3 player out there. Of all the MP3 players I have listened to so far, my favorite is the Apple iPod. It downloads song extremely fast with the FireWire (similiar to the USB cable). It also gives you alot of memory, 5 gigs, and 10 hours of playtime. (...)
Rating: 
Summary: Nice player - but lousy software!
Review: If only there were a way to avoid using Rioport to load songs onto the player. I wouldn't have bought it had I known what a pain it was... The smartmedia cards used are also a dead end - there won't be anything bigger and technology has passed them by. There'll be something along the lines of the iPod coming soon!
Rating:
Summary: Really a 4.5 - Great player!
Review: The Compaq ipaq pa-1 is great. I researched many players before I decided on this one. I actually bought a Rio 600 first but returned it because it didn't hold much music. The Compaq holds over 100 minutes in .wma format on the two 32mb cards. The download speed isn't really that slow - it's a lot faster than burning a CD - only takes a few minutes. I also don't have the same problem with batteries as the other reviewers - I use the Duracell Ultra from a warehouse club and get about 10 hours on each set of 2. The size is great - we took it to Europe this summer and used it while traveling for 5 weeks - the player is small, lightweight and has great sound. Now I use it daily at work. I did replace the headphones... The only thing missing is a radio tuner. Overall this is a great player. Highly recommended.
Rating: 
Summary: Great sound quality, slow transfer rate
Review: Sound quality is great, but transfer rate is extremely slow. It was so slow that I returned the player because it was too much of a hassle to use
Rating:
Summary: Maybe 4.5 Stars
Review: First and foremost, remember most of these reviews are opinions. ...
If you are like me, new to mp3 players, it is a bit of an experiment (as with most new technologies). I'll try to avoid retelling my personal history of portable audio and give you a subjective review. First thing I recall reading in most reviews is that it takes a long time to download songs. Compared to what? Brushing your teeth? I admit it seems a bit slow, but if I want the music on there I'm gonna wait. Second thing I remember reading is that the batteries don't last as long as Compaq claims. They don't. Plain and simple, buy rechargeable, the initial cost makes most people question it, but do the math, it makes sense. There was only one person who made the observation that the volume levels were way off. True, there could stand to be more settings on the quieter low end, but you get used to it after a day. Why are you buying this? to listen to your music (or to keep track of your phone #s)? because it is small and light-weight? doesn't skip? upgradeable memory? you recognize the manufacturer name? It is/does all that. Plain and simply it plays your music, and if you save your files as .wma you will get more tunes for the memory. I have averaged 90 minutes with the 2 32mb cards, it'll be nice when I buy a 64, but I'm not dying if I can't buy the sandisk mmc card right away.
Rating:
Summary: Can't read the media without the player
Review: Up until today, I loved the iPaq. I had the same issues with the software as everyone else, but lived with it. Sometimes it hangs up while downloading long songs. I finally decided to skirt the issue and use a SanDisk MMC reader. Don't try this at home!! Compaq uses a proprietary format that cannot be read by anything other than the device itself, so you are completely stuck with WindowsMedia and the iPaq for transfers. Otherwise, it's a great product once you get it out of the box.
Rating:
Summary: Good Player for a Good Price
Review: I bought one of these players the week they came out last year. I have had know problems with the player at all, not one clitch. This is by far the smallest player I've seen that is durable and has ID3 tags. However, there are a few flaws in the player. One is that it eats up batteries. You usually can only make it 3 or 4 days with some use with out having to switch. I'd recommened getting a battery charger. Also the play button kinda sticks out so if you don't have it on hold, u will hit pause by accident. Besides the few problems the player is great.
Rating:
Summary: Does the Job
Review: Excellent product for the price and features. I use mine daily at the gym, and the iPAQ holds up remarkably well. While the front of the casing is aluminium, the back of the unit is molded plastic and feels less solid than some of the other MP3 players I have seen. But this unit weighs *nothing*. And for the size, the audio output is terrific. I consistently load ambient/trance and classical on the iPAQ, and the unit performs well for both music ranges and types; on top of default EQ presets, bass and treble are user adjustable. I have yet to see the PA-2, although the improvements are apparently little in the ways of sound output. This unit would be 5 stars, if the entire casing was made of aluminium or some other metallic material (then again, I've already scratched all six sides of my unit to hell, and dropped the thing more than once - but it still works flawlessly). Also helpful would be an arm-band or some protective pocket. The included belp clip works well, but does not work well at all if you're charging full speed on the treadmill, or on your back on the bench press. The PA-1 also eats batteries, especially if you're changing music selections often. The included earphones are pretty shabby (don't even recall where I put my original ones, come to think of it...), but does the job well if you're just relaxing. The included software, RioPort, is really dumb, but the PA-1 works flawlessly with WindowsMedia, and transfer speed is decent. Joggers could go with the Nike PSA-60/120, but then you've just bought a Rio with a rubber casing. All in all, the PA-1 is a great player for the price, and offers excellent onboard features.
Rating:
Summary: Flimsy, insubstantial MP3 player
Review: Save your money, and don't purchase this player. Despite what I had heard from others, I did purchase the Ipaq. Just like everybody says, it is darn near impossible to get the player out of the packaging without cutting your hands. I got two cuts, and I was as careful as could be. My first impression was that the player seemed really flimsy and insubstantial. The battery door kept coming open on its own whenever I touched the player. And, the memory door was a disaster waiting to happen. It too was barely hanging on. I was so disappointed that I returned it. Wait for the next model of the Ipaq; maybe they'll correct some of these errors.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent MP3 Player
Review: I just got the player and it's worth every penny! I read reviews talking about how bad the software was, and they're wrong. You can use Windows Media Player 7.1 or Rio Port Audio Manager 3.3. Both are very simple to use. I prefer Windows Media. When you read reviews about how you need to buy new headphones, believe them. This is the best MP3 player in it's class. Buy it!
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