Performance & Testing

I will start off by saying that the touch sensitive control keys do take a bit of time to get used to.  I say this because when I first tried to use them, I simply couldn't get to the menus I wanted and got quite frustrated.  The trick to it all is to lightly tap on the keys that are available.  The nice thing about this player is that it is "smart", in the sense that only the keys that are are functional will light up on the particular menu you are in.  Its touch sensitive keys are truly impressive and are what gives the player that very high-tech look and feel.  The best way, other than playing with it first hand, is to show you a video clip in demo mode.  Macromedia Flash Player is required in order to view the following 40sec clip.

40sec video clip

**click to play** 

I think most will be impressed after seeing this clip and is why I created it.  It basically demonstrates both the touch pad functionality as well as most of the interface features.

Interface

The whole graphical user interface not only looks great, but is also easy to navigate through and get to where you want to be quickly. 

Navigation

Although the touch sensitive keys will take a bit of getting used to, once you do, you'll find yourself easily getting to the menus of choice.  Again, the nice thing is that only the keys that are functional will light up on a particular menu.  You'll have to read the manual to take advantage of its true capabilities.  For example, there are unique ways in which the touch pad responds based on touch.  The manual covers this very well and does provide illustrations as well.

Playback

Unfortunately, the Philips GoGear HDD6330 seriously lacks many playback features that a majority of other players do currently offer.  However, the on-the-go playlist feature works very well and the ability to rate songs and playback those songs with high ratings is at least enough to satisfy some users.

Recording

Recording is probably where this player does impress the most.  Despite how small the mic really is, the voice recordings sound excellent and there is little to no background noise at all.  Also, recording directly from its FM tuner works well and sounds great.  In fact, considering how much the quality did impress me, I took the liberty of providing you with some samples of both.  The original WAV files were unedited and only converted to 192 MP3 files using quality software.

	Sample Voice Recording
	Sample FM Radio Recording

Sound Quality

Its sound quality was pretty good but its signal to noise ratio and bass output is nowhere near the same as a majority of other players such as the Rio Karma.   For example, I found myself setting the volume about a 1/4 from its maximum output level most of the times.  For those who are hard of hearing or those who will use the player in noisy environments, this may indeed be a problem. 

Battery Life

Battery life was quite impressive and certainly was right on par with the specs.  For testing purposes, I fully charged the player and played all tracks on the player on repeat.  With slight to normal interaction with the touch sensitive pad, I got about 15 hours of playback.  Keep in mind this was only playing music and not using the player to browse through pictures or other options.  When browsing through pictures and consistently activating the color display, it cut down playback by roughly 3hrs.  Also, this was after properly conditioning the battery.  What I always recommend during first use, is to fully charge the battery and continue to use the player until the battery completely runs out of juice before recharging. 

Durability

This is something that I think should be taken into consideration when on the market for a new MP3 player.  Considering the number of issues regarding the new Ipod models, this is a topic that should definitely be covered.  Durability is questionable at this time with the HDD6330.  While the back brushed metal housing is certainly not prone to scratches like the mirror-like finish on Ipod models, the front touch sensitive panel may certainly be.  However, I've been playing with this new toy for about three weeks and have not seen a scratch on it yet.  The Ipod Nano, for example, did not show good signs from the start and would scratch by simply slipping it into your jean pocket.  This one, however, tends to hold well and I have not seen any yet.

Accessories and Third-Party Products

As most of you know, no MP3 player can compete with the high support from third-party companies in regards to accessories for Ipods.  This is honesty quite upsetting.  With that said, I took the extra effort in attempting to find the best accessories for this newcomer and can say I'm somewhat satisfied with what's actually available. 

Philips has released not one but three docking options for the GoGear HDD6330.

**click to enlarge**

Each docking kit available depends on the level of use.  Basically, the player can be docked for simple PC transfers or optionally capable of expanding to both audio and video output.  Fortunately, after some long hard research, I was able to get my hands on their top docking station capable of all three.  Let's have a detailed look...

The optional docking kit comes with a detailed instruction manual, audio & video cables, and remote control.

The cradle itself is small but certainly heavy enough to support the player without it tipping over.  Unlike the new black Ipods, the finish is identical to the player itself and blends in perfectly.  Unfortunately, there are no LEDs to confirm that the player is connected and/or being charged.  The rear of the PAC005 model has audio in/out jacks as well as a video output jack.  The proprietary USB connector is also available for communication with the player itself via PC only.

To test the docking kit, I connected it to a new high quality Samsung HDTV for picture viewing.  While I did mention that picture viewing on the device itself is quite pointless, the docking kit certainly does make good use of it.  I just felt it was worth the extra effort to provide you with a demonstration of what the cradle is capable of.  Below are a couple of flash video clips demonstrating the two available transition effects on a big screen TV...

The optional docking kit certainly does expand its functionality and can be quite handy for sharing pictures on a large screen TV.  In fact, hi-res pics look great on a large set and is why I decided to provide the flash clips above to give you an idea of how the player will perform.  The only problem I have with it is the included remote, which failed to work unless I had it hooked up properly to an home audio system.  It is quite useless, in my opinion.  Also, you cannot connect the proprietary USB cable to the dock while using it for picture or audio playback.  In a way, this is good because you and easily disconnect the the dock from the computer and connect it to your home entertainment system for quick file sharing.  However, the lack of support for the USB connector means that the player will run on battery power during presentation.  This is because USB and power are both on the same cable.  This is a big no no in my book, and a major disappointment. 

Overall, I'm very impressed with the optional docking kit, something many MP3 players fail to provide.  It works as intended and certainly does make good use of its picture viewing capabilities. 

Unfortunately, the GoGear HDD6330 is no Ipod so don't expect high support from third-party companies!  This is truly a shame and something that seriously does irritate me.  The Ipod is the only product companies focus on and they tend to neglect all of the other excellent alternatives out there, even if they do sell in decent numbers.  Fortunately though, their is one company that does not only focus on Ipods and do their best in providing products for a majority of other MP3 players on the market.  I first introduced to you to the product by the folks over at TheInvisibleShield when reviewing the Ipod Nano, something that has now proven to be a necessity with this particular model!  They make super high quality protectors for a majority of products including MP3 players, Pocket PCs, cell phones and even watches.  In fact, I was so impressed with the durability that I contacted them prior to writing this article.  They have stated that they have rushed the production of a shield for the Philips HDD6330.  While the brushed steel back housing will not necessarily need protection, the front touch-sensitive panel may.  They are working on a shield for this model and should be out very soon.  I've been playing with this new player for over two weeks now and have not seen a scratch on it yet.  However, it is always a good idea to get some kind of protection. 

Next: Conclusions