"The Brick" Reviews Boxing Products, Part One

Hi all. 
Something a bit different this time. 

A product review. 
Something new I am trying. Reviews of boxing gear.

Since the Holidays are fast approaching, what better time to look at something you can get for your favourite boxer?..My address is at the end of this blog entry 

Anyway, for this first review, I will be looking the Philips GoGear Raga digital music player.

This Philips device is a great alternative to the iPod. You all know how much I love Crapple products.

I know what you are thinking. How is this boxing gear?

Well, it is. Music is a great companion while at the gym. 
Especially this player, because it is perfect to use while working out.




This player comes with an armband. Something that most other players do not include.






The GoGear Raga is available in two models: A 2 GB and a 4 GB, for about $10 difference.
both models come with the armband and in-ear buds with hooks.



in addition to supporting MP3 and WMA media files, it also has an FM receiver.
Some people may not listen to the radio much any more, but for me it is a must. 
I like it for when I get bored of my own music, or want to listen to a weather or traffic report.

The FM can store up to 20 stations, and unlike other players with FM radio where you can only access the preset stations one by one, this device has the stations listed in a menu, making any one station easily accessible.





You can also create playlists on the fly. Another option most players in this price range do not offer.

As far as audio quality, Philips uses a technology called Truesound. Even with the tiny earbuds, that I normally, with Truesound enabled, the sound quality is phenomenal. 
In addition to Truesound, this player is also equipped with an equalizer. Enabling the equalizer, disables Truesound.

Settings options allow you to change screen text colours, sleep timer setting, and backlight timeout. Although backlight timeout does have an "always on" option, the backlight still times out after five minutes.

Unit has a build-in lithium-ion battery, which charges through the USB cable. Battery life between charges is about 20 hours.

The device does not have a slot for an expandable memory card.
However, the internal memory is adequate for the average user.

The only drawback is the Philips Songbird software. It is not the most user-friendly software I have ever used. 
I just use Windows to transfer music onto the player. It is easier than using Songbird.

This is definitely a "gym compatible" player. I used it while skipping the other day.

Overall, I highly recommend this player.

PHILIPS GOGEAR RAGA

2 GB model                  SRP  $40     ARP  $30
4 GB model                  SRP  $50     ARP  $40


Comes with player, armband, earbuds, and short micro-USB charging/file transfer cable.

Cheers.