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Toshiba Gigabeat (20GB)

7.0 Good
Release date: July 11, 2005
Category: Hard Drive Player
Manufacturer: Toshiba
Capacity: 20 GB
Weight: 5.5 oz
Audio formats: MP3, WMA, WAV
Works with: Napster, eMusic, LiveDownloads, AudioLunchbox
Storage Type: Hard Drive
Battery life: 16

Toshiba's sleek-looking Gigabeat series offers eye-catching innovations but is marred by a sloppy interface and operational quirks.

Toshiba's sleek-looking Gigabeat series offers eye-catching innovations but is marred by a sloppy interface and operational quirks. [-] Hide

The Good
Bright and gorgeous 2.2-inch color LCD screen; direct-to-player CD ripping with included docking cradle; compatible with subscription services such as Napster To Go; eye-catching and customizable wallpaper and screen themes; available in a variety of capacities; programmable hot key.
The Bad
Cradle requires separate AC connection; counterintuitive controls and confusing menus; multiple software applications needed, including the frustrating bundled Gigabeat Room software; no belt clip or in-line remote-control pad included; no FM tuner; no voice or line-in recording; no USB 2.0 support for Windows Media Player 10.0 or Napster.
Bottom Line
Toshiba adds some useful technology and features not found on the iPod, but too many unnecessary limitations, sloppy software, and counterintuitive ergonomics add up to a wasted opportunity.
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Recent User Reviews

chrissbu
Toshiba Gigabeat (20GB)
I just picked up a 40GB Gigabeat the other day, and have been playing with it the past couple of days. Unfortunately, I've been limited with it because the Gigaroom software cannot "Refresh Library" on my pc with 5000 tracks, always crashing around 65
FULL REVIEW
posted Dec 21, 2005

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