I Go in Style with Aigo (Aigo A208 1 GB)

Member Name: kitschkitty

Product:	Aigo A208 1 GB
Date:	09/11/08 (138 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Available cheaply, easy to use

Disadvantages: Average sound quality

Most of us have heard of the Ipod revolution. Sony have brought out some decent MP3 players and the Creative Zen is another great device but Aigo perhaps hasn't hit the headlines in the world of digital music. That said, I struggle to find fault with my nifty little Aigo MP3 player. I've owned my MP3 for a couple of years now. I can't remember exactly how I acquired it but I do recall not having to part with any cash. It may have been a competition win, a reward for a survey or just a stonker of a freebie. Either way, it's served me well.

It might not be much to look at but the Aigo is compact with a digital screen, USB and flash memory. My Aigo has a 1GB memory which is quite low in the ever progressive world of technology. However, 1GB is enough to store an average of 500 songs which is plenty to keep me entertained on the way to work or when I'm feeling generally unsociable whilst out and about.

The player runs on 1 AAA battery and seems to go on and on before the battery needs replacing. When I first opened the packaging, I quickly ignored the packaging and set about adding some music to the MP3 with no advice or guidance. Thankfully, it was a simple and painless task. The USB means you can plug the player straight into your computer and your PC will cleverly recognize the new device. Once it's set up, yhou can simply drag and drop music files in the same way as you would store information to a USB memory stick. In fact, you can also use the MP3 player as a storage device for other files as well as music which is perfect if you have documents, photos etc that you want to carry with you.

Once I had a few choice tracks on my new player, I set about playing my new tunes. This perhaps wasn't as easy as I'd planned but a quick flick through the instruction manual and I soon worked out which buttons did what. The digital display tells you what track you are listening to and includes artist name as well as song title. Flicking through tracks is easy enough and there's also an option for random play that shuffles through all the songs you have saved on the device.

The quality of sound is far from that of a Bose speaker but it's not dire and since I listen to a lot of rock, it tends to sound a little tinny on full volume. I only use the earphones that came free with the MP3 player so better quality headphones may improve the sound quality but I'm happy enough with the sound.

The Aigo also features a flash memory. This means it has no moving parts so unlike a portable CD player, it won't jump or skip songs when you're on the move. This makes it perfect for when you're on the move or even at the gym. Which reminds me I really need to get down to the hospital gym soon! I've used this MP3 player in the past and it's compact design makes it easy to use whilst you're working out. There's also a clip on the headphones supplied and a neck strap that comes with the MP3 player. This means you can hang the player loosely round your neck leaving you hands free to work up a sweat. The only inconvenience of this is it tends to move quite freely and can be a bit irritating but I found a rather unlady like way of solving this problem by tucking the player inside my sports bra! Which reminds me, there's also a function to 'lock' the MP3 player which makes the buttons inactive. Again, this is ideal when using it on the move as you won't accidently start skipping through tracks if you inadvertently press any of the buttons.

In summary, the Aigo is a nifty little MP3 player. It's practical and functional and best of all, it's cheap! Whilst I acquired mine for free somehow, you can actually pick these up very cheaply. I've seen them sell on Ebay for a couple of pounds plus postage, possibly due to the brand being lesser known than Apple, Creative etc. I've had good use from the player but since I don't use it a lot, it suits my needs. I used to think I really needed to upgrade but the Aigo does the job I need it to so I won't be forking out for a new player any time soon.

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Summary: I Go in Style with Aigo

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