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MusicGremlinThe MusicGremlin is the first MP3 player that can download songs over Wi-Fi from its own store. Price:
$299
by Russ Fischer 
MusicGremlin's long-awaited Wi-Fi music player is finally here, bringing the future of legal downloads to the next level. The MusicGremlin is a portable music downloading device that attempts to bridge the gap between a standard MP3 player and a cell phone. You can use its built-in Wi-Fi receiver to access MusicGremlin's proprietary online music catalog and hear whatever your friends (or people standing nearby) are listening to. At $299, the MusicGremlin isn't about to dethrone the iPod, but it points the way to an alternative musical future.
The device is similar in size to a current regular-sized iPod but black and much thicker. It sports an 8GB hard drive, FM radio receiver, and line-in recording capability. The case is stiff plastic but feels rubberized and shock-resistant. The two-inch color screen is clear and quite legible. On the left side of the device, a dual-mode switch acts as power-on and key lock; the right side has dedicated play/pause, fast forward/rewind, and volume buttons. The front of the MusicGremlin features a square four-way selector with a center activation button. This configuration works well, but it's not as elegant as iPod's Clickwheel. Two options are available for downloading music. You can pay $.99 each or $14.99 per month for an all-you-can-eat subscription service, which also grants you access to Gremlists, or custom playlists designed to fit certain moods. Downloads go directly to the player over Wi-Fi, and we had no problems getting set up on our home network, although we had to manually ask to see the Wi-Fi scan results to access them. Users that have security enabled on their routers should note that the MusicGremlin supports WEP encryption but not WPA. It was fairly tedious to enter our key by scrolling through numbers and letters on the device, but we were up and running quickly. Also intriguing is the option to beam music from one MusicGremlin to another. When a network isn't available, ad-hoc connections are possible from one device to another via the Wi-Fi radio. If your preferences are set to share music, another user can browse your collection and leech songs; you can also push a song to someone else via the beam music command. This feature works only if you sign up for the subscription plan, however, not tunes purchased from MusicGremlin or those ripped from your own CDs. Like other Playsforsure-compatible devices, you can also get music by shopping the MusicGremlin website and then transferring songs from your PC to the player over a USB connection. When we plugged in the MusicGremlin, Windows recognized the device immediately and opened Windows Media Player to synchronize files. The sync process wasn't particularly cumbersome. Scanning the download catalog on the device itself was a pleasure. It features two million songs, which is about 66 percent of what iTunes offers and comparable to Urge's collection. From artist to artist, the collections are comparable. On MusicGremlin, albums from lesser-known artists Eyvind Kang and Keiji Haino are nestled against expected standards like R.E.M. and plenty of crunked-out hip hop. The catalog isn't without gaps, however. For example, notable indie label Merge is missing in action, which means no streaming copies of the first few Dinosaur, Jr. albums. Songs we selected from the online subscription service downloaded quickly, with only a few seconds of wait time with a solid network connection. Downloading takes place in the background, so it's easy to queue up new music and keep current tunes playing. The trade-off for fast downloads is audio quality. No audiophile will be happy with the fidelity of the 128KB WMV sound files. They sound slightly better than the average FM broadcast: airy and slightly thin. An iPod's sound quality features more dynamic range and presence. And while the MusicGremlin's volume level is suitable for home and outdoor use, it may be too low for airplane use without noise canceling headphones. The MusicGremlin's user interface makes an effort to replicate Apple's ubiquitous iPod software, mostly to good effect. While playing, the color screen shows the date and time, a small replication of the album cover art (if available), and basic track information: name, artist, album, and a progress bar. Pressing left and right on the square navigation pad moves backward and forward through menus, and the center button works as the selection tool. A helpful Recent Downloads menu item keeps your newest music easily accessible. We have a couple of complaints. First is the search function, which requires you to select each letter of the search term by scanning through the alphabet on the directional pad (the same process used to enter a WEP key.) MusicGremlin seems to recognize this limitation, as the device will remember your last three searches. We also found that with the current firmware, the player won't power off after a period of inactivity. Walk away like you would from an iPod and the battery will continue to drain. Such quirks, combined with the relatively high $299 price tag, will likely keep the MusicGremlin ensconced in a niche market for the time being. But for users who prioritize instant gratification over perfect sound quality and physical ownership, this is definitely the wave of the future. Compare Prices | MusicGremlin Specifications
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