Technology Review - Aigo F660

We're going yo-yo for the Aigo - the latest affordable MP3 player from the Far East.

There was a time when personal stereos resembled a cross between a house brick and a giger counter. The first models were hung over the shoulder, to be worn by the waist - weighing the same as a medium-sized sack of spuds. A real style accessory..

Fast forward 25 years and nobody uses tapes anymore, few even use CD Walkmans - now its the digital age. But MP3's exclude as many people as they include. The need to be PC literate, understanding file formats and having to mess about with file transfers still doesn't endear the technology to the typical man/woman on the street. But in the same vein as the early brick-portable stereos, the times they are a well and truly changin'.

With ten times the sales of Apple's iPod in its home territory of China, its little wonder that Huaqi Information Digital Technology is the country's leading manufacturer of portable digital music players. On the strength of the company's Aigo range we can see why. The Aigo F660 is designed for the casual MP3 fan, not the serious obsessive. Our review version (128MB) holds roughly 25 songs - not enough for a two-week beach holiday but certainly sufficient when trawling through the January sales or commuting to work (although based on our hellish journeys, two weeks worth of music may be more appropriate).

The premise is based around quickly and easily selecting a range of music for a short burst of portable listening pleasure. Installation couldn't be easier. Windows 2000, XP and ME users can simply plug the device via the (included) USB Cable and wait for the OS to auto-detect the hardware. Win 98 users load drivers from a CD. The Aigo is then recognised as a removable disk allowing a simple drag and drop function for moving MP3's from the hard-drive to the player. Note we're only mentioning MP3's, one of the Aigo's few drawbacks is that it doesn't support WMA files - something worth considering if looking to purchase one of the lower capacity models (128, 256 and 512MB are available).

But that's where the downsides comes to an abrupt halt. Every other feature shines as brightly as the magnesium alloy casing the player is housed within; which is apparently the same type as used in missiles and airplanes - meaning dropping it shouldn't cause too many issues.