[Peter]

Dell Launches iPod Mini Rival...

Furthering its efforts to provide a low-cost alternative to Apple's iPod, Dell has unveiled a slimmed down version of its Digital Jukebox portable music player. The Pocket DJ 5 sports a 4.4-ounce silver and black form factor, with a 5GB hard drive capable of holding 2,500 MP3 and Windows Media songs. Dell also updated its 20GB DJ model with the same sleek design, as well as a new interface for loading music. The Pocket DJ 5 will sell for $199 USD - $50 less than the iPod mini; the 20GB DJ will be offered at $249.

The new Dell™ Digital Jukebox (DJ) family consists of two redesigned products that promise the ease and value of the original DJ with enhanced form factor and capacity options. The traditional 20 GB DJ now offers a new interface, and the new Pocket DJ is available with 5 GB of storage. From the hardcore aficionado to the casual listener, the new DJ models offer great battery life and room for thousands2 of your favorite songs.

At a sleek 3.5 x 2.1 x .5 inches and weighing in at a scant 4.4 ounces3, the new Pocket DJ packs a punch with room for up to 25002 songs and a playback time up to 10 hours.

The new DJ-20 combines massive storage, easy-to-use controls and outstanding battery performance in a significantly smaller form factor. It has room for up to 9,0002 songs and playback times in excess of 12 hours4. All of this in a slim 4.0 x 2.4 x .74-inch form facto r weighing in at 6.8 ounces3.

The Dell Music Store, powered by MusicMatchTM, works seamlessly with the Dell DJ family and offers more than 600,000 selections for every musical taste. What’s more there is no recurring subscription fee, and individual tracks are available for only 99 cents. Downloads are made fast and easy through USB 2.0.

Each DJ also comes with Dell’s award winning service and support staff, including 24x7 toll-free technical phone support and one-year Advanced Exchange Service. The new Dell DJ models provide the capacity, battery life, ease of use and outstanding Dell value and support you’ve come to expect.

http://www.engadget.com/entry/8265162394105717/

here we go again. But DAMN - that thing is ugly!

[Kenneth]

How cool they are... NOT..

It's now a portable audio player war.

[ManOfSteal]

[Note to all iPod mini killarrrrrrs]

Give it up fools!

[/Note to all iPod mini killarrrrrrs]

[demograph68]

A noticed a big problem with these companies and that is themselves. How will they "kill" the ipod when they're now faced with these new proclaimed ipod killers to compete with as well? They will face another dilemma too, being the commercial noise produced by the rush of new audio players that are coming out. The good thing about Apple's marketing is its recognition through simplicity approach.

[Peter]

Originally posted by manofsteal:
[Note to all iPod mini killarrrrrrs]

Give it up fools!

[/Note to all iPod mini killarrrrrrs]

[storer]

Thats not an iPod mini killarrrrrrrr.....
its an ipod mini. look how similar it is.

[CharlesS]

Apparently no record feature. Junk.

Plus, deceptive advertising on their web site. Look, the DellDJ holds 9,000 songs, when the iPod they're looking at holds only 5,000! Never mind that the two models they're comparing have exactly the same size hard drive and they just encoded the audio files in 64 kbps on the Dell whereas Apple used 128 kbps files for the iPod spec...

[Eriamjh]

There is no such thing as an iPod killer. Period.

[greenamp]

Ive used one of those 1st hand, and let me tell you, they are JUNK. They have the patented Dell junky feeling about them. And that stupid scroll wheel is aweful.

[ManOfSteal]

Originally posted by Eriamjh:
There is no such thing as an iPod killer. Period.

I can see the headlines now:

"Serial killer strangles victims with iPod headphone cord"

[ambush]

oh wow.. they'd pay me to use this thing

[Spliff]

Originally posted by greenamp:
Ive used one of those 1st hand, and let me tell you, they are JUNK. They have the patented Dell junky feeling about them. And that stupid scroll wheel is aweful.

That may be the case, but considering how much Dell is dominating the computer market, it's clear that junk sells.

[OldManMac]

Two million iPods last quarter alone. Unless Apple really stumbles soon, there's nothing to see here. Move along.

[chris v]

Originally posted by Eriamjh:
There is no such thing as an iPod killer. Period.

Not true!

Here's one:


That aughtta kill just about any iPod dead, given you swing it hard enough.

[Truepop]

why do the play, cue back and forward buttons need to be so large?

[ASIMO]

Originally posted by Truepop:
why do the play, cue back and forward buttons need to be so large?

Because the Shins saw your sig and said, "Hmmm..."