Tormentor

I considered this player for my 5 year old. I too didn't want to drop a wad of cash on something that might get torn up. I decided not to touch this product after research. I called the Cool P3 tech support line last week to try to get some clarification on what the actual specs for the player were, but they were clueless phone-answering, back-of-the-package-reciting drones. Calculating their KBPS rate they base their estimate of 2 hours from, I think it is a mere 32 MB player. The woman on the phone said 64 MB, and maybe she's right, but I think she read the package that said 64 KBPS estimate and she didn't know bitrate KBPS from capacity MB. She also didn't have a clue when I asked if it was USB 2.0 or an older USB connection. The low price leads me to believe it is the much slower, older USB connections....very unsatisfying speed (I suffered old USB with my first digital camera and an older PC of mine). So, it was important to me to be able to load up several albums (showing my age with that term, eh)...err... several CDs worth of songs on the player at once so I don't have to hear "Daddy, load me new songs, please" every 20 minutes. I wouldn't go with less than 512 MB player if you have an impatient child like mine (aren't they all that way). In the end, I opted for the 25 dollar Juicebox kit from KB Toys (I have a thread in this forum about it). This kit merely got me 32 MB memory, but in my situation, I had another SD card with bigger memory...so this may not be an option for you. I just loaded every picture of her and her friends on the 32 MB card...the small juicebox screen allows boatloads of pictures to fit on the 32 MB card. I'll put the music on my spare 512 MB card. The only thing this Cool P3 has going for it (and it is a VERY good thing) is the password protected parental volume control lock (you can set a maximum). My daughter will destroy her hearing if we aren't careful. At that age, they just don't understand it can hurt their ears. We will just have to continually monitor her juicebox volume. I can't wait till some serious MP3 players start giving parents the volume control option.

It's the chip with Liz Phair- Extraordinary, Stacie Orrico - Stuck, and Skye Sweetnam - Tangled up in me. Not real excited about the Liz Phair being on there. Orrico is fine. Sweetnam is probably okay since she's on some Disney soundtracks...but there's no guarantee.

This stuff was all probably liquidated months and months ago, but I couldn't resist getting the KBToys 25.00 juicebox grab box (3 random cartridges, random colored juicebox player, MP3/JPG adapter kit, 32 MB SD card, carrying case). I wanted a cheap MP3 player for my 5 year old daughter, and this was a great deal for me (since I already had a spare 512 SD card laying around). I have loaded the 32 MB card that came in the kit with JPGs, and will rip her favorite CDs to the 512 SD card. Music AND pictures, she'll love it. Cartridges were just a second thought. If I can find any decent ones for her, then that would just be a bonus. I have a Yugi-Oh, and a music video one I don't want. The 3rd random cart was the 2nd volume of Winx..pretty good for a girl. I would love to find episode 1 of Winx. There are also some decent music carts for a 5 year old out there somewhere besidse Ebay, I hope. I realize that clearance deals could likely be region-specific (I'm near Nashville, TN), but if anyone has seen these cartridges dirt, dirt cheap in the clearance bins of any national chain stores, please post the names so I can go prowling at the local stores in my area (the local Media Play, and Target do not have any). KBToys also does not have any carts. Thanks