While I'm not a fitness fanatic by any means, I do run and bike a bit and I like to have music with me. This tiny little small cool MP3 player is just what the fitness doctor ordered. 2 hours of music ... no moving parts ... strapped to my arm ... looking so cool I can't stand it. Not only that ... this thing is so lightweight that I can still cover ... oh ... 3 or 4 blocks before I run out of tunes :-)

The unit is actually manufactured by Rio Audio with Nike as the strategic fitness partner. It comes with:

Premium, sport headphones Digital remote with display Belt clip and sport armband USB cable AA battery Getting started guide CD-ROM with audio management software for PC and Macintosh

Set-up is relatively easy ... install Nike Audio Manager software ... plug in USB ... away we go. I found the software interface to be a little confusinging. For some reason all of the playlist software that I have seen insists on using different names and layout that other windows programs. They try to look like a stereo component rather than just a file transfer utility ... oh well ... just my opinion. To get songs onto the player you make a playlist to fit the memory (about 2 hours on the 120 player) and upload (the software calls it copying) to the player. Both MP3 and WMA files are OK. You can also use the software to read, download and rip CD's.

The unit controls are practically invisible but then again once you know where they are you don't need to look anyway. Player functions include: play/pause, stop, forward/back, scan forward/back, and you can toggle seven preset equalizer settings. All of these controls are located on the rubberized surface of the player or you can plug in the remote which has a small display telling you the name of the song, volume level track number etc. I don't use the remote much. I already know what songs I'm listening to and the rest of the info is irrelevant when I'm running or walking with the unit on my arm.

To get another opinion about this device I asked my better half to give it a try. She's a fitness buff and I thought she would be a good test subject. Well ... I haven't seen it since ... nor have I talked to her much. She wears it for all the normal exercise routines as well as in the garden, in the kitchen, in the office, in her craft room, while reading, walking, resting ... just about everywhere. I'm not sure whether this is a good or bad thing ... mind you it's kinda peaceful around here lately :-)

The psa[play 120 holds 2 hours of music and retails for about $300 while the model 60 holds one hour for $200 or so. I think you can soon expect to see a multitude of these cool little devices adorning the arms of athletes everywhere. The Nike checkmark logo even matches those running shorts and shoes.

More facts:

• Skip-free audio for extreme listening activites
• Comes with 64MB of built-in memory, expandable to 128MB
• Delivers up to 2 hours of music or 4 hours of spoken audio content
• Plays MP3, WMA, plus future formats
• Uses a USB port connector for high-speed downloads
• Ergonomic oval shape fits comfortably in your pocket or on your body
• Featuring Rio Audio, the industry leader in portable digital music technology
• Works with PC or Mac
• Weighs 2.7 ounces
• Expand the psa[play120 with 16 MB, 32 MB and 64 MB Flash MMC cards
• Goes non-stop 10 hours on 1 AA alkaline battery
• Upgradeable to future music formats
• Software upgradeable

Have fun!