Maryanne's Blog: Powdering Our Noses

Insignia, An MP3 player that's worth it!

I'm putting together all the lists my kids have given me for Christmas. My youngest wants an iPod Shuffle. Her older sister asked for an iPOD a couple of years ago. I did some research and checked out what was out there. I also got advise from one of my favorite bloggers, Gina over at Techie Diva's Guide to Gadgets.  I decided to get her an Iriver MP3 player.  I thought the iPod shuffles were being pushed too quickly onto the market and I wasn't interested in purchasing something I'd have to return two weeks after I bought it. Turns out I was right. My daughter had a number of friends who received iPods and had to return them for one reason or another. She has yet to have a problem with her iriver.

So now I'm looking into buying one for my youngest daughter and I come across the Insignia Video MP3 player. I gotta say I am very impressed. This little gadget is so cute and functional. The first thing that caught my attention was the price (under $120.00). The next feature I'm impressed with is its video feature. This is so cool, it enables you to play music videos or view your favorite photos. Both are things my daughter enjoys doing quite a bit! I also liked the fact that it comes with it's own rechargeable battery.  Initially, this battery will totally charge in 2.5 hours. It will then play up to 20 hours. It also comes with earphones and the quality of the sound coming through them is exceptional.

The video screen shows quite a bit of information which will work well for my daughter. It will tell her the name of the artist and song title she's listening to. It shows the time and the amount of life left in her battery. It can also tell her what track is next.

This Video MP3 player also comes with a software CD that shows you how to transfer music easily from your pc to your player. You can also transfer items from the player back to your pc to save for another time. It's got 2 GB which will hold up to 2000 photos, 500 songs, 25 audiobooks and 7 movies. How cool is that?

I should have put one on my list too? Santa.....are you reading this?

I know my daughter will like this Video MP3 Player. I can see her downloading the funny videos she's always making us watch. She'll now be able to transfer them to her Insignia MP3 Player and share them with her friends. I know everyone wants an iPod. Apple has done very well marketing them. I for one don't believe in getting what everyone else gets. I envision the same thing happening this time that happened when the iPod shuffle first came out. I'm afraid people are going to have to return them for one reason or another.

I went with iRiver the first time because it had all the features I knew my daughter wanted and I felt it was a better product. My daughter still loves it, she uses it all the time. This time I'm going with this Insignia MP3 player and I'm saving over $100 dollars by purchasing this product. I consider myself a smart shopper and I want the most for my money, don't we all?

Halftime Entertainment

I was disappointed with the Superbowl's halftime entertainment. I've never been a fan of             The Rolling Stones and I can't believe the promoters thought they'd be a good choice for such an event. Couldn't they've have found an better band to perform? Halftime entertainment is as much a part of the mystic as the commercials. It needs to be top notch and unfortunately, The Stones didn't fit the bill.

We sat with our 21 year old daughter and her friend who were extremely disappointed with the show. It was a bit amusing to hear them complain about it. Neither of them could get over the fact that Mick was ever considered a "Sex Symobl." They thought they were being forced to witness a bunch of old foggies trying to sound good. The girls felt it was time to inform these gentlemen that they need to pay a visit to the Botox fairy. 

It's these little moments that remind us all of how we are continually getting older. I remember my older sister being so exited because The Rolling Stones were going to be on The Ed Sullivan show. I was about five at the time and I couldn't understand what all the fuss was about. I literally thought they were going to show stones rolling down a hill. Now that I know who and what they are, I'm no more excited about seeing them now as I was then. 

Some suggestions for next  year, Bon Jovi, Bruce, Maroon 5, Dave Matthews  and as much as I hate to say it, I'd even take Fallout Boy! Just don't make us sit through another show that brings on a sudden craving for Geritol.